Kenny Omega may have defeated Cody Rhodes for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the leadership of Bullet Club but the Club has a new enemy who has emerged from within: The Firing Squad.
After defeating Cody in a sensational match, Omega addressed the crowd at the G1 Special.
“This is my first title defence as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. I am proud that I could do it in a legendary building such as the Cow Palace but most importantly I am proud I could do it in front of each and every one of you,” said Omega claiming Cody deserves a second chance and called his effort in their match “valiant”.
The Young Bucks walked Omega up the rampway where he was met by King Haku, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa who congratulated him…or seemed to.
Tama Tonga suddenly clocked Omega from behind and threw him into a steel post. He took off his Bullet Club shirt revealing a new Firing Squad shirt underneath. Loa, Tama and King Haku double-teamed Omega. As the Young Bucks tried to help Omega, they were demolished too. Hangman Page came to the rescue only to be taken down quickly. As the Bullet Club bodies were piling up, Marty Scurll raced down hitting anyone and everyone with his umbrella but was dropped with a Gun Stun.
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The Firing Squad stands over a fallen Bullet Club. Photo: NJPW.
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“You did this!” screamed Tama as he punched Omega over and over again.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi came to the ring demanding answers. They were swarmed. Tama retrieved a chair from outside the ring. He beat on the already fallen members of the Bullet Club.
A hobbling Cody arrived on the scene. Tama Tonga smiled at Cody handing him the steel chair. Cody thought for a brief moment. He struck Toma and Tanga. He got a Stun Gun for his troubles. King Haku piledrove Omega onto a steel chair as The Firing Squad surveyed the damage and bodies all around them.
The Firing Squad posed on the rampway and Tanga Loa broke the news of the coup to the Bullet Club and fans.
“That’s real family! Remember that!” said Loa pointing to his father and brother.
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Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi are in for a rude awakening. Photo: NJPW.
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“There is no leader! We are all equal. You Kenny! You Cody! All that bickering b——t? It is over. This is Bullet Club!” he shouted.
As Bullet Club staggered to the feet to lick their wounds, Cody helped up Omega and they hugged as the show went off the air.
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Omega launches Cody. Photo: NJPW.
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The match between Omega and Cody itself began with Cody being carried out to the ring on a throne. He was wearing a regal outfit of some sort. Cody blew the crowd kisses, smiling and waving at them. The Young Buck accompanied Kenny Omega to the ring. The Bucks remained at ringside. Cody was not impressed with that. He gave them the evil eye from inside the ring.
Cody backed Omega into the ropes raking his eyes. Omega was not impressed. The crowd started telling Cody to do something physically impossible to himself. Cody shoved Omega out of a corner. Cody took Omega down with a shoulder block. Cody punched Omega clean out of the ring with his family’s uppercut.
Cody stalked Omega punching him, slamming his head into the ring. Cody was distracted by some fans. Omega attacked him from behind.
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The battle on a ladder. Photo: NJPW.
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Back in the ring, Omega and Cody lit each other up with chops to the chest. A sudden powerslam by Cody almost netted him a pinfall. Omega kicked Cody in the knee taking him down to the mat. Omega bulldogged Cody stunning him. Cody rolled out of the ring as the Rise of the Terminator begans. As Omega prepared to dive,Cody used Brandi as a shield. Fans booed relentlessly. Omega leapt on Cody and landed harshly on his knee. Brandi laughed at him. Cody dived off the top rope to the floor splashing Omega who was still holding his knee. The Young Bucks told Cody to take it back into the ring.
Cody whipped Omega into the ringside barrier. Omega hurled Cody over the fence onto a table that is just sitting there serving no purpose. Naw, that cannot be.
With the Young Bucks holding the railing for him, Omega leapt onto it and stomped Cody through the table. Omega dug under the ring and found another table. Cody threw the broken table off of himself. Omega picked him up, punched and chopped him down onto the table as the Young Bucks seemed dismayed. As Omega is about to springboard off the ropes, the Bucks pleaded with him to stop. Cody scrambled off the table. Cody pushed the table into Omega’s abdomen. As Omega stepped back into the ring, Cody nailed the Cross Rhodes for a two count.
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Omega and Cody slug it out. Photo: NJPW.
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Omega leapt over the top rope onto Cody on the floor. The Young Bucks once again asked Omega to bring the match back to the ring. A missile drop kick from the top rope set up Cody up for a neckbreaker. A knee trigger to the back of the head and face stunned Cody as did a snap dragon suplex. Cody hit back with a suplex of his own. A slugfest ensued.
Cody locked on the figure four. Another slugfest broke out. Omega eventually reversed the hold. Omega pulled a ladder from under the ring. Cody grabbed a steel chair. Omega slid the ladder into the ring. Red Shoes pulled the chair out of Cody’s hands. Cody slammed Omega onto the ladder. As Omega rolled to the floor, Brandi kicked him in the ribs.
With the ladder half in and out of the ring, Cody suplexed Omega onto it. The Young Bucks checked on Omega. Omega is hurled into the ringside barrier by Cody. Cody set up a table on the floor and the ladder inside the ring. The Young Bucks confronted Cody. Cody shoved one of them to the floor. Omega and Cody climbed up opposite sides of the ladder. The Bucks waved them both off. Omega attempted to Suplex Cody from the ladder to the floor but instead Cody superplexed him from the top of the ladder to the mat.
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The lock up. Photo: NJPW.
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“That is how you kill a man,” said commentator Josh Barnett.
Cody left the ring, grabbed the title belt, and brought it into the ring. Red Shoes stopped him from using it as a weapon on Omega. A reverse hurracanrana took down Cody from behind. Cody pushed Omega into Red Shoes. Omega shoved Red Shoes away. Cody landed the Disaster Kick. Red Shoes lay on the floor as the Buck tended to him. With Omega on his knees, Cody contemplated bashing him with the belt. Cross Rhodes for a two count.
Two knee triggers to the face and Omega attempted the One-Winged Angel. Cody countered into Cross Rhodes. Omega sprung out of that, kicked Cody in the back of the head. Four knee triggers to the jaw lead to two count.
Cody is powerbombed right out of the ring through a table on the floor. Cody hit his head awkwardly on the table, which didn’t break. Brandi and the Young Bucks raced over to a fallen Cody. Omega scooped Cody off the floor, rolled him back into the ring. Omega signaled for another knee trigger. Brandi shielded Cody begging Omega to stop. Red Shoes made her leave the ring. Cody met a running Omega with a clothesline.
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Bros hugging it out. Photo: NJPW.
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Two more knee triggers and a piledriver has the official counting two for Omega. Another knee trigger, One-Winged Angel and Omega retains.
Omega helped up Cody after the match giving him the thumbs up as the Young Bucks lent their applause. Cody rolled out of the ring and limped off. The Bucks stayed in the ring with Omega.
G1 Special in San Francisco – 2018 Results
Bullet Club (King Haku, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens) Versus Chaos (Yoshi-Hashi, Gedo, Rocky Romero, Yoh and Sho)
So awesome to see the legend King Haku wearing a Bullet Club shirt and teaming with his sons Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. He starts the match with Yoshi and the fans are cheering him on. Yoshi is booed for taking Haku off his feet. Haku and his son triple head butt Yoshi in a fun moment. A weird situation occurs when the ref hesitated during his count after Haku spiked Rocky with a jumping piledriver. He could have clearly gotten a three count. Not sure what happened there. Tama Tonga Stun Guns Gedo for the win after Haku puts him in the Tongan Death Grip.
Winners: At 13:02, Bullet Club (King Haku, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens).
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) Versus Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.)
Yano removes one of the turnbuckles. Suzuki belts him in the head with it. Ishii and Suzuki battle outside the ring. Yano wants to punch Sabre Jr. in the family jewels. Sabre Jr. blocks it. Ishii clotheslines Sabre Jr. Yano rolls up Sabre Jr. Suzuki pitches a fit as per usual. Young Lions restrain him, push him to the rampway. Sabre Jr. deals with one of them. Suzuki smashes a steel chair over the other.
Winners: At 10:12, Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano).
Match Rating: 6 / 10
Bullet Club (Hangman Page and Marty Scurll) Versus Taguchi Japan (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kushida)
Kushida kicks Page in the head. Page counters with The Rite of Passage for the pinfall.
Winners: At 14:32, Bullet Club (Hangman Page and Marty Scurll).
Match Rating: 6 / 10
Hirooki Goto (champion) Versus Jeff Cobb (challenger) – NEVER Openweight Championship Match
A really hard-hitting match. A shoulder tackle puts Goto on notice as does a belly-to-belly suplex which sends him half-way across the ring. Goto throws Cobb into the steel post. The crowd boos him. One GTR and Cobb is done.
Winners: At 12:52, and still NEVER Openweight Champion, Hirooki Goto .
Match Rating: 6 / 10
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (champions) Versus Los Ingobernables de Japon (Sanada and Evil) (challengers) – IWGP Tag Team Championship
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The Young Bucks were victorious against Los Ingobernables de Japon. Photo: NJPW.
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Sanada puts Matt Jackson in the Paradise Lock. Jim Ross says he thinks that move was made famous in Alcatraz. The Young Bucks super kick the official’s face off. Evil brings in a steel chair. He gets super kicked in the face with it. Bucks try a Meltzer Driver on the chair. Sanada interferes. Sanada and Evil double piledrive Matt on the steel chair. He kicks out. Matt also kicks out of a Magic Killer. Sanada dives off the top rope into double super kick. Bucks win with the Meltzer Driver.
Winners: At 16:13, and still the IWGP Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay) Versus Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito and Bushi)
Naito claps his hands getting the crowd cheering for him and then turns around tagging in Bushi. Classic Naito. Bushi goes for MX, gets kicked in the head by Ospreay. A Spanish Fly scores Ospreay a two count. A neckbreaker from Ospreay puts Bushi away.
Winners: At 11:11, Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay).
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Hiromu Takahashi (champion) Versus Dragon Lee (challenger) – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
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Hiromu Takahashi flies at Dragon Lee. Photo: NJPW.
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An insane bout as all Takahashi and Lee matches are. Takahashi put his Super Jr. trophy on the announce desk before the match. As he renters the ring to take off his jacket, Lee sneak attacks him and hurracanranas him off the apron. Lee lays on the mat mocking Tetsuya Naito’s taunt. The crowd boos him. Takahashi leaps off the top rope and basically sits on Lee who is on the arena floor. Wow. In an astonishing move, Takahashi is hanging upside down from the top rope and Lee stomps him from the top rope right to the floor. Takahashi powerbombs Lee off the apron to the floor. Both men take until the 18 count to get back into the ring. Lee and Takahashi takes turns German Suplexing each other over and over and over again. Lee and Takahashi chop each other into oblivion. Lee escapes the D Triangle Choke by reversing the hold into a dragon driver. A powerbomb only gets Lee a two count. Lee pounds the mat in frustration. Takahashi counters another powerbomb with a Canadian Destroyer. One Time Bomb later and Takahashi retains.
Winners: At 16:45, and still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi.
Match Rating: 8.5 / 10
Jay White (champion) Versus Juice Robinson (challenger)- IWGP United States Championship Match
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Juice Robinson is your new IWGP United States Champion. Photo: NJPW.
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Robinson has his broken hand in a cast. Switchblade mocks him at the start of the match. The audience is on Robinson’s side. Robinson throws Switchblade into and through the steel security barrier. Jim Ross: Next time they might want to hook those railings together. Robinson thinks about punching Switchblade with his cast. The official admonishes him, won’t allow it. Switchblade returns the favour tossing Robinson through the security railing twice. The crowd chants ”You suck!” to Switchblade. Switchblade stands on the broken hand, stomps on it. The crowd boos. Switchblade mocks them from the top rope. A Kimura Armlock has Robinson screaming in pain until he reaches the ropes. On the floor, Switchblade slams Robinson into the steel post back-first and then suplexes him into the steel fence and into the announce table which brings enraged commentator Josh Barnett out of his seat into the ring. Switchblade flees. Barnett says to the camera: See that mother—–r run? A steamed Jim Ross says the rules needs to be enforced. “They (the officials) need to get their s—t together!” he says. Robinson gives Switchblade a Side Russian Leg sweep from the apron to the floor. Both are back in the ring by 19. As Red Shoes dodges the action, Switchblade punches Robinson in the crotch. Robinson counters with a knock-out punch with the cast and Pulp Friction. Switchblade kicks out. Robinson counters Bladerunner with a roll-up to win the title. Switchblade complains to Red Shoes. Red Shoes puts the belt on Robinson. Robinson hugs Red Shoes.
Winner: At 24:59, and new IWGP United States Champion, Juice Robinson.
Match Rating: 8.5 / 10
Kenny Omega (champion) Versus Cody (challenger) – IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match Winner: At 24:59, and STILL IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega.
Match Rating: 9 / 10
Total Event Rating: 8.5 / 10