Did you miss any of the New Japan G1 Special shows which had wrestling fans buzzing last weekend as they happened live on July 1 - 2?
Well, have no fear - unless you don’t get AXS TV, that is (or don’t want to sign-up for New Japan World, but that’s a different story). Find out if AXS is on your cable or satellite system here.
In addition to the sample video of night two action featuring Kenny Omega and Jay Lethal’s match from the IWGP United States championship tournament, AXS also issued this press release, touting the success of New Japan’s first trip to the states and letting you know about the event which will be dominating their airwaves for eight hours today (Friday, July 7):
RELIVE THE WORLDWIDE TRENDING SPORTS EVENT ‘NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING: G1 SPECIAL IN USA – NIGHT ONE’ ON AXS TV THIS FRIDAY, JULY 7 AT 4:20pE/1:20pP
The Encore Presentation of Night One Will Lead into AXS TV’s Premiere of ‘NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING: G1 SPECIAL IN USA – NIGHT TWO’ Friday at 8pE/5pP
LOS ANGELES – Following AXS TV’s unprecedented live broadcast of NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING: G1 SPECIAL IN USA – NIGHT ONE last weekend, the network will air a special, encore presentation of the nearly four-hour event this Friday, July 7 at 4:20pE/1:20pP. Marking NJPW’s first-ever U.S. event in its 45-year history, AXS TV’s live coverage captured the nation’s attention Saturday night as evidenced by #G1USA gaining the #1 spot on Twitter’s trending list in the U.S. and top 10 worldwide during the broadcast. A four-hour special featuring every match from night two of G1 SPECIAL IN USA premieres Friday at 8pE/5pP immediately following the night one re-air.
“New Japan Pro Wrestling’s stateside debut with G1 SPECIAL IN USA has been a huge success across the board,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The response on social media has been incredible, so we are giving fans another opportunity to experience this spectacular event on Friday, right before we premiere G1 SPECIAL IN USA – NIGHT TWO.”
AXS TV’s encore airing of G1 SPECIAL IN USA – NIGHT ONE will feature all nine matches from the live event, presented by legendary wrestling broadcaster Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, who were ringside for both nights to call the action from the sold out Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.
Can’t-miss matches from night one include the headlining battle between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and challenger, ROH World Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody; four hard-hitting quarterfinal matches from the weekend’s IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship Tournament featuring stars such as Kenny Omega, Tomohiro Ishii, Tetsuya Naito and more; and the IWGP Tag Team Championship match between Guerillas of Destiny and War Machine.
AXS TV’s coverage of the G1 SPECIAL IN USA continues on Friday, July 7 with a special, four-hour presentation of night two starting at 8pE/5pP. Full match listings for the special are as follows:
- Match 1 – 6-Man Tag Team – KUSHIDA, Jyushin Thunder Liger & Dave Finlay vs. Yoshitatsu, Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu
- Match 2 – IWGP US Championship Semifinal – Kenny Omega vs. Jay Lethal
- Match 3 – IWGP US Championship Semifinal – Tomohiro Ishii vs Zack Sabre Jr.
- Match 4 – 10-Man Tag-Team – Juice Robinson, Jay White Volador Jr. Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
- Match 5 – 6-Man Tag Team – Michael Elgin & War Machine vs. Hangman Page & Guerillas of Destiny
- Match 6 – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice
- Match 7 – 8-Man Tag Team – Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, & Mark and Jay Briscoe vs. Cody, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll
- Match 8 – IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn
- Match 9 – IWGP US Championship Final – Omega/Lethal Winner vs Ishii/Sabre Jr. Winner