New Zealand’s Bad Luck Fale has been knocked out of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax following a loss to Shinsuke Nakamura this past Friday.
Nakamura defeated Fale with two Boma Ye knee strikes to advance to the tournament final.
“The Underboss” performed admirably over the course of the 11-event round-robin, scoring wins over tournament frontrunners Hiroshi Tanahahsi and Katsuyori Shibata, as well as Davey Boy Smith Jr, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, and Yuji Nagata.
Fale finishes the round-robin stage of the G1 Climax with 12 points to his name, the third highest in his 11-man block.
Fale will conclude his G1 Climax tour today in a six-man tag team bout, joining fellow Bullet Club members Doc Gallows and Yujiro Takahashi against BUSHI, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yuji Nagata.
The NJPW G1 Climax 24 Final takes place today, August 10, from 6pm and is available on iPPV from Ustream.
What is the G1 Climax?
The G1 Climax is an annual, round-robin tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, similar in importance to WWE’s Royal Rumble.
This year, 22 competitors were split into two, 11-man blocks. With two points for a victory, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss, the highest point-scorer in each block advances to the G1 Climax 24 Final.
The winner of the G1 Climax receives a match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, NJPW’s most prestigious title, at Wrestle Kingdom 9, NJPW’s WrestleMania equivalent, held January 4 at the Tokyo Dome.
