NJPW G1 Climax 30 night 17 live results: A Block finals

Recommended matches —

  • Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki
  • Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White

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Yota Tsuji defeated Gabriel Kidd (6:52)

They worked quickly and kept things simple. 

Tsuji fired off a dropkick at the bell, then used a splash for a series of quick near falls. Kidd recovered and hit a sunset flip and used an inside cradle for a pair of two counts. 

Kidd grounded Tsuji with a headlock. Tsuji made the ropes to force a break. Kidd used a couple of more cradles and hit a dropkick. Tsuji came back with an inside cradle and a spear. 

Tsuji hit a powerslam for a two count. Tsuji locked on a Boston crab, then switched to a giant swing. 

Tsuji transitioned back from the swing to the crab and Kidd tapped out. 

G1 Climax A Block: Yujiro Takahashi defeated Jeff Cobb (10:30)

They had about as good of a singles match as Yujiro is capable of having. They threw in a couple of twists and the match peaked at the right time. 

Cobb landed a series of forearms. Yujiro tried to bail out but Cobb kept him in the ring. Yujiro bit Cobb’s hand. Cobb hit a dropkick. They played cat and mouse on the outside. Yujiro avoided a suplex on the floor and hit an inverted DDT. 

Yujiro raked Cobb’s face before jumping back in. Cobb beat the count back inside. Yujiro hit a couple of short legdrops and a headbutt in working Cobb over. Yujiro used a stroke for a near fall. 

Cobb fired back with chops. Cobb missed a standing moonsault and Yujiro connected on a low dropkick. Cobb hit a series of shoulder tackles and an overhead belly-to-belly out of the corner. Cobb hit a running back suplex for a two count. 

Yujiro blocked a charge with a hotshot. Yujiro hit a wheel kick and a fisherman buster for a near fall. Cobb blocked Miami Shine and tried a gutwrench lift. Yujiro again resorted to biting Cobb to free himself. 

Cobb hit a spin cycle out of the corner and a standing moonsault for a two count. Yujiro blocked Tour of the Islands and used a cradle for a two count. 

Yujiro shoved the ref away. Yujiro used his cane on Cobb and hit an olympic slam for two. Yujiro hit Miami Shine for another two count.

Yujiro hit Pimp Juice and got the tainted victory. 

G1 Climax A Block: Shingo Takagi defeated Minoru Suzuki (12:30)

They didn’t get a ton of time and this didn’t reach the heights of their Summer Struggle match. This was still a very good brawl. 

They came out swinging. Neither went down after a series of strikes. Suzuki baited Shingo to the ropes where he locked on a rope-assisted armbar. They spilled to the floor. They traded slaps to the face before Suzuki claimed control by whipping Shingo into the barricade. 

Back in, Suzuki tried a PK. Shingo caught the kick and hammered away with strikes. They traded shots again. Suzuki lured Shingo in for a rear naked choke. He went for a Gotch piledriver but Shingo hit a DVD. Shingo sold the damage from the armbar to his right arm. 

Shingo hit some Misawa elbows and a sliding lariat for a two count. Suzuki blocked a Pumping Bomber by locking in a flying armbar. Suzuki slid to a triangle choke, again working the right arm. Shingo could not power Suzuki up to break the hold. 

Suzuki gave up the choke and hit a series of kicks to the right arm. Suzuki fought for, then finally applied, a Fujiwara armbar. Shingo forced a rope break but not before Suzuki did more damage to the right arm. 

Suzuki got a rear naked choke. Shingo slid out and hit a series of lariats. Suzuki refused to go down and hit a series of palm strikes. Suzuki hit a headbutt. Shingo blocked a second headbutt attempt and hit a series of his own headbutts. 

Suzuki used a misdirection spot to set up another choke. Shingo countered out of the choke with a wild right hand and Suzuki finally went down. 

Shingo hoisted Suzuki up for Last of the Dragon. He connected and pinned Suzuki. 

Post-match, Suzuki sold his head. He also used a series of awesome facial expressions to convey that he liked the pain. A rematch between these two for the NEVER title seems imminent. 

*****Intermission*****

G1 Climax A Block: Will Ospreay defeated Kazuchika Okada (17:03)

The story of the match was Okada failing to implement his pace and being forced to work at Ospreay’s speed. The match was fantastic and the angle was impactful. 

Ospreay immediately hit a shotgun dropkick, Sasuke Special and Pip Pip Cheerio for a near fall. 

Ospreay hit a high kick and went for an Oscutter. Okada blocked and used the Money Clip. Ospreay forced a rope break. They went outside where Okada hit a draping DDT off the apron to the floor. Ospreay beat the count back in at 15. 

Okada asserted control of the match with a swinging neckbreaker. Okada clearly found his target in Ospreay’s neck. Okada hit a series of back elbows to the neck in the corner. 

Ospreay created some distance with a backdrop. He followed with a standing shooting star for a near fall. Okada went back to the neck with a DDT. 

Ospreay avoided an air raid crash neckbreaker and hit a handspring kick. Ospreay avoided a shotgun dropkick. Okada sat Ospreay on the top rope and went for a dropkick. Ospreay blocked, reversed the position, then hit his own dropkick. Okada crashed to the floor. 

Ospreay hit an insane tope over the post to the floor. Back in, Ospreay hit a springboard forearm off the top for a two count. 

Okada fought off a Storm Breaker attempt. They traded forearms. Ospreay hit a tiger wall flip kick. Okada missed a dropkick. Okada got his knees up on a standing shooting star. Okada tried the dropkick again but Ospreay caught him flying in with a powerbombfor a two count. This spot ruled. 

Ospreay hit a thrust kick and a hook kick. Okada avoided Hidden Blade. Okada escaped a Storm Breaker mid-air and hit a short Rainmaker, maintaining wrist control on landing. 

Ospreay ducked a Rainmaker. Okada hit a rebound dropkick. Okada hit a tombstone. Okada got the Money Clip applied. Ospreay forced a rope break. 

Ospreay slapped Okada across the face and said “I’m just as good.” Okada hit a shotgun dropkick. Ospreay blocked a tombstone. Ospreay turned a spinning Rainmaker into a standing Spanish fly for a near fall. 

Okada slid out of a Storm Breaker and captured Ospreay’s legs for a two count. Ospreay hit a poison rana and Okada landed awkwardly on his neck. Ospreay hit an Oscutter. 

Ospreay tried for Storm Breaker again. Okada reversed into another Money Clip. Ospreay escaped. 

An insane sequence followed. 

Okada used a backslide to set up a Rainmaker attempt. Ospreay ducked it and tried a Rainmaker. Okada ducked that. Okada went for a Rainmaker. Ospreay turned it into a Spanish fly, then changed his mind mid-Spanish fly and tried a Storm Breaker. Okada escaped that and hit a spinning Rainmaker. 

Okada got the money clip applied. Bea Priestley ran in. Okada gave up the Money Clip and hit a spinning tombstone. Okada went back to the Money Clip. 

Priestley jumped in the ring and took the ref. The Great O-Kharn, the former Tomoyuki Oka, ran in and planted Okada with a claw slam. 

Ospreay looked around, feigning surprise. Ospreay then hit Storm Breaker and pinned Okada. 

**********

After the match, Ospreay ran back to the ring and hammered Okada with a Hidden Blade. 

Ospreay cursed Okada and said that Okada held him back and this was a long time coming. 

Ospreay, Priestley and O-Kharn left together. 

This was a huge angle and a fantastic match. 

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G1 Climax A Block: Kota Ibushi defeated Taichi (17:12)

This was the most unique match I’ve ever seen. A complete original. 

All they did was kick each other. There was one missed suplex and one Kamigoye finisher. Aside from that, only kicks. And it worked. This was incredible. 

They didn’t touch for the first minute of the match. 

From there, they traded kicks for eight minutes. Just kick, kick, kick, kick. They no-sold each other’s kicks, they offered each other free kicks at each other’s backs, just every kick thing you can think of. 

Taichi hit a back suplex at the ten minute mark. Ibushi landed on his feet and they went back to trading kicks. They went into a double down after exchanging high kicks to the head. 

Both made it to their feet. They continued trading kicks, limping around as they recovered in between throwing and absorbing kicks. Taichi tore his pants off. Ibushi dropped Taichi with a kick. 

Ibushi called for a Kamigoye. Taichi took Ibushi’s legs out from under him with a sweeping kick. 

Both needed the aid of the ropes to stand at the 15 minute call. They held each other up and continued to kick each other into oblivion. 

Ibushi hit one final high kick, then delivered a Kamigoye for the pin. 

Tsuji carried Taichi to the back. Ibushi limped to the back under his own power. 

G1 Climax A Block: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jay White (24:36)

Excellent main event. Ishii was incredible and White more than held up his end of things. 

White began with his customary stalling. He danced around Ishii, taunting him. White slapped Ishii. Ishii responded with a forearm, dropping White. White rolled outside. Ishii went out after him. Gedo distracted Ishii and White took control, whipping Ishii into the barricade. 

Back inside, White used a legdrop and a slam for a pair of near falls. Ishii tweaked his left ankle trying to run the ropes. White tried a charge out of the corner but Ishii hit a powerslam. 

Ishii hit his chop combinations in the corner. White hit a DDT and a Blade Buster for a two count. White went after Ishii’s taped right knee, slamming it into the mat and hitting it with kicks. 

Ishii no-sold a series of forearms. White went back to the knee to cut Ishii off. White ducked a sliding lariat, hit a complete shot, then used a German suplex to plant Ishii. Ishii got a hope spot with a series of strikes, but White remained in control. 

White hit a uranage, kicked at the knee, then suplexed Ishii into the buckle. Ishii answered with a German into the same turnbuckle. White blocked a superplex and went back to the knee, using a dragon screw in the ropes. 

Ishii knocked White off the apron with a headbutt to the chest. Ishii dragged White back in and hit a delayed superplex for a near fall. White pancaked on the mat to avoid a lariat. Ishii hit a headbutt. White blocked a jumping kick and hit two more dragon screws.  

White used the TTO submission. Ishii sold this like crazy. Red Shoes also did his part to sell this as a near finish. Ishii finally fought to the ropes to force a break. 

White hit a chop block and a sleeper suplex. He followed with a Kiwi Krusher for a two count. 

White called for the Blade Runner. Ishii blocked and hit an inverted dragon screw. Ishii powered White up and hit a knee breaker onto his own bad knee. 

Ishii was now out for White’s right knee. Ishii used a kneebar at the 20 minute call. Gedo jumped in while White took the referee. White shoved Ishii into the referee. 

Ishii ducked a brass knuckles shot from Gedo. He teased a brainbuster on Gedo but White saved. Ishii hit a German to Ishii. As the referee came to, Ishii hit a sliding lariat for a near fall. 

Gedo took the ref. Ishii tried for a brainbuster. White slid out and hit a low blow. White then hit a Regal suplex for another near fall. 

Ishii blocked a cross-armed DDT with a headbutt. Ishii fired himself up in the corner. White hit a sleeper suplex. Ishii no-sold it. White hit another sleeper suplex.

They did a series of finisher teases. Ishii hit a cutter. 

Gedo shoved the ref down. Ishii hit Gedo with a lariat. Ishii then hit White with a lariat for a two count. 

Ishii followed with the vertical drop brainbuster and pinned White to eliminate him. 

Ibushi wins A Block. 

**********

After the match, Ishii limped to the back. 

Gedo helped White to the back and told him that the referee screwed him, he’s still the best and this wasn’t White’s fault. 

In his backstage comments after the match, White said he was King Switchblade. He also said he would sincerely cheer for EVIL tomorrow, but warned EVIL to watch out for the referees. 

**********

G1 Standings —

A Block

  • Kota Ibushi — 14 points (7-2) *A Block winner*
  • Jay White — 12 points (6-3)
  • Will Ospreay — 12 points (6-3)
  • Kazuchika Okada — 12 points (6-3)
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Taichi — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Jeff Cobb — 8 points (4-5)  
  • Shingo Takagi — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Minoru Suzuki — 6 points (3-6) 
  • Yujiro Takahashi — 2 points (1-8) 

B Block

  • Tetsuya Naito — 12 points (6-2)
  • EVIL — 12 points (6-2)
  • SANADA — 10 points (5-3)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 10 points (5-3)
  • Hirooki Goto — 8 points (4-4) *eliminated*
  • KENTA — 8 points (4-4) *eliminated*
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 6 points (3-5) *eliminated*
  • Juice Robinson — 6 points (3-5) *eliminated*
  • Toru Yano — 6 points (3-5) *eliminated*
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 2 points (1-7) *eliminated*