NJPW G1 Climax 30 night one live results: Okada vs. Ibushi
Recommended matches —
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki
- Taichi vs. Jeff Cobb
Report —
Yuya Uemura defeated Yota Tsuji (6:57)
A really fun sprint here in the opener.
Tsuji shaved his moustache and his hair was frizzy, he looked like Andre the Giant circa 1979.
They started with some chain wrestling. Tsuji took over with strikes and landed a hard series of chops in the corner.
Uemura came back with a backdrop, a dropkick and a double underhook belly-to-belly. He used a stack cover for a near fall before using the position to transition to a Boston crab.
Uemura transitioned to a high-angle crab, almost a liontamer, and got the tap out.
G1 Climax 30 A Block: Will Ospreay defeated Yujiro Takahashi (7:34)
They didn’t get much time but the match was good.
Ospreay is notably bigger but a lot of it looks to be lower body weight.
Ospreay teased a dive right away but hit his pose instead. He tried a plancha but Yujiro dodged it and hit a DDT on the floor. Yujiro established the early advantage, using a dropkick and a slam for near falls.
Ospreay came back with a handsrping kick, a standing shooting star and pip pip cheerio. Yujiro escaped a Storm Breaker attempt. Ospreay hit a tiger wall flip kick.
Yujiro hit a fireman’s carry slam into a two count. Ospreay avoided Pimp Juice and used a schoolboy for a two count.
Ospreay escaped a Tokyo Pimps attempt, hit a running chop that resembled the Hidden Blade, then hit Storm Breaker for the pin.
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Ospreay cut a promo after the match. He said he’s home and missed everyone. He said he was scared and nervous before he entered, then realized there’s no reason to be scared or nervous because he’s the best in the world.
Ospreay said NJPW has been good in the pandemic era but it’s better now that he’s back. He said this G1 is about being the one and you’re looking at him.
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G1 Climax 30 A Block: Taichi defeated Jeff Cobb (12:48)
Very good work by both guys here and another good match.
Taichi stalled a lot early. Cobb sent him outside after a dropkick. Taichi used the ring bell hammer to attack Cobb on the outside. Taichi tied Cobb up in the barricade and worked on his left leg.
Taichi continued working the left leg in the ring, mixing in some chokeholds for good measure. Cobb came back with a lariat and a splash in the corner. Taichi dodged a back elbow in the corner and hit a jumping high kick.
They traded strikes. Cobb hit a headbutt. Taichi countered with a jumping high kick into a double down.
Taichi took his pants off. Cobb blocked a buzzsaw and hit a brainbuster and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Taichi avoided a Tour of the Islands and hit a backdrop suplex into another double down.
Taichi hit an axe bomber but Cobb kicked out. Taichi tried Black Mephisto but he couldn’t get Cobb up. Cobb hit a three suplex combination.
Cobb went for Tour of the Islands. Taichi blocked and hit a thrust kick, then hit Black Mephisto for the pin.
***** Intermission *****
G1 Climax 30 A Block: Minoru Suzuki defeated Tomohiro Ishii (12:59)
Great stuff, as you would expect from a hall of famer and someone who should be in the hall of fame. They had a war filled with stiff strikes.
They came out firing strikes. Ishii wore a heavy pad on his right arm. Suzuki went after the arm with an armbar over the top rope.
Suzuki maintained control as they brawled around ringside. Suzuki slapped Ishii in the face and Ishii sold this like a flash knockout.
It was all Suzuki for several minutes. Ishii managed a powerslam and a side suplex but Suzuki always got the advantage right back. They used a couple of misdirection spots ending with a big Suzuki shoulder tackle.
They traded a couple of headbutts on the mat before climbing back to their feet. They traded strikes. Ishii hit a headbutt. Suzuki hit a big headbutt that wowed the audience. Ishii hit a lariat. Suzuki went for a choke and the Gotch but Ishii hit an air raid crash and a sliding lariat for a two count at the ten minute mark.
Ishii hit an enzuigiri. Suzuki again tried for a piledriver but Ishii hit a backdrop out of it. They traded strikes. Suzuki hit a running kick. Ishii no-sold and hit a lariat.
Suzuki blocked a brainbuster by rolling through. He immediately transitioned to a Gotch-style piledriver for the pin.
These are two of the very best of all time.
G1 Climax 30 A Block: Jay White defeated Shingo Takagi (19:29)
After a summer filled with screwy Bullet Club finishes and ref bumps galore, this was not what I wanted. It’s pretty standard fare for Jay White’s matches, he’s a weaselly heel, I get it. The crowd was into this match at a level rarely seen in the pandemic era, so it worked in the building.
The story of the match was White trying to keep the match at his pace and not allow Shingo to get rolling with his most explosive moves.
They started slowly with White doing some of his trademark stalling. White used a distraction from Gedo to take over on the outside and whipped Shingo into the barricade repatedly.
White worked Shingo over very methodically until Shingo simply popped up, stopped selling and hit a double sledge to the chest. They brawled outside where Shingo dropped White face-first on the apron.
White came back with a suplex out of the corner and a blade buster for a two count at the ten minute mark.
White connected with some European uppercuts. Shingo hit noshigami but could not follow up. Shingo hit a wheelbarrow German. They traded strikes. White tried to beg off before shoving referee Red Shoes in Shingo’s path. White hit a flatliner and a uranage for a pair of near falls.
Shingo hit two sliding lariats and a double knee gutbuster for a two count. White used a distraction from Gedo and used a schoolboy with his feet on the ropes for a two count. Red Shoes caught the feet on the ropes at the last second.
White hit a kiwi krusher for a two count. White tried for a Blade Runner. Shingo blocked and hit a Made in Japan for a two count.
White took the ref. Gedo jumped in. Shingo fought off Gedo and hit a pumping bomber to White. Shingo fired up the crowd and teased a Last of the Dragon. White kicked Red Shoes and the ref took a bump to the floor. Shingo hit Last of the Dragon but there was no ref to count the pin.
White hit a low blow. Red Shoes rolled back in. White hit a back suplex into a bridge for a near fall, a suplex, then hit Blade Runner for the tainted victory.
G1 Climax 30 A Block: Kota Ibushi defeated Kazuchika Okada (21:36)
This was an excellent main event to cap a very good show.
They began by trading headlocks. Ibushi sent Okada outside with a snap rana. Okada avoided a baseball slide and a quebrada attempt and sent Ibushi into the barricade. Okada hit a DDT on the floor.
Back inside, Okada hit a running low dropkick. He followed with a series of back elbows and a big boot. Ibushi hit a dropkick to slow Okada’s momentum. Ibushi hit a running mid kick and a standing moonsault for a two count.
Okada hit a running back elbow and a DDT out of the corner for a two count. Ibushi hit a Pele kick. Okada went for the Money Clip but Ibushi blocked. Okada hit an air raid crash neckbreaker.
Okada used a Russian leg sweep to set up the Money Clip. He had the hold applied square in the middle of the ring. Ibushi teased passing out before reaching the ropes. Okada teased a tombstone on the floor. Ibushi blocked and hit an Asai moonsault.
Back in the ring, Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick. Ibushi teased a top rope rana. Okada blocked and teased a tombstone off the top. Ibushi blocked and hit a top rope frankensteiner for a near fall at the fifteen minute mark.
They traded piledriver positions. Ibushi teased a Jay driller but Okada reversed and hit a tombstone into a double down. They traded strikes from their knees. They continued trading on their feet. Ibushi got a knockdown off a palm strike and followed with a head kick.
Ibushi did some of Nakamura’s mannerisms and teased a Bomaye. Okada blocked and hit a spinning tombstone. Okada went back to the Money Clip. Ibushi powered out and teased a lawn dart into the buckle. Okada escaped and went back to the hold. Ibushi powered out again.
Ibushi avoided a Woo dropkick at the 20 minute mark. Ibushi blocked a spinning Rainmaker with a high kick. Okada blocked a Kamigoye and hit two dropkicks.
Ibushi blocked another Rainmaker attempt and hit a Bomaye. He followed with an immediate Kamigoye and pinned Okada.
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Ibushi closed the show with a promo.
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A Block standings —
- Kota Ibushi 2 points (1-0)
- Jay White 2 points (1-0)
- Minoru Suzuki 2 points (1-0)
- Taichi 2 points (1-0)
- Will Ospreay 2 points (1-0)
- Yujiro Takahashi 0 points (0-1)
- Jeff Cobb 0 points (0-1)
- Tomohiro Ishii 0 points (0-1)
- Shingo Takagi 0 points (0-1)
- Kazuchika Okada 0 points (0-1)