NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Finals Results – Aug. 18, 2022 – Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

Aug 18, 2022

August 18, 2022
Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan
English Commentary – Kevin Kelly & Chris Charlton
Results via Chick Fritts of F4WOnline.com

Quick Match Results

YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto defeated Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL via Direct Drive (pinfall 7:22)
TMDK defeated Team Filthy via Torpedo (pinfall 10:31)
United Empire defeated Chase Owens, Bad Lucke Fale, & Juice Robinson via Tour of the Islands (pinfall 6:01)
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer vs. BUSHI, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito via Yokozuna Elbow (pinfall 8:01)
El Phantasmo & KENTA defeated Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi via Inside Cradle (pinfall 8:39)
David Finlay & Hiroshi Tananashi defeated Good Brothers via High Fly Flow (pinfall 10:03)
KUSHIDA & Tama Tonga defeated Taiji Ishimori & Jay White via Inside Cradle (pinfall 9:30)
G1 Climax 2022 Finals – Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay via Rainmaker (pinfall 33:53)

YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto vs. Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL

This was a nothing match.

This match opened with a brawl. CHAOS emerged with a lead that lasted until a one-on-one structure developed. From here, the match continued with a basic eight-man formula.

Togo tried choking YOH with his wire, but CHAOS saved him. After knocking the rest of Bullet Club to the floor, YOH hit direct drive and pinned Togo.

Winner: YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto via Pinfall.

After the match, SHO flattened YOH with a NEVER belt.

TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor)

This was pretty great. Both teams were able to showcase their styles in a compelling, straightforward way.

TMDK tried gaining a quick lead by jumping Lawlor as he removed his cutoffs. Team Filthy was able to fight off the blitz initially, but TMDK established the first stent of control regardless.

Lawlor and Tito had a fun back and forth, with Lawlor utilizing holds and quick pins to best Tito’s strengths. After JONAH broke up a Filthy Four leglock, Isaacs tagged in and continued to make gains against Tito. Even after JONAH tagged in, Team Filthy succeeded offensively.

TMDK eventually used their size to retake the lead. Tito took out Lawlor with an impressive dive, leaving JONAH alone with Isaacs. After landing a lariat, JONAH climbed to the top before landing one of the best shot dives I’ve ever seen. JONAH then pinned Isaacs to win the match.

Winner: TMDK via Pinfall.

United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb) vs. Chase Owens, Bad Lucke Fale, & Juice Robinson

This wasn’t great.

This opened with a brawl, leaving the match in a state of disarray for a while. Bullet Club eventually emerged with control as they worked to isolate Henare. Unsurprisingly, this led to a hot tag, this time into O-Khan. O-Khan took out all of Bullet Club in an impressive rally.

Juice grabbed O-Khan’s leg, providing enough of a distraction for a Bullet Club comeback. Bullet Club worked to isolate Cobb long enough to finish the match. With Cobb dazed, Juice climbed to the top rope; Cobb caught him, landed tour of the island, and won the match.

Winner: United Empire via Pinfall.

BUSHI, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer

This was fine. The Naito/ZSJ stuff was a lot of fun.

Naito started the match by toying with Suzuki-gun from outside the ring. Once the opening bell sounded, SANADA and Taichi competed with pushups and pectoral flexing. SANADA brought the fun to an end with a quick rollup attempt before tagging out to Naito.

ZSJ rushed Naito, initiating a short scuffle. ZSJ locked in a choke long enough to feed an oxygen-deprived Naito to the rest of Suzuki-gun. ZSJ, try as he might, found himself on the receiving end of a Naito swing DDT, leading to a double tag and match reset.

Taichi and BUSHI went back and forth for some time. A quick skirmish occupied the others long enough for Archer to hold BUSHI in place for an elbow from Taichi, leading to a Suzuki-gun pinfall victory.

Winner: Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer via Pinfall.

After the match, Archer grabbed a microphone to thank the fans and promised a return to Japan in the future.

Intermission: New York Event & Wrestle Kingdom 17 Announcements

A video package announced a PPV in the states, featuring both New Japan and Stardom talent. Rumble on 44th Street takes place in New York’s Palladium on October 28th.

Wrestle Kingdom is returning to a one-day event on January 4th. New Year Dash is also coming back, retaking the January 5th spot.

Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo & KENTA

This was every other LIJ vs. Bullet Club match you’ve ever seen.

The opening brawl left ELP and Shingo alone in the ring; from here, the teams traded advantage. Bullet Club worked to isolate Hiromu while utilizing dirty offence. Once Shingo tagged in, he was able to begin to turn things around.

Shingo’s lead ended after trading a series of pin attempts with ELP. After the last kick out, ELP occupied the referee long enough to drop Shingo with a shot to the groin and an inside cradle to win the match.

Winner: El Phantasmo & KENTA via Pinfall.

David Finlay & Hiroshi Tananashi vs. Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)

This was a fairly mundane match with a goofy finish.

Anderson and Finlay opened the match with a competitive sequence before tagging out. Gallows then gained a substantial lead over Tanahashi, which Anderson helped to maintain.

A hot-tag into Finlay led to a slight turnaround, but the Good Brothers retook the lead once Tanahashi attempted a sling blade; Anderson choreographed the move, turning it into a spinebuster. After Tanahashi kicked out of a double-team neckbreaker, the Good Brothers set up for magic killer; enter Toru Yano.

Yano interrupted the magic killer by squirting Gallows with a mysterious liquid. Gallows pursued Yano to the back. Finlay caught the now distracted Anderson with a stunner. Tanahashi followed the stunner with a sling blade and a high fly flow before pinning the NEVER Openweight champion.

Winner: David Finlay & Hiroshi Tananashi via Pinfall.

KUSHIDA & Tama Tonga vs. Taiji Ishimori & Jay White

This was good for what it was.

Bullet Club gained an imidate lead over Tama, but KUSHIDA took control after tagging in. White re-established their early lead by choking KUSHIDA on the outside with a cable and slamming him into a barricade. Tama eventually tagged in and launched a rally against White. White stuffed the gun stun attempt and tagged to Ishimori, who, again, retook the lead for Bullet Club.

KUSHIDA successfully stopped Ishimori’s encroachment, forcing White to hit the ring. Tama ran off White, but Ishimori hit a lung blower regardless. Just as Ishimori was looking to close, KUSHIDA caught Ishimorii with a quick pin to win the match.

Winner: KUSHIDA & Tama Tonga via Pinfall.

After the match, Tama posed with the IWGP World Championship.

This match seemingly set up two title matches: KUSHIDA vs. Ishimorii for the Jr. belt and White vs. Tama for the Heavyweight.

G1 Climax 2022 Finals
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

Even as an Ospreay doubter, it’s hard denying how unbelievable this match was. The atmosphere was almost pre-COVID. Regarding plot, Ospreay implementing Okada’s previous foils was excellently integrated and ridiculously dramatic. Regarding pacing, Okada hasn’t been this explosive in ages. Great.

Before the match, Stardom’s Syuri and Giulia presented the finalists with bouquets.

Okada opened the match with a side headlock which he utilized standing and on the mat. Ospreay freed himself from the hold long enough for Okada to attempt a rainmaker; after avoiding an early finish, Osprey answered with an OsCutter attempt, which Okada also avoided.

Okada flipped his usual in-the-ropes spot, dropping Osprey with a forearm followed by a pair of DDTs to the Budokan floor. Back in the ring, Okada worked Ospreay on the mat with wear-down holds and heavy strikes. When Okada attempted his third DDT, Ospreay reversed, landing a quick suplex.

Ospreay submitted his control with a springboard forearm à la AJ Styles. Ospreay also landed a dropkick to send Okada to the floor, which he followed with an extraordinary sky-twister-press to the outside. An OsCutter to the ground only furthered Ospreay’s lead.

Back in the ring, Ospreay maintained his lead for a moment, but Okada caught him with an overhead throw. Okada followed up with a flapjack and the money clip. After releasing Ospreay, Okada landed his top rope elbow drop and a brutal Irish whip.

Okada connected with some disrespectful kicks to the head, prompting an Ospreay spark up. After being dropped with a set of Kawada kicks and heavy chops, Okada flattened Ospreay with a dropkick; Ospreay immediately sprung up and landed a lariat to stop anything resembling an Okada advance.

Ospreay carried Okada to the apron. From the side of the ring, the pair started a dramatic struggle for control. Ospreay eventually pushed away from Okada, buying enough space for an OsCutter onto the ring’s side. Okada beat the referee’s count, but Ospreay was waiting with a massive dropkick followed by a flying forearm and an OsCutter; Okada kicked out.

Ospreay attempted a Stormbreaker, but Okada rolled through while establishing wrist control. Okada landed a pair of lariats and a pair of semi-defensive dropkicks. Okada tried for a spinning rainmaker, but Ospreay answered with a quick elbow, leading into an incredible blitz. Ospreay hit a piledriver and a hidden blade; Okada kicked out. Ospreay hit high fly flow; Okada kicked out. Ospreay hit the Styles Clash; Okada kicked out.

With the end in sight, Ospreay hit a V-trigger and set up for the one-winged angel, but Okada slipped free. Okada destroyed Ospreay with a rainmaker, but Ospreay kicked out. From the mat, Okada fought for position, trying to re-establish control of Ospreay’s wrist. Ospreay interrupted Okada with an explosive Spanish fly, resulting in an effective reset.

From the mat, Okada and Ospreay traded giant forearms; Ospreay won out, not with a forearm, but a high kick. Okada landed a quick air raid crash neckbreaker, but this turned into an outstanding rebound sequence from Ospreay. Okada weathered this final storm before connecting with a second rainmaker, this time to close the match and win his 4th G1 tournament.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada via Pinfall to become the winner of the G1 Climax 32 tournament.

Okada closed the show with a passionate winner’s promo.