NJPW G1 Climax 34: Yota Tsuji will face Zack Sabre Jr. in the finals

August 17, 2024 Neal Flanagan G1 Climax 34 Coverage, NEWS
Image Courtesy: NJPW

The final is set for the 2024 G1 Climax after Yota Tsuji and Zack Sabre Jr. emerged victorious from the final four on Saturday.

5,340 fans were in attendance at Ryoguko Sumo Hall, Tokyo, to see Tsuji face David Finlay and Sabre go up against Shingo Takagi.

Tsuji was first to advance as B Block winner after a hard-fought 28-minute match with Finlay.

The match began with a back-and-forth strike exchange, leading to Tsuji gaining the early advantage. Finlay turned the tide by dropping Tsuji against the turnbuckle, followed by a series of moves, including a backbreaker, to establish control.

The match saw intense exchanges both in and out of the ring, with Finlay attempting to use tables to his advantage.

As the match progressed, both wrestlers exchanged nearfalls and countered each other’s finishing attempts. Tsuji managed to avoid Finlay’s powerbomb attempts and countered with a Gene Blaster, almost securing the win.

After a series of counters and strikes, Tsuji finally hit a headbutt followed by a deadbolt suplex, creating the opportunity to land the decisive Gene Blaster for the pinfall win.

The A Block main event began with Sabre establishing control through with his grappling, despite Takagi’s efforts to counter with strikes.

Takagi gained the upper hand after a neck crank, leading to a series of punishing maneuvers, including driving Sabre into the barricades and apron. Sabre managed to turn the match around with his mat work and by focusing his attacks on Takagi’s knee to keep him grounded.

As the match progressed, both wrestlers exchanged high-impact moves and scored nearfalls. Takagi landed a superplex and a partial Pumping Bomber, but Sabre countered with a Zack Driver and a triangle choke. Although Shingo powered out to hit Last of the Dragon, ZSJ kicked out and continued to attack Takagi’s leg.

After a fierce exchange of strikes, ZSJ secured the win by locking in a knee bar, forcing Takagi to tap out at 27 minutes and 38 seconds.

The two finalists shook hands at the close of the show. They will meet on Sunday, again at Sumo Hall, with the winner getting a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on Saturday, January 4th at the Tokyo Dome.

NJPW G1 Climax 34, day 18 – full results

  • Robbie Eagles & Mikey Nichols def. YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato
  • Jake Lee & Gabe Kidd def. Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma
  • Jeff Cobb, Konosuke Takeshita & Callum Newman def. Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado
  • EVIL, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Oleg Boltin, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Taiji Ishimori, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney def. Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
  • HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira def. Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
  • G1 Climax – B Block Semifinal: Yota Tsuji def. David Finlay
  • G1 Climax – A Block Semifinal: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Shingo Takagi
About Neal Flanagan 965 Articles
Based in Northern Ireland, Neal Flanagan is a former newspaper journalist and copy editor. In addition to reporting for POST Wrestling, he co-hosts The Wellness Policy podcast with Wai Ting and Jordan Goodman.
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