NJPW G1 Climax 31 night 13 results: Ibushi vs. Great-O-Khan
The G1 Climax 31 A Block continued today in Osaka
Kota Ibushi faced Great-O-Khan in the main event, while Shingo Takagi took on Tanga Loa in the semi-main.
Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. KENTA were the other tournament matches today.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita were the non-tournament bouts today.
Here are results and a report from the show.
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Recommended matches —
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. KENTA
- Shingo Takagi vs. Tanga Loa
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi
- Kota Ibushi vs. Great-O-Khan
Report —
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita (9:31)
A decent tag team opener. Oiwa remains ahead of Fujita at this point in their development, but Fujita was good here.
Oiwa and Kanemaru started off. Fujita jumped in for a double shoulder block. Oiwa got hit with a back suplex from Kanemaru and was cut off.
Oiwa made a comeback on Desperado with a gutwrench suplex and a dropkick. Fujita got a hot tag and hit Despy with a dropkick. After failing to get a crab on Desperado in their singles match, Fujita got one here, but Desperado reached the ropes.
Desperado hit a backdrop and put the Indian deathlock on Fujita. Oiwa saved, but Kanemaru tossed Oiwa outside. Fujita used an inside cradle for a near fall.
Desperado then locked on Numero Dos and Fujita tapped out.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Hiromu Takahashi (18:13)
Excellent match. Their New Japan Cup match from a year ago was more crisp, but that was one of the first great matches of the pandemic era and it isn’t really fair to compare them.
Ishii side-stepped a shotgun dropkick at the opening bell. Hiromu avoided a sliding lariat. Each avoided a series of big moves from the other. A great way to open.
Ishii took over, using his heavyweight power to win an exchange of shoulder tackles. Ishii got the better of a chop battle. Hiromu came back with a hurricanrana. He teased a sunset bomb, but Ishii blocked. Hiromu hit a DVD on the apron instead.
Hiromu escaped an electric chair and hit something resembling dynamite plunger for a near fall. Hiromu hit some palm strikes to the face. They traded some working headbutts. Ishii hit a lariat, then the sliding variation for a near fall.
Hiromu escaped a brainbuster attempt and tried a wheelbarrow bulldog, but slammed Ishii’s head right into the mat for real. Ishii appeared to be okay. Hiromu rolled through on an Ishii German and hit three superkicks.
Hiromu reversed another brainbuster attempt and hit victory royal. He then hit a DVD into the corner pad. Hiromu hit Time Bomb, but Ishii kicked out. Hiromu hit a clothesline for a two count.
Ishii again tried for a brainbuster, again Hiromu blocked. Ishii hit a clothesline, an enzuigiri and a another clothesline for a near fall.
Hiromu reversed another brainbuster attempt and used a cradle for a two count. Ishii no-sold a superkick and hit a lariat.
Ishii then was finally able to hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin.
A Block: KENTA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (22:24)
These guys did something I haven’t seen done well in a long time, which was a heel vs. heel match where both played heel and did it effectively. Sometimes someone plays babyface just for the match to make it work better, but not here. Both guys were extremely unsavory, but still entertaining. This was a great match.
They beat the crap out of each other. It felt like a real fight at points. They began striking. The story of most Sabre matches is that he gets out-struck, but with KENTA being a smaller heavyweight, they went back and forth pretty evenly in the striking.
They brawled outside. Sabre stomped on KENTA’s taped left knee. KENTA answered in the ring with a DDT. KENTA covered Sabre with one foot, Sabre kicked out before one. Sabre came back with two neck twists, then covered KENTA with one foot.
They continued to go back and forth with strikes. KENTA tried a green killer, but Sabre blocked and slapped on an octopus in the ropes. Sabre then stomped on KENTA’s taped left shoulder and targeted it for the rest of the match.
Sabre used two submission attempts, KENTA forced two rope breaks. KENTA hit a Busaiku knee. He went for a second, but Sabre caught him in a heel hook for the second time in the match. KENTA forced a break. Sabre propped KENTA up in the corner and kicked at the left leg.
KENTA blocked a PK and hit a clothesline. Sabre ducked a kick and trapped both of KENTA’s legs, but KENTA forced another rope break. Sabre stomped on the left leg. KENTA went for Go To Sleep, but Sabre blocked and used a clutch hold for a near fall.
They traded palm strikes. Sabre blocked a GTS and used an ankle lock on the left leg. KENTA twisted out and hit a drop toe hold into an exposed turnbuckle, then caught Sabre on the rebound with a GTS for the pin.
A Block: Toru Yano defeated Yujiro Takahashi (w/Pieter) by countout (10:23)
Yano matches should all be under five minutes. This was five minutes of comedy stretched across ten minutes.
Yujiro hit a running boot before the bell, then busted out a tope suicida after the bell. Yujiro wrapped Yano up in athletic tape and hit a big boot with Yano seated on a chair at the bottom of the ramp. Yano beat the count back in at 19.
Yujiro exposed a buckle and whipped Yano into it. Yano exposed a second buckle and whipped Yano into it. Yujiro exposed a third buckle and whipped Yano into it. Pieter took the ref as Yujiro hit Yano with his walking stick.
Yujiro hit a drive-by kick, but Yano hit an inverted atomic drop. Yano avoided a whip and used a schoolboy for a two count. Yujiro blocked a low blow. Yano took a front turnbuckle. Yano raked Yujiro’s eyes and hit a belly-to-belly. Yujiro stopped the comeback with a lariat.
Yujiro hit a fisherman buster for a two count. Yano blocked Pimp Juice and hit a low blow. He used a school boy, but Yujiro grabbed the ref and bumped him. Yujiro hit a low blow.
They went to the floor. Yujiro tried to handcuff Yano. Yano escaped and crawled under the ring. Yujiro went under the ring. Yano emerged and got back in. Yujiro crawled out with his hands cuffed behind his back and could not beat the count back in. Yano stole a countout win.
A Block: Shingo Takagi defeated Tanga Loa (w/Jado) (19:08)
This was Shingo doing his best NWA Champion in the 80s match. He gave Loa a ton of offense before finally slipping over in the end. A very good match.
Shingo got an early knockdown and hit a senton. Loa reversed a whip and hit a dropkick. He low-bridged Shingo to the apron and hit a back suplex on the apron to take control of the match.
Loa hit a slingshot senton and a standing moonsault for a two count. Loa used a chinlock, no-sold a snap vertical suplex and hit a tackle. Loa backed Shingo into the corner and hit some clotheslines. Loa hit a powerslam for another near fall.
Loa used the OJK. Shingo forced a break. Shingo came back with strikes and hit a DDT. Shingo hit a suplex. Loa hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Shingo hit a backdrop. Loa hit an exploder and a lariat.
Loa hit a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. They fought to the top rope. Loa slipped coming off the second rope as he hit a powerslam. Shingo immediately started selling his collarbone and I was concerned that he was hurt, but he appeared fine. Loa could have torn his knee up slipping like that also. A scary spot.
Shingo blocked Apesh*t and hit a sliding lariat and a superplex. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber, but Loa didn’t go down. Loa ate two more lariat, then blocked a third with a spear.
Shingo blocked a powerbomb with a hurricanrana and hit a lariat. They exchanged strikes. Loa hit a headbutt to the chest. Shingo blocked Apesh*t again and hit a GTR in the ropes.
Shingo hit Last of the Dragon for the pin.
A Block: Kota Ibushi defeated Great-O-Khan (20:22)
This never reached the level of a great NJPW main event to me. A good match, but was overshadowed by the previous bout.
They started very slowly. They did some tentative striking, then some mat wrestling with neither gaining a notable advantage. O-Khan took Ibushi down and hooked his leg in a submission attempt, then began kicking at the left leg.
Ibushi fired off some sharp upkicks from the mat, then locked in a figure four. Ibushi pounded the mat to try to get the crowd into it. O-Khan used a rolling kneebar, but Ibushi reached the ropes. O-Khan was firmly in control as he laid in some strikes in the corner.
Ibushi went into murder Ibushi mode and hit a series of palm strikes and a Bomaye. O-Khan ended up with a bloody nose. O-Khan used a heel hook to set up an ankle lock, but Ibushi kicked his way free.
Ibushi fired off some more palm strikes and hit a big knee. He called for Kamigoye, but O-Khan avoided it. Ibushi avoided the iron claw and hit a high kick for a near fall.
Ibushi went for Kamigoye, but O-Khan put the iron claw on the knee. Ibushi blocked the Dominator and hit a v-trigger, then hit Kamigoye and got the pin.
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Here is the lineup for the next show:
G1 Climax 31 night 14, Tuesday, October 12, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb
- B Block: Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
- B Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Chase Owens
- B Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. SANADA
- B Block: Taichi vs. Tama Tonga
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Ryohei Oiwa