Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Wrestle Kingdom dreams continue to dwindle.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has one final opportunity to compete in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi is retiring next year and he’s fighting in his last G1 Climax. The 48-year-old was off to a solid start thanks to his wins over David Finlay and Taichi, but night seven saw him lose to Ryohei Oiwa.
Night Nine wasn’t any better.
This time, Tanahashi fought Yuya Uemura and it should’ve been an easy win since the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion beat Yuya a month prior. Since Tanahashi knew Yuya, he got the better of him early with reversals.
But Yuya targeted the back after a back suplex. Tanahashi went with his usual game plan of targeting the leg following a dragon screw. Tanahashi locked in a Texas Cloverleaf within ten minutes. That didn’t last long as Yuya got to the ropes. He was able to hit him with the Deadbolt suplex, but Yuya couldn’t get the cover because he was selling his left knee.
That allowed Tanahashi to recover and hit a couple of clotheslines and a top rope crossbody block. That got him a strong nearfall. Tanashi went for a High Fly Flow Frogsplash, but Yuya moved out of the way. Yuya hit his own frogsplash, but that only got a two count. Both men traded forearm strikes, but Tanashi got the better of that exchange with a dropkick to the knee. Yuya was able to block a dragon screw leg whip into a pinning combination that was another nearfall. Tanahashi came back with a nearfall himself thanks to a dragon suplex. But Yuya put this to an end thanks to another Deadbolt suplex.
Elsewhere, EVIL continues to do surprisingly well as he beat Ryoheo Oiwa. Oleg Boltin further put David Finlay behind in the rankings.
Check out the full results below:
- A Block: Yuya Uemura [8] def. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]
- A Block: Taichi [6] def. Yota Tsuji [8]
- A Block: David Finlay [4] def. Oleg Boltin [6]
- A Block: EVIL [8] def. Ryohei Oiwa [6]
- A Block: Callum Newman [6] def. SANADA [4]
- Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson def. Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
- El Phantasmo & Jado def. Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai
- Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori def. Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero
- Shota Umino & Katsuya Murashima def. YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato
A Block
Yota Tsuji — 8 points (4-2)
Yuya Uemura — 8 points (4-2)
EVIL — 8 points (4-2)
Taichi — 6 points (3-3)
Boltin Oleg — 6 points (3-3)
Ryohei Oiwa — 6 points (3-3)
Callum Newman — 6 points (3-3)
Hiroshi Tanahashi — 4 points (2-4)
David Finlay — 4 points (2-4)
SANADA — 4 points (2-4)
B Block
GOK — 8 points (4-2)
YOSHI-HASHI — 8 points (4-1)
Drilla Moloney — 8 points (4-1)
Ren Narita — 8 points (4-2)
Shota Umino — 6 points (3-3)
Zack Sabre Jr. — 6 points (3-2)
TAKESHITA — 6 points (3-2)
El Phantasmo — 4 points (2-4)
Shingo Takagi — 4 points (2-3)
Gabe Kidd — 0 points (0-1)