NJPW's G1 Climax 33 tournament continues today in Nagano with C Block & D Block matches.
In the main event, EVIL takes on David Finlay in a C Block battle. Both men are 2-0 in the tournament.
In the semi-main, the 1-1 Hiroshi Tanahashi faces United Empire's Jeff Cobb and his 2-0 record.
Today's full lineup:
C Block: EVIL (2-0, 4 points) vs. David Finlay (2-0, 4 points)D Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-1, 2 points) vs. Jeff Cobb (2-0, 4 points)C Block: Tomohiro Ishii (0-2, 0 points) vs. Shingo Takagi (0-2, 0 points)D Block: Tetsuya Naito (1-1, 2 points) vs. Toru Yano (0-2, 0 points)C Block: Eddie Kingston (1-1, 2 points) vs. HENARE (1-1, 2 points)D Block: Hirooki Goto (1-1, 2 points) vs. Shane Haste (1-1, 2 points)C Block: Tama Tonga (1-1, 2 points) vs. Mikey Nicholls (1-1, 2 points)D Block: Zack Sabre Jr. (2-0, 4 points) vs. Alex Coughlin (0-2, 0 points)
Our live coverage begins at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
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Recommended Matches
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Alex Coughlin – This pair has had one of the most consistent tournaments independently, and it's no surprise that they kept that up in this match.
Eddie Kingston vs. HENARE – This was a fantastic sell-heavy Eddie match.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi – Filled with bombs, this was exactly the match you would expect from this pair, so if that sounds enticing, check this out.
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Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Alex Coughlin
This pair has had one of the most consistent tournaments independently, and it's no surprise that they kept that up in this match.
This match, structurally, was about what you would expect from this pair. Coughlin used his strength in an attempt to wear down ZSJ, while ZSJ caught Coughlin in holds whenever an opportunity presented itself. ZSJ won this battle by utilizing an armbar.
With this win, ZSJ becomes the first man in D block with 6 points.
Tama Tonga defeated Mikey Nicholls
This match was fairly Nicholls-dominant for quite some time. In the end, that didn't matter, as Tama was able to win with a pair of gun stuns.
Tama has tied C block leaders with 4 points.
Hirooki Goto defeated Shane Haste
This was a strange, brief match. Haste was very aggressive from the opening bell. Goto withstood the rush and turned a rear-naked choke into a pin to win the match in about two minutes. Throughout and after the short runtime, Goto held his midsection as if he was in horrible pain.
Goto advances to 4 points.
Eddie Kingston defeated HENARE
This was a great match built on Kingston's selling. Even before the opening bell, HENARE put Kingston on the backfoot. Kingston's rallies were fantastic, including the final one, which saw him rock HENARE with a spinning back fist before collapsing on him for the pinfall victory.
Kingston continues to keep up with the top of the heap, earning his 4th point in C block.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Toru Yano
The highlight of this match was Naito refusing to enter the ring until Yano behaved, resulting in Naito making multiple ring entrances. This game of chicken continued throughout a lot of the runtime. Naito was eventually able to roll up Yano to win the match.
Naito worked his way to 4 points with this win.
Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii
This match was exactly what you would expect from this pair, a lot of heavy striking sequences which turned into powerful move exchanges later in the match. Only after a string of false finishes with the time limit drawing near was Shingo able to close the match with a pumping bomber.
Shingo ended what was beginning to look like a losing streak to earn his first 2 points.
Jeff Cobb defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
This match was built around Cobb overwhelming Tanahashi while Tanahashi tried to find openings in Cobb's game. Ultimately, Cobb was able to keep up the pressure long enough to with a Tour of the Islands.
Cobb remains undefeated, making his way to 6 points.
David Finlay defeated EVIL
If you thought the Bullet Club melodrama was over, this match stepped in to ruin your day. Throughout the runtime, the HoT and War Dog Bullet Club sub-factions teased all-out war, which eventually came to pass after a ref bump. The match was filled with cheating and your typical Bullet Club goofiness. In the end, Finlay used the shillelagh before landing Oblivion to win the match.
Finlay remains the last undefeated man in C block, standing firm with 6 points.
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Standings
A Block
SANADA (3-0) – 6 points)Kaito Kiyomiya (2-0-1) – 5 pointsGabe Kidd (2-1) 4 pointsChase Owens (2-1) – 4 pointsRen Narita (0-1-2) – 2 pointsShota Umino (0-1-2) – 2 pointsYota Tsuji (0-2-1) – 1 pointHikuleo (0-3) – 0 points
B Block
Click Here: Thomas Muller Jersey SaleKazuchika Okada (3-0) – 6 pointsTaichi (2-1) – 4 pointsWill Ospreay (2-1) 4 pointsYOSHI-HASHI (2-1) – 4 pointsTanga Loa (1-2) 2 pointsKENTA (1-2) 2 pointsGreat-O-Khan (1-2) 2 pointsEl Phantasmo (0-3) 0 points
C Block
David Finlay (3-0) – 6 pointsEVIL (2-1) – 4 pointsEddie Kingston (2-1) – 4 points
Tama Tonga (2-1) – 4 pointsHENARE (1-2) – 2 pointsMikey Nicholls (1-2) – 2 pointsShingo Takagi (1-2) – 2 pointsTomohiro Ishii (0-3) – 0 points
D Block
Zack Sabre Jr. (3-0) – 6 pointsJeff Cobb (3-0) – 6 pointsHirooki Goto (2-1) – 4 pointsTetsuya Naito (2-1) – 2 points
Shane Haste (1-2) – 2 pointsHiroshi Tanahashi (1-2) – 2 pointsAlex Coughlin (0-3) – 0 pointsToru Yano (0-3) – 0 points