Night three of G1 Climax 32 comes to us from the beautiful Xebio Arena in Sendai on Wednesday, July 20. The card features a main event of two perennial G1 factors: Hirooki Goto and Tetsuya Naito battle to kick off their G1 tournaments.
Much like night one was the night of The United Empire, night three’s tournament matches begin with three bouts featuring Bullet Club members as Yujiro Takahashi takes on David Finlay, Chase Owens takes on Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale goes to war with Lance Archer.
Since we’re still very early in the tournament, if you haven’t yet, please read my G1 Climax 32 Primer: What To Expect From This Year’s G1 Climax and my block previews:
NJPW G1 Climax 32 – Night Three
Date: July 20, 2022
Venue: Xebio Arena Sendai
Time: 6:30 PM JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (Live English Commentary)
Global Start Times
Main Event
G1 Climax 32 C Block Match
Hirooki Goto [0] v. Tetsuya Naito [0]
Tetsuya Naito’s G1 Climax last year began and ended in one night when Zack Sabre Jr forced an injury to knock Naito out of the tournament entirely. After his 12th tournament was abruptly taken away from him, Naito looks to get off on the right foot in his 13th consecutive G1 tournament.
After nearly a decade as a dark horse for G1 glory, Hirooki Goto finds himself on the bubble of future entries after two years of sub-.500 records. Goto has a tall task to begin G1 Climax 32 in Tetsuya Naito, whom Goto hasn’t defeated in a singles bout since January 4, 2016.
Record In First G1 Match Of The Year
- Goto: 8-6
- Goto has lost his first match in the last two G1 tournaments
- Naito: 5-7
G1 Climax 32 – Tournament To Date
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Tetsuya Naito’s 8-13 record includes his eight 2021 G1 forfeits.
Recent History – Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Naito enters tonight’s match on a five-match winning streak against Hirooki Goto in singles matches, dating back to early 2016. Goto dominated the early years of their rivalry.
History in Sendai
G1 Climax – All Time
Schedules and Results to Date
- This is Hirooki Goto’s 15th G1 consecutive G1 entry and 15th overall.
- Hirooki Goto has been to two G1 Climax finals, winning his first (2008) and losing the other (2016).
- Goto is one of four B Block competitors with a historical winning percentage against his block opponents over .500.
- Goto has averaged 9.2 points per year over the last five tournaments.
- Hirooki Goto boasts the third-most G1 Climax victories among this year’s G1 Climax competitors. Only Hiroshi Tanahashi (91) and Kazuchika Okada (65) have more G1 wins than Goto’s 62.
- Goto has the third-most G1 Climax losses among this year’s field with 58.
- Hirooki Goto’s 120 all-time G1 Climax matches are the fifth-most all-time.
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- Tetsuya Naito enters his 13th consecutive G1 Climax, the fourth longest streak among this year’s entrants.
- There is only one wrestler in Naito’s block that he hasn’t defeated: Aaron Henare. Their block match will be their first time meeting in a singles match.
- Tetsuya Naito’s .556 G1 winning percentage dropped 44 points during last year’s tournament due to his eight forfeits.
- Naito’s 60 G1 wins are the seventh highest of all time. With a good tournament this year, it is possible that Naito will pass Shinsuke Nakamura for sixth all-time.
- Naito’s 26 hours, 42 minutes, and 8 seconds of total G1 match time is the fifth highest of all time.
- At 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 41 seconds of total match length, the 2020 tournament was the longest G1 Climax tournament ever for a single wrestler.
- Naito holds a winning record over 3 of his six-block opponents, while he holds a .500 record against the other three.
- Tetsuya Naito’s only draw on record occurred during the 2010 G1 Climax against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Match Eight
G1 Climax 32 A Block Match
Lance Archer [0] v. Bad Luck Fale [0]
The Monster Block (A) will live up to its moniker in this battle of big boys as Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale clash in the semi-main event. The last time each of these men participated in a G1 Climax tournament, Archer defeated Fale in Ota City Gymnasium during the 2019 tournament. Ultimately, neither wrestler ended up a factor in that year’s A Block, but with a short tournament this year, either of these wrestlers can go on a run and find themselves in the semi-finals of G1 Climax 32.
Record In First G1 Match Of The Year
- Archer: 4-1
- Bad Luck Fale: 4-2
G1 Climax 32 – Tournament To Date
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Individual Overall
Head To Head History
History in Sendai
G1 Climax – All Time
Schedules and Results to Date
- Lance Archer returns to the G1 after two years away.
- Lance Archer will have first-time matchups with JONAH and Tom Lawlor during this year’s tournament.
- Archer looks for his first wins over Okada, Lawlor, JONAH, and Cobb.
- Archer started his 2019 tournament hot with two wins before losing six straight and salvaging his tournament with a victory over EVIL on the last night.
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- Bad Luck Fale returns to the G1 after two years away.
- Fale will have first-time matchups with JONAH, Tom Lawlor, and Jeff Cobb during this year’s tournament.
- Bad Luck Fale enters this year’s G1 on a three-match G1 Climax winning streak. He ended his 2019 tournament with wins over KENTA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and SANADA.
Match Seven
G1 Climax 32 B Block Match
Tama Tonga [0] v. Chase Owens [0]
Tama Tonga will bookend his tournament with former Bullet Club allies, Chase Owens and Jay White. Owens and White may be on different ends of the Bullet Club power structure, but Tama Tonga seeks revenge for his unceremonious removal from the Bullet Club ranks any chance he gets.
Record In First G1 Match Of The Year
- Tama Tonga: 2-2
- Chase Owens: 0-1
G1 Climax 32 – Tournament To Date
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Individual Overall
Head To Head History
History in Sendai
G1 Climax – All Time
Schedules and Results to Date
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- This is Tama Tonga’s fifth G1 Entry and his second consecutive.
- Tama Tonga has two first-time singles matches in this year’s B Block (Jay White, Great-O-Khan)
- Tama Tonga holds at least one victory against B Block wrestlers that he has faced in the past.
- Tama Tonga’s 11-minute and 53-second average G1 match length is the lowest among this year’s B Block wrestlers.
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- This is Chase Owens’ second G1 Climax tournament. He finished last year’s tournament 2-7.
- Owens is looking for his first singles victory over four of the six wrestlers he’ll be competing with in the B Block.
- Owens’ G1 Climax tournament is the shortest among this year’s 28 G1 competitors. He has just 19 days between his first block match and his last block match.
- Chase Owens will end his tournament with a stretch of three tournament matches in 5 days, matching JONAH for the most challenging time on this year’s schedule.
Match Six
G1 Climax 32 D Block Match
David Finlay [0] v. Yujiro Takahashi [0]
Newly monikered “The Rebel” David Finlay is looking to turn over a new leaf in the heavyweight singles division via his first G1 Climax tournament. He enters his first G1 Climax match as the favorite to notch a victory over the often futile Yujiro Takahashi.
Record In First G1 Match Of The Year
- Yujiro: 4-4
G1 Climax 32 – Tournament To Date
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi.
History in Sendai
G1 Climax – All Time
Schedules and Results to Date
- Yujiro Takahashi enters his third consecutive G1 Climax after a four-year hiatus.
- The only wrestler in the D-Block that Yujiro Takahashi has a winning record against is YOSHI-HASHI.
- Yujiro’s .314 G1 Climax winning percentage is the fourth-worst all-time but is not the worst in the block (YOSHI-HASHI).
- Yujiro Takahashi has two first-time matchups in this year’s D Block: David Finlay and El Phantaasmo.
- Among this year’s 28 entrants, Yujiro Takahashi’s 9-minute and 57-second average G1 Match Length is the third shortest (YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale).
- Shingo Takagi and Yujiro Takahashi were the first G1 Climax match to end in a double count-out in twelve years.
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Undercard
Fifth Match: BUSHI, SANDA & Shingo Takagi vs. TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr
Fourth Match: Kosei Fujita, Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson, KENTA & Jay White
Third Match: YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Toru Yano
Second Match: Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay vs. Dick Togo, SHO, El Phantasmo & EVIL
First Match: Bad Dude Tito & JONAH vs. Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor
Block Results & Updates
A Block
Block Table
Box Score
B Block
Block Table
Box Score
C Block
Block Table
Box Score
D Block
Block Table
Box Score
