{"id":162881,"date":"2023-07-26T18:51:29","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T23:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=162881"},"modified":"2023-07-26T18:51:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T23:51:29","slug":"njpw-g1-climax-33-night-8-results-7-26-alan4ls-results-analysis-of-kingston-vs-ishii-tonga-vs-finlay-cobb-vs-sabre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/26\/njpw-g1-climax-33-night-8-results-7-26-alan4ls-results-analysis-of-kingston-vs-ishii-tonga-vs-finlay-cobb-vs-sabre\/","title":{"rendered":"NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 \u2013 NIGHT 8 RESULTS (7\/26): Alan4L&#8217;s results &amp; analysis of Kingston vs. Ishii, Tonga vs. Finlay, Cobb vs. Sabre"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1625326153\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><strong>NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33: NIGHT 8 REPORT<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>JULY 26, 2023<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>KORAKUEN HALL<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>AIRED LIVE IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH ON <a href=\"https:\/\/njpwworld.com\/p\/s_00658_16_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NJPW WORLD<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>BY ALAN4L, PWTORCH COLUMNIST<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>English commentary: Kevin Kelly &amp; Christopher Charlton<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) \u201cKING OF DARKNESS\u201d EVIL (w\/Richard Togo) (4) vs. HENARE (2) \u2013 C Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A battle between two wrestler who have technically over-delivered in the tournament should be a nice prospect to open a show, but in the case of Evil expectations were for his matches to be horrid and they\u2019ve merely been bad and with Henare he\u2019s over-achieved for sure but not to the degree that you\u2019d expect him to be able to overcome the ball &amp; chain that is House Of Torture antics.<\/p>\n<p>Dick Togo jumped the New Zealander during the entrances and that lead to probably the most fun part of the bout as the combatants brawled around Korakuen with the fans hot for the start of the show. We got the classic heel goes face first into the \u201cWest\u201d signpost spot which is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. When they were back in the ring, the work was decent and pretty physical which we\u2019ve come to expect from Henare now. With a bit of care or creativity for the finish this could have been a good opener but the expected Togo run-in was nothing special as Evil used the distraction (Henare countered Dick\u2019s chair shot) to hit his namesake finisher for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Evil (6 pts) at 12:03. (***)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: Korakuen was there for them and there was potential for a match that produced at the level of Evil vs. Mark Davis from the NJ Cup in the same building but the flat ending cut that off at the knees.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) ALEX COUGHLIN (0) vs. HIROOKI GOTO (4) \u2013 D Block match<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2943208773\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The commentators referenced that Coughlin helped Goto train for the 2019 G1 when the latter went to the LA Dojo in preparation for the tournament which was a nice touch. Four years later and a very different dynamic was at play. Coughlin, ravenous for his first points, was going to be doing nothing to help an injured Goto who was ripe for the picking.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of the match saw the War Dogs powerhouse drilling Goto into the dirt, with the veteran\u2019s sporadic comeback attempts cut off routinely by targeted shots to the injured ribs. Coughlin showed good intensity that fit the situation and Goto was tremendous in selling (although it was probably pretty easy given the legit rough shape he\u2019s in). After shutting down an attempted GTR, Coughlin hoisted his opponent up and dropped him square into the mat with a Jackhammer for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Alex Coughlin (2 pts) at 6:23. (**3\/4)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: Short match which told a good effective story. Likely would have produced better were it not for the injury. Coughlin\u2019s stock goes up with this win.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) SHINGO TAKAGI (2) vs. MIKEY NICHOLLS (2) \u2013 C Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On paper when the fixtures were announced for the tour, this was a disappointment as Shingo\u2019s only Korakuen match. He\u2019s a God in that building and could have delivered a MOTYC with the right opponent. That was never going to happen with Mad Mikey, but the Australian\u2019s efforts so far made it so that this was actually a match that had some juice.<\/p>\n<p>It was simmering nicely with the crowd invested, Takagi being Takagi and Nicholls showing the same fire he\u2019s displayed in his earlier matches. After a Nicholls superplex approximately eight minutes in, things had built nicely and the match was about to hit another gear. Then things gradually fell apart in a way that I have never seen in a Shingo Takagi match and I\u2019ve watched the majority of matches he\u2019s had since he debuted in 2004.<\/p>\n<p>They were on completely different pages as they attempted several fast paced intense exchanges and it was really noticeable. Everything went wrong including the finish where Nicholls was on the wrong side taking a Pumping Bomber and Shingo just sort of ran through him, falling on top for what may have been an audible early three count. The obvious explanation is that Mikey got rocked at some point as his cut from his first match reopened and he looked to be out of it at points, but I went back and really couldn\u2019t see any noticeable moment where this happened. It may have been as simple as taking a bump that did it, in which case they really need to check on the guy for concussion symptoms as it\u2019s looking like there\u2019s a lingering issue that he can\u2019t shake and getting knocked loopy multiple times on this tour is very bad news.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2712508258\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>WINNER: Shingo Takagi (4 pts) at 9:13. (**1\/2)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: A real shame that this turned out the way it did. Hopefully Nicholls is ok.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) HIROSHI TANAHASHI (2) vs. TORU YANO (0) \u2013 D Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ah the lads, still riding the wave of their 2005 G1 miracle match where they went to a 30 minute draw in this very building. I\u2019m afraid 2005 is a long time ago and what Hiroshi &amp; Toru had on the 2023 menu was something very different.<\/p>\n<p>The most worthwhile thing about this match was Chris Charlton\u2019s explanation of the \u201cHiroshi &amp; Toru\u201d manga, yankee culture and that crouching pose! These guys have well and truly emptied their joint bag of tricks by now and nothing new, interesting or funny was on offer here. There was tape, there was a chair, there was low blow shenanigans and then Tana won with the High Fly Flow. The only surprising thing here was that he used up that bump on this match.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi (4 pts) at 7:45. (*3\/4)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: If you\u2019ve never seen these men wrestle before, you might have gotten a kick out of this. Otherwise it was nothing you haven\u2019t seen a million times &#8211; only now Tanahashi has fancy sleeves.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(5) TOMOHIRO ISHII (0) vs. EDDIE KINGSTON (4) \u2013 C Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If ever there was a timely tonic it was this. With the show in danger of being a rare Korakuen clanger out came the man who has had dozens of unreal G1 bouts in this venue and his opponent who views it as holy ground.<\/p>\n<p>The crowd was eating out of the palm of Ishii &amp; Kingston\u2019s hands right from the start as they locked those hands together for a test of strength to begin the bout. From a test of strength they went to a test of strikes (didn\u2019t take long) and it was clear this was going to be a hot match. Eddie started selling his lower back early which has been a running story for him on the tour and the bout became about him wanting to power through the pain to give back to Ishii what he was taking from the Stone Pitbull.<\/p>\n<p>As the match wore on, Ishii developed the most disgusting welts on his pectoral from the chops Eddie was dishing out but that obviously wasn\u2019t going to slow him down. They traded all the classic staples of their offense from backdrop drivers to lariats with nods to the legends of Japanese wrestling along the way. Eddie got a huge nearfall off two Uraken backfists and Korakuen was on fire. It was a surprising dip into the Chris Jericho playbook which scored big for Ishii as he busted out a Codebreaker on the man who went to war with Jericho last year. That proved the difference maker as it allowed him to hoist Kingston up for the match-winning vertical drop brainbuster.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Tomohiro Ishii (2 pts) at 16:12. (****1\/4)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: This definitely delivered and was a show saver at this point. The crowd loved it. Exactly the kind of match that fans were hoping for from the Eddie Kingston G1 experience.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(6) SHANE HASTE (2) vs. TETSUYA NAITO (4) \u2013 D Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This first time match-up began with hat comedy, as Haste tempted Naito with his orange top hat and wanted to exchange it for the LIJ ball cap. Unfortunately I think this was a misjudgement given what was to come with this bout.<\/p>\n<p>As Kevin Kelly noted on commentary, the book on Haste is that he has all the tools &#8211; athleticism, look, charisma, technique &#8211; but his downfall is that he doesn\u2019t take things seriously enough. Up to now in the G1 he\u2019s been coasting and his performances have not matched his potential. I watched this guy in the NOAH Global League a decade ago and there was so much more effort and fire in the belly. As this match wore on, we did start to see some of that. He was clearly upping the intensity levels, took some nice bumps (a beautiful looking tornado DDT being the standout) and had some solid offense. Yet, in spite of that, it still felt like it was just there.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the problem I think was how Shane has presented himself (the crowd don\u2019t take him seriously) and the other part was that given that the result was a major upset win, his opponent Tetsuya Naito was at best half assed in his efforts to make this feel like a huge deal. Now this might just be all that Naito is capable of in 2023 but when I think of momentous G1 upsets in Korakuen Hall, this will be low on the list in terms of impactfulness. Haste won with the Bomb Valley Death countering Destino when Naito had him on the ropes. With more motivation I think they could have built a more exciting and meaty closing stretch.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Shane Haste (4 pts) at 13:44. (***1\/4)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: If this is going to be Naito\u2019s year, he\u2019s not filling me with confidence unless he\u2019s really just storing things in the tank. A win that ultimately I don\u2019t think will mean much for Shane Haste and that\u2019s a shame.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(7) TAMA TONGA (4) vs. DAVID FINLAY (w\/\u201dBulldog KT\u201d Gedo) (6) \u2013 C Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Next up we had a match rife with bad feelings as Tama Tonga sought revenge following their last bout which saw him carted away on a stretcher after Finlay dismantled him en route to becoming the Never Openweight champ.<\/p>\n<p>Fittingly they got this off to a hot start with Tama not waiting for the ring announcements and going right after the Bullet Club leader. The crowd were clearly into the rivalry as they were with the match from the outset. Finlay got the advantage when Tama took a spill from the bleachers area and they sold it like he had really damaged his leg.<\/p>\n<p>Finlay was relentless going to work on the injury and Tonga sold it well. His sporadic hope spots and Finlay\u2019s cutoffs were good stuff. Tama\u2019s big comeback came off a great dropkick which Korakuen popped big for. But moments later when he came off the top for the big splash, Finlay got the knees up and Tama ate it hard. That looked fantastic. Finlay started to look for the Powerbombs that worked so well for him in May but Tama was avoiding them like the plague. He backdropped Finlay to the floor out of one attempt and hit a crowd pleasing plancha.<\/p>\n<p>The methodical dissection which characterised the final minutes of their last encounter were a distant memory as this one was frantic and back &amp; forth. It felt like the match was on a knife edge right up until Tama countered another powerbomb attempt with a flash hurricanrana and got the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Tama Tonga (6 pts) at 14:22. (****)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: Very much enjoyed this and the highlight of both men\u2019s tour so far. Hopefully it\u2019s one that they can kick on from as they both look like being in contention. I would be shocked if at least one of these guys didn\u2019t qualify from the C Block. They\u2019re building a nice little rivalry and I wouldn\u2019t be opposed to a rubber match before the year is out.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(8) JEFF COBB (6) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (6) \u2013 D Block match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A battle of undefeated wrestlers atop the D Block was our main event for the night. A great aspect of this match was that they had feuded for ZSJ\u2019s TV title earlier in the Summer and those matches were built around the 15 minute time limit. Here they would have 20 to work with, and Cobb was motivated to use that time to finally get an elusive win over his white whale.<\/p>\n<p>The early stages of the match were a showcase for Zack\u2019s \u201ctekkers\u201d but also showing that Cobb could play that game too. However when it came to power &amp; strength it was a no contest with the Guam man having Zack\u2019s number all day long in that department. The work was slick throughout. A suplex on the floor put Sabre in a bad predicament and allowed Cobb to slow the pace down and really punish him.<\/p>\n<p>Zack got back into things with a gorgeous tornado DDT (it was a night for them!). He started to look for any openings he could get but Cobb wasn\u2019t giving away much. When Sabre could sneak in a submission or a cradle, the crowd were biting. It was really good stuff and it was taken to the next level by Jeff displaying a level of fire that he rarely ever hits (that has long been pointed to as his one flaw). Zack having the temerity to hit the Olympian with a German Suplex served to put Cobb into kill mode and he responded immediately with one of his own. This set up an F5 and then the Tour Of The Islands for a definitive win and what felt like a big moment in Cobb\u2019s NJPW career.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Jeff Cobb (8 pts) at 16:16. (****1\/4)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Alan\u2019s Analysis: One thing that was a real take home point for me here was the extent to which both these guys are really solidified as top gaijin in New Japan. With Cobb\u2019s age and ZSJ\u2019s career aspirations being tied to NJPW, I could easily see both men seeing out their careers with this company and really leaving behind a damn good legacy in the process. This match ruled and showcased the attachment that the NJPW crowd have to both wrestlers.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Cobb cut a simple but effective promo in Japanese to end the show. The fans went home happy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overall thoughts: (7.5)<\/strong> \u2013 Despite some really frustrating matches and a bad first half, this show ultimately delivered. It was carried on the strength of a great atmosphere and three bouts that I\u2019d highly recommend.<\/p>\n<p>Contact Alan at prowresparadise@gmail.com. Check out the ProWres Paradise podcast with a Torch VIP membership! Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Alan4L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Alan4L<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>CATCH UP ON THE PREVIOUS REPORT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/25\/njpw-g1-climax-33-night-7-results-7-25-lansdells-results-analysis-of-narita-vs-hikuleo-okada-vs-hashi-sanada-vs-kiyomiya\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 \u2013 NIGHT 7 RESULTS (7\/25): Lansdell\u2019s results &amp; analysis of Narita vs. Hikuleo, Okada vs. Hashi, Sanada vs. Kiyomiya<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>CHECK OUT OUR NEW JAPAN G1 HEADQUARTERS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/category\/tvshowsandevents\/njpwg1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK OUT PROWRESTLING.NET\u2019S REPORT FOR ANOTHER VIEWPOINT: <\/strong><a title=\"NJPW \u201cG1 Climax 33 Night Eight\u201d results (7\/26): Vetter\u2019s review of Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb, Tama Tonga vs. David Finlay, Tetsuya Naito vs. Shane Haste, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano\" href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2023\/07\/26\/njpw-g1-climax-33-night-eight-results-7-26-vetters-review-of-zack-sabre-jr-vs-jeff-cobb-tama-tonga-vs-david-finlay-tetsuya-naito-vs-shane-haste-tomohiro-ishii-vs-eddie-kingston-hiros\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">NJPW \u201cG1 Climax 33 Night Eight\u201d results (7\/26): Vetter\u2019s review of Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb, Tama Tonga vs. David Finlay, Tetsuya Naito vs. Shane Haste, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DOMINIK MEGA-BOOED in MEXICO CITY - EYEWITNESS REPORT\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e4SDvpbTMQk?start=734&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2986333913\"><div id=\"pwtor-2040354164\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33: NIGHT 8 REPORT JULY 26, 2023 TOKYO, JAPAN KORAKUEN HALL AIRED LIVE IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH ON NJPW WORLD BY ALAN4L, PWTORCH COLUMNIST English commentary: Kevin Kelly &amp; Christopher Charlton (1) <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/26\/njpw-g1-climax-33-night-8-results-7-26-alan4ls-results-analysis-of-kingston-vs-ishii-tonga-vs-finlay-cobb-vs-sabre\/\" title=\"NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 \u2013 NIGHT 8 RESULTS (7\/26): Alan4L&#8217;s results &amp; analysis of Kingston vs. Ishii, Tonga vs. Finlay, Cobb vs. Sabre\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":162203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,5610,542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tvshowsandevents","category-njpwg1","category-new-japan-ppvs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2023\/07\/Screenshot-2023-07-15-at-2.58.55-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162881"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162886,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162881\/revisions\/162886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}