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I was pretty excited to see Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi battle it out in the G1, but I was most surprised by the endurance Kazuchika Okada and SANADA exhibited, nearly running out of time during their main event match!
The A-Block has shaped up to be filled with emotional upsets, so get ready to journey with me through the fighting and drama presented perfectly on Night 13.
A note: if you possibly can, track down the illegal broadcast warning with Yota Tsuji, Tomoaki Honma, and Ryusuke Taguchi. It beats every other illegal broadcast warning I've ever seen! But the fighting was yet to come, so let’s get to it!
G1 Climax is a yearly 19-night tournament held by NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) to determine the most tenacious member of the roster. For the first time, all of the events will be available legally outside of Japan without a time delay via the NJPWWorld streaming service and with a delay on AXS TV.
There are two blocks with 10 fighters per block. Each fighter will have a match with every other fighter in their block, and they are awarded 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and none for a loss.
The highest scoring fighter from each block will face off at the Finale. Night 13 was an A-Block night, opening as usual with 4 short feature tag matches featuring the B-Block competitors.
Juice Robinson & Toa Henare vs. Ren Narita & Yota Tsuji
Henare and young lion Narita locked up first as Robinson fired the crowd up. Their grappling led to Narita’s hold and though Tsuji helped Narita, Henare kicked out of the first pinfall attempt of the night.
Robinson was tagged in and he held Narita in a long vertical suplex that took the wind out of him. Narita grappled his way from from Robinson’s dominance, but he couldn’t escape the results of a hot tag from Henare.
When Narita finally tagged Tsuji in, the young lion was fresh and ready to throw Henare around like a grunting ragdoll. Though he nearly locked in a Boston crab hold, Robinson broke them up. Robinson took a textbook spear from Tsuji, but it was Tsuji who needed his partner to break up the subsequent pin.
Narita came through, but Tsuji couldn’t kick out of a the legal man Henare’s leg hook pinfall.
Result: Juice Robinson & Henare def. Ren Narita & Yota Tsuji via pinfall
Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Toru Yano, Jeff Cobb & Tomoaki Honma
Hey look, it's Honma! Yano proved on Night 12 that he was once more the best and most creative foil within his block, and their union was rounded out by the wall known as Jeff Cobb.
Did Rocky Romero truly pay 10,000 JPY for Yano's trick DVD? Would the team of Ishii, Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI take Honma, Cobb, and Yano down? Would there be shenanigans? These are the truly important questions about life and wrestling.
Yano's turnbuckle pad removal was turned against him by Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI was tagged in as Yano tagged Cobb in. YH was sly and used his energy wisely to avoid Cobb's suplex.
YH finally ate a suplex and Cobb tagged Honma in. The former hardcore legend failed to connect the Kokeshi to YH, but a second Kokeshi put everyone on notice.
YH returned the favour and made Honma tap in quick fashion.
Result: Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI def. Toru Yano, Jeff Cobb & Tomoaki Honma via submission
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Taichi wasn't accompanied by the delightful Miho Abe, but Suzuki was a terrifying near-bald substitute. Los Ingobernables took their time getting to the ring, and the crowd was excited! Before the bell, the Suzuki-gun teammates went insane on LIJ.
The legal men were Suzuki and BUSHI, who took the fight outside of the ring and through the audience to the back of the arena. Suzuki beat BUSHI down enough to keep him away from the ring for a 15-count. Suzuki brought Kanemaru into the fight to tenderize BUSHI, before taking his turn at the masked man once more.
Naito and Taichi were the next tags, and Naito's one-legged dropkick made Taichi think fired up enough to dodge a Tranquilo. Taichi took off his pants in his seriousness.
Naito tagged Taichi in, and Kanemaru met him with a satellite DDT. Kanemaru couldn't keep his offense going once Shingo landed his Made in Japan finisher, and he stayed down for the pinfall. The members of LIJ shared a brotherly fist bump but Takagi and Naito stared each other down, ready to fight but filled with respect.
Results: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) def. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) via pinfall
Jon Moxley & Shota Umino vs. Bullet Club (Jay White & Chase Owens)
The Purveyor of Violence arrived with "Shooter" Umino at his side. Shooter has cost Moxley most of the tag team wins as well as a few of the exhibition match teams he's been assigned to. Moxley hasn't shown any real upset with the journey of his young lion, Red Shoes Unno's son.
Owens and Moxley opened the match. Grappling let to a wrist lock and arm stomp from Moxley, who tagged Umino in. His relationship storyline with Mox has made him into a meme-generating star.
Umino absorbed damage from Owens and White inside and outside of the ring. White avoided Mox at all costs, as their singles match was on the next night's card.
A beautiful German suplex nearly let Umino tag out, but White enacted his villainous plan to deny Moxley and Umino the victory. Umino locked in a strong submission hold and kept it locked as White beat him. Moxley went outside of the ring at White's mercy, and White's Blade Runner finisher put Umino down.
Results: Bullet Club (Jay White & Chase Owens) def. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
KENTA (8) vs. Bad Luck Fale (2)
Fale and KENTA went forehead to forehead straightaway, but Jado from Bullet Club swung and connected his kendo stick to KENTA's back. Fale dominated KENTA from the outset, using the ropes to stand on his back and shoulders.
KENTA found a way back into the ring and a way to get his shoulders up after two pinfall attempts from Fale. He got up on the ropes and jumped through the Rogue General to take him down a notch.
KENTA focused on Fale's knee, but Jado's interference kept his attention split between his opponent and the dangers outside the ring. KENTA returned the pinfall attempts with dropkicks in the corner and a double-stomp to take the wind out of Fale.
When Fale pushed KENTA up into a chokeslam, KENTA locked him into a submission hold that made Fale tap out. The referee wasn't watching due to Jedo, and Fale rolled KENTA up to take the victory.
Results: Bad Luck Fale (4) def. KENTA (8) via pinfall
Zack Sabre Jr. (4) vs. Lance Archer (4)
Archer has been unhinged during this tournament, and he was ready to take his brutality to ZSJ's submission holds and speedy thinking. As the match ran full speed ahead, ZSJ couldn't seem to find a break.
Whenever Archer landed a chop or a slam, ZSJ became more and more debilitated. ZSJ was under Archer's boots and the hold was forced open. That was ZSJ's in, and he wrapped himself around Archer twice in quick succession.
ZSJ tried to choke Archer out and took another slam for his troubles. And yet, whenever Archer tried to land a jump into ZSJ, the slender and shorter man was faster, locking in hold after hold.
Once ZSJ backed Archer into a corner, he slammed ZSJ and took his free hand, turned it backwards, and began to walk the ropes on ZSJ's wrist. ZSJ kicked him down and locked him into a hold.
Archer used his sheer power to find ways out of ZSJ's endless holds and nearly pinned ZSJ after a powerbomb. ZSJ was able to lock in a black widow hold and an armbar, but Archer nearly pinned him after a Black Hole Slam.
Slam after slam would have put ZSJ away, but Archer was too cocky, pulling ZSJ up out of the three-count to deliver more pain. ZSJ rolled Archer up and denied him the 2 points.
Results: Zack Sabre Jr. (6) def. Lance Archer (4) via pinfall
EVIL (6) vs. Will Ospreay (4)
EVIL fights in a grappling ground style, and Ospreay moves high and fast as the Aerial Assassin, a style combination that has constantly entertained in this tournament. This match was no different. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
Ospreay fired up the audience before EVIL took the fight to him with a quickness. Ospreay decided to throw EVIL around by his neck until the thicker man rolled out of the ring and grabbed a chair.
Ospreay gave the chair to Unno to get it out of the ring, and EVIL took the moment to catch Ospreay for a nasty looking slam on the ring apron. EVIL grabbed a second chair and completed his Home Run to beat Ospreay's neck and gain the upper hand.
EVIL kept his momentum with thick muscle and tremendously cool hair as he attempted to submit Ospreay. Ospreay delivered a handful of chops and reversed EVIL's German suplex into a stunner that stunned the audience into spontaneous yelling and clapping.
A Pip Pip Cheerio was Ospreay's gift to EVIL, but it wasn't a parting gift as the LIJ member broke a pinfall attempt. He tried to keep Ospreay in the corners and up on the ropes, and Ospreay took that momentum away from EVIL even though EVIL tried to use Unno against him.
Ospreay's neck was tender, and when he went flying, EVIL didn't stay down. In fact, EVIL met Ospreay's offense with misdirection and a lariat. They traded elbow strikes on their knees in the middle of the ring as they dragged themselves up.
EVIL's Darkness Falls finisher connected, and he nearly grabbed the victory. Ospreay met EVIL's Everything Is Evil finisher with a reverse DDT and a Spanish Fly. His OsCutter finisher didn't end the match.
Still Ospreay fought, reversing EVIL's finisher attempts and eating a lariat. Once EVIL finally completed Everything Is EVIL, he swiped the night's two points out of Ospreay's hands.
Results: EVIL (8) def. Will Ospreay (4) via pinfall
Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) vs. Kota Ibushi (8)
Ibushi and Tanahashi have headlined the G1 Climax Finale in the past, so this is a high stakes rematch that could go until the 30-minute mark is called. They're both audience darlings and so the crowd's energy drove the match's start. Red Shoes Unno referred.
Tanahashi won their last G1 showdown in 2015, and he intimidated Ibushi in a rest hold that Ibushi reversed in short order. If Ibushi won, it would decisively change the trajectory of his relationship with Tanahashi, so he focused on Tanahashi's leg. Tanahashi returned the favour by focusing on Ibushi's tender ankle mercilessly in seemingly endless holds.
The Ace hit a combo of strikes, but a flying mid-kick from Ibushi meant he had to absorb a combo of kicks from the Golden Star. Tanahashi's pair of dragon screw leg whips looked vicious before he wrapped Ibushi in a beautiful pair of submission holds in the middle of the ring.
Ibushi threw himself into a dedicated and textbook hurricanrana and double stomp in his attempt to fell his rival. Ibushi threw Tanahashi into the ring post via his neck and connected a deadlift German suplex from the second rope.
Tanahashi and Ibushi stared each other down, forehead to forehead, trading slaps until Ibushi ended the exchange with a lariat. Ibushi's Last Ride powerbomb pushed Tanahashi to the 2-count.
Tanahashi reversed the Kamagoye with two Twist and Shout moves, and an Aces High didn't stop Ibushi from rolling away from Tanahashi's second rope splash. Tanahashi barely kicked out of Ibushi's running knee, but another Kamagoye kept his shoulders down for the 3-count.
Ibushi celebrated by bleeding from the mouth and thanking his fans one by one in the audience. He still has a chance to steal the top spot in the Finals from Okada, who hasn't yet lost a match and sits at the top of the A-Block.
Results: Kota Ibushi (10) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) via pinfall
Kazuchika Okada (12) vs. SANADA (4)
Speaking of Okada, it was his turn to face LIJ's SANADA. If he lost to SANADA, it would be a major upset to the A-Block. While SANADA's mask was elaborate and intimidating, The Rainmaker walked to the ring in a strong sweep of gold and purple. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
Okada and SANADA grappled on the mat and locked each other in rest hold to wear each other down early. SANADA fought his way out of a side headlock and Okada slammed into him once he was free.
The men met each other with nearly equal strength, locking up to grapple on their feet this time. Okada did as Unno said and broke his hold on SANADA, and a few holds later he was fighting his way to dominance.
Okada slammed SANADA into the mat and was cocky enough to blow a tiny kiss to the camera. And yet, he wasn't able to make his stomp connect. SANADA rolled out of the ring. Okada threw him into the blue barricade and dropped him on his tender neck.
Okada got back into the ring, and Unno began the 20-count. SANADA got under the bottom rope at 15 and Okada didn't give the now-weakened SANADA any quarter. Still, the moment SANADA dragged himself to his feet, he was able to meet Okada blow for blow.
SANADA's acrobatics meant a dropkick to Okada's chest and even more brutality outside of the ring. He rolled Okada back into the ring, and Okada rallied enough strength to trade holds with SANADA. SANADA locked Okada into a Paradise Lock rest hold, breaking it with a sliding kick.
Okada kicked out of the subsequent pinfall at two and took SANADA right out of the sky. Their flips, dropkicks, and suplexes showed off their passion and endurance. Okada's neck breaker on SANADA had him rolling in pain on the mat.
The Rainmaker slammed SANADA into the mat and put him in place for an elbow drop that connected. The camera went wide, and Okada drew SANADA up. His Rainmaker finisher didn't connect, but a tombstone did.
SANADA's draping twisting neck breaker stopped both men, and they had to rest before they could continue. Once they'd found their knees, Unno watched over them like a spectre as they both fought back against exhaustion and each other.
Okada and SANADA traded blows once they'd stood fully, and Okada began yelling. "One more!" preceded a beating from SANADA that made it very clean Okada could lose. The crowd yelled equally for both of the fighters before Okada made sure two dropkicks found SANADA's body.
SANADA's suplexes returned in short order, and he completed his TKO finisher to take Okada as close to the three-count as either of them had come. Okada rolled away from the drop zone of SANADA's aerial attack, and SANADA locked Okada into the Skull End, but Okada reversed the hold into a short-armed Rainmaker.
Okada slammed SANADA down and SANADA refused to take a second Rainmaker. Instead, he locked in the Skull End and took Okada for a ride. SANADA's hold in the middle of the ring had Okada grimacing, and yet every attempt at keeping Okada in and hold for more than a moment didn't take many fights out of the Rainmaker.
SANADA kept the holds coming and Okada couldn't get his head out the third time. Unno yelled "Get Up!" and Okada used that passion to not only break out but also to get his knees up and foil SANADA's moonsault.
The clock was running out. With only a minute remaining, Okada ate a TKO and pair a moonsaults. SANADA pinned him with only 12 seconds remaining, keeping the field open for others to take the top spot.
Results: SANADA (6) def. Okada (12) via pinfall
