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After a month-long G1 Climax 30, Kota Ibushi met SANADA in the finals of the tournament. Ibushi won the A Block with a 7-2 record after a win over Taichi on Night 17, making it to his third consecutive G1 Finals. SANADA overcame an 0-3 start to win six straight matches to win the B Block over EVIL on Night 18.
The rest of the card for the G1 Climax 30 Finals was filled just hours before the show and consisted of tag team and multi-man matches. These encounters would set up the Power Struggle event on November 7th as well as give us previews of the feuds that will carry NJPW through the rest of the year.
The third night in the Ryogoku Kokugikan happened in front of another limited capacity crowd. Despite the restrictions, the fans here were loud with their claps and stomps throughout the night.
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, El Desperado & DOUKI) vs. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Toru Yano)
Taichi and Ishii started this G1 Climax 30 opening match, which led to a strike exchange. Taichi attacked the injured right knee of Ishii until he took Taichi down with a shoulder block. El Desperado and Hirooki Goto then came in. Goto got control with a running bulldog for a two count. El Despy took a distraction from DOUKI to attack the injured arm of Goto.
DOUKI came in and hit a low dropkick for two. ZSJ came in and locked on a cross armbreaker that HASHI broke up. ZSJ put on an Octopus Hold on Goto, but he broke out and hit a clothesline that helped him tag in Yano. After Yano went for the corner mat, ZSJ took him down and put back on the corner mat. Yano hit a belly to belly suplex and tagged in HASHI. HASHI hit chops on ZSJ until Zack attacked the arm and tagged in DOUKI. DOUKI hit a series of kicks leading to a triple-team from Suzuki-gun. However, HASHI fought them off, leading to a triple-team from CHAOS.
At the end of this G1 Climax 30 opener, HASHI got hit with a right hand from El Despy and then Zack Mephisto from the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, leading to DOUKI getting the win in ten and a half minutes.
After the match, Dangerous Tekkers attacked the members of CHAOS. Suzuki-gun then took and held up the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles, making a challenge. This was a decent opening contest for the G1 Climax 30 Finals.
Results: Suzuki-gun defeats CHAOS via pinfall
Star Rating: **3/4
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
We got a jump start to the next contest for the G1 Climax 30 Finals from Suzuki-gun with Shingo and Suzuki battling it out at the bell. We then got the Juniors going at it with Hiromu and Kanemaru trading offense. Takahashi looked quite excited to be wrestling here again. Suzuki-gun then took it to the floor to beat down their opponents.
Suzuki and Kanemaru double-teamed on Hiromu to take control here. Suzuki put on a Boston Crab on Hiromu until Shingo broke it up. Hiromu caught a kick from Suzuki and hit a dragon screw. He then tagged in Shingo.
Shingo and Suzuki then traded strikes in an exciting exchange reminiscent of their G1 Climax 30 encounter from Night 17. They followed with fast-paced reversals, looking for their respective finishers. Shingo hit a death valley driver that Suzuki no sold and hit a penalty kick. They then tagged in their Junior Heavyweight partners.
Kanemaru and Suzuki started double-teaming Hiromu until Kanemaru hit Deep Impact for the cover in this G1 Climax 30 contest. Shingo broke up the pin. Shingo and Hiromu started to double team Kanemaru. Shingo hit a pop-up death valley driver followed by him and Hiromu with sliding dropkick for a two count. Kanemaru put down the ref and tried to use the whiskey bottle, but Hiromu blocked it to hit a superkick and lariat combo. He then used the Time Bomb to get the victory in 12 minutes.
After this G1 Climax 30 match, Shingo and Suzuki were still fighting and had to be separated by the Young Lions. This set up a NEVER Openweight Championship match, presumably. In the ring, Hiromu made it clear to Kanemaru that he's coming for the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. That was a perfectly solid tag team contest.
Results: LIJ defeats Suzuki-gun via pinfall
Star Rating: ***1/4
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Master Wato, Jeff Cobb & Juice Robinson vs. Bullet Club (Jay White, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori & KENTA)
We got an exchange between the Junior Heavyweights to kick this G1 Climax 30 match off. Master Wato getting the better of Ishimori until the other members of the Bullet Club attacked Wato on the floor. KENTA came in and put the boots on Wato. Jay White tagged in and worked over Wato in the BC corner.
Cobb tagged in and started to dominate White, using his power in this G1 Climax 30 multi-man contest. He hit a front suplex tossing White across the ring. Cobb looked for Tour of the Islands, but White reversed out and tagged in KENTA. Cobb tagged in Tanahashi. We got an exchange between KENTA and Tana. Tanahashi hit a dragon screw and looked for a Texas Cloverleaf. KENTA reached the ropes and hit a powerslam before tagging in Gedo.
Tana hit a dragon screw on Gedo. White hit one on Tana. Juice came in and started hitting the Juice combo on Gedo and White. Cobb came in and started using his strength again, tossing Gedo into White. We got planchas from Juice and Wato.
Tanahashi hit Sling Blade on Gedo, followed by Cobb with the standing moonsault. Tana then locked on the Texas Cloverleaf on Gedo for the submission win in just over nine minutes. After the match, KENTA referenced the split in his briefcase from hitting Tanahashi during the G1 Climax 30. This teased a briefcase defense for KENTA against Tanahashi. This was an excellent little tag team match.
Results: Team Tanahashi defeats Bullet Club via submission
Star Rating: ***1/4
Prior to intermission at G1 Climax 30 finals, NJPW announced that Wrestle Kingdom next year will once again be two straight nights at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th.
***Intermission followed***
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan w/Bea Priestley vs. Kazuchika Okada & SHO
Action resumed with a tag team match coming off the shocking angle on the A Block Finals with Will Ospreay teaming with Great-O-Khan with Bea Priestley in their corner against SHO and Kazuchika Okada. This contest followed Ospreay turning on Okada and defeating him on G1 Climax 30 Night 17 thanks to Priestley and O-Khan. Bea came out with the SWA Stardom Championship.
Okada started things off hot, attacking Ospreay before the bell of this G1 Climax 30 contest. In the ring, O-Khan started working over SHO at the bell. Ospreay tagged in and hit a back suplex on SHO for a two count. Will tagged in O-Khan and chopped down on SHO. Ospreay and O-Khan worked over SHO for a while until SHO hit a spear. He tagged in Okada, who went to work on O-Khan.
Okada gave O-Khan a DDT and looked for the air raid neckbreaker, which he blocked. O-Khan hit a front slam and then hung Okada in the tree of woe before stomping down. O-Khan followed with a sliding dropkick to the head. O-Khan got hit with a bicycle kick, which led to Ospreay tagging in to this G1 Climax 30 tag match. Will hit Pip Pip Cheerio and looked for the Superkick, which Okada caught before trading forearms with Ospreay. Okada reversed the inverted Bloody Sunday into the Money Clip.
We got a series of counters, leading to Ospreay hitting a thrust kick and Okada followed with a dropkick. After SHO tagged in and went on offense, Ospreay drilled him in the hamstring with a kick. SHO reversed a springboard into a series of German Suplexes. He hit the last one as a deadlift with a bridge for two. Ospreay reversed out of the Powerbreaker and went after the knee of SHO. Bea Priestley then did a dragon screw to SHO in the ropes with the ref distracted. Ospreay applied a Figure 4, while O-Khan hit a claw slam on Okada. Ospreay made SHO tap out for the submission win in twelve and a half minutes of this G1 Climax 30 tag contest.
After the match, Ospreay, Priestley, and O-Khan taunted Okada. This was a fun tag team match here at the G1 Climax 30 Finals that further set up Ospreay as a top heel in NJPW.
Results: Ospreay & O-Khan defeats Okada & SHO via submission
Star Rating: ***1/2
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Bullet Club (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI)
EVIL and Yujiro teaming here was intriguing, following Takahashi not laying down for Switchblade during the G1 Climax 30. This furthered the Bullet Club dissension. We got EVIL attacking Naito from behind to start the match, allowing Yujiro to work over Naito. Naito regained control and tagged in BUSHI. Yujiro took BUSHI to the floor and drove him into the guardrail. On the other side of the ring, EVIL attacked Naito with a steel chair to the back.
Dick Togo attacked BUSHI on the outside before throwing him inside. EVIL and Yujiro worked over BUSHI in this G1 Climax 30 semi main event. Naito tagged in and went on the offensive on Yujiro. He hit combination carbon on Takahashi. Yujiro bit Naito's hand and tagged in EVIL. EVIL hit a huge lariat for a two count. He then looked for the Dark Scorpion Death Lock, but Naito fought out. Naito then hit a tornado DDT to put EVIL down.
BUSHI tagged in and hit a missile dropkick. He quickly followed with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, BUSHI hit a DDT for a two count. EVIL took back control, leading to a double team that ended with EVIL hitting the fisherman's buster for two. Naito broke up Everything Is EVIL to save his partner in this G1 Climax 30 tag battle.
Yujiro took out Naito leading to BUSHI taking down both EVIL and Yujiro on his own. BUSHI hit a rewind kick but ran into a huge lariat. EVIL followed with Darkness Falls for a near fall. EVIL then applied the Dark Scorpion in the middle of the ring for the submission win in just over fourteen minutes of this G1 Climax 30 tag team encounter.
After the match, EVIL kept on the Scorpion Death Lock until Naito got him off. We had a standoff between EVIL and Naito until Dick Togo came in with the choker. EVIL then hit Everything Is EVIL, laying out the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion. He then posed with the titles to officially set up a challenge. That was a fun tag team semi main event for the G1 Climax 30 Finals.
Results: Bullet Club defeats LIJ via submission
Star Rating: ***1/4
G1 Climax 30 Finals: Kota Ibushi (A Block winner) vs. SANADA (B Block winner)
SANADA started 0-3 and has won six straight to make it to the G1 Climax 30 Finals. Kota Ibushi went 7-2 and made history with three consecutive Finals appearances. He looked to become the first man since Hiroyoshi Tenzan in 2003 and 2004 to win back to back G1 tournaments. Ibushi came in with a wrapped up left quadricep, following his kicking war against Taichi on Night 17.
We got a tentative start from both men to start the G1 Climax 30 Finals. The two men then traded strikes, picking up the pace a bit. SANADA laid in forearms and went after the left leg of Ibushi. After Ibushi took a break on the floor, SANADA worked over the leg of Ibushi until Kota reversed into a camel clutch. He transitioned into an STF in an ode to Masahiro Chono at ringside.
The two men traded strikes again, with SANADA taking control of this G1 Climax 30 Finals. He focused on the leg again and put Ibushi in the Figure Four until Kota reached the ropes. Ibushi came back with a mid kick and standing moonsault for a two count. Ibushi followed with a frankensteiner, sending SANADA to the outside. Kota then hit a plancha to the floor.
Back in the ring, Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick for the two count. SANADA hit a pair of leap frogs and a dropkick, sending Ibushi to the floor. He followed with a plancha to the outside himself. In the ring, SANADA looked for his Muta-sault, but Ibushi moved. SANADA landed on his feet and hit a frankensteiner. He then did his fake dive to the apron, but Ibushi slid in the ring and kicked SANADA down. Ibushi went for the Golden Lovers moonsault to the outside, but SANADA tried for the low dropkick to stop him. However, Ibushi caught him with a double stomp on the apron. SANADA responded with a Magic Killer using the apron on the floor. Both men are down in this G1 Climax 30 Finals.
After a strike exchange in the ring, SANADA attacked the leg again and then hit a rope-assisted Magic Killer. Ibushi reversed a springboard dropkick into a sit-out powerbomb in another great counter during this G1 Climax 30 Finals. Kota then hit another sit-out powerbomb for two. SANADA hit a low dropkick, but Ibushi responded with a lariat. SANADA reversed another lariat into a Tiger Suplex for a near fall. He then followed with a TKO, but Ibushi held on into the Skull End. SANADA reversed and got on the Skull End. He got the hooks in and looked for the submission.
The ref checked Ibushi and appeared to be out, but SANADA released and looked for the Muta-sault to end this G1 Climax 30 Finals. However, he missed. Ibushi landed a high kick and followed with Bomaye for a near fall. SANADA hit a pop up TKO for a two count. He then followed with a Muta-sault to the back. SANADA looked for another to the front, but Ibushi got his knees up.
SANADA did a moonsault into the Skull End, which led to another series of reversals in this G1 Climax 30 main event. Ibushi then nailed the Bastard Driver for a close near fall. SANADA reversed Kamigoye into a backslide for a two count. He reversed another Kamigoye into a cradle for another near fall.
SANADA got the O'Conner Bridge that he won the B Block with for a very close near fall. Ibushi landed a high kick and followed with a V Trigger. He hit Kamigoye for a very close near fall. Ibushi followed with a second Kamigoye for the win and took the G1 Climax 30.
This was a tremendous finishing sequence to a great closing match here. These two men had amazing chemistry that created a fabulous G1 Climax 30 Finals. That was the longest G1 Finals in history, eclipsing Ibushi vs. Tanahashi from two years ago by 12 seconds at 35:12.
Results: Kota Ibushi defeats SANADA via pinfall
Star Rating: ****1/2
