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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 30: NIGHT 17 SPOILER FREE VIEWERS GUIDE
I will provide a list of matches for people to watch after each show at the top of my review.
NIGHT 16 VIEWING GUIDE
Note: Knowing the result of match 1 between Yujiro Takahashi and Jeff Cobb is important.
(2) Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi. (****)
(3) Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay. (****¼)
(4) Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi. (****½)
(5) Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii. (****½)
RADICAN’S G1 CLIMAX 30: NIGHT 17 REPORT
OCT. 16, 2020
RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Announcers: Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero, and Chris Charlton
(a) GABRIEL KIDD vs. YOTA TSUJI – Unofficial C Block match
Kidd and Tsuji went right at it. Tsuji will win it with a win here. He’s at 12 points. Uemura is at 11. Kidd will wrestle twice and he is at 9. He will have two changes to get it done. Kidd and Uemura went at it at a fast pace. Kidd hit some blows in the corner and a big slap. Tsuji hit a running senton, but Kidd turned it into a crucifix pin for a two count.
Both men traded blows in the middle of the ring. They went to a big forearm exchange and Kidd finally caught Tsuji with a big dropkick off the ropes for a two count. Kidd went for the Billy Robinson Suplex, but Tsuji countered and got a pinning combo for a two count. The fans fired up as Tsuji fired back and hit a spear. He followed up with a powerslam, but Kidd kicked out at two. Tsuji got a Boston Crab. He turned it into an airplane spin. He then applied the Boston Crab again for the win.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji at 6:52 to unofficially win the C block with 14 points. (***¼)
(Radican’s Analysis: Kelly indicated perhaps the scoring could be bent tomorrow to keep the C block alive, but it looks like Tsuji has won. This match was another great outing by both of these Young Lions.)
(1) JEFF COBB (8) vs. YUJIRO TAKAHASHI (0) – A Block match
The announcers talked about that if Takahashi beats Cobb and several other scenarios play out, Ospreay could win the block. They went back and forth on the floor and Takahashi caught Cobb with an inverted DDT. Takahashi rolled into the ring and seemed ready for a countout win, but Cobb made it back into the ring with a little time to spare to beat the 20 count. Takahashi hit the Stroke a short time later as an homage to former BC member Jeff Jarrett.
Cobb avoided a sliding dropkick and went on the attack. Takahashi eventually cut him off with a hot shot. Takahashi hit a fisherman buster a short time later for a two count. Cobb ducked a charge in the corner and CRUSHED Takahashi with a clothesline. He then popped Takahashi up into the spin cycle for a two count. Cobb followed up with the Gachimuchi moonsault for a nearfall and the fans fired up.
Cobb went for TOI, but Takahashi got out of it. Takahashi got an inside cradle for a two count. Takahashi shoved the ref into Cobb. He then hit Cobb with his walking stick, which was the first time he used it in the tournament. Takahashi hit Miami Shine for a nearfall. He followed up with Pimp Juice for the win. WOW!
WINNER: Yujiro Takahashi (2) at 10:32. (**¾)
(Radican’s analysis: The storylines kept this match interesting. With Takahashi winning, it leaves Ospreay just barely alive to win the block in a potential tie breaker scenario after everything shakes out. Cobb was fantastic here and Takahashi had to cheat to avoid getting skunked.)
Kevin Kelly said the remaining matches are all very evenly matched. Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki are up next. Neither man is alive in the tournament.
(2) SHINGO TAKAGI (6) vs. NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION MINORU SUZUKI (6) – A Block match
They went at it hot and heavy and the action spilled to the floor. Suzuki went after Takagi’s arm inside the ropes a short time later, but the ref broke it up. Shingo fired back and hit a Pumping Bomber, but he had to use his left arm to connect with it.
They went back to a strike exchange a short time later. Suzuki took a forearm and staggered backwards and smiled. Takagi hurt his injured arm throwing a forearm. Suzuki almost went down, but he smiled and got back to his feet. They went back and forth off the ropes. Suzuki eventually went for a quick choke and a Gotch. Shingo escaped, but missed a sliding lariat.
Suzuki got the choke and held on longer. He went for the GSP, but Takagi fought out of it and hit a big modified DVD that left both men down. Shingo hit a sliding lariat and sold his arm, but he managed to get a two count. The fans fire dup and Shingo went for a PB, but Suzuki countered it into a flying armbar. Suzuki cranked on Takagi’s arm and the fans fired up. Shingo tried to get up and went right into a triangle.
Shingo finally lifted up Suzuki and shook him free. Suzuki went for a Fujiwara armbar and he eventually got it. Suzuki cranked on the hold and the fans tried to fire up behind Takagi. Suzuki eventually grabbed a choke. He transitioned to the GSP, but Shingo suddenly fired up with a big forearm. Suzuki wouldn’t go down and hit hit a flurry of strikes after taking a big clothesline.
They went back and forth and Shingo hit several headbutts, but Suzuki went for a choke. Shingo got Takagi up on his shoulders, but Suzuki grabbed another choke. Shingo escaped and hit a straight right hand and Suzuki went down. Takagi screamed and went for Last of the Dragon and it was good for the win.
WINNER: Shingo Takagi (8 pts) at 12:29. (****)
(Radican’s Analysis: The announcers talked about how this could position Suzuki for a NEVER Openweight Title shot. They also mentioned that Taichi is in the picture as well. This was a tremendous match. You wouldn’t know either man was out of the running, as they went at it full tilt from start to finish.)
They went to an intermission to clean and sanitize the ringside area.
(3) BRITISH HVT. CHAMPION WILL OSPREAY (10) vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA (12) – A Block match
Ospreay is looking to beat Okada for the first time. Okada is looking to challenge himself by using a new finish in this tournament. Ospreay hit a flurry of offense on Okada right off the bat. Okada blocked the Os-Cutter and got the Money Clip, but Ospreay got to the ropes. Okada dragged Ospreay over the apron and hit a draping DDT to the floor.
Okada hit a neck breaker back inside the ring a short time later. The announcers mentioned that Okada has not won a match with the Rainmaker in the G1. Ospreay fired back, but Okada quickly cut him off with an elbow off the ropes.
Osprey slid out of Okada’s signature neckbreaker. Okada caught Ospreay with a kick and they were both down. Ospreay countered Okada’s signature corner dropkick and placed Okada up top and hit one of his own! Ospreay set up and hit a big flip dive over the ringpost to the floor to wipe out Okada.
Ospreay went up top and hit a Hidden Blade for a nearfall. WOW! Ospreay hit some kicks to Okada’s head on the mat. Okada hit a forearm and got to his feet. They began trading blows in the middle of the ring. Both men yelled as they continued to exchange. They had a fantastic counter exchange. Okada went for a dropkick off the ropes and Ospreay turned it into a Liger Bomb for a nearfall! WOW!
Kelly talked about how Okada beat Ospreay in G1 last year. Okada avoided a HIdden Blade. Okada slipped out of a Stormbreaker attempt and hit a Rainmaker and both men were down as the fans fired up. Okada held onto Ospreay’s wrist while both men were down on the mat.
Ospreay ducked a Rainmaker, but ate a dropkick off the ropes. Okada hit a Tombstone and applied the MC. Okada wrenched on the hold as the fans tried to rally behind Ospreay. Ospreay managed to finally get to the ropes. Ospreay staggered to his feet and slapped Okada. Okada shrugged it off and hit a shotgun dropkick. Okada went for another tombstone, but Ospreay blocked it. Okada went for a spinning Rainmaker, but Ospreay turned it into a one man Spanish fly for a nearfall. Romero was in shock at how incredible that counter was.
Okada got a leverage pin for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a poison rana and the Os-Cutter. Ospreay held onto Okada’s head. He went for a Stormbreaker, but Okada applied a standing MC. Ospreay countered another spinning Rainmaker and went for a Stormbreaker, but Okada obliterated him with a spinning Rainmaker. Okada got the MC and Bea Priestley came down to ringside.
Bea got up on the apron and distracted the ref. Oka, back from excursion in the U.K. came down to ringside looking much different. The announcers called him The Great O-Kharn. The Great O-Kharn got into the ring while Preistley distracted the ref. He hit a big slam while holding Okada’s face with a hand on his glove. Ospreay acted like he didn’t know what was going on. Ospreay then smiled at his girlfriend and O-Kharn.
After the match, Ospreay kissed Priestley. She pointed to the ring and he got back in and hit a Hidden Blade on Okada, who was being helped. Ospreay said, “F–k you!.” He told Okada he held him back.
WINNER: Will Ospreay (12 pts) at 17:04. (****¼)
(Radican’s Analysis: The storytelling here was really good as was the in-ring action. The announcers told the story of Ospreay being unable to beat Okada in the past and when it got to the end of the match, Ospreay cheated to win thanks to Bea Priestley and The Great O-Kharn. The win leaves Ospreay mathematically alive to win the block.)
(4) KOTA IBUSHI (12) vs. IWGP HVT. TAG TEAM CHAMPION TAICHI (8) – B Block match
Ibushi needs a win and some help to make his third consecutive G1 Climax finals. Charlton said he seeks to become a god by winning this tournament. Taichi is here to play the role of spoiler. Ibushi needs a White loss and a win here as one avenue to advance to the finals.
There’s a lot of recent history between these two. Taichi beat Ibushi after cheating in the NJPW Cup. They’ve also been feuding over the tag titles in recent months. Both men began the match trading kicks. Both men tried to not show pain with each kick. They picked up the pace trading hard kicks to the leg. Ibushi walked away limping to end the exchange. Both men went back to the middle of the ring and traded leg kicks. This time it was Taichi that backed away to end the exchange.
Both men began trading kicks to the chest. They then began trading kicks to the head off the ropes. Ibushi went down after a running kick, but he got right up and nailed Taichi with a running kick and both men were down. WOW! Ibushi hit a big kick to Taichi’s back. He sat down and told Taichi to kick him in the back. Taichi obliged and Ibushi got up and glared at him. They then began trading mid kicks. The pace picked up and Taichi finally collapsed to the mat. Ibushi went down as well after hitting a series of huge mid kicks.
They went to another kick exchange and the fans fired up. This time, Ibushi went down to the mat. Taichi hit Dangerous T, but Ibushi rolled through and landed on his feet. Ibushi taunted Taichi and told him to bring it one on one. They began trading kicks to the leg again. They traded high kicks to the head and finally Taichi went down after a HUGE kick to the head and Ibushi collapsed with him.
Both men were very slow to get to their feet. They began trading kicks to the leg again and the fan fired up. Taichi tore his pants off and they began exchanging kicks to the leg. The pace slowed down with both men selling exhaustion. They limped around and traded kicks. Taichi hit several leg kicks and set up for a big one, but Ibushi cut him off with a HUGE leg kick. Ibushi set up for Kamigoye, but Taichi hit a sweeping low kick to drop him. WOW!
Both men used the ropes to get to their feet. Charlton remarked that they had traded kicks for over 15 minutes now. Both men held each other and traded kicks to the leg. Taichi wound up and hit a series of big leg kicks. Ibushi went down, but he blocked a big kick to the head. Ibushi then hit a big leg kick of his own.
The fans fired up and Ibushi let out a big scream. He nailed Taichi with a HUGE kick to the head. He then lifted up Taichi for the Kamigoye and made the cover for the win. Good lord.
WINNER: Kota Ibushi (14 pts) at 17:12. (****½)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was an amazing match unlike anything I’ve seen before in NJPW. It was wrestled shoot style and both men traded kicks for nearly 20 minutes before Ibushi finished off Taichi with a Kamigoye. Ibushi’s win eliminates Ospreay from the finals.
If White wins the main event, he’s in the finals. If he loses or draws, Ibushi is in the finals.)
Ibushi nodded at Taichi showing respect. Taichi was carried to the back. Ibushi limped to the back slowly under his own power.
(5) JAY WHITE (W/GEDO) (12) vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII (6) – A Block match
Gedo distracted Ishii on the outside early, which allowed White to get the upper hand. White ran Ishii into the guardrail several times before he began working him over in the ring. The fans tried to fire up behind Ishii and White slapped his head in the rhythm of the fans clapping. Ishii fired back in the corner and White turned around to avoid his forearm/chop combination.
White fired back with a hotshot. He hit a Bladebuster a short time later. White began focusing his attack on Ishii’s injured knee. White hit some light kicks to Ishii’s knee and Ishii stood up and told him to bring it. White hit several forearms and Ishii just walked right into them. Ishii no-sold an elbow to his knee and hit a forearm. White blocked a kick in the corner. He then snapped it down over his shoulder.
White mocked Ishii and told him to wake up. He slapped him across the head and danced around. Ishii no-sold a flurry of strikes and decked White with a forearm only to eat a Urangi from White off the ropes a short time later. The fans fired up with both men down. White grabbed a choke and went for a sleeper suplex, but Ishii drove him into the corner. White went right after Ishii’s knee and suplexed him into the corner.
Both men were down. Ishii placed White up top and he dropped down to the apron. Gedo held Jay’s leg so that Ishii couldn’t move him. White then went right after Ishii’s knee. He eventually hit a dragon screw on Ishii’s leg over the middle rope. Ishii fired back and once again tried to hit the superplex. Kelly said his knee might give away, but Ishii landed the superplex for a nearfall.
Ishii was slow to get up, but the fans fired up. Ishii teased the sliding lariat, but when White moved, he hit him with a big running headbutt. He went for a jumping high kick, but White caught it and turned it into a dragon screw. White took the wrapping off Ishii’s leg and applied the TTO. Ishii struggled, but managed to get to the ropes.
White finally connected with the sleeper suplex a short time later. He then hit the Kiwi Crusher for a nearfall. He set up for Blade Runner, but Ishii blocked it and hit a dragon screw of his own. Ishii then lifted White up and hit a knee breaker out of the Kiwi Crusher position and ended up hurting himself in the process. Ishii blocked a kick and dropped White’s leg down over his shoulder to hyperextend it.
Ishii then hit a chop block on White. He grabbed an ankle lock and sat down on it, but White grabbed the ref. Gedo got into the ring and Ishii released the hold. The ref went after Ishii. White pushed Ishii into Gedo and the ref. Gedo went after Ishii and Ishii went for the VDBB, but White kicked his knee.
White went for a Blade Runner, but Ishii shoved him into Gedo. Ishii then hit a big German and the fans fired up. Ishii went for a VDBB, but Gedo distracted the ref by grabbing him. White slipped out of the VDBB and hit a low blow. White hit a Regal Suplex, but Ishii kicked out. White went for another maneuver, but Ishii turned it into a headbutt and both men were down.
The fans really fired up with both men down. Ishii slapped himself in the face. Ishii no sold a sleeper suplex, but he rolled right into another one. Both men went back and forth and Ishii went for the VDBB, but turned it into a stunner. Gedo went after the ref. Ishii hit him with a clothesline and went to cover White, but he only got a two count. Ishii finally hit the VDBB and the fans clapped along with the three count and it was good for the win. WOW! White is not going to the final. It will be Ibushi!
WINNER: Tomohiro Ishii (8 pts) at 24:35. (****½)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was a tremendous match with a ton at stake and Ishii doing everything he could to keep White out of the finals. He was a machine in this match and overcame everything White and Gedo threw at him.
White brutalized Ishii’s knee and it was amazing to see Ishii come back and go after White’s leg. It was a big moment for Chaos as well to get a win over Bullet Club after Ospreay turned on Okada earlier in the evening.
On the other hand, Ibushi has made history become the first person ever to make three G1 finals in a row. There were some small teases of dissension in Bullet Club as well.)
White cut a promo backstage bemoaning his loss. Ibushi then said he won’t lose in the finals. Ibushi said if he wins G1 he will become capital G God. Ibushi said he’s damaged and hurt. He said he doesn’t know who he’s facing, but they will be damaged and hurt as well. He said I wont’ run away. I won’t escape. I won’t give up, and I won’t stab you in the back.
Ibushi said he didn’t care if he faced Naito or Sanada.
G1 CLIMAX 30 RECORDS AND STANDINGS THROUGH NIGHT 17
A BLOCK
Kota Ibushi (7-2, 14pts) – WINNER
Jay White (6-3, 12pts)
Will Ospreay (6-3, 12pts)
Kazuchika Okada (6-3, 12pts)
Shingo Takagi (4-5, 8pts)
Tomohiro Ishii (4-5, 8pts)
Taichi (4-5, 8pts)
Minoru Suzuki (3-5, 6pts)
Jeff Cobb (4-6, 8 pts)
Yujiro Takahashi (1-8, 2pts)
Contact Sean at radicansean@pwtorch.com. Follow Sean on Twitter @SR_Torch.
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