NJPW G1 Climax 30 night 12 live results: EVIL vs. Tanahashi

Recommended matches —

  • Hirooki Goto vs. YOSHI-HASHI 
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL

**********

Report —

Gabriel Kidd defeated Yuya Uemura (8:47)

Kidd got the better of a nice chain wrestling battle. This was going to be contested on the mat until one of them got frustrated and started striking. 

Uemura broke first. He fired up and hit a slam and some strikes. Kidd no-sold a tough forearm strike but Uemura dropped him with another. 

Uemura tried for his double underhook suplex but Kidd blocked. Uemura hit the ropes but ran into a Kidd dropkick. 

Kidd used a brainbuster for a near fall, then hit a double-arm suplex for the pin. 

G1 Climax B Block: Hirooki Goto defeated YOSHI-HASHI (14:12)

Great effort from both guys. YH was eliminated from contention with the loss, but he has had a series of excellent performances in this G1. 

YH acted as though he was going to break cleanly against the ropes. Instead, he hit a chop. YH tried to out-power Goto with shoulder blocks but Goto established the power advantage. 

YH then went after Goto’s taped-up shoulder. He used arm wringers and a hammerlock, sending Goto shoulder-first into the buckle. YH tried for a cross armbreaker but couldn’t get full extension. Goto forced a rope break. 

Both fought for a vertical suplex. Goto blocked and hit a back suplex out of the corner instead. Goto hit a wheel kick and a bulldog for a two count. 

YH fought out of an ushigoroshi attempt and hit a headhunter. YH hit a series of chops. Goto answered with an ushigoroshi. YH fought out of a GTR attempt. They used a misdirection spot to set up simultaneous lariats. YH then hit a thunderous lariat to end the sequence. 

YH ducked a lariat and hit a dragon suplex. YH hit a meteora for a two count, then slapped on a butterfly lock. YH modified the hold as Goto tried to fight for the ropes. YH eventually transitioned to a sleeper, then hit a backstabber. 

YH hit a fisherman buster for a near fall at the 10 minute mark. Goto blocked a Kharma attempt and hit a GTW but could not follow up with a cover. 

They traded strikes. Goto hit a big forearm. YH ducked a lariat and hit a lariat of his own. YH blocked a GTR and hit a headbutt. Goto answered with a headbutt. 

They traded slaps. Goto hit a stiff slap, a GTR, then covered for the pin. 

G1 Climax B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Toru Yano (12:21)

I can’t believe they went twelve minutes. They made it work, though.

Yano pulled four rolls of tape out of his tights at the opening bell in an effort to demonstrate that he was going to fight fair. 

Both broke cleanly against the ropes after locking up. Yano then took another roll of tape out and threw it away. Yano offered Sabre a free amateur hold and Sabre accepted. Sabre used a headscissors but Yano made the ropes immediately. 

Sabre allowed Yano a chance to apply a hold. Sabre tied Yano up and tried a cradle but Yano made the ropes. The fight spilled to the floor. Yano used a chair on Sabre and taped him to the chair through the barricade. Sabre beat the count back in at 19. 

After a struggle, the referee freed Sabre from the chair. Yano offered an apology and bowed to Sabre. Yano wanted to shake hands. Sabre accepted the handshake but Yano used it to set up an eye rake and a fireman’s carry. 

They again fought outside. Sabre used an ankle lock to drag Yano towards the entrance. Sabre raced Yano back to the ring. Yano just beat the count at 19. 

Sabre attacked the left leg with strikes and a kneebar over the bottom rope. Sabre went back to the ankle lock. Yano fought his way to the corner and removed a turnbuckle pad. Yano shoved the ref and hit Sabre with the pad. 

Sabre tried a clutch but Yano reversed into a cradle. They traded pinning combinations for near falls. Yano sent Sabre into the exposed turnbuckle. 

Yano tried a powerbomb but Sabre caught him in a guillotine. Yano reversed the hold and used a cradle for two. Sabre blocked a low blow and again applied an ankle lock. Yano hit Sabre with the pad but Sabre no-sold it. 

Sabre then transitioned to a modified figure four. Yano finally tapped. 

***** Intermission *****

G1 Climax B Block: SANADA defeated KENTA (11:24)

This was well-worked and had a creative closing sequence. 

KENTA tossed his briefcase in the air to distract the referee and attacked SANADA before the opening bell. KENTA chose SANADA’s neck as his target. He used a neckbreaker and a headlock early. KENTA hit a back elbow for a one count, then applied a headscissors on the mat. 

SANADA came back with a backdrop, still selling the damage to his neck. SANADA used a paradise lock and broke it with a dropkick. KENTA blocked an attack in the corner and hit a swing DDT, dropping SANADA’s neck across the top rope. 

KENTA hit a top rope clothesline for a two count. SANADA teased a plancha but KENTA side-stepped and tripped SANADA on the apron. KENTA then hit a draping DDT for a near fall. 

KENTA hit a yakuza kick and a stalling dropkick in the corner. He followed with a double stomp off the top rope for a two count. 

SANADA blocked a GTS. KENTA slipped out of a dragon sleeper. KENTA fought to get Game Over applied, but SANADA reached the ropes before he could get it. SANADA hit a TKO.

KENTA shoved SANADA into the ref at the 10 minute mark. KENTA hit a DDT. With the ref still down, KENTA grabbed his briefcase. KENTA swung and missed with the briefcase. SANADA dropkicked the briefcase into KENTA’s face. 

SANADA went for a moonsault. KENTA got his knees up and cradled  SANADA for two. KENTA used two more quick cradles. SANADA reversed the second into an O’Connor roll and got the flash pin. 

G1 Climax B Block: Tetsuya Naito defeated Juice Robinson (25:02)

This was excellent. It took three Destinos for Naito to put Juice away, but Juice never hit Pulp Friction, so they have a story for the next time they face off. 

Juice did some crowd work right away. They did a couple of comedy spots, teasing locking up but ducking out of the way at the last second. 

They fought to the floor. Juice whipped Naito into the barricade. Naito climbed back in and hit a flying headscissors. They rolled back outside and Naito repeatedly sent Juice into the ring frame and the barricade. 

Back inside, Naito hit some short, taunting kicks. Naito used a crucifix andmocked Juice’s earlier crowd work. Juice fought to the ropes to force a break. Naito continued his taunting. 

Juice came back with a series of jabs and a DDT. Naito avoided an attack from the top rope. Juice landed on his feet. Naito hit a hip toss and a dropkick. Naito hit a neckbreaker over his knee, a second neckbreaker, then used Pluma Blanca. Juice forced a rope break. 

Juice avoided a flying forearm and hit a full nelson slam into a double down. Juice hit a cannonball and again got the crowd fired up at the 15 minute mark. 

Juice hit a superplex, maintained control of Naitos neck on landing, then hit a jackhammer for a two count. Naito fought off a Pulp Friction attempt and a Juice Box. Juice then connected with a Left Hand of God. 

Juice went for a Juice Box. Naito reversed into a poison rana. Naito hit a top rope frankensteiner. Juice answered with a leg lariat. They did another double down at the 20 minute call. 

Naito tried a tornado DDT. Juice blocked and hoisted Naito up. Naito countered into Destino. Juice kicked out at two. 

Juice blocked a second Destino attempt and hit a powerbomb. They had an intense striking exchange. Naito took a flip bump off a left hand. Naito blocked a Pulp Friction attempt. Juice connected with a Left Hand of God. 

Naito blocked another Pulp Friction attempt and ducked a left hand. Naito hit another Destino but Juice again kicked out. 

It took a third Destino for Naito to finally put Juice away, 1-2-3.

Naito continued mocking Juice’s mannerisms after the match. 

G1 Climax B Block: EVIL (w/Dick Togo) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:58)

This was a Bullet Club main event with ref bumps and interference aplenty. To the surprise of nobody, Tanahashi still put on an incredible performance. 

EVIL hit a kick to the gut and used a side headlock at the opening bell. Tanahashi escaped and employed a headlock takeover. He maintained the headlock as they got to their feet. Each pulled the other’s hair. Tanahashi hit a second rope crossbody and played some air guitar to close the opening sequence. 

EVIL took the referee. Togo pulled Tanahashi to the floor, hit him with punches, then whipped him into the barricade. EVIL pulled a pile of chairs from under the ring. He Pillman-ized Tanahashi’s neck against the post with a chair, then suplexed poor Yota Tsuji onto two chairs. 

EVIL exposed a buckle as Red Shoes began to count Tanahashi out. Tana beat the count back in at 14. EVIL hit a snap suplex but Red Shoes refused to count the pin. EVIL went to work on Tanahashi’s left leg. 

EVIL tried to use Red Shoes to assist in a mid kick. Tanahashi blocked and hit a dragon screw instead. EVIL tried to send Tanahashi over the top rope but Tana skinned the cat back in. EVIL immediately hit a German and a fisherman buster for a two count. 

Tanahashi tried for a cloverleaf but EVIL fought it off. Tana hit a baseball slide to Togo and a dragon screw in the ropes to EVIL. 

Tanahashi then got the cloverleaf applied. EVIL fought out and tried a low blow. Tanahashi blocked the low blow but got sent into the exposed buckle. 

EVIL hit a misdirection lariat for a two count. Tana blocked Everything is EVIL and turned a Darkness Falls attempt into a slingblade. 

Tana went to the top rope. Togo jumped on the apron. Tsuji jumped up and tackled Togo. Tanahashi hit a standing High Fly Flow. Tana locked in a cloverleaf. Togo fought free of Tsuji, jumped in and bumped the ref, then choked Tana with a steel cable. Tanahashi fought out of the choke and sent Togo packing. 

Tanahashi hit twist and shout and a slingblade for a two count. 

Tanahashi went up top and hit a High Fly Flow to EVIL’s back. He flipped EVIL over and went for another. Togo threw a chair at Tanahashi. Tana caught the chair. Tana gave the chair to the ref. Togo then crotched Tana on the top rope. 

EVIL hit a superplex and made a cover. Tanahashi kicked out at two. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for another two. 

EVIL hit Everything is EVIL. It was as though all the life was sucked out of the crowd with that move. EVIL then covered for the pinfall victory. 

EVIL closed the show with a quick promo. 

G1 Climax 30 Standings —

B Block

  • Tetsuya Naito — 10 points (5-1)
  • EVIL — 8 points (4-2)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 6 points (3-3)
  • Juice Robinson — 6 points (3-3)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 6 points (3-3)
  • Toru Yano — 6 points (3-3)
  • Hirooki Goto — 6 points (3-3)
  • SANADA — 6 points (3-3)
  • KENTA — 4 points (2-4)
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 2 points (1-5) *eliminated*

A Block

  • Kazuchika Okada — 8 points (4-2)
  • Kota Ibushi — 8 points (4-2)
  • Jay White — 8 points (4-2)
  • Will Ospreay — 8 points (4-2)
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 6 points (3-3)
  • Shingo Takagi — 6 points (3-3)
  • Minoru Suzuki — 6 points (3-3)
  • Taichi — 6 points (3-3)
  • Jeff Cobb — 4 points (2-4)
  • Yujiro Takahashi — 0 points (0-6) *eliminated*