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The G1 Climax 31 is finishing up, with the end-of-the-block competition and the Finals this week. The 20 participants have been fighting hard to win their opportunity to headline the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 16. The main eventers have been in top form, but it was the lower card stars who have seen improvement over the past month.
When the lineup for the G1 Climax 31 was announced, there was much trepidation among the New Japan Pro Wrestling fans. With stars such as the "real" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, and "Switchblade" Jay White in the United States, a bevy of lower card performers and new stars got their opportunity in the tournament.
Monday will mark the A-Block Finals, while Wednesday will be the B Block Finals. The winners of each block will meet on Thursday in the Finals. It's been a wild ride coming into this final week of competition. In this article, let's take a look at the five most improved performers in the G1 Climax 31.
5) Taichi – G1 Climax 31
The B Block of the G1 Climax 31 was considered by many to be the weaker of the two blocks. It was top-heavy talent-wise with Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Jeff Cobb. The bottom half didn't have the headliners that were on the A Block.
Taichi is one-half of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with Zack Sabre Jr. as the Dangerous Tekkers. The Suzuki-Gun member has had exceptional singles encounters over the past few years, but the G1 Climax 31 has shown him to be someone who can step up in high-profile contests.
Taichi has had some good matches and a pair of great bouts considered by many fans to be show-stealers. Taichi and Jeff Cobb were 2-1 in favor of Taichi in the past three meetings, including a NEVER Openweight Title change in the past. Their clash on Night 10 of the G1 Climax 31 was hard-hitting and a seesaw battle with Cobb hitting the Tour of the Islands for the win.
Night 12 of the G1 Climax 31 was headlined by Kazuchika Okada facing Taichi. The two men have plenty of history coming into NJPW. Head-to-head, this has been a one-sided feud, but Taichi pulled out the victory on many occasions here. Okada hit the Rainmaker to defeat Taichi, finishing a wonderfully brilliant encounter.
4) Chase Owens – G1 Climax 31
Chase Owens was viewed by many as a surprise participant in the G1 Climax 31. The Bullet Club member has always been one of the lower card performers in the junior heavyweight, tag team, and heavyweight divisions. He hasn't been given many opportunities to stand out, which this tournament gave him.
For many fans, Chase Owens would be at the bottom of the likely winners of the B Block of the G1 Climax 31. However, he was far from an easy win for any of his opponents. On Night 2 of the G1 Climax 31, he put on a rock-solid bout against Jeff Cobb, with the former Olympian pulling out the win with the Tour of the Islands.
Chase Owens pulled off one of the greatest upsets on Night 10 of G1 Climax 31. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the Ace and one of the biggest stars in company history. The former eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion has etched his name in the record books and is always at the top of the block standings, but this was different.
Tanahashi experienced difficulty throughout this year's tournament, but none tougher than the G1 Climax 31 Night 10. Chase Owens and Hiroshi Tanahashi put on a very good contest with the conclusion of seeing Owens hit the package piledriver to defeat The Ace. This victory led to another great battle with Kazuchika Okada where Owens fell short in a close contest.
3) Tanga Loa – G1 Climax 31
The lack of talent available for the G1 Climax 31 opened the door for tag team experts to get their chance in the tournament. The Guerrillas of Destiny are among the best tag teams in wrestling today and, probably, the most decorated in NJPW history.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa haven't always gotten the opportunity to shine on their own, but the G1 Climax 31 allowed them to take part in singles competition in the A and B Blocks. Tama Tonga has shown in the past that he is charismatic and has the skills to stand out on his own. To many, Tanga Loa was the lesser of the G.O.D., but this year's tournament showed that he is quite capable as well.
On Night 7 of the G1 Climax 31, Loa clashed with Tomohiro Ishii. The Stone Pitbull is usually a G1 MVP candidate and brings out the best in his opponents. He did just that against Tanga Loa in a stiff fight that displayed both men's strength. Ishii hit the vertical drop brainbuster to defeat the Bullet Club member.
If his contest with Ishii was hard-hitting, his battle with Kota Ibushi on Night 11 of the G1 Climax 31 was a step up in physicality. The level of intensity was ramped up as their matchup went on, with Ibushi beating Loa with the Kamigoye. Tanga had yet another splendid encounter with Shingo Takagi on Night 13 that once again showed just how much fans have underestimated Loa.
2) Tama Tonga – G1 Climax 31
Tanga Loa's Guerrillas of Destiny tag team partner Tama Tonga has often been underappreciated for everything he does, even before the G1 Climax 31. He waves the flag of the Bullet Club proudly as the longest-tenured member of the famous stable. Tonga is so much better than the fans give him credit for.
This year's tournament showed that Tama Tonga could elevate his game when given a singles opportunity. This started on the G1 Climax 31 Night 1 when the Bad Boy faced SANADA. The Los Ingobernables de Japon member is known for his technical wrestling genius and meshed well with Tonga in this bout. SANADA outwrestled Tama and got the win with the O'Connor Roll.
On Night 6 of the G1 Climax 31, the Bad Boy faced Hiroshi Tanahashi in a solid encounter. Tama dominated large portions of this contest and even looked on the verge of victory with the Gun Stun, but Tanahashi got the win with a crucifix pin after a lazy cover.
The main event of the G1 Climax 31 Night 16 saw Kazuchika Okada face Tonga. Okada came into the evening with a 7-0 record and seemed on his way to a battle of undefeated records in the B Block Finals, but the Bullet Club OG hit a massive double underhook piledriver on Okada to pull off an upset win. This had to be the biggest victory of Tama Tonga's career.
1) Great O-Khan – G1 Climax 31
Despite the list of talent who usually wouldn't be in the tournament, many fans were most upset with the inclusion of Great-O-Khan in the G1 Climax 31. The United Empire member has been a polarizing figure due to his character and ridiculous mannerisms. His style doesn't seem the most appealing to fans either.
Great-O-Khan was seen as the least impressive member of the United Empire, with the "real" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay and Jeff Cobb by his side. The faction is the newest addition to the litany of stables in NJPW and offers a wide array of talent. O-Khan needed to have a tremendous performance in the G1 Climax 31 to become a standout.
The G1 Climax 31 Night 7 saw a very unique bout with Great-O-Khan facing Zack Sabre Jr. The two men put on a different clash that featured ground-based, amateur wrestling and stiff kicks from both men. Neither competitor even hit the ropes until ten minutes in, and the contest ended out of nowhere with a quick submission by ZSJ.
Following this sublime encounter with Sabre Jr., Great-O-Khan received his biggest opportunity yet when he received three consecutive main events during the G1 Climax 31. On Night 11, he faced Tomohiro Ishii and went toe-to-toe with the most hard-hitting competitor in NJPW. The two men traded stiff strikes and hard kicks. Ishii finished O-Khan off with a vertical drop brainbuster for the win.
On Night 13 of the G1 Climax 31, Great-O-Khan went one-on-one with Kota Ibushi in another terrific clash. This one had minimalist brilliance to it with barely any bumps and a multitude of strikes that stunned fans. Ibushi landed an outstanding knee strike that busted O-Khan's nose open. He then landed the Kamigoye for the win.
Great-O-Khan completed his headline trifecta with the main event against IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi of Los Ingobernables de Japon on the G1 Climax 31 Night 15. Shingo can pretty much have a great match with anyone on the roster, but O-Khan more than proved himself in this one as well.
Great-O-Khan hit big moves and looked like he pulled out the win on more than one occasion, but Shingo Takagi hit the Last of the Dragon to defeat the United Empire member and officially eliminate him from winning the block. Each match was different and showed the range of ability that O-Khan truly possesses.
The G1 Climax 31 is the toughest competition in professional wrestling. The pain and punishment that the performers put themselves through have made it the premier tournament in the business. Great-O-Khan proved this year that he has the potential to break through and be a top star for NJPW. That's why O-Khan is the most improved performer of the G1 Climax 31.
