NJPW is back in Sapporo for Night 3 of the G1 Climax. This is a B Block show, and because of Shota Umino’s withdrawal, there are only four block matches, while Aaron Wolf – who was scheduled to face Umino on this show – gets the night off.

B Block: Drilla Moloney [Unbound Co.] (4 points) vs. HENARE [United Empire] (2 points)

As I understand it, the points for Umino’s forfeits have already been allocated, so the B Block point totals I mention from here on out will reflect that.

This is a hard-hitting back-and-forth match, and it’s very good, although it’s still a bit jarring to see a guy the size of Moloney going toe-to-toe with a guy the size of HENARE. I know everyone thought Moloney was big for a junior, but man is he small for a heavyweight, and it’s especially noticeable when he goes up against a big meaty man like HENARE. Regardless, Moloney gives as good as he gets, but HENARE wins this one with a sit-out powerbomb.

What’s next? HENARE (4 points) wrestles OSKAR on Night 5, which is Wednesday in Nagaoka, while Moloney (4 points) wrestles Yuya Uemura on the same show.

B Block: OSKAR [Unbound Co.] (4 points) vs. Gabe Kidd (2 points)

This OSKAR presentation, man… I don’t know. It’s not as goofy on stream as it was in person, but I still don’t think it fits him at all. The story here is that these two were bros in the dojo when OSKAR was just getting started, but Kidd has changed since then, and now OSKAR wants to take him to task for it. This one is mostly a brawl, which is smart, since OSKAR is still working out his solo offense. It’s not bad, although there are a few awkward moments. Kidd wins it with a piledriver, taunts Taichi (who is at ringside doing Japanese-language commentary), and then humps Wolf’s portrait by the entrance. Yup.

What’s next? Kidd (4 points) wrestles Wolf on Wednesday, while OSKAR (4 points) wrestles HENARE on the same show.

B Block: Callum Newman [United Empire] (4 points) vs. Ren Narita (2 points)

Narita has Dick Togo with him, while Newman has Zane Jay. They start with a lengthy crowd brawl, then settle into Narita working over Newman’s shoulder. Newman regains the advantage, however, and they do a pretty crazy spot in the crowd where Newman vaults Togo, who is being held by Jay, and delivers a dropkick to Narita. Toward the end, both guys get submissions that appear to be inescapable, but are compelled to give them up by their opponents’ second ringing the bell; Abe is running a sloppy shop over at the timekeeper’s table, is what I’m saying. Toward the end, it gets thick with shenanigans from both sides, but Narita manages to hit Hell’s Guillotine on Newman’s shoulder and then gets a quick submission with a Cattle Mutilation. This was better than you’d probably expect.

What’s next? Narita (4 points) wrestles HENARE on Night 7, which is next Sunday at the EBARA WAVE Arena in Tokyo (he has the Umino forfeit night off on Wednesday), while Newman (4 points) wrestles Zack Sabre Jr. on Wednesday.

B Block: Yuya Uemura (2 points) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [TMDK] (2 points)

They spend the first 10 minutes or so grappling before they start in with striking and their signature spots, then transition to more grappling. Uemura spends a lot of time working over Sabre’s arm, and Sabre, of all people, uses striking and high-impact moves to survive. Toward the end, the roles reverse, as you’d expect, with an extended sequence of Sabre tying Uemura into a pretzel, and Uemura hitting a Deadbolt, a High Fly Flow and then the Lions Shiner for the win. Early on, this felt like it might be going the distance – not that they weren’t working hard, but rather because lengthy mat-wrestling sequences tend to telegraph that. Regardless, this was really terrific, and well worth a watch.

What’s next? Uemura (4 points) wrestles Moloney on Wednesday, while Sabre (2 points) wrestles Newman on the same show; Sabre is the only one in the block who doesn’t get the benefit of the free Umino points.

So, there you have it. Everyone in B Block has 4 points except for Sabre (2 points) and Umino (0 points). Things are similar in A Block, where everyone has 2 points except for Goto (4 points) and SANADA (0 points). If Best of the Super Juniors represented a dry run for the G1 Climax booking, expect it to stay close throughout and come down to some ridiculous tiebreak scenarios on the final night.

Next up is the A Block in Sendai on Tuesday. See you then!