We are live with coverage of the second night of the “G1 Special in USA.” Tonight New Japan Pro Wrestling will crown their first United States Champion.
Check back here and refresh this page for updated results.
KUSHIDA, Jushin “Thunder” Liger and David Finlay defeated Yoshitatsu and The Tempura Boyz
Nice opener to get the show off to a hot start. Liger’s team won and the announcers (Jim Ross and Josh Barnett) wondered if this would be the last time that we see Liger wrestle in the United States.
IWGP United States Championship Tournament (Semifinal Match)
Kenny Omega defeated Jay Lethal
It was a slow-paced match for the first 10 minutes or so but things picked up when Omega started landing some hard knees to Lethal’s face. Omega got the win with the one-winged angel. He will move on to the finals.
IWGP United States Championship Tournament (Semifinal Match)
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
You got everything you would expect from this match with power moves and headbutts from Ishii and innovative joint manipulation holds from Sabre Jr. Late in the match, Sabre Jr. had some sort of leg and arm triangle. Ishii fought and looked like he was about to submit but he made it to the ropes and the crowd popped big time for the referee break. After a hot sequence of moves, Ishii got the win after hitting a brainbuster. Ishii will face Omega in the finals. Ross called Ishii “the world’s most angry appliance” in reference to how he looks like a big refrigerator.
Juice Robinson, Jay White, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)
Another really good match. Jay White got the win with the flat liner. He had a cut above his eyes. There was too much stuff going on to transcribe. Ton of non-stop spots.s
Hangman Page and Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Michael Elgin and War Machine
The Guerillas of Destiny were accompanied to the ring by Haku. Again, another good match here. Page got the pin on Ray Rowe. War Machine are believed to be headed to WWE soon so they will probably drop the tag titles soon.
NJPW President Naoki Sugabayashi announced that they will be returning to the United States in 2018.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks defeated Roppongi Vice
We got superkicks and crazy spots, as you would expect. The Bucks attempted a Meltzer Driver but they were thwarted. Earlier, they promised to hit the biggest Meltzer Driver ever in honor of Dave Meltzer’s father, who passed away today. Later on, they tried to hit the Meltzer driver on the ring apron onto Rocky Romero but he countered. Beretta later hit a spike piledriver onto Nick Jackson on the ring apron. Sick looking stuff. Then he hit a Gotch-style piledriver in the middle of the ring and then tried for a pin but Nick kicked out. A couple of minute later, they hit the Meltzer Driver at ringside. Nick missed his mark and only got an arm on Romero. Fans changed “Meltzer.” The Bucks got the win with a Meltzer Driver into a scorpion deathlock submission.
After the match, Richochet made a surprise appearance and attacked The Bucks. He laid down the challenge and said that he wants to team with Taguchi against The Young Bucks for the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Richochet said that he would have been out there sooner but a certain underground company were being pricks.
Rocky Romero and Baretta were still in the ring. Romeo said that he and Trent had a 5-year plan. They’ve won multiple titles and Super Junior Tag Team Tournament and Baretta would move up to the heavyweight division with his blessing. If they couldn’t win the titles tonight then he (Romero) would be done. He told Baretta to show the world what he is made of in the heavyweight division. They hugged in the ring so this is the end of Roppongi Vice. It’s unclear if this means that Romero is retiring.
Cody, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & The Briscoes
Everyone kept tagging each other in without making any contact with their opponents for a couple of minutes. The fans loved it though and there was a “fight forever” chant. We got to see Cody and Ospreay in the ring for a couple of minutes. Ospreay hit a really nice running double dropkick into the corner onto Cody. Cody got the win on Ospreay with the disaster kick and Cross Rhodes.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Billy Gunn
Tanahashi worked with a torn bicep and you’re not going to get much from Billy Gunn at his age so this was not going to be a spectacular match. The pace picked up a little bit when Tanahashi stopped Gunn from hitting the ropes by pulling his tights down. Luckily, he had green tights underneath. Gunn later pulled Tanahashi’s tights. I don’t know what that was all about. Anyway, back to wrestling. Gunn hit the famouser/rocker dropper and almost got the pin but Tanahashi kicked out. Gunn was showing off with the crotch chop and Tanahashi took advantage and eventually got back on offense. He hit the spring blade and splash off the top for the win.
The finals of the IWGP United States Championship tournament
Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Omega seemed to have injured his knee after hitting a dive over the top on Ishii but it was not a legit injury and the purpose of faking it was to distract the referee as the Young Bucks set up a table at ringside. The table came into play later when Omega held Ishii from behind and hit a dragon suplex off the apron through the table. Late in the match, there were tons of near falls. Fans were really into everything and changed “New Japan” several times. Omega hit Ishii with everything including several knee strikes to the head. Ishii hit the one winged angel at one point and then went for the pin but Omega barely kicked out. At just about midnight on the east coast, both men were still going at it and trading punches and forearm shots. Omega hit Ishii with a nasty palm shot to the face and knocked him down. Omega hits a neckbreaker from the crosslegged pick up. Omega hits a nasty knee to the head on the ropes but Ishii fiths back with strikes. Omega hits a dragon suplex and another knee to the head. Near fall. Another dragon suplex and knee. Ishii tries to break up the one winged angel with punches but Omega is able to hit it and gets the pin to become the first IWGP United States Champion. Awesome match and nice way to end the show. Omega celebrated in the ring with The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll. Cody got in the ring and ripped the title out of Omega’s hands but he went back and hugged Omega and put the title around his waist.
Omega grabbed the mic and said that he’s had hardships this year but he knows that everyone has had hardships. He said that everyone in the building never gave up and he pushed so hard for the people in attendance because they made this show. He said that no one in Japan believed in them and next year New Japan in the U.S. will be bigger and “we will rule the wrestling world. ” He ended by saying, “goodbye and good night.”
