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Csonka’s NJPW G1 29 (Night Three) Review

July 14, 2019 | Posted by Larry Csonka
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Csonka’s NJPW G1 29 (Night Three) Review  

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Csonka’s NJPW G1 29 (Night Three/Block A) Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Lance Archer defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 10:10 via pin [***]
– Will Ospreay defeated SANADA @ 17:10 via pin [ ****½ ]
– Kazuchika Okada defeated Zack Sabre Jr @ 12:05 via pin [****]
– EVIL defeated Kota Ibushi @ 19:10 via pin [****]
– KENTA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 18:35 via pin [****]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, & Rocky Romero are on commentary.

Lance Archer vs. Bad Luck Fale: Jado is at ringside. They collide at the bell, and Archer tackles Fale to the floor. They brawl, Jado nails Archer with the kendo as they fight into the crowd. Fale takes control, laying the boots to Archer. Back in and Fale hits the Tongan massage parlor, working the previously injured back of Archer. Fale chokes him out in the ropes, and then follows with strikes. He misses an elbow drop, Archer hits a big boot and shoulder tackles and clotheslines. The step up high cross follows for 2. Archer looks for old school, but Jado hits him with the kendo as Fale grabbed the ref. Fale follows him up and hits the superplex for 2. Fale teases old school, cut off and Archer looks for blackout but Fale escapes and hits the grenade for 2. The bad luck fall is countered, and Archer takes out Jado and hits the pounce. The chokeslam follows for 2. The claw follows and Fale is pinned. Lance Archer defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 10:10 via pin [***] It was a bit slow due to Fale, but Archer was great here, picking up the win and it was actually good overall.

Will Ospreay vs. SANADA: They lock up and Ospreay looks to work the arm, they work into counters and Ospreay maintains control. More counters follows and they end in a stalemate. Ospreay teases a paradise lock, but SANADA escapes and he gets the paradise lock, but Ospreay kips out and follows with a dropkick and teases the dive. Back in and Ospreay hits the dropkick, follows with strikes and SANADA cuts him off and gets the paradise lock in the ropes. The dropkick follows, and back in, SANADA follows with elbow strikes. He grounds the action, Ospreay fires back and follows with the back handspring kick. The running shooting star press follows for 2.The Sasuke special connects, back in and the springboard forearm follows for 2. SANADA fires back, hits the dropkick and follows with the plancha. Back in and the Saito suplex follows for 2. They trade strikes, hook kick by Ospreay and they work into counters and SANADA rolls into the TKO but Ospreay counters with the hook kick but SANADA counters back into the TKO. SANADA follows with strikes, Ospreay tires to fire up and they trade. Head kicks are traded, enziguri by Ospreay and the sitout powerbomb follows for 2. Ospreay heads up top and the shooting star press follows for 2. Ospreay looks for storm breaker, but SANADA fights it off and counters into skull end. Ospreay fights, but SANADA swings him around and the moonsault misses and Ospreay hits the Spanish fly for 2.The Robinson special connects, and the oscutter is countered and turned into skull end but Ospreay rolls out and hits the buzzsaw kick, oscutter and storm breaker for the win. Will Ospreay defeated SANADA @ 17:10 via pin [****½] This was excellent stuff, just really smooth with top notch execution from both guys. SANADA is one of the heavyweights, like Ibushi, that can keep up with Ospreay from a pure speed aspect, while also staying true to his style. The homestretch was outstanding, with some beautiful counter work until Ospreay finally out him away to pick up his first points. The scary thing here is that it almost felt as if they were holding back and have an even better math in them down the line.

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Kazuchika Okada: They lock up as Sabre looks to ground things immediately, but work into a stand off. Sabre starts working the arm, grounding things. Okada rolls and counters out and to his feet. They work into grappling and to the ropes, they trade and both hit big boots. Sabre follows with an octopus hold, but Okada follows with an uppercut but Sabre counters the dropkick into a European clutch for 2. Sabre transitions into a banana split, but Okada makes the ropes. Sabre starts to target the leg, follows with kicks, and then uppercuts. Okada fires back, hits the running back elbow and corner elbow as the DDT follows for 2. Okada hits a slam, heads up top and has to drop down, Sabre locks on the guillotine but Okada counters into the air raid neck breaker. He hits a slam and heads back up top, the elbow drop connects and rainmaker pose. Sabre counter the rainmaker, but then runs into a dropkick and the tombstone follows. Sabre counters the rainmaker into the octopus hold, pulls Okada to the mat and Okada fights, finally making the ropes. Sabre follows with kicks, uppercuts, and Okada fires back until Sabre slaps him in the mouth. The PK is countered, more slaps by Sabre but Okada hits dropkicks but Sabre counters the rainmaker into the European clutch for 2. Okada looks for a tombstone, countered, and Sabre locks on an octopus hold variation. Okada counters and transitions into a spinning rainmaker, and the rainmaker proper follows for the win. Kazuchika Okada defeated Zack Sabre Jr @ 12:05 via pin [****] I absolutely love watching Sabre work, the man’s a devious technician and it’s beautiful to watch. This was great stuff, filled with tremendous counter wrestling and both guys continuing to work extremely well together. I love undercard Okada matches that just get right to things, as they feel different than his usual main event style matches, that while great, can often go a bit too long.

Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL: Ibushi is coming into this with an injured ankle. Hey brawl at the bell, trading strikes and EVIL then following with shoulder tackles. He then attacks the ankle, grounding Ibushi and playing it smart early on. Ibushi fights and makes the ropes. EVIL keeps attacking the ankle, but Ibushi fires back with strikes and EVIL cuts him of, as he goes back to the ankle. The broncobuster follows, and the cover gets 2. EVIL works an ankle lock, dropping down into he grapevine hold ala Kurt Angle until Ibushi makes the ropes. EVIL stomps away on the ankle, lays in chops and follows with a corner clothesline but Ibushi manages to cut him off with a dropkick. Ibushi keeps firing back until EVIL cuts him of and hits the senton for 2. Ibushi fights off darkness falls, and hits the powerslam and one-legged moonsault for 2. Ibushi heads up top and EVIL crotches him. He follows with clotheslines, and the superplex follows for 2. The lariat follows for 2. Ibushi counters everything is evil, and they trade Germans. They fire up trading clotheslines, and they trade strikes. EVIL stomps on the ankle, follows with strikes, and looks for a scorpion deathlock until Ibushi makes the ropes. Ibushi fires up with a flurry of strikes, EVIL is down and he then follows with kicks. EVIL shoves the ref into Ibushi, follows with head butts and then chops until Ibushi decapitates him with a lariat for 2. He looks for kamigoye, but EVIL counters and rolls into the scorpion deathlock. EVIL sits back on the hold; Ibushi looks to power up and makes the ropes. EVIL follows with slam, heads up top and misses the big senton. Ibushi looks to dig deep, hits boom a ye, drops the kneepad and hits another for a great near fall. Ibushi looks for kamigoye, but EVIL counters, hits clotheslines and a huge lariat! Darkness falls connects for 2! Everything is evil finally finishes Ibushi. EVIL defeated Kota Ibushi @ 19:10 via pin [****] This was a great match, with EVIL changing up his game plan a bit to work the injured ankle of Ibushi, while Ibushi’s selling (limping while running, the one-legged moonsault) was really great here. Ibushi, an early favorite, falls to 0-2, and than ankle will remain a story throughout the tournament. EVIL looked great here as he moves to 1-1.

KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: Shibata is out to join commentary. They lock up and separate. Lock up again, they work to the ropes and KENTA slaps the shit out of Tanahashi. Tanahashi takes him back to the ropes, slaps KENTA but KENTA fires back as they trade. They light each other up, slam and elbow drop by Tanahashi but KENTA cuts of the air guitar and they continue to trade. They work to the floor, and Tanahashi whips KENTA to he barricade. KENTA fires back and kicks Tanahashi over the barricade and then plants him with a DDT on the floor. Back in and KENTA covers for 2. He follows with kicks, a neck breaker and covers for 2. KENTA follows with knee drops, little kicks, and then knee strikes, covering for 2. KENTA grounds the action, working a figure four headlock. Tanahashi fights and rolls to the ropes. KENTA follows with kicks, Tanahashi pops up and quickly gets cut off with knee strikes and kicks, and the cover gets 2. Tanahashi finally manages to catch a kick and hits the dragon screw, He follows with strikes, a flying forearm, and slam. The senton off the ropes follows for 2. Tanahashi follows with strikes, but KENTA follows with kicks and they trade. The KENTA powerslam follows and he heads up top and springboards in with the missile dropkick and follows with the running kick and the Shibata dropkick. KENTA back up top and the double stomp connects for 2. Tanahashi counters go to sleep with a dragon screw, hits another, and follows with the cloverleaf. KENTA fights, but Tanahashi pulls him back until KENTA cradles him for 2. KENTA then hits the draping DDT. Tanahashi cuts off the busaiku knee with sling blade, they trade strikes and light each other up center ring. Big lariat by KENTA, go to sleep is countered into twist and shout, he hits a second, and follows with a third. Sling blade connects for 2. Tanahashi heads up top and the high cross follows. Back up and the high fly flow eats knees. KENTA follows with a sleeper, Tanahashi fades and KENTA looks for a PK, countered but KENTA counters the dragon screw, hits a PK and GO TO SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP my Ace. KENTA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 18:35 via pin [****] KENTS starts off hot, beating last year’s winner and the other finalist to go 2-0 in great outings in his debut G1.I am really digging KENTA getting back to that vicious, give no fucks swagger in his work. This was great stuff, as their styles meshed really well and led to some great counter work, plus Tanahashi fighting from the bottom just always works.

G1 29 Block A
* Lance Archer: (2-0), 4pts.
* Kazuchika Okada: (2-0), 4pts
* KENTA: (2-0), 4pts.
* EVIL: (1-1), 2pts.
* Bad Luck Fale: (1-1), 2pts.
* Will Ospreay: (1-1), 2pts.
* SANADA: (1-1), 2pts..
* Zack Sabre Jr: (0-2), 0pts.
* Hiroshi Tanahashi: (0-2), 0pts.
* Kota Ibushi: (0-2), 0pts.

G1 29 Block B
* Big Tom Ishii: (1-0), 2pts.
* Jon Moxley: (1-0), 2pts.
* Juice Robinson: (1-0), 2pts.
* Toru Yano: (1-0), 2pts.
* Hirooki Goto: (1-0), 2pts.
* Jay White: (0-1), 0pts.
* Adorable Hawaiian Buddha Jeff Cobb: (0-1), 0pts.
* Taichi: (0-1), 0pts.
* Shingo: (0-1), 0pts.
* Tetsuya Naito: (0-1), 0pts.

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The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 35. On the show, the good brother, Jeremy Lambert, joins 411’s Larry Csonka; the guys will preview this weekend’s WWE Extreme Rules & AEW Fight For The Fallen events, and also discuss some Impact Wrestling departures. The show is approximately 75-minutes long.

* Intro
* AEW Fight For The Fallen Preview: 2:00
* Impact Wrestling Departures: 26:45
* WWE Extreme Rules Preview: 33:00

You can subscribe and listen to the 411 on Wrestling Podcast via the above player on Transistor, or on the following platforms:

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

8.5
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
Night three of the NJPW G1 29 was a great night of action, with A block continuing to deliver high-level matches, and interesting standings with Ibushi, Sabre, & Tanahashi all bring 0-2 to begin.
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