Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 10
G1 Climax 30 Day 10 Results
Yuya Uemura drew against Yota Tsuji (15:00)
A lot of non-young lion wrestlers throughout the entire sport could learn from young lions about how to make working a hold compelling. Young lions don’t slap on a headlock to kill time because they don’t have time to kill; rather, this is how they learn to do more with less. The raucous applause Tsuji and Uemura would receive received for scratching, clawing, and eventually reaching the bottom rope to break each other’s Boston crabs was a testament to that. After the ring announcer announced that only one minute was left, they immediately scrambled for flash pinfall attempts, but neither could make one stick. The match ended in a 15:00 time limit draw.
B Block: Hirooki Goto def. Toru Yano (0:18)
Similar to how he did towards Juice Robinson, Toru Yano tried the trick of giving one of his t-shirts to Goto and asking him to put it on, so that he could get a flash pin while their shirt was over their head. Goto was not having it and threw the shirt to the mat. As Yano turned around to pick it up, Goto hit a lariat to Yano’s back, then applied the Goto Shiki pinning combination and got the three-count. This was the shortest match in the history of the G1 Climax, and likely one of the shortest in all of NJPW’s history. Goto 4 points, Yano 6 points
B Block: SANADA def. Zack Sabre Jr. (14:31)
Zack Sabre Jr. has a reputation for pulling SANADA’s more technical side whenever they wrestle, and that was more than evident in this match. However, most of SANADA’s attempts at matching Zack hold for hold ended in vain, as the lanky Brit rotated between SANADA’s arms, legs, and neck as targets for submission holds. He had SANADA scouted as well: he dodged SANADA’s plancha to the outside and applied an Octopus hold, but had to break it to avoid being counted out. Later, he blocked SANADA’s TKO and avoided multiple attempts at the his leg roll clutch. He even got a bit cocky, applying his own variation of the Skull End, but this may have been his undoing. SANADA reversed Zack’s dragon sleeper variation, then lifted Zack’s legs onto the top rope for a rope-assisted TKO. He followed up with the top rope moonsault for his second victory of the G1. SANADA 4 points, Zack 4 points
B Block: EVIL def. Juice Robinson (15:35)
Not long into the match, EVIL suplexed Juice into a pile of steel chairs that he pulled out from under the ring, then used the time while Juice was laying in agony to remove a turnbuckle pad. When he was finally able to get back into the ring, EVIL put him in a half Boston crab, but the anguished Juice would crawl to the bottom rope to break the hold. With a big leg lariat and a spinebuster, Juice would make his comeback, then hit a plancha on Dick Togo to temporarily take him out. The crowd clapped and stomped rhythmically for Juice as he hit a superplex followed by a Jackhammer for a near fall on the former IWGP double champion. However, EVIL would push Juice to the ropes so that the recovered Togo could slam a steel chair into Juice’s back. This gave EVIL the opportunity to hit Darkness Falls for a two count, but Juice would block the EVIL, only for EVIL to block the Pulp Friction as well. EVIL hit a low blow as Juice was going for the Left Hand of God, and from there he hit his eponymous STO for the tainted victory. EVIL 6 points, Juice 6 points
B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. YOSHI-HASHI (24:43)
Coming off of winning the first ever championship of his career, YOSHI-HASHI is in a stronger position than he has ever been. This provided him the fire he needed to hold the advantage against Naito, hitting a tope con hilo followed by a top rope Headhunter for a two-count. However, the double champion Naito would not go down without a fight. He reversed YOSHI-HASHI’s running powerbomb into a Frankensteiner, and followed it with a tornado DDT. He fought off the first attempt at the Butterfly Lock with relative ease as well. He hit the Gloria for a near fall, then followed up with a first Destino attempt, but a western lariat from YOSHI-HASHI thwarted it. YOSHI-HASHI fought back with a shoulderbuster followed by another try at the Butterfly Lock. He transitioned it into a backstabber when he saw Naito inching towards the ropes, and applied it again. For what seemed like an eternity, Naito was in the Butterfly Lock, but was finally able to get a rope break as it was announced 20 minutes of the match had elapsed. Still, as soon as Naito got to his feet, YOSHI-HASHi capitalized with a running lariat, but his attempt at the Kumagoroshi ended in Naito hitting a reverse Destino. YOSHI-HASHI’s counterplay was countering Naito’s next Destino attempt with the Kumagoroshi, and going for Karma. Naito stuffed the Karma and hit a rolling kick, followed by Valentia for a near fall. A final Destino finished off YOSHI-HASHI. Naito 8 points, YOSHI-HASHI 2 points
B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. KENTA (23:41)
KENTA was able to take advantage early and execute his plan: neutralizing Tanahashi’s known bad legs to make him more averse to using the High Fly Flow. Also, he was feeling particularly smarmy today, playing the air bass guitar while Tanahashi was writhing in agony on the mat. Tanahashi was able to give himself breathing room with a Dragonscrew and a front flip senton, but soon enough KENTA was back to working the knees with a Figure Four Leglock. He took Tanahashi to the apron and gave him a Dragonscrew from the apron to the floor, leaving him to be nearly counted out. KENTA pounced with a diving double foot stomp when Tanahashi came in and went for the Go 2 Sleep, but Tanahashi managed to wriggle out of it. He came back with a Sling Blade and multiple Dragonscrews while the crowd were with him, but sustained some cracking backhand slaps from KENTA in the process. KENTA pushed Tanahashi into the referee, making them fall to the mat, and hit multiple splashes on the two of them. He grabbed his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender briefcase from ringside and hit Tanahashi square in the face with it. Tanahashi rose to his knees only for a Busaiku Knee Kick to greet him. KENTA lifted Tanahashi for the Go 2 Sleep, but Tanahashi got out of it again and hit multiple Twist and Shouts. After a High Fly Flow on a standing KENTA, Tanahashi applied a Texas cloverleaf for the submission victory! Tanahashi 6 points, KENTA 4 points
G1 Climax 30 Standings
A Block:
- 8 points – Kota Ibushi
- 6 points – Taichi, Jay White, Minoru Suzuki, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada
- 4 points – Shingo Takagi, Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii
- 0 points – Yujiro Takahashi
B Block:
- 8 points – Tetsuya Naito
- 6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, EVIL
- 4 points – KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Hirooki Goto, SANADA
- 2 points – YOSHI-HASHI
