NJPW G1 Climax Results – Day 9: Kazuchika Okada vs Yoshi-Hashi, Big Mike Takes on Suzuki & More

NJPW G1 Climax Results – Day 9
July 27, 2018
Shizuoka, Japan

Undercard Matches 

— Hirooki Goto & YOH def. Toa Henare & Shota Umino

— Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa def. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taka Michinoku

— Juice Robinson & David Finlay def. Toru Yano & Gedo

— Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi def. Tomohiro Ishii & SHO

— Tetsuya Naito & Sanada def. Kenny Omega & Chase Owens

A Block Matches

— MINORU SUZUKI (4) def. MICHAEL ELGIN (4) 

This was exactly the hard-hitting hoss fight you would expect it to be. They started slow trying to figure each other out, but of course it all boiled down to them just trading back and forth with strikes, elbows and forearms. Suzuki took a ton of damage but kept laughing off Elgin’s blows, drilling him with forearm shots to the jaw until Big Mike nearly collapsed on the mat. Elgin came back and nearly knocked his lights out with a rolling elbow and a stiff lariat for two. They kept going trading shots and big suplexes. In the end Suzuki just had more power behind his punches, as he leveled Elgin with more elbow shots, kicked him in the face, applied a rear naked choke, and put him away with the Gotch Style Piledriver.

— EVIL (6) def. HANGMAN PAGE (2)

Hangman had a lot of fight in him, but EVIL controlled the action and flow of the match early on. They did a lot of brawling on the outside, where the LIJ star used the ring steps and metal barricades to his advantage several times. EVIL did his insane chair spot where he places one around the opponent’s neck, and uses a second to swing for the fences. I’m not sure how that isn’t an immediately DQ because it’s nasty. Eventually Page rallied back with a series of dropkicks and did a moonsault off the top rope to the floor. He tried for another moonsault, EVIL rolled out of the way and Page instead did a running Shooting Star for two. He ended up going to the well too many times, and got caught with a big release suplex on the top rope, followed by Darkness Falls for a nearfall. EVIL went for the STO but ran into a superkick and the two turned into the next gear, trading back and forth with lariats and suplexes as the crowd went wild. EVIL hit a sick headbutt and an even sicker lariat, picked him back up for the STO and finally got the win in an awesome, awesome match.

— BAD LUCK FALE (2) def. JAY WHITE (6)

Jay White was a genius and assaulted Tanga Loa on the floor before the match started. Fale grabbed a chair and went out after him, but the two brawled around the arena and Switchblade actually got the better of the exchange, throwing the big man through several rows of chairs and delivering what must have been 30 straight punches to the head. Fale rallied and a whole sea of young lions got murdered on their way back to the ring, where the big man took his time delivering splashes, giant knee drops and his usual, basic and effective offense. After several minutes White found his second wind and slowly came back with a series of dropkicks, and actually managed to get him up for a back suplex. He went for Blade Runner but Fale countered and took out the referee, and right on cue the Guerrillas of Destiny hit the ring and started attacking him with chairs. White tried to fight back, nailing both brothers with the chair, but got caught with the Gun Stun. Fale hit the Bad Luck Fall, the referee recovered and counted the three.

— HIROSHI TANAHASHI (6) def. TOGI MAKABE (4) 

Tanahashi struggled early on trying to match strengths with his opponent, going blow for blow, which you just can’t do against the Unchained Gorilla. It was all Makabe for quite some time, as he alternated with heavy slams when needed to, but primarily worked over the Ace’s left knee and ankle. He made the mistake of going to the ropes and Tanahashi sent him flying, rallying with a big dropkick and some mounted punches in the corner. Makabe thought that was funny and wrecked his opponent in the corner with punches of his own, then hit back to back bridging German suplexes and a wicked lariat. Pure dominance from the big man so far. The Ace tried to throw some punches that were so weak they actually made Makabe angrier, as he came back with a high-angle powerbomb for a very close nearfall. He hit another lariat, but again only got two. Tanahashi battled back with a Dragon Screw and a Slingblade, but the big man kicked out at one. They fought up to the top and Makabe hit his Spider Superplex, went for the King Kong knee drop, but the Ace rolled out of the way. He hit a High Fly Flow crossbody from the top rope, then nailed one to the back, and finally the traditional High Fly Flow to pick up the victory and another two points.

— KAZUCHIKA OKADA (4) def. YOSHI-HASHI (2)

Yoshi-Hashi was aggressive from the start, going right after the Rainmaker and brawling all around the arena. They fought through the fans, hit each other with chairs, ran into the guard rails until Okada eventually hit a Hangman’s DDT off the barricade to take control. He slowed things way down working over his opponent’s bandaged shoulder and neck, while Yoashi-Hashi occasionally fought back targeting his back, a known weak point for the former champion. Okada hit a sit-out version of the Rainmaker that felt way too early, almost like he wasn’t taking it seriously, and YH nearly rolled him up for the win because of his arrogance. He went for the Tombstone but Yoshi-Hashi fought out and completely turned him inside out with a devastating lariat, followed by a double knee strike. He went to the top rope looking for a Swanton but came up empty, clutching at the back and shoulder. Okada hit a dropkick to the back and went for a Rainmaker, but got caught in a crossface submission for his trouble, as YH rolled into his signature Butterfly Lock. They went back and forth with Okada trying to get out of the move, but every time he’d come close YH would roll through or bounce off the ropes right back into the hold. They really played up and teased the submission, especially after he pulled the Butterfly back to the center of the ring, but after what felt like an eternity the CHAOS leader got his foot on the bottom rope to save himself. Hashi connected with a huge western lariat for a close nearfall, slapped the former champion in the face, delivered another lariat, an Impaler DDT for the cover, but somehow Okada got his shoulder up at the very last second. He ended up blocking Karma into the Tombstone PIledriver and hit an uncharicteristic spinning Rainmaker, followed by the traditional Rainmaker, and this time it was enough.