NJPW G1 Climax Night 18 Results – August 12, 2023
Location: Tokyo Japan
Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan
Young Lion Trick Challenge
Bolton Oleg defeated Oskar Leube, Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima via Kamikaze (3:10) (Dark Match)
Tag Team Match
Master Wato & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Hayata
Master Wato & Hayata starts this match but it’s Hayata pulls ahead only for Wato to take him down with a Tijeras then Kaito Kiyomiya is in as is Hiroyoshi Tenzan with them locking up into the ropes before Tenzan takes down Kiyomiya.
Mongolian Chops have Kiyomiya down to a knee before Kiyomiya fought back with a springboard forearm out of the corner then a snapmare and an elbow drop keeps Kiyomiya on top as Hayata came back in and mocks Tenzan with Mongolian Chops of his own.
Wato is back in with a springboard uppercut for a two count but Kiyomiya hits missile dropkick leads to a near fall before a dropkick from Wato cuts off Kiyomiya with Tenzan tagging back in & he lands Mongolian Chops and a brainbuster for a near fall.
Kiyomiya hits a dragon screw before he runs into a Mountain Bomb ahead of an Anaconda Vise but Hayata breaks it up.
Wato took care of Hayata with a rana but he misses on a plancha as Tenzan went back to the Mongolian chops only for Kiyomiya hits a leaping knee then Hayata hits a enziguiri and a Shining Wizard from Kiyomiya gets the win.
Winners: Kaito Kiymoiya & Hayata (10:57)
Rate: 6
Tag Team Match
Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita) vs. Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino
Ren Narita & Shota Umino starts this match off with a lock up that heads into the ropes ahead of them trading elbows to the head before a shoulder tackle put Narita ahead but Umino switches around for an armdrag, a back elbow and a low dropkick before he took a swing for Minoru Suzuki on the apron.
Tomoaki Honma tags in to help charge down Narita for a two count then Narita fought back by stopping to kick Umino off the apron before Umino tags in so he could put a beating onto Narita before Narita fires back by hitting Umino with a spinning heel kick before Suzuki came in to hammer away on Umino.
A clonking elbow takes Umino into the corner leading to a snapmare and a PK for a two count followed by a headbutt then a front facelock but Umino breaks free to hit a dropkick, before tags bring us to Honma & Narita. W
Honma hits a bulldog then he sets up for the Kokeshi but Narita rolls away from it then rolls with Honma to the mat in a rear naked choke. Narita can’t keep Honma down as the ropes force the break before Suzuki came in to help but ran into a leaping Kokeshi instead.
Umino is back to chuck Narita with an Exploder as Honma finally adding Kokeshi before Narita fought back with a front kick only for a headbutt to stop a Cobra Twist then Narita tries again & gets the submission win.
Winners By Submission: Strong Style (10:18)
Rate: 6
10 Man Tag Team Match
Bullet Club (Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Gabriel Kidd & Alex Coughlin, NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay, Chase Owens & Kenta) vs. Chaos (IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & Yoshi Hashi, Yoh & Toru Yano) & Togi Makabe
Bullet Club attacks Chaos & Togi Makabe then everyone went to the outside expect for Toru Yano & Chase Owens as Yano pulls off the corner pad but then decides to cover it as Owens went to stomp on it.
Yano bops Owens on the head then tags in Yoh & he scored with a trip and a low dropkick then Kenta gets involved by hanging up Yoh before Bullet Club swarmed the ring leaving Yoh alone as Owens threw him into the exposed corner.
David Finlay tags in then Alex Coughlin as Yoh got wore down in the ropes then Gabriel Kidd took his shots too before he chokes out Yoh with his own shirt.
Kenta is in next as Yoh remained isolated as he tries to fight back against Coughlin but was sunk with an uppercut before he fought out of a suplex and scores with an uppercut Hirooki Goto is in next to clear house & gets help by Yoshi Hashi & Kidd & they both got thrown onto Coughlin.
Kenta tries to intervene but bails then got thrown back inside for the war drums. Goto tries to push on but Coughlin countered a bulldog into a Blue Thunder Bomb before tags took us to Makabe & Finlay. Makabe corners Finlay for the mounted punches while a clothesline nearly put Finlay away
Yoh hits a Falcon Arrow & it almost got the win for Makabe then returns with clotheslines to Coughlin & Finlay & he rakes the eyes to buy himself some time before a DDT drops Makabe as Finlay got back in it before he hauled up Makabe for Into Oblivion for the win.
Winners: Bullet Club (10:48)
Rate: 5
6 Man Tag Team Match
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi, Bushi & Yota Tsuji) vs. United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Great O Khan & Henare)
Great O Khan trying to chop off Yota Tsuji’s ear only for Tsuji to return with a Tijeras and make the tag to Shingo Takagi & he helps taking down O Khan. LIJ exchange frequent tags as O Khan found himself isolated for a stump puller from Tsuji then he found himself dump over the top to the floor after O Khan got free.
Heading outside Tsuji gets choked with a chair as O Khan sat on him then back inside a kick and a back senton from Henare gets him a delayed two count before Cobb’s stalling suplex took down Tsuji & that’s followed with a standing moonsault for a two count as Tsuji tried to make a comeback ultimately finding a way through with a push down stomp in the corner.
Takagi gets the tag in as he took out Henare & Cobb with a flatliner/DDT combo only for Cobb to return with an overhead suplex before a Pumping Bomber takes down Henare as Bushi tags in to follow up with a missile dropkick then Tsuji is back to help out on Henare but a quick switch around sees Bushi get overwhelmed.
Bushi gets nearly put away with a Spin Cycle and a PK as Takagi has to break up the pin before Henare’s Streets Of Rage was escaped then more kicks have Bushi down though as Ultima was lock in & he drags Bushi to the mat for the submission win.
Winners By Submission: United Empire (10:57)
Rate: 6
8 Man Tag Team Match
NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi, Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. TMDK (Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Kosei Fujita grappling into the ropes where Fujita swings with a chop on the break. Taguchi returns the favour by stopping to do his hair as Fujita struck back only for Taguchi to find his way back with hip attacks. Hiroshi Tanahashi is in as is Eddie Kingston but Tomohiro Ishii doesn’t want any part of Taguchi’s wackiness as Fujita got repeatedly splatted into the corner.
Tanahashi is in the corner but Taguchi got run into his rear before he drop down and saw TMDK waiting for him & they swarm him. Shane Haste stays on Tanahashi then tags in Zack Sabre Jr & he goes for a cross armbreaker that ends in the ropes before Mikey Nicholls came in and ate a Twist & Shout.
Ishii is in to clear house but a DDT from Nicholls spikes Ishii as Haste returns to hit Magic Killer for a near fall. Taguchi is in to clear the ring with hip attacks before he counters ZSJ’s rolling cross armbreaker into an Oh My & Garankle. ZSJ slips free and hits an atomic drop.
Kingston with some Kobashi chops to Fujita then he thrown across the ring Fujita tries his luck with an O’Connor roll nearly putting away Kingston while a bridging German suplex almost got the win that Tanahashi broke up the pin but got taken down with a dragon screw from Fujita as Kingston then switched it up with chops.
Palm strikes from Fujita looks to lead to a suplex but Kingston throws him aside before a uranage almost put Kosei away. Backfist To The Future puts Fujita down to get the win.
Winners: NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi, Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:40)
Rate: 6
After match Henare hits the ring and lays out Eddie Kingston with a Streets Of Rage.
10 Man Tag Team Match
Just 5 Guys (IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada, KOPW 2023 Champion Taichi, Taka Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Douki) vs. Guerrillas Of Density (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo & Jado) & El Phantasmo
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Phantasmo starts us off but they quickly reach a stalemate as we go to Taichi & Tanga Loa trading shoulder tackles then a clothesline from Tanga Loa takes Taichi down before tags bring us to Douki & Hikuleo & nobody else in Just 5 Guys wanted a shot at Hikuleo so Douki ends up getting hauled up then wriggled free before hitting an enziguiri.
Hikuleo’s one armed sidewalk slam drops Douki for a two count before Douki got taken into the corner as everyone tag in for some mounted punches on him even Jado. Eventually Kanemaru helps Douki out as a tag brings in Sanada & his dropkicks took Hikuleo into the ropes then outside for a plancha.
Back inside Hikuleo catches Sanada in a goozle, before he suplexs away a Skull End attempt. Tama Tonga is in by ducking a moonsault before he counters a TKO into a Tongan Twist but Sanada is able to get back in with the Skull End pulling down Tonga as the ring filled to help break up the hold.
Things clear out as Tonga hits an exploder tags bring us to Taka Michinoku & Jado & Jado locks in a OGK crossface on Michioku led to the ring again filling and clearing.
Enziguiris knock down Jado as Douki’s double stomp opened the door for Michinoku to hit a Michinoku Driver before ELP breaks up the cover then got faceplanted amid a Parade of Moves ending with Michinoku eventually poking Hikuleo in the eyes then Sudden Death from ELP leads to Michinoku going up for Godsend before Jado was drag onto Michinoku for the win.
Winners: Guerrillas Of Density & El Phantasmo (11:56)
Rate: 6
Semi Final Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Block C Winner 2 Evil vs. Block B Winner 1 NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Kazuchika Okada
Evil attacks Kazuchika by choking Okada before he could even get out of his robe.
Evil rakes the eyes then Okada gets whip into the guard rails then charges into them as the timekeeper got wiped out.
After some mic cable choking Okada rolls back inside and got slammed as Evil picks up a two count then we are back outside as Okada teased a tombstone on the floor only to get whipped back into the rails.
Evil grabs some chairs and chokes Okada with one leading to a count out tease that’s easily beaten so Evil chucks Okada back outside so Dick Togo could hit him with a chair.
Back inside Evil goes for the eyes but Okada’s big boot takes him down as did a sliding back elbow & that all leads to a snap DDT for a two count while a 2nd DDT followed on the floor as we had another trip outside of the ropes then again after Okada lifts Evil up top and dropkicks him down to the floor.
Dick Togo tries a cheap shot but Okada’s even to it before a slam looked to set up for a top rope elbow only for Evil to roll away and then bait the referee into the corner. Okada squashes the ref then trapped Evil in a Money Clip as Sho & Yujiro Takahashi hits the ring to attack Okada from behind.
A double team Fisherman buster sets up for a Dick Togo fist drop to Okada held upside down so Togo could hit Okada’s balls then the ref comes to as Evil picks up a two count from all that then again from a Darkness Falls before Okada went back to the Money Clip.
Okada’s charged into the corner to break up the hold but Dick Togo again tries to interfere as Evil had the referee. It backfires horribly as Okada took down Evil for another Money Clip Togo tries to intervene with the garrot but it’s a distraction as Sho knocks Okada into the referee but Okada kicks away a spanner and a Pimp cane before hitting everyone with dropkicks.
Evil throws the ref back into Okada as things looked to calm down but he misses a low blow ending with a clothesline for a near fall. Everything Is Evil looks to follow but Okada counters out with a German suplex before Evil ducks out to avoid a Rainmaker.
Okada avoids a low blow and hits a Landslide after the ref was shoved aside as we are teasing finishers until Okada was drop with Everything Is Evil for a near fall. A 2nd Everything Is EVIL is block but the sit down pin only gets Okada a near fall before Everything Is Okada connects then Cobra Flowsion is next, before Evil gets pull up for a Rainmaker & Okada gets the win.
Winner: NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Kazuchika Okada (18:08)
Rate: 5
Non Title Semi Final Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Block B Winner 2 United States Champion Will Ospreay vs. Block D Winner 1 Tetsuya Naito
Will Ospreay & Tetsuya Naito trade holds in the early going ending in the ropes as Naito countered out of a wristlock. Ospreay doesn’t follow the clean break and ends up getting taken down with a snap Tijeras before Naito tried to go for Destino early but Ospreay countered with a Hidden Blade attempt as we hit a stalemate.
Ospreay pulls ahead as he took Naito outside for a plancha by landing on his feet as he went before he vaulted the guard rails to avoid a reversed Irish whip returning with a springboard forearm back off the rails.
Back inside the ring Ospreay lights up Naito with chops while a chinlock kept Naito down… only for Naito to break free and lands an hiptoss/backbreaker combo.
An armdrag and a low dropkick keeps the focus on Ospreay’s neck and back ahead of a Combinacion Cabron before a 2nd hiptoss/backbreaker left Ospreay laying. Ospreay scoots into the ropes to force a break on the leg nelson before he returned with a handspring enziguiri.
Ospreay clotheslines Naito to the outside but Naito’s right back up to stop a moonsault off the turnbuckles with Ospreay then having to counter out of a neckbreaker before an OsCutter off the post was block and turned into a neckbreaker then a 2nd draping neckbreaker sees Ospreay hit the floor leading to a count out tease that Ospreay beat only to get caught with a Gloria for a near fall.
Pluma Blanca followed & that almost forcing the stoppage as Ospreay again scooted into the ropes. Naito takes things up top but Ospreay fought out only to get hit with an elbow before Naito went back up for an avalanche reverse ‘rana.
Ospreay flips free though then counters an Esperanza by hanging up Naito in the ropes for a shooting star press before a Liger Bomb’s next for a near fall as Ospreay then teed up for a Hidden Blade but Naito’s low dropkick delayed it before he sidesteps an OsCutter and rolls up Ospreay for a near fall.
Hidden Blade to the face gets a near fall as Naito then countered a Storm Breaker into a DDT & with both men getting back to their feet Naito looked to be a step ahead as he added a swinging DDT then a Valentia as the head drops continued for Ospreay.
A slam’s next as Naito sets up for the Stardust Press but he crashes and burns as Ospreay flew in with a Hidden Blade.
Unable to make the cover Ospreay has to go back to throwing elbows as he looked to edge ahead but Naito finds a way through with elbows of his own as Ospreay went to being on offence to almost out of it only to unload with a flurry ending with a trio of hook kicks.
The referee stops Ospreay diving on top of Naito with more punches but doesn’t stop the match as we get a standing 10 count but Naito gets up at 9 to shove the referee out of the ring, but Ospreay’s right on him with a Hidden Blade for a near fall before an OsCutter planted Naito for another near fall.
A slam looks to set up Ospreay for a Leap Of Faith which connects for another two count so Ospreay resorts to a Storm Breaker but Naito rana’s out for a two count then fell into a thrust kick from Ospreay.
Naito ducks a Hidden Blade, but collapses as he tried to counter back then Ospreay pulls up Naito but he’s out on his feet before a Storm Breaker gets twisted into Destino before a 2nd one & Ospreay kicks out at the last second before a 3rd Destino lands to put away Ospreay.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito (29:58) (He will face Kazuchika Okada in the Finals)
Rate: 9 (Recommend)
Finals (August 13th)
Block B Winner 1 NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Block D Winner 1 Tetsuya Naito
