NJPW G1 Climax Night 8 Results – July 26, 2023
Location: Tokyo Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Block C Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Henare (2) vs. Evil (4)
Dick Togo attacks Henare with a chair from behind as Evil is distracting the ref then Evil is all over Henare by taking him outside and shoving him into the timekeeper’s table before he chokes Henare with the ringside mic.
Henare gets taken into the crowd but he overpowers Evil and sends his head into the West sign then back in the ring a back senton squashes Evil for a two count then he follows it up with an attempt at the Ultima but Evil elbows away.
Henare misses a springboard enziguiri but was able to come back with a Berzerker Bomb for a near fall then Evil rolls outside as Henare tries to go for Rampage but Henare gets caught out with Togo’s distraction and gets thrown into the guard rails then into the crowd as Evil marched him up the stairwells.
Evil teases a fisherman buster on the walkway but then grabs the ref so Togo could choke out Henare with the garotte. Henare overpowers the wire then clotheslines Togo & Evil before they headed back to ringside.
Henare ties to go for a another Ultima but it gets stop by Evil then whips Henare into an exposed corner only for Henare to race back with a diving knee.
Henare goes for Rampage get it gets side step as he’s sent into the corner while a release fisherman buster almost gets Evil the win then hits Darkness Falls before a spinning heel kick took Evil into the corner.
A knee followed then the Rampage before a Henare headbutts Evil but he can’t capitalise with a cover though as he instead adds a PK for a near fall.
Evil escapes Streets Of Rage then grabs the ref as Dick Togo inserted himself but Henare punches through the chair Togo had brought in but the referee turns around to see Henare with the chair so he gets rid of it & low blows Henare & hits Everything Is Evil to get the win.
Winner: Evil (6) (12:03)
Rate: 4
Champion vs. Champion Block D Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
IWGP Tag Team Champion Hirooki Goto (4) vs. Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion Alex Coughlin (0)
Alex Coughlin attacks Hirooki Goto before the bell by throwing him outside and into the guard rails before he leapt the barriers and grabs a chair from the front row & he hits the chair into Goto’s taped up ribs as Coughlin looked to secure an count out win.
Goto beats the count but Coughlin stays on those ribs as he takes Goto to the outside as he drove Goto into the side of the ring then back inside Coughlin stretches Goto with an abdominal stretch then turns it into a Cobra Twist that almost pinned Goto but he ended up on the ropes to force the break.
Goto tries to fight back by taking Coughlin to the corner & that leads to a dropkick to the leg then a back suplex out of the corner. Goto can’t make the cover quickly enough but when he does make the cover Coughlin eventually kicks out at 2.
Goto looks to go for an ushigoroshi but Coughlin fought free and punches Goto before a Jackhammer attempt is escaped as Goto went for GTR but an eye rake stops that then follows it up with a knee to the midsection before Coughlin drills Goto to the mat with Jackhammer to get the win.
Winner: Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion Alex Coughlin (2) (6:23)
Rate: 5
Block C Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Shingo Takagi (2) vs. Mikey Nicholls (2)
Shingo Takagi & Mikey Nicholls look to trade shoulder tackles before Nicholls avoids a sliding lariat. Nicholls’ side headlock restrains Takagi before things went outside with Takagi getting thrown into the rails then the side of the ring.
Rolling back in the ring Nicholls with a delayed suplex before he began to stretch Takagi before a battle of lariats ends with Takagi landing his before a back senton connects on Nicholls before a suplex gets a two count.
Nicholls gets hit with a clothesline in the corner then a sliding lariat gets a another two count before he caught Takagi with a DDT before that leads to a superplex on Takagi before they traded headbutts as they fought back to their feet before Nicholls manages to catch Takagi with a Death Valley Driver and a seated lariat for a near fall.
Takagi tries to get back in it as they exchange lariats and the hard hits end with Takagi literally running into Nicholls to get the win.
Winner: Shingo Takagi (4) (9:13)
Rate: 6
Block D Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi (2) vs. Toru Yano (0)
Toru Yano with a roll up for a 2 count before we spy a noticeable bulge in Yano’s gear it’s tape so Yano throws the tape away then we get some grappling then Yano hits Hiroshi Tanahashi with a cradle before they broke down into strikes.
Yano manages to roll away from a flip senton from Tanahashi then he was taken to the outside and sent into the guard rails from there. Yano telegraphed his use of tape & that allows Tanahashi to neutralize it by handing the tape to a kid in the front row before Yano connects with a corner pad dragon screw.
Tanahashi gets Irish whip into the exposed corner before he fought out of Yano’s take on a Last Ride then a regular dragon screw takes Yano down while a spear from Yano took Tanahashi into the referee then Yano swings a chair at Tanahashi but he ducks & takes Yano down before he heads up to the top rope & nails High Fly Flow to put Yano away.
Winner: NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi (4) (7:45)
Rate: 5
Champion vs. Champion Block C Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Tomohiro Ishii (0) vs. Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (4)
Match starts off with a test of strength before Eddie Kingston hits a suplex and a leaping stomp onto the down Tomohiro Ishii before we get a chop battle with Ishii wins as he kept on laying into Kingston as he was doing his best to back away.
A back suplex from Ishii connects but Kingston is able to return with a knee drop off the middle rope then we get some Machine Gun Chops from Kingston then an exploder suplex out of the corner before we went back to the chops. Kingston tries to laugh them off.
Kingston chops down Ishii before Ishii comes back with rapid fire elbows only to get thrown back with a half & half suplex. Kingston stays on him only to have Backfist To The Future gets block with a lariat before Ishii connects with more clotheslines but got lay out with a lariat from Kingston ahead of a Backdrop Driver & that gets a 2 count.
Stretch Plum follows from Kingston but he lets go of the hold to go for a pin and Ishii just gets his shoulder up in time before a headbutt from Ishii turns it back around as Kingston barely kicked out in time only to return with a chop that prompted Ishii to fire back with an enziguiri.
Kingston hits an enziguiri before he gets hit with lariat in return but Kingston is up at one as he counters the brainbuster attempt then smokes Ishii with a pair of Backfists To The Future for a near fall. Ishii hits a half Codebreaker then a sliding lariat for a near fall before the brainbuster finally puts Kingston away.
Winner: NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Tomohiro Ishii (2) (16:12)
Rate: 10 (Recommend)
Block D Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Tetsuya Naito (4) vs. Shane Haste (2)
Tetsuya Naito wanted to swap hats with Shane Haste but he ended up flinging it into the crowd before he chucks Haste to the outside at the bell. Returning, Haste took down Naito with a dropkick before he donned the LIJ baseball cap and scored with a dropkick.
Naito’s reverse neckbreaker in the ropes swings it back around though as we spill back outside and into the crowd as Naito ends up hitting a neckbreaker over the guard rails.
Back inside the ring a cravat kept Naito ahead as the ropes forced a break only for Naito to reapply the cravat. Haste manages to fight back with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall only for Naito to regain control by taking Haste out of the corner with Esperanza before an uppercut stops a Destino attempt.
Haste adds a backdrop suplex to that only for Naito to spike Haste with a tornado DDT moments after before a shot to the knee from Haste shuts that all down though as another back suplex gets a two count before Naito hit a Destino to counter the Bomb Valley Death.
Another Destino attempt is again stop by Haste & this time with a clothesline before Naito finally hits Destino on the 3rd attempt then goes for the cover but Haste was able to kick out before he counters another Destino into the Death Valley Bomb for the win.
Winner: Shane Haste (4) (13:44)
Rate: 6
Non Title Block C Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay (6) vs. Tama Tonga (4)
David Finlay gets attack in the aisle as Tama Tonga blindsides him and the bell rings with them fighting up in the stands. Tonga throws Finlay into the wall by the projection screen, before he ignored the ref’s pleas to take things into the ring instead teasing a suplex off of the raised seating decks only for Finlay to shove him to the floor.
Tonga looks to have tweaked his knee in that landing as Finlay shoves a fan out of their seat so he could use it before the ref has had enough and starts a count out which prompted Finlay to rolls Tonga into the ring as he began to focus on the knee before DDT to the leg connects before Tonga to retaliate with a dropkick as Finlay came off the ropes.
Tonga beats Finlay into the corner then follows it up with a clothesline and a Stinger splash into the corner before Finlay is able to avoid Tongan Twist as a uranage backbreaker turned it around for a near fall before Tonga eventually hits back with SRC & a Supreme Flow only to land on Finlay’s knees.
Finlay targets the knees again by slamming Tonga into the ropes as a Sharpshooter saw him sit down deep on Tonga before the ropes led to the break. Tonga is able to launch Finlay to the outside ahead of a plancha before Supreme Flow gets a near fall before Tonga called for a Gun Stun only to get roll up as they go back & forth then a Blue Thunder Bomb nearly wins it for Finlay before he hits a sit out Dominator for another near fall.
Finlay teases a powerbomb but instead decks Tonga with a couple of rolling elbows while a spear led to a powerbomb only for Tonga to counter out with a rana for the win.
Winner: Tama Tonga (6) (14:22)
Rate: 8 (Recommend)
After the match Finlay decks Tonga with the shillelagh.
Non Title Block D Match Of The 2023 G1 Climax
Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr (6) vs. Jeff Cobb (6)
Zack Sabre Jr & Jeff Cobb going back & forth with ZSJ with a wristlock taking Cobb to the mat but Cobb is able to escape by cartwheeling away before he saw ZSJ bounce off him amid an attempted shoulder block.
A leaping shoulder block from Cobb knocks ZSJ down as ZSJ was getting visibly frustrated then Cobb met him on the outside with a headbutt before an Irish whip follows as ZSJ gets taken into the guard rails before eventually charging back with a guillotine that Cobb easily threw aside.
Back inside Cobb headbutts ZSJ in the corner then bounces him into the opposite corner pad with an Irish whip but ZSJ is able to recover with a tornado DDT then follows it up with a dropkick before a neck twist cut off Cobb’s attempted comeback.
Cobb tries to go for Spin Cycle but ZSJ is able to maneuver into a rear naked choke before he switch things up before Cobb chops ZSJ down then counters a guillotine as he simply suplexes ZSJ away.
A dropkick takes care of ZSJ’s next attempt before a Spin Cycle left Sabre laying then Tour Of The Islands again gets counter into a crucifix but this time Cobb kicks out only to get caught in an armbar as ZSJ began to tie him up.
But the ropes save Cobb then he tries a European Clutch but they counter and counter before ZSJ rolls away from a standing moonsault and hits European clutch for a near fall.
Cobb perhaps got too hot headed as ZSJ kicks away a clothesline but they ended up trading German suplexes & that leads to a PK from ZSJ then ran into a F5 before Cobb drills ZSJ to the mat with Tour Of The Islands scores the win.
Winner: Jeff Cobb (8) (16:16)
Rate: 9 (Recommend)
Block C & D Standings After Night 8
Block C
1st Place- NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay, Evil & Tama Tonga (6 Points) (3-1)
2nd Place- Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston & Shingo Takagi (4 Points) (2-2)
Last Place- NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Tomohiro Ishii, Henare & Mikey Nicholls (2 Points) (1-3)
Block D
1st Place- Jeff Cobb (8 Points) (4-0)
2nd Place- Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr (6 Points) (3-1)
3rd Place- NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Tag Team Champion Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Shane Haste (4 Points) (2-2)
4th Place- Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion Alex Coughlin (2 Points) (1-3)
Last Place- Toru Yano (0 Points) (0-4)
