NJPW G1 Climax 31 night six results: Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Kazuchika Okada took on YOSHI-HASHI in the main event, while Hiroshi Tanahashi faced Tama Tonga in the semi-main.
Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb, SANADA vs. Chase Owens, plus EVIL vs. Taichi were the other tournament matches today.
Here are results and a report from today’s show.
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Recommended matches —
- Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tama Tonga
- Jeff Cobb vs. Hirooki Goto
Report —
B Block: EVIL (w/Dick Togo) defeated Taichi (w/Miho Abe) (11:30)
They had EVIL’s patterned match. It was short and it was the opener.
Taichi kicked Togo before the opening bell and sent EVIL outside. He tried to choke EVIL with a camera cable, but Togo distracted him. Taichi chased Togo into the ring, where EVIL hit him with a lariat to take over. EVIL whipped Taichi into an exposed turnbuckle.
EVIL bumped Taichi into the barricade and the ring announcer took a bump. Taichi came back with a hook kick. They brawled back to the floor. Taichi bumped EVIL into the barricade and the ring announcer took his second bump of the night.
EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a two count. Taichi blocked the STO and sent EVIL into the exposed buckle. Taichi hit an axe bomber and tore off his pants. Taichi hit a gamengiri off a series of standing switches.
They threw the ref aside. EVIL tried a low blow, but Taichi blocked and hit a low blow. Taichi used a clutch for a pin attempt, but Togo took the ref. Taichi sent EVIL into Togo and hit another jumping high kick and a backdrop suplex for a near fall.
Togo grabbed Miho Abe on the outside and distracted Taichi and the ref. EVIL hit a low blow to Taichi, then hit Everything is EVIL. He then used the scorpion deathlock. Taichi was out, so the ref called for the stoppage.
B Block: SANADA defeated Chase Owens (11:58)
This was good. Owens has been good in the tournament to this point, but he has no credibility after being treated as a comedy job guy for years.
After a couple of quick comedy spots, SANADA sent Owens outside. SANADA teased a plancha, but Owens stepped out of the way and tripped SANADA up on the apron. Owens sent SANADA into the barricade for a countout tease, but SANADA made it back in.
Owens stretched SANADA with a surfboard. SANADA came back with a basement dropkick and a paradise lock. He sent Owens outside with a snap rana, but Owens again avoided the plancha and sent SANADA into the barricade. Owens hit a shoulder breaker and a lariat for a two count.
SANADA hit a springboard dropkick and a TKO for a two count. He rolled through on a moonsault, then got a standing Skull End applied. Owens slipped out and hit a top rope cutter and a shining wizard.
Owens grabbed the ref as SANADA executed an O’Connor roll and threw him down. SANADA covered, but no ref to count the pin.
Owens hit a pump kick. He went for the package driver, but SANADA rolled through. Owens blocked another O’Connor roll and used two cradles for near falls.
SANADA used Skull End, then hit a moonsault for the pin.
B Block: Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki Goto (15:09)
This was an excellent brawl.
Goto sent Cobb outside and posted his left arm. Goto continued working on the arm. He tried a wheel kick after a whip into the corner, but Cobb caught him coming in and launched him with a throw.
Cobb continued tossing Goto around the ring with throws. Cobb hit his chop and clothesline combinations in the corner. He teased a standing moonsault, but Goto got up and fired a few strikes. Cobb dropped Goto and tried the moonsault, but Goto rolled out of the way.
Goto made his comeback and hit a spinning kick and a bulldog for a two count. Cobb blocked an ushigoroshi attempt and hit a dropkick. Cobb hit a back suplex and a standing moonsault for a two count.
They traded strikes. Cobb hit the ropes and ran right into an ushigoroshi. Goto dodged a kick and hit a lariat. Cobb blocked a GTR, but Goto hit a belly-to-belly. Goto used a cross armbreaker, but Cobb forced a rope break.
Cobb fought out of a hammerlock and hit a thrust kick. Cobb ducked a lariat. Goto escaped a powerslam attempt. Cobb reversed a bulldog attempt into a spin cycle. Cobb hit a German. Goto escaped a Tour of the Islands and used a leg sweep for a two count.
Goto used a GTR and a lariat for a two count. He went for another GTR, but Cobb blocked. Goto hit a headbutt, but Cobb popped up and hit his own headbutt.
Cobb then hit Tour of the Islands for the pin.
B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tama Tonga (w/Jado) (14:17)
These guys got every ounce out of everything that they did, which was not a lot. The story of the match was Tonga continually trying for the Gun Stun. When he finally hit it, he didn’t cover right away and it cost him the match.
They started with trading side headlocks. Tana blocked two Gun Stun attempts. Tana hit a senton for a two count, but Tonga reversed into a crucifix for his own near fall. Tonga snapped Tana’s neck across the top rope to get the heat.
Tonga worked a sleeper hold, then a Tongan death grip. Tanahashi caught a kick and teased a dragon screw, but then used the death grip himself. Tana then hit a dragon screw. Tanahashi fought for a Texas Clover Hold, but Tonga escaped and used the death grip again.
Tonga missed a splash in the corner. Tanahashi missed with slingblade, allowing Tonga to hit a Tongan Twist for a two count. Tonga hit slingblade, then hit his own version of the High Fly Flow for a sweet near fall.
Tanahashi blocked a Gun Stun. They fought for position as Tonga tried a Tongan Twist and Tanahashi went for twist and shout. Tana won out and hit twist and shout and a slingblade.
Tanahashi hit a standing High Fly Flow. He went for a second, but Tonga rolled out of the way. Tonga popped up and hit a Gun Stun, but he could not cover right away.
Tonga eventually made the cover, but Tanahashi kicked out at two, then slid to a crucifix for the flash pin.
B Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI (26:53)
Chris Charlton gave a great history lesson on commentary about the history between these two before the match to set the stage.
They know each other super well, and that was the story of the match. They had to fight for every bit of offense. The pacing was slow for that reason, but everything made sense.
They locked up. Okada teased hitting YH on the break, but YH struck first. They brawled to the floor. YH sent Okada into the barricade. Okada came back with two DDTs on the floor and another in the ring.
YH came back with a headhunter, a neckbreaker and a blockbuster. YH got a butterfly lock applied, but Okada forced a break. Okada used the Money Clip. YH tried to fight to the ropes, but Okada pulled him back to the center and re-applied. They did a long ref stoppage tease, but YH snapped to life and reached the ropes for a break. They were past 15 minutes at this point.
Okada hit a top rope elbow and the Rainmaker pose. YH ducked the Rainmaker and hit a chop. Okada blocked a thrust kick, then rolled through on a whip attempt and hit two Rainmakers.
Okada went for a third Rainmaker, but YH hit his own Rainmaker into a double down.
YH avoided a tombstone and hit a dragon suplex. Okada missed a dropkick. YH hit a meteora for a two count just past the 20 minute call. Okada ducked one lariat, but YH hit a clothesline on the rebound. YH hit a kumagoroshi for a two count.
YH went back to the butterfly lock. As Okada tried to scoot to the ropes, YH transitioned to a sleeper, then hit a backstabber. YH again used the butterfly lock, then again slipped to a sleeper hold. YH tried to hit Kharma out of the sleeper, but Okada hit a spinning tombstone.
YH avoided a shotgun dropkick. YH hit a clothesline in the corner at 25 minutes. YH missed a senton bomb off the top. Okada hit a dropkick to the back, then another to the front.
YH ducked a Rainmaker and cradled Okada for two. YH blocked another Rainmaker attempt and hit a thrust kick. Okada blocked a dragon suplex.
Okada hit landslide, then used another Rainmaker for the pin.
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Here is the lineup for the next show:
G1 Climax 31 night seven, Thursday, September 30, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- A Block: Shingo Takagi vs. KENTA
- A Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
- A Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Great-O-Khan
- A Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tanga Loa
- BUSHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi