New Japan Pro Wrestling continued their 30th annual G1 Climax tournament on Sunday. The show was the first night of competition for wrestlers in the B Block, and it did not disappoint. A dramatic run of matches sent fans home wired with excitement.
Yota Tsuji and Gabriel Kidd opened the show with tough Young Lion battle, which saw Tsuji pick up a win, leveling his record after a loss to Yuya Uemura the night before. Kidd will face Uemura at the next show on Sept. 23rd.
Juice Robinson returned from pandemic-induced hiatus with a new look, stripping the flamboyant colors of the past for a white singlet and black tights, and walked to the ring with a new, confident stride. The former-IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion battled YOSHI-HASHI in a match that is either man’s best performance possibly all year. Robinson picked up the win with not one, but two left hand punches, and a devastating Pulp Friction.
Toru Yano got a VERY Yano-esque win over SANADA. SANADA used the match to debut a new, futuristic look, but ended the night with a countout loss, and one leg taped to Yuya Uemura. The current holder of the KOPW 2020 trophy is always a wily foe during G1, but even more so in this unpredictable year.
KENTA ditched the shaggy hair of his NJPW Strong appearances, and seemed to return to the KENTA of old in his victory against Hirooki Goto. KENTA promised earlier in the day to submit Goto with his GAME OVER submission hold, and much like in his GHC Heavyweight Title match with Morishima in 2013, he did just that.
Zack Sabre Jr. picked up a shocking win over EVIL. Despite the interference of Dick Togo, Sabre was able to sneak out a win over the former-IWGP Double Champion.
In the main event, IWGP Double Champion Tetsuya Naito took Hiroshi Tanahashi to the limit and let it go by. A 27-minute classic between the two pillars of NJPW closed the night with a big, loud bang. Tanahashi threw literally everything at Naito, but the combination of Valencia & Destino spelled defeat for The Ace.
NJPW G1 Climax 30
Night 2
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Yota Tsuji (1-1) def. Gabriel Kidd (0-1) by submission via Boston Crab. (9:15)
- B Block Match: Juice Robinson (2) def. YOSHI-HASHI (0) by pinfall via Pulp Friction. (15:58)
- B Block Match: Toru Yano (2) def. SANADA (0) by countout via taping SANADA’s leg to Yuya Uemura. (6:18)
- B Block Match: KENTA (2) def. Hirooki Goto (0) by submission via GAME OVER. (17:15)
- B Block Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (2) def. EVIL (0) by pinfall via European Clutch Pin. (14:54)
- B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito (2) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) by pinfall via Destino. (27:17)
／#G1CLIMAX30 大阪大会(9/20)を公開‼️
本日はBブロック公式戦?
＼まさに激闘‼️
二冠王者内藤とACE棚橋が激しい攻防を展開?
果たして勝つのは…⁉️? @tanahashi1_100 × @s_d_naito
? #njpwworld で公開中✨#G1CLIMAX30 全戦生配信?https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#njpwworld #njpw pic.twitter.com/J0KP6m4HkV— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) September 20, 2020
G1 Climax 30 continues on September 23rd at 5:30am ET
