wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NJPW G1 Climax 34 Night 9 Review
Image Credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW G1 Climax 34 Night 9
August 3rd, 2024 | Yamato Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 1,711
NOTE: For anyone following all of my reviews, my WrestleMania Series is still ongoing. It’s something I’m doing in my free time though so reviews from 2024 (like this one) take precedence. Also, I’m up to the Manias that are like, 7 hours long so it takes a while.
Considering I’m now behind on two G1 shows and still have a STARDOM PPV to cover thanks to a busy weekend that included attending SummerSlam, I will likely make these reviews a bit shorter than usual.
B Block: Callum Newman [4] vs. Jake Lee [2]
If there’s one guy who is REALLY missing the mark in this G1, it’s Jake Lee. Nothing is connecting for him. Here, he was kind of just there again. His character work feels disconnected and his offense doesn’t really impress. Callum has fire but Jake doesn’t, which made for an odd pairing. The first five or so minutes were just bad and gave me no reason to care. They picked things up afterward, mostly when Callum got going. Jake even seemed more motivated and to perform better at that point but it wasn’t enough to turn this thing around enough. The Oscutter counter into a Chokeslam should’ve been the finish because it was the best spot of the match. They went a bit longer and Jake won with his terrible, obvious thigh slap version of the Helluva Kick in 11:15. That was a match. [**½]
B Block: EVIL [10] vs. The Great-O-Khan [2]
The undefeated EVIL. Thanks, Gedo. Surprisingly, this is a first time ever meeting. I said this was going to be a shorter review and here’s EVIL to make that easier. If you’ve seen one House of Torture EVIL match, you’ve basically seen them all. He jumped his opponent, they brawled outside, Dick Togo got involved, there was a ref bump, etc. The only thing that saved this was the late babyface fire from O-Khan as he rallied. Again though, it wasn’t enough to save this. I’ll give it a mildly average rating because I’m in a good mood. O-Khan won with his chokeslam variation in 16:21. [**]
B Block: Gabe Kidd [6] vs. Tetsuya Naito [4]
Gabe has been a standout of this tournament. Naito has not. Unfortunately, this was a case where it felt like Gabe wrestled down to Naito’s current standards. It was one of those bouts where Naito didn’t seem to be putting in the effort. T-shirt Naito level work. Gabe also wasn’t as aggressive as he has been throughout the tournament, turning in something of a softer outing when it comes to strikes and such. The crowd didn’t even seem as into Naito’s stuff as they usually are. Maybe they were waiting for the botch or two that he’s been accustomed to in this G1. The one thing I really liked was the finish. Naito had to resort to a rollup to beat Gabe in 14:08, which is a good look for a rising guy like Gabe. Naito barely hung out and keeps getting outclassed. He should not be a top guy but this is the bed Gedo made for himself. [**½]
B Block: SANADA [4] vs. Shota Umino [6]
They met in last year’s G1 (***) but that’s it. SANADA needs a win to remain in the hunt, much like Naito in the previous match. Honestly, this was like, the MOST Shota/SANADA match possible in that it was largely fine and nothing more. That’s kind of where both guys tend to sit most of the time. I’m honestly finding it hard to even figure out what to say here because it was just a solid, uninspiring, and forgettable match. The ultimate 6/10. There were some pretty good counters in there and a few decent submission spots, yet none of it felt like it ever got out of second gear. Shota had a late flurry but SANADA avoided Death Rider and used a flash pin to win in 15:58. Kind of the quintessential three star match. [***]
B Block: Shingo Takagi [4] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [8]
The two best wrestlers in New Japan. They’ve met in the G1 31 (****¼), Power Struggle 2021 (***¾), and the New Japan Cup 2022 (****½). We got a feeling out process to start as neither guy seemed willing to make the first mistake. That didn’t last too long though because these guys were not out here working at a usual New Japan pace. This wasn’t designed to go the usual 25-30 minutes of a main event in this company. It wasn’t long before things were really good and they were going back and forth. Shingo could hit an impactful move or a vicious strike but then ZSJ could trap him in a sickening submission or do some limb damage. It was that kind of affair throughout and it was great. A Made in Japan near fall took this to the next level as they went into trading strikes that the crowd was split on. It culminated with Last of the Dragon after 16:13. Shocker but the best match in New Japan this year to not feature Bryan Danielson includes their two best wrestlers. Just a banger of match that didn’t go too long and ruled from start to finish. [****½]
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| EVIL | 10 (5-1) | David Finlay | 6 (3-2) |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 8 (4-2) | Konosuke Takeshita | 6 (3-2) |
| Gabe Kidd | 6 (3-3) | HENARE | 6 (3-2) |
| Shota Umino | 6 (3-3) | Ren Narita | 6 (3-2) |
| Shingo Takagi | 6 (3-3) | Jeff Cobb | 6 (3-2) |
| Tetsuya Naito | 6 (3-3) | Yuya Uemura | 6 (3-2) |
| SANADA | 6 (3-3) | Hirooki Goto | 4 (2-3) |
| Callum Newman | 4 (2-4) | Yota Tsuji | 4 (2-3) |
| The Great O-Khan | 4 (2-4) | Boltin Oleg | 4 (2-3) |
| Jake Lee | 4 (2-4) | El Phantasmo | 4 (2-3) |
