With the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo up for grabs, G1 Climax will be returning to its rightful place of being a tournament of tournaments and will be going back to its traditional start in the Hokkaido region. Two nights of big action will come completely free on NJPW’s World League Wrestling platform.
The first two nights of G1 Climax 32 live in English are FREE to watch at NJPW World!
singles match results: G1 2-0 Okada
On the night of G1 Climax 31, Jeff Cobb held an undefeated record for G1 Climax 29. While his consecutive victory streak came to a halt in a showing against Kazuchika Okada The Rainmaker in G1 Climax 31, Jeff was still awarded 3rd place that same night.
In previous years, whoever won the first match has won the entire tournament. With this new block format and an elimination bracket, any loss can be costly. With Okada now at 1-3 against Rainmaker in their earlier days, Cobb will strive to be victorious during Rumblings.
ESPN explains what happened during the 8th Match of B Block
With the start of the G1 Climax just weeks away, many in the professional wrestling world are dividing their attention into two main topics: who can make it through a block alive, and what their opponent may be doing to ensure their survival. As the man in Block A, Jay White is guarding himself against any possible disaster that could come his way–but he believes history will repeat itself as he becomes this year’s first titleholder to win overall in the final on 19 September. That victory would also be an unprecedented one for a wrestler outside of the six already announced as of this writing.
If Sanada defeats White, he will be winning their first singles contest in 2020. The Switchblade could take more time to win this time around due to his classical style, but they still have a good chance.
El Phantasmo falls short to Ospreay
On Saturday, 2 Jun 2019 at Sapporo Teisen Hall in Sapporo, Hokkaido (Japan), El Phantasmo and WIll Ospreay will get a chance for their first tiebreaker match going into the D Block finals of the Super J-Cup. The teams have always had controversy, with ELP winning in the 2018 Super J-Cup, but since 2019, Will Ospreay has been 3-3 over El Phantasmo.
In 2022, a spectacular New Japan Cup meeting fell Ospreay’s way thanks to a mental block surrounding ELP’s inability to use the Sudden Death superkick. It was revealed two months before that he and Phantasmo were unable to use this move (ELP not being able to do the face-of-the-turn), but now that Phant has removed his block, he is free of any such hindrance and hungry for more success. There would be no better way for the Headbanga in getting his debut match started at G1 Climax than by beating the uncrowned IWGP US Champion but it’s going to be a tough task.
Aaron Henare, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) junior heavyweight champion, is entering his first G1 Climax tournament match hoping to defeat Shinsuke Nakamura—the current holder of the prestigious title. In the transition in 2021, Henare explained that there was a glass ceiling within the core faction of NJPW and that this was due to Shinsuke himself. Ever since then, with one final goal in mind: proving himself worthy of winning the coveted trophy. A victory would go so far in underscoring his talent and prove that he deserves to be labelled as a future main eventer.
After two years of hiatus, G1 Climax will return to its rightful place in the mid-summer this year. From July 20 through September 3, NJPW World will be holding a series of big events for G1 Climax where every single match is completely free to watch.
With a time-efficient AI, you can watch NJPW G1 Climax 32 live with on-screen English commentary on NJPW World. You can view the first two nights for free before signing up at just one dollar a month.
Okada turned the series around after a difficult opener
With the elimination of Jeff Cobb, the Rainmaker won his third G1 Climax.
While there is more talk around the “big boy” A Block, Okada and Cobb are the favourites of a group full of hard hitters this year. Four out of the last five years have seen the eventual tournament winner win their first playoff match, and with more condensed seven-man blocks this year- including this one- any loss can be very difficult to recover from. More than ever before, Cobb will be fighting to rectify his 1-3 record against Switchblade, and to harken back to his convincing MetLife Dome victory last September.
SANADA vs Jay White
The first match-winners in this year’s G1 Climax were meant to go on to win the whole tournament. However, Jay White is looking to buck that trend with a possible victory at July 7th’s finals. Already a 2019 finalist and 2010 semifinalist, Switchblade will be looking back at the 2000 G1. Back then it had four blocks, whereas this year each has five wrestlers in a block. Though he doesn’t care about history, Jay White wants his own winning streak like Kensuke Sasaki did during the 2000 G1 and takes the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in a similar path.
It looks as though the first G1 match for SASAKI will be against BRIAN JOHNSTON, from what we’ve seen so far. But he’ll have his hands full with SANADA. With a more traditional style and one singles matchup in 2020 in Osaka, SANADA may yet rally a comeback victory this time around.
Ospreay wins the 7th match against El Phantasmo
Singles record 3-3 again
Fans in Sapporo will be in for a spectacle when El Phantasmo and Will Ospreay tie up in a first match for the D Block. On again, off again rivals since 2018, they faced off at Dontaku three years ago with Phantasmo winning via a tag team victory and ELP got two single victories since then. Osprey’s recent 3-3 record over the course of their careers separates them from some competition close to them and ELPhantasmo is uncertain what would happen after tonight.
In 2022, popular British wrestler and rising superstar, Will Ospreay, won the New Japan Cup thanks to a mental block and Sudden Death superkick. To make his winning moment even sweeter, it is revealed two months before that he has unlocked this secret in his head and has been eager to show off his abilities at the big leagues. For the first Best of Super Juniors featuring 2 Champions battling for their title, there is no better way than for someone new to beat Steve Williams in his debut match. It will be tough though.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Aaron Henare battle for C Block
Aaron Henare enters the G1 Climax match seeking to take down his toughest opponent yet, Togi Makabe. After switching from Hontai to The United Empire in 2021, Henare said there was a glass ceiling within the core faction of NJPW, one he believed was installed and maintained by its Ace himself, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Ever since, carrying a monumental chip on his shoulder and earning every opportunity he’s been given, Henare has now won a spot in the tournament. In order to do so, he must defeat three-time G1 winner Makabe.
5th Match: surprisingly, CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto) vs Los Ingobernables De Japón (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)
With Tetsuya Naito facing Hirooki Goto on July 20 in Sendai, and YOSHI-HASHI making his first appearance with Shingo Takagi in Ota on July 23, the block format of the upcoming tournament presents an interesting clash of strategies. Which wrestlers will make a big statement in Sapporo?
The Bullet Club took on Suzuki-Gun in the fourth match, with a victory leading to a title shot.
This week, eight-man action events will see the Suzuki-gun and Bullet Club battle on night two in Sapporo and night three in Sendai. On Sunday, ZSJ will face KENTA in a G1 rivalry. Since January 6 2020, this is the first time that TAKA Michinoku has faced Taichi since they were on opposite sides during AYEW’s debut show. This is also the first time Archer will team with either one since January 6 2020 and the first time he’s faced Takashi Sugiura since December 16 2019
Tama Tonga, David Finlay & Jado defeated Yujiro Takahashi and Sho of “House of Torture.”
In June of 2022, David Finlay’s former partner, Juice Robinson, is now a member of the BULLET CLUB. This is the first time in history that David has teamed up with a fellow World Tag League opponent and they will face off against Tama Tonga and Jado and their team of SHO, EVIL, and Yujiro Takahashi at the top of the tag team mountain on July 20.
For TMDK, the matches in Hokkaido on our next card represent their first time in Japan working for NJPW. After proving themselves before in NJPW STRONG, JONAH and Tito may have something to prove with Oiwa in order to show the Japanese crowds what they’re capable of. For Yano, this is his first time competing for the Top Dig Sunday on night two, so he’ll be looking for any opportunity to exploit it during his first group match.
Yuto Nakashima and Kosei Fujitsu Team Up to Take Down Team Filthy
The opening bout of the Irish Young Guns event is an interesting one, as Tom Lawlor teams up with Royce Isaacs to take on Yuto Nakashima and Kosei Fujita. Nakashima and Fujita’s backgrounds in judo, MMA and amateur wrestling are well documented, and they know what to expect from Tom Lawlor, but can he survive the power of Royce Isaacs?
