It was a busy G1 Climax finale. Not only do we have a winner of the tournament but a New Japan favourite made a run-in and Bullet Club recruited a new member.
Kota Ibushi defeated ‘Switchblade’ Jay White to become the winner of the G1 Climax 29 tournament. He is now guaranteed a main event spot at Wrestle Kingdom.
In a match that went over 30 minutes, White did hit Blade Runner but didn’t have the wherewithal to cover Ibushi. Ibushi fought out of a sleeper suplex by grabbing White’s wrists and head butting him.
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Ibushi accepts the G1 Climax trophy from NJPW President and CEO Harold Meij. Photo: NJPW.
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Kota Ibushi survived two sleeper suplexes and a brain buster to Kamigoye White in the chops twice. Switchblade still kicked out. A third won Ibushi the G1 Climax tournament.
Yesterday Tama Tonga Tweeted: “Just recruited a high caliber Athlete into BulletClub. I got f—–g goosebumps.”
Tanga delivered on his promise at the finals of the G1 Climax as Kenta joined Bullet Club.
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The G1 champ poses for press photos. Photo: NJPW.
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At the event, Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) took on Kenta, Yoshi-Hashi and Tomohiri Ishii. A desperate Tomohiri Ishii needed to make a tag to Kenta. Kenta pulled his hand away and stepped off the apron leaving Yoshi-Hashi and Ishii to wrestle a handicap match against Bullet Club.
When it looked like Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi had the match won, Kenta ran into the ring, gave Ishii a running knee to the face and a Go to Sleep. The crowd booed. Kenta smiled as Tama Tonga pinned Ishii. Kenta and Bullet Club beat down Yoshi-Hashi and some Young Lions.
Out of nowhere, Katsuyori Shibata stormed the ring knocking Kenta down with a haymaker to the face.
Shibata clobbered him with his running kick in the corner. Shibata threw off this shirt in anger as the crowd went wild.
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Shibata unleashes his fury on Kenta. Photo: NJPW.
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Shibata pounded Kenta with shot after shot. Shibata took out all members of Bullet Club then nailed Kenta with running stalling drop kick.
Shibata was distracted by Gedo while he was putting Kenta to sleep. Kenta punted Shibata into next Tuesday. Gedo walloped Shibata with his kendo stick.
Absolutely disrespecting Shibata with his own pose, Kenta sat cross-legged on his chest. Kenta confirmed his entry into Bullet Club by throwing up their Too Sweet sign.
Tama Tonga blew his nose on Shibata’s shirt and threw into the audience.
“Get this s—t out of here,” scowled Tonga.
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Kenta poses with his new pals. Photo: NJPW.
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The crowd chanted and clapped for Shibata as he circled the ring in rage.
Since 2017, Shibata has taken on the role of coach with the New Japan LA dojo after he suffered a subdural hematoma and needed emergency surgery. The speculation has been that he would never wrestle again.
Shibata wasn’t the only one to take it on the chin at the G1 Climax. The feud between Juice Robinson and Jon Moxley escalated. Moxley did not take kindly to himself and Shota Umino losing to Toa Henare and Juice Robinson. He hit Robinson with the IWGP United States belt knocking him clear out of the ring.
“This guy belongs in a 1990’s jazzercise class. We are going to toughen him up,” said Moxley before he slammed Robinson through a table.
In other matches:
Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors beat Yota Tsuji and Ren Narita. In an intense battle of the American and Japanese dojos, Fredericks makes Tsuji submit to the Boston Crab. Everyone from the two sides gets into it pushing, shoving, suplexing each other. “That’s L.A. Dojo!” Connors shouts.
Tiger Mask, Jyushin Thunder Liger and Jeff Cobb defeated Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi and Lance Archer). Cobb pinned Kanemaru with Tour of the Islands. Taichi kept trying to remove Tiger and Liger’s masks.
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Jyushin fights to keep his mask on. Photo: NJPW.
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Chaos (Sho, Yoh and Will Ospreay) defeated Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi). Ospreay pinned Yujiro with Storm Breaker.
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Moxley toughens Robinson up. Photo: NJPW.
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Toa Henare and Juice Robinson defeated Shota Umino and Jon Moxley. Henare pinned Umino with the Toa Bottom.
Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Evil, Sanada, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito) beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano, Hiroooki Goto and Togi Makabe. Sanada pinned Honma with a moonsault.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) beat Kenta, Yoshi-Hashi and Tomohiri Ishii. Tama Tonga pinned Ishii once Kenta had knocked him out with Go to Sleep.
Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. and Minoru Suzuki) beat Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. Suzuki put away Okada with the Gotch Piledriver. Suzuki challenged Okada to a championship match.