It’s time for NJPW’s second-biggest show of the year, coming at you, as usual, from Osaka-jo Hall. This should be a newsworthy show, so let’s get right to it.

NJPW World TV Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. SANADA [House of Torture]

In case you missed it, NJPW posted a short documentary about SANADA’s return that confirms that he took time off to rehab the cervical injury he suffered at Wrestle Kingdom 18, more than two years ago. He also said that he joined the House because he essentially couldn’t use his right arm (which is why his upper body kind of looks like Baba’s), and doing matches with shenanigans allowed him to continue to work, even if he couldn’t really wrestle anymore. (I get the feeling that this is also what’s happening, to a somewhat lesser degree, with DOUKI.) SANADA’s entrance consists of multiple guys coming out in his entrance gear to his various themes, holding replicas of the belts he’s won before the man himself appears in a Met gala-esque red outfit, carrying the TV title belt he stole at Wrestling Dontaku. They start with some technical wrestling, then shake hands. The ramp up the pace with a rope-running sequence that ends with SANADA countering Takeshita’s diving clothesline with a cutter, then hitting a Shining Wizard. SANADA misses a moonsault but lands on his feet, then goes for Skull End, but Takeshita reverses and hits a Bastard Driver followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Takeshita allows SANADA to get to his feet and they trade strikes; Takeshita gets the best of it and goes for a Power Drive knee, but SANADA counters with an O’Connor Roll for two. SANADA hits another Shining Wizard and a moonsault, but Takeshita kicks out at one. SANADA grasps his shoulder while Takeshita regains his feet, but then SANADA grabs an inside cradle for two. SANADA catches a strike attempt by Takeshita and uses Takeshita’s hand to poke ref Kenta Sato in the eye, then sprays cold spray in Takeshita’s face and hits him with the guitar, but Takeshita kicks out at two. Both guys try their finishers, and the sequence ends with Takeshita getting two with a schoolboy. SANADA misses a Shining Wizard and eats a Power Drive knee, then Takeshita tries for Raging Fire, SANADA reverses into Skull End, and then Takeshita hits Raging Fire for the pinfall. SANADA looked okay here, but he’s still nowhere near where he was before the injury.

No Disqualification: El Phantasmo vs. Jake Lee [United Empire]

Lee’s face paint is now fully the Joker design. Both guys pile chairs in the ring during Phantasmo’s entrance and duel with them to start; Phantasmo gets the best of this, then sends Lee to the outside and hits a plancha. Phantasmo hits a suplex on the outside, then pulls a 10-foot ladder out from under the ring, but Lee cuts Phantasmo off while Phantasmo is setting up the ladder. Phantasmo slams Lee’s face into the ladder multiple times, then hits a dive off the top of the ladder. Back in the ring, Phantasmo hits the Bret Hart elbow off the second rope, but he takes too long playing Tanahashi’s guitar, allowing Lee to recover and hit him from behind. Lee goes after Jado, allowing Phantasmo to recover, and Phantasmo hits Lee with a chair. Phantasmo sets up a chair bridge, which again allows Lee to recover, but Phantasmo regains the advantage with a… well, with a double titty twister – I believe that’s the technical term. Lee bites the chest to escape, then hits the ropes, but takes a cane shot from Jado and a kick from Phantasmo for two. Phantasmo applies a crossface with an assist from Jado’s cane, but Lee once again bites his way out and hits a choke slam through the chair bridge for two. Lee wraps a chair around Phantasmo’s neck and tries the Face-Break Shot, but Phantasmo avoids it and hits a DDT from the second rope. Phantasmo tries to load his boot with a steel plate, but he takes too long and Lee hits the Face-Break Shot in the corner, followed by a shot with the steel plate and a guillotine choke for the submission. This was very silly and not very good, and it did Phantasmo no favors at a time when he could use one.

Yuya Uemura & Taichi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa [TMDK]

The crowd is really into this. Oiwa and Uemura start with some scientific wrestling. They do a criss-cross spot that ends with Uemura getting an armdrag, but Oiwa replies with a hip toss and an armdrag of his own, which Uemura counters with a headscissors; Oiwa escapes, and both guys tag out. Taichi gets the best of a test of strength, but Sabre rides him down and hits a neck crank. Sabre and Oiwa do their double-team limb-attack spot. Sabre cranks the arm and drives Taichi into the corner, but hits a running kick to get free and tags Uemura, who hits an armdrag and a dropkick on Sabre. Oiwa runs in and they hit a double armdrag, but Uemura knocks him out of the ring with a dropkick. Uemura hits Sabre with a butterfly suplex for two, then he and Sabre trade cross armbreaker tries and flash pin attempts. Sabre gets two with a backslide, then hits a kick and tags out. Oiwa applies a side headlock, then an abdominal stretch, which he turns into a slam and follows with a senton for two. Oiwa re-applies the side headlock, but Uemura drives him into the corner to escape it. Uemura goes for a cross-body from the corner, but Oiwa tries for the headlock again, only to take a series of armdrags in response. Uemura tags in Taichi, who chops Oiwa in the neck. Sabre runs in for the save, but Taichi cancels him out, then hits Oiwa with an enzuigiri. Taichi and Oiwa trade strikes, then Taichi hits a front kick for two. Oiwa catches another kick and Sabre runs in to help, and they hit Taichi with a top-rope splash/neck crank combo for two. Oiwa tries for Chaos Theory, but Uemura blocks it with an enzuigiri. Uemura hits the Dangerous Backdrop on Oiwa, then hits a palm strike, followed by a Taichi sliding lariat for two. Oiwa and Taichi trade lariats; Oiwa eventually gets the best of it and gets a two count. Oiwa applies the side headlock again, but Taichi tries the Dangerous Backdrop to escape; Oiwa blocks it and goes for The Grip, which Taichi ducks and tries to turn into Black Mephisto. Oiwa slips out the back and tries a roll-up, but Taichi sits down on it and gets the flash pin. This was very good, though the end was a bit abrupt. Both teams continue beefing after the match.

El Desperado vs. Mistico

Oh God, I forgot about the Mistico replacement theme. Truly on the Mount Rushmore of hold music, this song. They shake hands, then they start off quick, with Mistico hitting a springboard cross-body and a tijeras to send Desperado outside. Mistico hits a tope suicida, then tries for another one, but Desperado ducks it, drives Mistico into the guard rail and hits a flipping tope suicida. Desperado runs Mistico into the ringpost and rolls him back into the ring, then sets him on the top rope and goes after his mask. Desperado kicks him off the top, then the two trade strikes in a heated sequence. Mistico takes Desperado down with another tijeras, but Desperado drops Mistico with a punch. Mistico hits a springboard back elbow, then a high kick from the apron, and filly hits a springboard tijeras. Mistico hits an escalara, which sends Desperado to the outside, and then hits a tornillo. Mistico tosses Desperado into the ring, then hits a tornillo into the ring for two. They trade strikes again, and Mistico gets the best of it. Mistico tries for a moonsault, but Desperado gets the knees up and then hits a spear for two. Depserado goes to the top, but Mistico hits a pair of high kicks, then follows him up and hits an armdrag from the top for two. Mistico tries a crucifix, but only gets two. Mistico hangs Desperado up on the top rope and hits a springboard hurricanrana for two. Mistico misses a springboard senton and Desperado gets two. Desperado shoots Mistico into the ropes, but Mistico hits a springboard cross-body. Desperado stuffs a La Mistica attempt, then applies Numero Dos for a quick submission. Mistico is pissed – Chris Charlton suspects they agreed before the match that Desperado wouldn’t go after Mistico’s knee, since Mistico is coming off a knee injury – but eventually they dap each other up and raise each other’s hand. Mistico kisses the lion mark in the middle of the ring, salutes the crowd, and takes absolutely forever to leave; I’m guessing no one in the back knows the Spanish for “We’ve got a hard out tonight.” This was a lot of fun.

They announce most of the G1 Climax field; it includes:

A Block

• Konosuke Takeshita
• Yota Tsuji
• SANADA
• Shingo Takagi
• Jake Lee
• Boltin Oleg
• Hirooki Goto

B Block

• Callum Newman
• Zack Sabre Jr.
• Shota Umino
• Yuya Uemura
• Ren Narita
• Drilla Moloney
• Gabe Kidd

That leaves six play-in spots, and one of the play-in matches is tonight’s IWGP Tag Team Championship match. It does seem kind of glaring that people like the Knockout Brothers and Aaron Wolf aren’t in straight away, but since NJPW has started doing the play-in tournament, the story is that you have to earn your way in the first time, so by that logic, it does make some sense. Speaking of Wolf…

NEVER Openweight Championship: Ren Narita (c) [House of Torture] vs. Aaron Wolf

Narita comes to the ring with Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Yujiro Takahashi. Narita has new gear that is not terribly unlike EVIL’s. Narita jumps Wolf before the bell, sends him outside, hits Wolf with a chair and Pillmanizes Wolf’s knee. Narita rolls back in and takes the ref while the House beats up Wolf some more. Once again, Wolf has no friends. Back in the ring, Narita applies a kneebar, but Wolf gets to the ropes. Wolf blocks a punch and hits a judo throw, but Narita pulls Sato in front of him, then forces him into the corner while the House attacks Wolf again. However, Wolf cancels out the House geeks by himself, then hits a judo throw, a running clothesline in the corner, a suplex and an elbow drop for two. Wolf tries for a fireman’s carry, but Narita slips out the back, kicks Wolf in the knee and applies a guillotine choke; Wolf powers out, however, and hits a sitout landslide for two. Wolf applies the triangle choke (with a lot of daylight, it should be noted), but Kanemaru takes the ref and Togo runs in to break it up. Wolf kicks Narita into Sato, so the House attacks with full force. As it turns out, though, Wolf actually does have friends, as Toru Yano and Takeshita run in, take out the House geeks and drag them to the back. Wolf catches a kick and takes down Narita with a leg throw. Narita kicks Wolf in the knee, but Wolf responds with a lariat. Wolf hits a reverse Angle Slam for two, but Narita again kicks Wolf in the knee, then grabs Sato, kicks Wolf low and hits the Double Cross for two. Narita applies a reverse figure four, but Wolf makes it to the ropes after a long struggle. Narita goes for Hell’s Guillotine, but Wolf ducks it and hits a powerslam, which leaves both guys down. Narita charges Wolf, but Wolf catches him and hits a uranage suplex and an Angle Slam for the pin and the title. Wolf is getting there – his timing and execution are already pretty good – but man, does he ever need to get away from the House of Torture.

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Knockout Brothers (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR) [Unbound Co.] (c) vs. HENARE & Great-O-Khan [United Empire]

It should probably be noted here that HENARE and Great-O-Khan’s trios partner, Will Ospreay, isn’t here tonight because he married Alex Windsor – the STRONG Women’s Champion – last night. Yuto and HENARE start with stiff strikes, and man, I love both these guys. HENARE hits a senton and goes for the PK, but Yuto avoids it and knocks HENARE down with a kick. Yuto hits the ropes, but Great-O-Khan trips him up from the outside and HENARE hits another senton while Great-O-Khan goes after OSKAR. Great-O-Khan bites Yuto in the corner, then tags in and goes after Yuto’s knee. OSKAR gets baited in, but after a quick comeback, he gets knocked to the floor by both United Empire members. Great-O-Khan hits the ropes, but Yuto hits a kick and slams Great-O-Khan down, which allows him to tag in OSKAR, who takes out both Great-O-Khan and HENARE. OSKAR misses a corner charge, and Great-O-Khan goes for a claw hold, but OSKAR powers out, hits the corner charge and hits a legdrop for two. OSKAR tries for a big boot, but Great-O-Khan powders out. OSKAR chases him out and hits some hard shots, but as OSKAR is getting back in the ring, Great-O-Khan kicks the ropes for the low blow and then tags in HENARE. OSKAR takes on both guys for a while, the numbers game catches up to him, and Great-O-Khan hits a TTD while HENARE kicks OSKAR in the head, but Yuto breaks up the pinfall. OSKAR continues to fight back, takes both guys down and tags in Yuto, who beats down HENARE in the corner and hits the Bomboclaat knee for two. They trade strikes, which ends with HENARE hitting a liver punch, then HENARE hits the Berzerker for two. Yuto and HENARE fight over a suplex, and Yuto eventually hits it. Yuto hits a number of stiff slaps, then hits a buzzsaw kick for two. Yuto headbutts HENARE and gets the worst of it, then HENARE fires up and hits a bunch of stiff strikes himself. OSKAR tries to intervene but gets a spinning heel kick for his trouble, and HENARE hits the Native Knee and a clothesline on Yuto, but Yuto kicks out at one. Yuto hits a high kick and a PK, and now HENARE kicks out at one. They start slapping each other again, and it’s largely a stalemate until HENARE hits a closed-fist punch. Yuto is like, “Oh, we’re doing this now?” and begins throwing closed fists himself. Sato tries to get them to knock it off, but both guys shove him down. They continue punching each other and essentially knock each other out; HENARE is bleeding from the ear. Great-O-Khan and OSKAR jump in, and OSKAR clotheslines Great-O-Khan over the top rope. The Knockout Brothers hit The Rumbling on HENARE, but Great-O-Khan breaks up the pin. OSKAR applies the Nightmare Sleeper to Great-O-Khan, then tosses him out of the ring. Yuto throws HENARE at OSKAR to set up for the KOB, but HENARE hits a diving headbutt instead, knocking OSKAR out of the ring. HENARE hits a spin kick, then goes for a spear, but Yuto hits the Takayama knee for a near-fall. Yuto goes for Cruella, but HENARE ducks it and Great-O-Khan hits Yuto with a chair while Sato isn’t looking. HENARE hits the Rampage, but OSKAR breaks up the pin attempt. Great-O-Khan tries to bring a chair into the ring, but OSKAR cuts him off and then tries to hit him with the chair; however, Sato grabs the chair, and then Great-O-Khan kicks it into OSKAR’s face, knocking him out of the ring. HENARE and Great-O-Khan then hit the Imperial Bomb for the pinfall, the title and the G1 spots. This was just great. After the match, Great-O-Khan goes to hit Yuto with a chair, but OSKAR covers his bro, so Great-O-Khan hits OSKAR several times.

IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Andrade el Idolo (c) [United Empire] vs. Shota Umino vs. Drilla Moloney [Unbound Co.]

Man, Umino’s hair situation is just tragic. I don’t know if there’s anything he can do to get that mop to look good. Andrade continues to relentlessly not conform with his faction’s color scheme. They start out arguing about who’s going to wrestle who, so Andrade says Umino and Moloney should wrestle each other and powders out. Umino and Moloney chase Andrade outside, so he rolls back in. Honestly, three-ways are dumb. Moloney knocks Umino down and runs into the ring to go after Andrade, but Umino follows him in and he and Moloney end up fighting each other. The crowd is pretty solidly behind Moloney, it should be noted. Andrade takes out Umino with a tijeras, then Moloney hits Andrade with a dropkick before Umino hits Moloney with a shotgun dropkick and then a regular one. Umino goes after Andrade, but Andrade hits the tranquilo pose in the ropes, and then Umino hits Moloney with a tope con hilo over Andrade. Andrade then hits a moonsault from the top to the outside on both guys. Andrade hits a frog splash on Umino, but Moloney breaks up the pin. Andrade hits the Three Amigos on Moloney, then hits the double moonsault on Umino, but Moloney breaks it up and tries for the Drilla Killa; Andrade slips out the back, however. Moloney hits Andrade with a spinebuster for two. Umino takes out a charging Moloney with a dropkick, then goes after Andrade and gets two with a pop-up power bomb. Andrade takes down Umino and applies the figure-four, emulating his ex-father-in-law, but Moloney breaks it up with an elbow drop from the top. Moloney and Umino both go for their finishers, but neither connects, and Andrade knocks down both guys for a triple-down. All three guys exchange chops, then Andrade hits a tijeras on Moloney and a drop toe hold into the corner on Umino. Moloney hits Andrade with a gore for two, then goes for the Drilla Killa again, but Umino pulls Andrade down and hits Moloney with a tornado DDT. Umino tries for the Second Chapter on Moloney, but Andrade breaks it up with a kick. Andrade hits Umino with the running knees in the corner, but Moloney breaks up the pin and hits a piledriver on Andrade for two. Moloney tries for the Drilla Killa again, but Umino hits him with a clothesline, after which Andrade hits Umino with a poison rana for another triple-down. Andrade hits the Judas Effect on Moloney and a Destroyer on Umino, then hits the DM on Umino, but Moloney breaks up the pin. Andrade tries to drag Umino to the top, but Moloney breaks it up with a kick. Moloney hurks up Andrade and tries for the Drilla Killa again, but Andrade slips out again, hits Umino with another Judas Effect and then eats a gore by Moloney. Moloney finally hits the Drilla Killa on Andrade, but Umino breaks up the pin with a Strike Knee, then hits another one on Moloney for a one count. Umino knocks Moloney out of the ring with a lariat, but Andrade rolls Umino up for two. Umino counters another DM attempt from Andrade with a DDT. Umino hits the Second Chapter on Andrade for the pin and the title; Moloney tries to break it up, but comes up just short. This is Umino’s first-ever title in NJPW, which seems crazy. The match was terrific, and man, do I hope Andrade can keep coming back, because that dude is a star and one of the best wrestlers in the world right now. The fact that WWE missed on this guy not once, but twice will never not be baffling to me.

Moloney and Umino shake hands afterward. Then, Umino gets jumped by the returning Gabe Kidd, who cuts a promo saying to Umino that he’s representing the Death Riders and that Umino is kicked out, making fun of Tanahashi for crying at the Kidd/Omega match, and telling Moloney he deserves better before he spits on the lion mark and leaves. Once again, the NJPW production knocks it out of the park with a shot of Umino cleaning off the lion mark while a conflicted Moloney stands on the ramp in the background.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: DOUKI (c) [House of Torture] vs. YOH

A very bored-looking Kosei Fujita is on the Japanese broadcast. DOUKI comes out by himself, but SHO comes to ringside just after the bell rings, distracting YOH and allowing DOUKI to jump him from behind. YOH gets a drop toehold and hits the ropes, but SHO trips him, allowing DOUKI to lock in the Darkness Stretch, but YOH gets to the ropes. SHO takes the ref and DOUKI hits YOH with the belt on the outside, leading to a near-countout while DOUKI removes a turnbuckle pad. Back in the ring, DOUKI runs YOH into the exposed buckle, then hits a DDT for two. DOUKI applies a rear chinlock, then transitions to a head scissors; YOH gets to the ropes. DOUKI shoots YOH into the exposed buckle, then hits a suplex for two. DOUKI tries for his combo kick, but YOH catches it and hits a dragon screw. YOH shoots DOUKI into the exposed buckle, hits a neckbreaker, and then hits a dragon screw on SHO before running him into the guard rail and then into the timekeeper’s table, à la EVIL. YOH returns to the ring and hits a senton on DOUKI for two. YOH goes for Direct Drive, but DOUKI drives him into the exposed buckle, then hits a monkey flip into the Darkness Stretch; after a long struggle, YOH makes it to the ropes. DOUKI hits Daybreak for two and then tries for Suplex de la Luna, but YOH blocks it and attacks DOUKI’s knee. YOH goes for a dragon screw, but DOUKI rakes the eyes, and they exchange strike attempts, which ends with YOH hitting a knee strike. YOH goes for a dragon suplex, which DOUKI blocks, then YOH hits a German for two. YOH goes for Direct Drive, but SHO takes the ref and DOUKI tries for a low blow; YOH shoves DOUKI into SHO and goes for Direct Drive again, but DOUKI kicks ref Marty Asami on his way up and then drives YOH into the exposed buckle. With the ref down, SHO jumps in with his cookie sheet; Tatsuya Matsumoto tries to intervene, but he’s immediately canceled out with the cookie sheet. SHO goes to hit YOH, but Master Wato runs in to stop it; YOH grabs the cookie sheet and tries to hit SHO with it, but SHO moves and YOH hits Wato instead. DOUKI goes to hit YOH with the cookie sheet, but YOH shoves SHO into him and hits a double low blow on both. YOH hits a falcon arrow onto the cookie sheet, then goes for Direct Drive again, but DOUKI blocks it again and tries to shove YOH into Asami. With Asami cowering in the corner, DOUKI hits YOH low and then hits Doton-no-Jutsu for two and re-applies the Darkness Stretch. YOH nearly makes the ropes, but when DOUKI goes to readjust, YOH hits a dragon screw. YOH applies the Texas cloverleaf, and DOUKI tries to crawl to the corner with his pipe in it, but Tanahashi “runs” over to take it away. SHO attacks Tanahashi, then attacks YOH with the pipe while DOUKI has Asami, but YOH hits SHO with a superkick. DOUKI tries for the Darkness Stretch again, but YOH transitions to Direct Drive, which DOUKI flips out of. DOUKI rolls up YOH for two, but then YOH hits a rope-assisted Direct Drive, then a superkick and Direct Drive for the pinfall and the title. If you can get past the House stuff, this was good, and DOUKI didn’t seem super limited.

After the match, YOH appears to want to challenge Fujita, but SHO jumps him from behind. Wato knocks out SHO and grabs the belt, which causes Fujiita to jump in because, of course, Fujita and Wato hate each other. Francesco Akira then runs in and attacks all three, and YOH declares there should be a four-way, with the winner getting a title shot.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Callum Newman (c) [United Empire] vs. Yota Tsuji [Unbound Co.]

Tsuji enters to a J-pop song – I guess we’ll see if it’s a one-time thing or if it’s actually his new music. Newman has Great-O-Khan, Lee, Francesco Akira and Zane Jay with him (no HENARE, as I’m sure he’s getting what I presume to be a busted eardrum taken care of, and no Andrade), while Tsuji has Shingo Takagi with him. Tanahashi presents the title match, as usual, and Newman drops the belt so that Tanahashi has to pick it up. The match starts off quick, with the guys trading strikes and Newman hitting his “Prince of Pace” spot, but Tsuji replies with a shoulder tackle and a drop-down into a kick. Tsuji hits a neck crank and applies a body scissor, but Newman makes it to the ropes. Tsuji hits a gutbuster and then briefly applies the bow-and-arrow before going for a pinfall, which gets two. Newman dodges a charge and sends Tsuji to the outside with some quick-strike offense. Newman sends Tsuji over the guard rail and then sits him down and hits a shotgun dropkick into a seating section. Back in the ring, Newman challenges Tsuji to a striking battle, but ends up eating a Flatliner, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Tsuji hits a tijeras and goes for the Marlowe Crash; he misses but catches a charging Newman with a facebuster instead, which sends Newman to the outside. Tsuji hits a tope suicida, then tries to whip Newman into the guardrail, but Newman reverses the whip and then hits a backdrop onto the apron. Newman gets a table out from under the ring and sets it up, but it gives Tsuji some time to recover. Newman goes to get Tsuji, who is now by the ramp, and Tsuji attempts to power-bomb Newman on the outside; Newman fights out of it, but then charges and takes a back body drop on the ramp, landing on his knee. Tsuji stops Red Shoes from counting Newman out, but when Tsuji goes to get him on the ramp, Newman hits a hook kick and then lands a flip dive off the ramp that gets more of Yasuda than it does Tsuji, but is impressive nonetheless. Back in the ring, Newman hits a double stomp from the top for two for two. Newman fakes going for the OsCutter and tries a lariat instead, but Tsuji blocks it and the two engage in a terrific fast-paced sequence of counters and reversals that ends with Tsuji kicking Newman out of midair on an OsCutter attempt and landing a sitout suplex for two. Tsuji goes for Made in Japan, but Newman counters with one of his own for two. Newman mocks Takagi’s catchphrase, then drags Tsuji to the apron and tries to put him through the table; Tsuji blocks the slam attempt and Newman baits him into trying for the Gene Blaster, then hits a knee to the midsection to block it and drives him into the table with Excalibur; the table, however, goes into business for itself and does not break. Tsuji gets back into the ring at a count of 18, then takes a PK for his trouble. Newman hits a shot to the midsection, then a dropkick in the corner and a Firebolt for two. Newman tries for Prince’s Curse, but Tsuji drives Newman into the corner, dodges a Marlowe Crash attempt by Newman, and then slams a charging Newman into the turnbuckle pad. Newman fakes an injury, then charges Tsuji in the corner, but Tsuji avoids it and hits a Gene Blaster for two. Newman stuffs another Gene Blaster attempt and goes for an OsCutter, but Tsuji hits a stiff Gene Blaster while Newman is in mid-air; it only gets two, however. Tsuji then hits a sort of Gene Blaster slam for the pinfall and the championship. This was excellent professional wrestling, although I think they may have gone to the finish a bit early, because Newman seemed to be hurting at the end and didn’t hit much of his signature offense at all.

After the match, Tsuji praises Newman and makes a fiery call to action to the NJPW locker room. Tsuji and Takagi do the Unbound Co. salute, and we’re out. The J-pop song is playing during the celebration, so I guess that’s Tsuji’s new music? We’ll see.

Anyway, we got lots of new champions out of this show, some really strong matches, and 16 of the 20 G1 participants. I’d imagine the lineups for the “Road to G1 Climax” shows will be announced tomorrow morning, with some of the matches set up here. I’ll probably check in next week with a news dump coming out of that. See you then!