NJPW G1 Climax 31 night two results: Okada vs. Tanahashi
The G1 B Block kicked off today in Osaka.
NJPW G1 Climax 31 night two results: Okada vs. Tanahashi
The G1 Climax 31 B Block kicked off today in Osaka.
Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi squared off in the main event, while Taichi took on Hirooki Goto in the semi-main.
Here are results and a report from today’s show.
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Recommended matches —
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi
- SANADA vs. Tama Tonga
Report —
SHO defeated Kosei Fujita (8:09)
SHO hasn’t found his rhythm yet as a heel. He looks like a guy cosplaying as a heel, plus he’s incorporating an element that makes Bullet Club matches insufferable when he rolls outside to stall at the opening bell.
SHO rolled outside to stall, then beat Fujita up with strikes. Fujita made a quick comeback with forearm shots and a nice dropkick.
SHO cut Fujita off with a lariat, then used the Snake Bite for the submission win.
B Block: EVIL (w/Dick Togo) defeated YOSHI-HASHI (17:15)
YOSHI-HASHI was good in this match. He sold well. The EVIL shtick is beyond played out, though.
They kicked things off by trading side headlocks.
If you have been watching NJPW for the last 15 months, you know what happened next –Togo got involved and allowed EVIL to take control on the floor. EVIL and Togo exposed a buckle. EVIL bumped the ring announcer. YH made a comeback, EVIL bumped the ring announcer again.
YH used the butterfly lock, but EVIL forced a break. EVIL tried to bump the ref twice, but the ref fought back and slapped him. YH hit a brainbuster for a two count.
EVIL blocked Kharma. Togo jumped in the ring. YH had a rolling cradle applied, but Togo took the ref and EVIL escaped.
EVIL hit a low blow and the STO for the pin.
B Block: Jeff Cobb defeated Chase Owens (12:11)
I presume that Cobb is going to win a lot in this tournament, maybe even winning the whole thing. He gave Owens enough to not totally make him look like a job guy, but not so much that it hurt Cobb.
Owens is in better shape than maybe at any point in his career.
Cobb hit one shoulder block, then Owens began stalling. This was different than the stalling in the previous two matches in that they were telling a David and Goliath story, Owens wasn’t just stalling for heat.
Cobb clobbered Owens around the ring with his power moves. Owens got some hope spots with v-triggers and a Jewel Heist. Cobb hit his running powerslam, his standing moonsault, thrust kicks, lots of his signature spots.
Owens made one last attempt to put Cobb away with v-triggers. Cobb blocked, then hit the Tour of the Islands for the pin.
B Block: SANADA defeated Tama Tonga (w/Jado) (19:04)
This over-delivered. A very good match.
They opened with a nice series of quick counters and teases out of a side headlock from Tama and some arm drags from SANADA.
Tama baited SANADA into posing on the turnbuckles for applause to take control, attacking him from behind and sending him outside. Tama sent SANADA into the barricade for a countout tease.
Back in, Tama used a chinlock. SANADA came back with a basement dropkick to the knee out of a whip into the buckle. SANADA hit another nice arm drag and a backbreaker, then hit planchas to both Tama and Jado.
SANADA used a sunset flip to set up a paradise lock. A dropkick broke the hold. Tama blocked Skull End and hit a Tongan Twist. Tama hit a powerslam for a two count. SANADA blocked a Skull End attempt with another arm drag.
SANADA used Skull End. Tama reversed into his own Skull End. SANADA escaped and hit a magic screw. SANADA hit a TKO for a near fall after a strike exchange. Tama reversed Skull End into an inside cradle for a near fall.
Tama hit an underhook piledriver for a near fall. SANADA blocked a Gun Stun and used Skull End. He gave up the hold and tried a moonsault, but Tama got his knees up and cradled SANADA for a near fall.
SANADA blocked two more Gun Stun attempts and used an O’Connor roll for the pin.
B Block: Taichi (w/Miho Abe) defeated Hirooki Goto (18:30)
They worked this as an intense fight and had a very good brawl.
Taichi was taunting Goto with his IWGP Tag title belt before the opening bell. Goto snapped and the fight was on.
Taichi choked Goto with a camera cable to take control early. Taichi repeatedly choked Goto. Goto finally fought back and began choking Taichi. They exchanged hard kicks. Goto hit his wheel kick in the corner and a bulldog for a near fall.
Taichi regained control with chokes. Taichi hit a chokeslam for a near fall. Goto hit a Shouten Kai out of nowhere, but could not follow up with a cover. Taichi came back with a buzzsaw kick and a gamengiri.
Goto blocked Black Mephisto and hit a headbutt into a double down. Taichi blocked a GTR attempt with a choke, then hit a chokeslam for a two count. Goto blocked a thrust kick.
Taichi hit a forearm out of a three-point stance, then hit Black Mephisto for the pin.
B Block: Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (29:36)
This was a real treat. Two of the best to ever do it, if not the two very best to ever do it. Tanahashi deserves consideration for wrestler of the year. His in-ring this year has been outstanding.
They began slowly with some basic chain wrestling. Tana ducked an early Rainmaker attempt, then began to attack Okada’s legs with dragon screws.
They rolled outside, where Okada hit a DDT on the floor to capture the momentum. Back inside, Okada hit a flapjack and an air raid crash neckbreaker. Okada placed Tana on the top rope and dropkicked him to the apron. Tana crashed to the floor.
Tana blocked an Okada boot and hit a dragon screw on the floor. Tana teased a High Fly Flow to the floor, but Okada cut him off and tried for a tombstone on the apron. Tana slid out and hit another dragon screw in the ropes. Tana hit an Ace’s High Fly Flow to the floor. Okada barely beat the count back in at 20 minutes.
Tana blocked another air raid crash attempt and hit three twist and shouts and a slingblade for a two count. Tana hit a standing High Fly Flow, but Okada rolled through on the landing and locked on the Money Clip. Tana fired up and reached the ropes.
Each tried to hit a tombstone. Okada was eventually successful. Tana ducked a Rainmaker. Okada sat down into a cradle for a two count. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick at 25 minutes.
Okada hit a top rope elbow drop and the Rainmaker pose. Tana ducked a Rainmaker, ducked a spinning Rainmaker, then hit two slingblades.
Tana went to the top for High Fly Flow. Okada got his knees up. They did a double down with three minutes left.
Okada hit two Rainmakers. Tana reversed a spinning Rainmaker into an inside cradle for a great near fall. Tana hit a German, then hit a dragon suplex. Okada kicked out at one at 28 minutes in.
They traded strikes. Okada hit a dropkick with under a minute left.
Okada hit a tombstone and a Rainmaker for the pin.
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Here is the lineup for the next show:
G1 Climax 31 night three, Thursday, September 23, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- A Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- A Block: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- A Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tanga Loa
- A Block: KENTA vs. Yujiro Takahashi
- A Block: Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan