00:0077 years ago, the Cow Palace in San Francisco opened, and since then it has become, in many people's mind, the Madison Square Garden of the West.
00:10And tonight we are in the house at Thes and Nomalini and Stephenson and Patterson and Gomez, all built for this wonderful G1 special.
00:20I'm Jim Ross alongside Josh Barnett. Folks, it's going to be a big night tonight, five titles on the line. Your thoughts on the main event?
00:26The way I see it, man, this is an opportunity for another historic, possible match to occur here at the Cow Palace.
00:34And the way things have been going, anything can happen.
00:38Five titles on the line. I say something's bound to give. I believe we'll leave here tonight with new champions in some area.
00:46But ladies and gentlemen, we've got the best seat in the house. We can't wait. The G1 special from the Cow Palace in Frisco starts now.
00:56One year ago, New Japan Pro Wrestling embarked on a journey across the Pacific to spread strong style and change the face of wrestling in America forever.
01:17But now, we have no choice but to up the ante when we run an even bigger building.
01:26Tonight, five titles are on the line at the G1 special in San Francisco.
01:32After reclaiming the title from Big Mike Elgin at Kizuna Road, a new challenger lay claim to Hiroki Goto's never openweight championship.
01:43Jeff Cobb emerged to aid his former tag partner and challenge the fierce warrior for his first ever New Japan singles title.
01:52The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson defeated the LIJ duo of Evil and Sonata to earn the IWGP Tag Team Championship and their first ever heavyweight title.
02:10Now, can the Super Kick Party secure their first title defense against the former champions?
02:17This year, at best of the Super Juniors, the legendary rivalry between Dragon Lee and Hiromu Takahashi was renewed once again.
02:26Dragon Lee emerged victorious.
02:29Tonight, the time bomb has his sights set on Lee once again.
02:34This time for the title.
02:36Long story short, J-White, you know what I want.
02:38Juice Robinson is determined to become the first American IWGP U.S. heavyweight champion.
02:45But standing in his way is fellow dojo boy, J-White.
02:50The two came up together at the New Japan Dojo.
02:53But their friendship fell apart when White emerged from excursion as the switchblade.
02:59Can Juice use his home field advantage to finally bring home the belt?
03:03And Kenny Omega has won the G1 Tournament!
03:10History was made on August 14, 2016, when Kenny Omega became the first Gaijin wrestler to win the coveted G1 Climax Tournament.
03:21The victory earned him the right to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at WrestleKingdom 11.
03:30Even in defeat, the match elevated Omega to new heights and fueled his drive to become champion.
03:37But one Bullet Club brother could not stand idly by.
03:41Gosh, I think we got off on the wrong foot.
03:44The American Nightmare Cody, not content to stand in Kenny's shadow, sought to knock the leader off his pedestal by interfering in his matches.
03:54Every Bullet Club member had specific instruction.
03:58You do not get yourself involved.
04:00Targeting his allies.
04:02Hold on, hold on! Nobody can be second to anybody!
04:04And ultimately challenging his authority.
04:07You're not half-seeing! You're like a leader!
04:09Forcing Kenny to seek refuge in the hands of a former friend.
04:13His reunion with former tag partner Kota Ibushi reinvigorated his quest for the title, but also sent shockwaves throughout the Bullet Club.
04:26You're either team Kenny or you're team Cody!
04:30At Dominion, Omega finally broke through to become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, defeating Okada in a best of three falls, no time limit match for the ages.
04:42With Ibushi by his side, and reunited with the Young Bucks to form the Golden Elite.
04:48Omega's dream had come true, but one nightmare remained.
04:53Tonight, these two rivals will settle their score once and for all, with New Japan's biggest prize on the line.
05:02Will Omega take his first step to change the world as IWGP Heavyweight Champion?
05:07Or will Cody prove he is the true leader of the Bullet Club after all?
05:14The best professional wrestlers enter the ring at New Japan's biggest stateside spectacular.
05:21We will rule the wrestling world.
05:24G1 Special in San Francisco starts now!
05:28Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a big dream of a 10-man tag team event.
05:56G1 Special in San Francisco!
05:59The veteran Rocky Romero, folding together another great team in Yowen Cho-chan.
06:08Yes, Roppongi 3K, they are called.
06:12There are some very, very talented young up-and-coming wrestlers, fantastic amateur and MMA backgrounds between them.
06:20Highly moldable and headhunter, Yoshi Hashi!
06:27To Japan Pro Wrestling, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, tag titles have been on their waist before, but tonight, man, it's a big scramble.
06:37Like you said, there are 10 guys in the ring, five on five.
06:41Very, very challenging to officiate, very challenging to broadcast, when you've got so many movable parts.
06:48We'll certainly do our best.
06:50We're gonna see a lot of offense.
06:53Yowen Cho, Yoshi Hashi.
06:58You know, Rocky Romero is an eight-time junior tag champion.
07:04Most of all time, to be a part of a tag team group, is Rocky.
07:09Wow, yeah, it doesn't surprise me in the least.
07:12Rocky's been a veteran of professional wrestling as a singles and tag wrestler.
07:18And his group, Roppongi 2K, him and Tramporetta, were very successful here at Tramporetta.
07:25Roppongi Vice, my mistake.
07:272Ks, 3Ks, man, Roppongi just got a lot of stuff going on.
07:31He probably just created another t-shirt for that football.
07:36So we got a 10-man tag to kick it off here on a night that five championships will be decided.
07:46And the Bullet Club will be represented by the legendary King Haku, his two sons, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa,
07:57notwithstanding Yujiro, Takahashi, Chase Owens, they will be the Bullet Club in this match tonight.
08:06Well, this is an example of how we've seen the Bullet Club, or whatever you want to refer to it as,
08:13really, sort of, degrade and measure off of these separate factions.
08:18This one being the, I guess, the Bullet Club, Tonga division.
08:22And Hoshi King Haku!
08:27You see that?
08:30Blue Spunk, baby!
08:32Damn fast! Bullet Club!
08:34Yeah!
08:35There he is!
08:37Yes, sir!
08:38Nobody's any better than that one.
08:40A legendary tough man for a very good reason.
08:46All those great islanders that lived here, namely the High Chief Peter Maivia,
08:53who's, by the way, The Rock's grandfather, Rocky Johnson.
08:57Rock was born in Hayward, so The Rock has great lineage to this venue.
09:03And King Haku was a part of that lineage that lived here and worked here for,
09:09back in the early days.
09:11Yeah, there's a lot of history here.
09:15Talk for these, these islander crew.
09:20They take to the ring completely on fire.
09:23King, you can tell they're here to fight.
09:25King Haku!
09:30King Haku is an all-man and a yard wide.
09:35I'm sure he doesn't lack for, for any power still.
09:38A very dangerous individual inside the squared circle.
09:41Luckily, he's got some youngsters, but he can, he can push off some of the work onto
09:47at any moment that he needs to.
09:50Very talented group at that.
09:53King Haku, a fierce warrior inside and outside of the ring.
10:00As some police forces around America can testify.
10:03He was a fun lover, a great heart.
10:08He scared people.
10:10So here we go, Josh.
10:1510-man tag, one fall, 20-minute time limit, ladies and gentlemen.
10:20Glad you're with us here live from the historic Cow Palace.
10:25And almost San Francisco, Daly City.
10:32Good enough for government work.
10:37Oh, that's interesting.
10:39King Haku's starting the match.
10:41Kind of like that.
10:45One thing about the Bullet Club, if you will stick to that nomenclature for these guys,
10:52their tag, or their team is comprised of mostly heavyweights here.
11:00Obviously, Haku being by far the biggest guy of the entire group.
11:05Joshi Hashi.
11:08Wastelock by Haku.
11:12Joshi Hashi is an entrance in the G1 Climax coming up.
11:23I'm sure he would like to use this as an opportunity to stretch his legs.
11:31Haku goes down, right back up.
11:37You just don't want to piss off the veteran.
11:41Not smart.
11:42But it is competition.
11:43I get that.
11:48Reversal of the Irish whip.
11:50It follows it in, does Haku, that running clothesline.
11:55Taking advantage of that big body.
11:58That one shot, turning the tide.
12:00Haku's got three sons competing in New Japan.
12:05Two of them are in the ring with him right now.
12:07The Gorillas of Destiny.
12:17And Rocky.
12:22Rocky Romero has done it all, seen it all in New Japan.
12:31He's not going to be intimidated.
12:33That may not work.
12:36You can't lack, you can't, you can't knock him for lacking of any fighting spirit.
12:42No.
12:43Which is definitely a big part of the New Japan Pro Wrestling's strong style.
12:51But the brick wall known as Tangaloa is going to be a hard mountain to topple.
12:57Tangaloa really a fine linebacker in his American football days.
13:04Culminating at UTEP, University of Texas El Paso.
13:07Using that speed, in and out, hitting with these clotheslines.
13:15Case quickens, but how long can it last?
13:22Here comes Tamatanga.
13:27David Press.
13:28Tamatanga.
13:29Stinger splash.
13:30Man, he was in the air with some hang time.
13:34Serious hang time.
13:38The fight has spilled to the outside.
13:40Oh boy.
13:41Haku.
13:42Oh!
13:43Dumping power rider from the veteran on Rocky Romero.
13:47That ought to do it.
13:52I gotta be honest, if I'm Tamatanga, I might be a little upset too.
13:59It looked like the ref hesitated.
14:01Maybe he was concerned for Rocky's safety.
14:03That was a hell of a pile driver.
14:04I think you're exactly right.
14:06He became a little bit over judicious in his quest to keep the wrestlers safe.
14:15Now Rocky's been able to get some wherewithal back.
14:18Some hand fighting to get himself with his shoulders up.
14:22That was a stiff kick right there.
14:24Man, he's finding himself alone right now, JR.
14:27Except for the boot of Chase Owens.
14:30Tennessee native steps in between the ropes.
14:34Delivers a hard one down below.
14:37So Rocky Romero, the smallest guy in the contest, by my calculation,
14:44has been isolated in classic tag team strategy.
14:48Isolated from his own teammates.
14:50Where he can't make the tag, but look at Rocky's fight back.
14:53There's a mathematical difficulty here.
14:57He's outmanned.
14:59He's outmanned.
15:00He's outmanned.
15:01He's outmanned.
15:02He's outmanned.
15:03He's outmanned.
15:04He's outmanned.
15:05He's outmanned.
15:06He's outmanned.
15:07He's outmanned, he's outmanned.
15:08You don't need calculus to figure this out.
15:09No, you got it.
15:10He's outmanned.
15:11Okay, someone's going for the pin after that nicely executed backbreaker and bringing in
15:16Yujiro Takahashi.
15:18The junior heavyweight of their group.
15:21Not that the juniors aren't talented, but they certainly are.
15:24This kid's close to being a heavyweight.
15:27Which he might end up there someday.
15:30Lateral press.
15:31The far leg was isolated, but not enough for a three count.
15:40The rest of Rocky's team has managed to gather themselves back up.
15:44Get up to the corner there.
15:45So if there's a possibility, Rocky might be able to make a tag.
15:49Takes up his pressure off himself.
15:52Well, the speed of Yo and Sho, Yoshi, for that matter, and Jedo's little slouch,
16:00the speed issues are non-existent because the tag can't be made.
16:09Not smart work if you're operating in a tag.
16:12Yeah.
16:13Might not like it, but Chase Owens did the right thing for his team.
16:19Running knee lift, followed that kick to the midsection.
16:28And somehow or another, Rocky Romero is arguably the most resilient guy in this match.
16:32Double head scissor.
16:39So Romero keeps dodging bullets, but it's obvious he really needs to make a tag.
16:46And finally does.
16:49Beautiful dropkick.
16:51Yoshihashi.
16:52Yo is on fire here.
17:04I'm looking right at Yoshihashi, and I don't know why I call this.
17:08Yo is always in silver.
17:11Sho is in gold.
17:12Absolutely.
17:12Every time.
17:13You love it.
17:14Smart move by Sho.
17:20Yo and Sho, you can tell they're putting on some pounds, some muscle.
17:25Well, you know, they're a very young group.
17:27Yeah.
17:28They weren't, it wasn't that long ago they were still young Lions.
17:31Oh, that's what we got.
17:32Nope.
17:35Yo and Sho got introduced.
17:37Oh, beautiful DDT counter.
17:41In comes Nino Tamatanga.
17:46Tamatanga's got a great intensity.
17:49You'll find no one in this organization that's more intense than Tamatanga, the son of Haku.
17:58From Sho being real young, they've had a lot of time to grow in and fill out.
18:03I don't care how much lifting they're going to do, they're not going to be as naturally big as someone like Tamatanga.
18:13Nice counter.
18:15That's fear.
18:17That amateur wrestling background from Sho.
18:21Joe Tagan Ghetto, better known in some circles as the leader of the Okada camp.
18:28And Okada's amazing run as IWGP heavyweight champion, Ghetto was right there.
18:36Like that right hand was right there.
18:40Timely duck.
18:41Jawbreaker.
18:43The veteran Ghetto.
18:46The four-time junior tag champion in his day.
18:49Chase Owens found a nice kick there, Josh.
18:56All kinds of chaos in the ring at this moment.
19:03Backstabber.
19:04Right into a shotgun kick.
19:06The tag team symmetry of Yo and Sho just got deleted by the power.
19:14The tagalowa.
19:21I'm just trying to figure out what Rocky's going to do.
19:23He's a suicide dive.
19:26Boy, Rocky didn't have to take any efforts to take care of his own body there.
19:35Uh-oh.
19:37He's right to it.
19:37He's not the legal man, but not that Keto can be too concerned with that.
19:44But what are you going to do about it?
19:47Referees could use a count.
19:48That's about it.
19:49Oh!
19:52What a version of the stunner.
19:53One, two, three.
19:55And Keto goes down to the father-son combination of offense.
20:00I think that the Bullet Club tonight was just too big, too powerful for these guys.
20:07And a good amount of synergy between all of them as well.
20:14Yeah, this Haku led by some pretty impressive here tonight.
20:21And a match that can easily become unhinged and kind of crazy because there's ten guys there
20:26that don't normally wrestle together.
20:30Everybody's competitive.
20:32They want to get their offense in.
20:34They want to, you know, contribute.
20:44There are the winners.
20:48Tematanga, Tangaloa.
20:50King Haku and the crew.
20:53The Bullet Club wins it here in this matchup here from the Cowbells.
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