NJPW G1 Climax 30 night four live results: Naito vs. Sabre

Recommended matches —

  • YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Report —

This was the second straight night in Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo.

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Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura (8:13)

This was solid but these guys have had much better matches. 

They started off with some mat wrestling. Uemura went after Tsuji’s left leg with an ankle pick and a toe hold. Tsuji came back with some forearm strikes and worked a kravate. 

Tsuji landed some more forearms and a chop. Uemura hit a running forearm strike and a dropkick. Uemura went for a crab but had to settle for a heel hook. Tsuji forced a rope break. 

Tsuji hit a unique running powerslam for a two count. He got a Boston crab applied and Uemura tapped.

G1 Climax 30 B Block: Hirooki Goto defeated SANADA (11:03)

They didn’t get a lot of time for two guys who are pushed at their level, but they did well with the time they had.   

They brawled outside at the outset. SANADA teased a moonsault press off the apron but Goto stepped out of the way. Goto went for a lariat but SANADA dodged it and Goto hit the post with his right arm. 

SANADA went after the right arm with strikes. Goto avoided a standing moonsault but SANADA hit a dropkick for a two count. 

SANADA missed a charge into the corner. Goto hit a back suplex for a near fall. Goto hit a wheel kick in the corner and used a running bulldog for a two count. Goto teased an ushigoroshi but SANADA slid out. SANADA hit his leapfrog dropkick and a follow-up plancha. 

A series of counters and teases ended with SANADA getting Skull End applied. Goto reached the ropes to force a break. Goto hit a lariat but sold the earlier damage to his right arm. They traded finisher teases but neither could hit a big move. 

They traded a series of cradles for near falls. SANADA hit an ushigoroshi and a snap slingshot suplex. SANADA missed a moonsault and they did a double down. 

SANADA used a moonsault press to set up Skull End. Goto escaped and hit an elevated GTR for a two count. 

Goto hit the GTW and a mid kick. He followed up with a GTR and got the pin. 

G1 Climax 30 B Block: Toru Yano defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (7:15)

Yano now has wins over both Tanahashi and Okada in the last 30 days. Wrestler of the year?

Yano tried to bait Tanahashi into chasing him outside but Tana refused. They traded a couple of holds before Yano went for a corner pad. Tana also went for a corner pad but decided not to break the rules. 

They did some comedy with Yano’s corner pad. Tanahashi played air guitar with the pad. Tana hit a dragon screw. They rolled outside where Yano sent Tanahashi into the barricade. They fought all the way to the entrance. Yano used an eye rake and made poor Tanahashi run all the way back to the ring to beat the count. Yano used a quick cradle for a two count. 

Tanahashi hit a somersault senton for a two count before using another dragon screw. Tanahashi missed a pescado. Yano grabbed a roll of tape and threatened to tape Tanahashi to the barricade. Instead, Tanahashi used the tape to blindfold Yano. Yano beat the count back in. 

Still blindfolded, Yano pulled the ref in the path of a flying forearm. Tanahashi pulled up at the last second and avoided the ref. Yano hit a low blow and rolled Tanahashi up for the victory. 

***** Intermission *****

G1 Climax 30 B Block: Juice Robinson defeated KENTA (17:01)

This started very slowly. It picked up once they got to the closing sequences but they could have cut five minutes and had a better match. 

KENTA began with his trademark stalling. 

I get that the Bullet Club guys are working for the people in the building and not everyone watching every show on the tour at home, but having KENTA, Jay White and EVIL all start their matches with a ton of stalling wears on you. 

Juice hit a kick and used a headlock takeover as they continued the slow start. Juice went for a series of jabs but KENTA rolled outside and took a walk after the first strike. 

KENTA caught Juice coming back in and hit a knee drop off the second rope to take the early advantage. KENTA used a chinlock, hit a kick, then used a different chinlock. He then repeated the same sequence. 

Juice tried a Juice Box but KENTA raked his face to escape. KENTA hit a powerslam and a diving clothesline off the top for a two count.  Juice made a comeback with corner clotheslines and a cannonball. 

KENTA blocked a superplex with headbutts and hit a missile dropkick. KENTA followed with a yakuza kick and a stalling Shibata dropkick. KENTA hit a top rope double stomp for a near fall. 

Juice avoided a busaiku knee and hit a slam. They traded strikes. Juice hit the Juice Box for a two count. KENTA blocked Pulp Friction and laid in some stiff strikes. 

KENTA went for a GTS but stumbled. Juice avoided two more GTS attempts and hit a Left Hand of God. Juice then hit Pulp Friction and covered for the win. 

G1 Climax 30 B Block: EVIL defeated YOSHI-HASHI (17:21)

These guys injected some life into the show. This was an excellent match with awesome near falls. 

EVIL brought a chair into the ring. He went to hit YH with it as YH entered but YH hit EVIL and Goto with his staff. YH controlled the open with a series of strikes. 

EVIL used interference from Dick Togo to gain the upper hand. Togo tripped YH and whipped him into the barricade while EVIL took the ref. 

EVIL went to work and sent YH into an exposed buckle. YH came back with a headhunter. EVIL cut him off again and used a superplex. EVIL used the exposed buckle two more times before hitting Darkness Falls for a two count. 

YH avoided Everything is EVIL and sent EVIL into the exposed buckle twice. YH hit a hook kick and avoided a misdirection lariat. YH hit a brainbuster for a two count. 

YH used the butterfly lock. Togo jumped on the apron and YH gave up the hold. YH sent EVIL into Togo and hit a backstabber. 

YH went back to the butterfly lock. They were going to stay in this hold until they got the crowd. They finally did. YH transitioned to a kimura but YH reached the ropes. 

EVIL tried to bump the ref and hit a low blow. The ref didn’t go down and YH blocked the blow. EVIL then hit a lariat into a double down at the 15 minute call. 

YH hit a dragon suplex and a meteora for a two count. He followed with a swanton bomb for another close near fall. 

EVIL took the ref while Togo choked YH out. YH fought off the ligature and knocked Togo down. YH hit a hook kick and a lariat for a near fall. 

EVIL blocked Kharma, hit a low blow, then connected with Everything is EVIL for the tainted victory. 

G1 Climax 30 B Block: Tetsuya Naito defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (28:29)

This was a war of attrition. They completely worked Sabre’s style and that usually works given that no one else works like Sabre on these shows. 

They began with five minutes of very nice mat work. Sabre used a series of three cradles for near falls

Sabre twice sent Naito outside after tripping him. Sabre continued with his ground work. Naito came back with his signature low dropkick before using a crucifix hold. Sabre rolled to the ropes for a break. 

Naito used a kravate. Sabre slid out and spiked Naito on top of his head with a tornado DDT. At the 15 minute call, Sabre used a hurricanrana to set up a triangle choke. Naito forced a rope break. 

They had their first real striking battle of the match. Naito used a trip takedown to pull Sabre to the apron. Naito hit a neckbreaker off the apron to the floor. Back in, Naito hit a series of back elbow strikes. 

Naito hit a top rope frankensteiner just past the 20 minute call. Sabre popped up and hit a series of uppercuts. Naito used a swing DDT for a two count. Naito tied up Sabre with a Pluma Blanca but Sabre forced a break. 

Naito went for Gloria but Sabre blocked. Naito tried a flying forearm but Sabre caught him flying in and used an octopus hold. Sabre kept the hold applied as they fell to the mat. Naito fought the hold for a long time before rolling to the ropes. 

They traded finisher teases around the 25 minute call. Naito hit a Destino. He went for a second but Sabre turned it into a Zack Driver. Neither guy went for a pin. 

Sabre used a guillotine to set up a European clutch and a rolling Japanese leg hold for a pair of near falls. 

Sabre went for a Zack Driver. Naito countered into Destino for a near fall at 28 minutes. 

Naito then hit another Destino and got the pin. 

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Naito closed the show with a promo. 

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G1 Climax 30 Standings

B Block

  • Tetsuya Naito — 4 points (2-0)
  • Juice Robinson — 4 points (2-0)
  • Toru Yano — 4 points (2-0)
  • Hirooki Goto — 2 points (1-1)
  • KENTA — 2 points (1-1)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 2 points (1-1)
  • EVIL — 2 points (1-1)
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 0 points (0-2)
  • SANADA — 0 points (0-2)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 0 points (0-2)

A Block

  • Jay White — 4 points (2-0)
  • Will Ospreay — 4 points (2-0)
  • Taichi — 4 points (2-0)
  • Kazuchika Okada — 2 points (1-1)
  • Kota Ibushi — 2 points (1-1)
  • Minoru Suzuki — 2 points (1-1)
  • Jeff Cobb — 2 points (1-1)
  • Shingo Takagi — 0 points (0-2)
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 0 points (0-2)
  • Yujiro Takahashi — 0 points (0-2)