After weeks of grueling round-robin Block matches, New Japan Pro-Wrestling held the single-elimination semi-finals and finals of its famous G1 Climax tournament this weekend. As he always doesn, Mr. Ares got us ready for it on ahead of time… while saying goodbye to a legend, as NJPW did on Saturday (Aug. 15) along with the semi-finals.
Before Tenzan said goodbye, Ryohei Oiwa defeated Callum Newman with his The Grip lariat to deny the youngest every IWGP Heavyweight champ a shot at another accolade.
In the other semi, Yuya Uemura won a finisher battle with Tsuji to keep the champ from the briefcase, and a contract that would allow him to handpick a future challenger.
Instead, Oiwa outlasted Uemura in a classic that called back to the past as it helped establish two more young men to join Tsuji, Newman, and others in carrying the promotion forward.
Oiwa had entered wearing Tenzan’s signature head piece in tribute to his mentor.
And their match featured more callback than this now-more-casual New Japan watcher could keep up with, but definitely included a Tenzen Suplex from the eventual winner.
The closing stretch was a technical battle built around Oiwa’s crushing crossface headlock (which also reminded me why I love Japanese crowds, who “ooh-ed and awed” with every armbar transition and pinfall counter).
Finally unable to escape the grip of the wrestler known as The Grip, Uemura was forced to tap. He raised his opponents hand in the aftermath after giving a valiant showing, and is someone most watching will want to cheer on in future clashes for big prizes.
The 27-year-old Oiwa graduated the New Japan Dojo five years ago, and did his excursion in-country with Pro Wrestling NOAH. He joined Zack Sabre Jr. in the TMDK faction two years ago, and in his brief show-closing promo vowed to follow in ZSJ’s steps and challenge for Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight strap at October 12’s King of Pro Wrestling.
Casual or diehard puroresu fan, sound off on how the G1 wrapped up this year — and what New Japan’s next moves might be — in the comments below.
