NJPW "G1 Climax 33 Night 13" results (8/5): Vetter's review of Shota Umino vs. Hikuleo, Sanada vs. Chase Owens, Ren Narita vs. Kaito Kiyomiya, Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd

Dec 08, 2023

August 5, 2023

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By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

NJPW “G1 Climax 33 Night 13”August 5, 2023 in Osaka, Japan at Edion ArenaStreamed on New Japan World

The tournament is comprised of 32 wrestlers, spread out in four Blocks, each comprised of eight competitors. This is a round-robin tournament, so each competitor has seven tournament matches. New this year, the top TWO finishers in each Block advance to a single-elimination, eight-man tournament. The winner gets a title shot at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4. Time limits are 20 minutes this year, NOT 30 minutes, so we’ll see how that impacts the tournament. The tournament is spread out over 19 shows in a 29-day span. Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton provided live commentary. We are already in the stretch run of the tournament, as this is the seventh and final tournament match for the A Block. Sanada is undefeated at 6-0 (12 points) to claim one playoff spot. Kaito Kiyomiya was the obvious choice to earn the second playoff spot entering the tournament, and we’ll see if that is the outcome tonight! For the first time, we have undercard non-tournament matches. By my count, 18 of the 24 wrestlers in the tournament (Blocks B, C and D) are in action in the undercard. (In a kayfabe world, how is that fair? How do playoff contenders Zack Sabre Jr. and Eddie Kingston get a night off to rest up, but Shingo Takagi and Tama Tonga do not?) This is a large arena; the crowd is definitely in the thousands. 1. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan defeated “Just 5 Guys” Taichi and Douki at 6:54. Douki is among several guys in the undercard matches we haven’t seen on this tour. Taichi and GOK started and this might be the first time these factions have fought each other, and they traded chops. Douki hit a dive to the floor on Cobb at 4:00. Cobb tossed Douki like a rag doll. O-Khan applied the Sheepkiller submission hold over his knee, and Douki tapped out. Adequate. 2. Yoh and “Bishamon” Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto defeated “Bullet Club” David Finlay, Gedo, and Kenta at 11:18. The BC attacked before the bell and all six brawled. The BC worked Goto over in their corner. Yoshi-Hashi FINALLY made the hot tag at 7:30, and he traded forearm shots with Kenta. Yoh tagged in at 9:30 and beat up Gedo. Yoh wore a T-shirt and blue jeans; they are really messing with his gimmick and I don’t like it. Yoh hit a superkick to pin Gedo. There is nothing I can say good about this match. 3. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sho, and Yujiro Takahashi (w/Dick Togo) defeated “Los Ingobernobles De Japon” Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, and Bushi at 8:51. EVIL and Shingo willl meet in the final night of Block action, and they squared off at the bell, but Yujiro attacked before they could lock up. The HoT began working over Naito. Shingo made the hot tag at 5:00 and he beat up Yujiro. EVIL finally entered and brawled with Shingo. Bushi tagged in at 7:30 and hit a missile dropkick on EVIL, then a Lungblower. Togo distracted the ref, allowing Sho to hit Bushi with his wrench. EVIL hit the Everything is Evil uranage to pin Bushi. Blah. 4. “United Empire” Will Ospreay and Henare defeated Togi Makabe and El Phantasmo at 8:02. Ospreay and ELP also will meet on the final night of Block action, and like the prior match, they started. Unlike the prior match, they traded some really quick reversals, waking this crowd. Henare entered and he hit several punches to ELP’s gut. Togi made the hot tag at 5:00 and he unloaded punches on Henare in the corner. Henare applied a Full Nelson on Togi. Togi broke free, but Ospreay hit him with the heel hook kick. Henare hit a suplex and pinned Togi. The ELP-Ospreay action was the best part of the show, and they argued some more after the bell. That match on Sunday should be great. 5) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kazuchika Okada defeated Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan at 12:11. Hiroshi has a splash of red in his hair today, and his team carried their NEVER Six-Man title belts. Okada and Loa started. Tenzan hit his Mongolian Chops on Tanahashi at 4:00, and Tenzan’s team worked over Hiroshi in their corner. Tama hit a dropkick on Ishii and ripped off his vest. Tama nailed the Tongan Twist faceplant on Okada at 7:00. Loa hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Okada, but he missed a top-rope flying headbutt. Okada hit his neckbreaker over the knee on Loa. Ishii tagged in battled Loa. Tenzan tagged in and hit some Mongolian Chops on Ishii at 9:30, then he applied a Koji Clutch. Tanahashi hit a High Fly Flow frogsplash on Tenzan; Ishii immediately hit a sliding clothesline to pin Tenzan. A satisfying final minute with the champs all hitting quick moves on Tenzan.

* As a whole, the five undercard matches proved a point I’ve made throughout this tournament — they are utterly pointless and just time-filler, and it proves this year’s format is perfect. Sure, you can argue you wish the field was stronger (who wouldn’t want Takeshita, Moxley, Danielson and Claudio in the field replacing Yano, Owens, etc.?) But I have loved that over the first 12 nights, every match was a tournament match. And it meant that wrestlers got every other show off; even these undercard matches mean travel and going out and performing and risking injury. So, hopefully this 32-man, four-block, 8-man-playoff format is back next year.6. Yota Tsuji (7) defeated Gabe Kidd (5) in an A Block tournament match at 16:16. (They have shuffled the match lineup here; this match was supposed to be later. NJPW usually sticks to their announced lineup in order.) “Tsuji” came out first, head bowed and wearing a robe, but Kidd attacked him from behind and beat him down. However, the real Tsuji sauntered down to the ring and attacked Kidd! It was revealed the person wearing Tsuji’s robe is a look-a-like. Funny. They got in the ring to officially begin the match, and Tsuji immediately hit a dive through the ropes to the floor at 2:00. Kidd began beating up both Tsuji and the doppelganger on the floor. Back in the ring, Kidd was in charge. They traded chops.

Yota hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee at 8:30 and they were both down. They traded more forearm shots. Kidd hit some closed-fist punches, and they both collapsed at 11:30. Kidd hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, but he missed a top-rope moonsault and crashed stomach-first. Yota hit a gut-wrench suplex and a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 14:30, then a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall, then a Rollins-style Stomp to the head. Kidd hit a kick to the head. They traded open-hand slaps to the face. Yota hit a hard headbutt then a spear for the pin. A really good match. Kidd has been the star of the middle of the lineup in every one of his tournament matches, despite an overall losing record. Again, official time is closer to 14:30 but I start my stopwatch at first contact.

7. Ren Narita (6) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya (6) in an A Block tournament match at 15:12. Kaito definitely needs to win to make the playoffs and he needs a draw in the main event to advance. (This match had been slated to be ahead of the Kidd match.) Intense mat reversals to open. Kaito hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 3:00 and he applied a Figure Four Leglock, but Ren reached the ropes, and he rolled to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Kaito hit a dropkick on the knee at 5:30 and remained in charge. Ren applied a rear-naked choke. Kaito hit a dropkick. then a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall at 8:30, but Ren immediately re-applied the rear-naked choke, then the Cobra Twist/Octopus, but Kaito reached the ropes. Kaito hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and they were both down at 11:00. Kaito hit a top-rope missile dropkick on the knee, then another Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he re-applied the Figure Four Leglock; Narita writhed in pain but eventually reached the ropes at 13:00. They traded slaps to the face and Ren hit an enzuigiri. Kaito hit a mid-ring huracanrana for a nearfall. Kaito hit a Tiger Suplex for a believable nearfall, and this crowd has really come alive. Kaito hit his swinging sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Kaito charged at Ren, but Ren hit a belly-to-belly suplex wtih a bridge for the clean pin! That eliminates Kaito entirely. A good match that built nicely wiith a really hot final few minutes. 8. Sanada (14) defeated Chase Owens (4) in an A Block tournament match at 9:12. I don’t understand the logic of this being second-to-last, as Sanada is already in the playoffs and Owens is eliminated. Heck, Sanada could purposely forfeit here and ‘rest up’ for the playoffs (the way a top NFL team does by not playing their starters in the final game of the season.) Chase tried to apply the Paradise Lock but couldn’t figure it out. Seconds later, he did it! Even Owens looked shocked that he applied it, and the crowd politely applauded. He kicked Sanada in the butt and celebrated. Decent humor. Sanada applied a modified Paradise Lock in the ropes and he kicked Chase at 4:00. They brawled to the floor, where Chase whipped Sanada into a guardrail. Chase peeled back tht thin mat on the floor and he set up for a package piledriver, but Sanada blocked it. Chase hit a DDT onto the concrete floor and he dove back into the ring! Sanada barely got back in the ring before being counted out! (I wouldn’t have ruled out that happening here. Chase would have boasted FOREVER that he beat Sanada.) Chase immediately grounded Sanada with a sleeper. Chase removed a kneepad and he swung at Sanada but missed. Chase hit him with the kneepad and got a nearfall at 8:30. Chase set up for a package piledriver but Sanada escaped, and Sanada hit the Deadfall (Blade Runner) swinging faceplant for the pin. Decent match, and Sanada is the only wrestler to go undefeated in Block action. 9. Hikuleo (w/Jado) (8) defeated Shota Umino (6) in an A Block tournament match at 17:19. The winner reaches the playoffs. Shota came through the crowd. They locked up and Hikuleo immediately shoved Shota to the mat. Hikuleo hit a pair of bodyslams. Shota hit a basement dropkick on the knee at 2:30. He tried to pick up Hikuleo but his legs buckled and (Hogan/Andre spot) Hikuleo landed on Shota. Shota hit a diving European Uppercut, but he again couldn’t hit a bodyslam. Shota finally hit the bodyslam and celebrated, but then he clutched at his lower back. Shota hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 5:30. Hikuleo dropped his snake-eyes on the top turnbuckle, then a vertical suplex for a nearfall. Hikuleo set up for a powerslam, but Shota hit a doublestomp to the chest, and he applied an STF, but Hikuleo reached the ropes at 8:30. Shota ran on the floor and hit a dropkick on Hikuleo’s head, lying in the ropes. In the ring, Hikuleo hit a powerslam, and they were both down. They traded forearm shots while on their knees. Shota hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall at 12:30. Shota charged but Hikuleo caught him with a Mafia Kick, then a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Hikuleo set up for a chokeslam, but Shota hit a DDT and they were both down. Shota hit a shotgun dropkick, and they fought in the corner, where Shota hit a second-rope superplex for a believable nearfall at 15:30. Shota nailed a running swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Hikuleo hit a short-arm clothesline and a swinging powerslam. Hikuleo hit the chokeslam for the pin! I am shocked; I did not have Hikuleo in the playoffs at all. * Hikuleo got on the mic and told Shota “many more times, in the future,” and they shook hands. Hikuleo turned to the crowd and said, “This is my fate. This is my destiny.” Chris Charlton said “We can now say that Hikuleo is the real deal.”

Final Thoughts: A true shocker for the main event. When the brackets were announced, I presumed it was Sanada and Kaito coming out of this bracket. It seemed like they were moving to crowd Shota Umino here with the other playoff spot. A good match and sometimes it’s good to be surprised. I don’t hate this outcome like I hated seeing Master Wato win BoSJ.

The tournament continues Sunday with the final four B Block matches and more undercard action. After an off-day on Monday, the final C Block matches take place Tuesday, and the round-robin portion of the tournament closes out on Wednesday with the D Block.

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