Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Final
G1 Climax 30 Final Results
Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & DOUKI) def. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) (10:34)
Although part of me is disappointed that the young lions were not booked for this card despite having performed impressively for the whole tour, I have missed all the wrestlers who were not part of the tour due to the truncated card structure. Zack Sabre Jr. was the star of this match, as it showed both the vicious technician he is, in the way he stretched Hirooki Goto by his bad shoulder, but also played the straight man to the chaotic Toru Yano. He tried to stop Yano’s cheating by repeatedly re-tying the turnbuckle pad, showing that he might have the most respect for fair play of anyone in Suzuki-gun.
Finish: Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi hit YOSHI-HASHI with Zack Mephisto, then allowed DOUKI to pin YOSHI-HASHI
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) def. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (11:54)
At first, this tag team match was more like a tale of two singles matches. Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki wanted each other’s blood, and were brawling with each other before the bell. Meanwhile, Hiromu Takahashi was trying to burn off some stored up energy, as a result of not having wrestled in a whole month. Eventually, these two paths converged, and Suzuki-gun used their greater propensity for taking advantage of numbers. The both of Kanemaru and Suzuki teamed up on the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. With a pop-up Death Valley bomb on Kanemaru, Shingo was able to even the odds. Kanemaru, suddenly thirsty, tried to take his whiskey that he normally spits in his opponents’ faces, but Hiromu superkicked it out of his hand, and Kanemaru’s largest threat was neutralized.
Finish: Hiromu Takahashi over Yoshinobu Kanemaru by pinfall with the Time Bomb
Suzuki and Shingo continued jaw-jacking after the match, and Suzuki held the NEVER Openweight Championship with his teeth as he stared menacingly at Shingo. At the same time, Hiromu Takahashi was speaking to the commentators, saying that he wanted him and BUSHI to challenge El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Master Wato def. Bullet Club (Jay White, KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) (9:12)
Coming off of his loss against Tomohiro Ishii, when even a draw would have sent him to the Final, he was seriously sulking, but he seemed more willing to fight and rely less on Gedo than usual.Ultimately, this match was less a structured eight man tag team bout and moreso a chaotic burst of action. Most everyone got their moment to shine, especially Jeff Cobb, who ran roughshod to help set up his team’s comebacks against the less-than-sportsmanlike Bullet Club, especially when he tossed Taiji Ishimori like he weighed nothing into Bullet Club.
Finish: Hiroshi Tanahashi tapped out Gedo with the Texas Cloverleaf.
Before the intermission, NJPW announced that Wrestle Kingdom 15 will be held next year at the Tokyo Dome. As with last year, it will be a two-day event, on January 4th and 5th, 2021.
The Empire (Will Ospreay & Great O-Khan) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & SHO) (12:36)
Bea Priestley entered with Ospreay and O-Khan while wearing her wrestling gear and carrying her SWA World Championship from STARDOM. Okada attacked Ospreay before the bell, rightfully frustrated at having someone who he invited into NJPW, and took under his wing, turn on him with seemingly no warning. Ospreay was noticeably avoiding actually wrestling Okada, and left The Great O-Khan to do most of the work in the ring until the end. O-Khan has seemingly kept the look that he had cultivated during his time wrestling in England, with some very comfy-looking red and yellow pants. The new Ospreay, as previously evidenced by his match against Okada on Friday, seems to have no qualms with accepting help to achieve victory, as Bea Priestley delivered a dragon-screw to SHO from the apron, which led into the ending.
Finish: Will Ospreay submitted SHO with an elevated Figure-Four Leglock.
Bullet Club (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) (14:14)
Amusingly, the tag team that LIJ would be facing tonight consists of two people who were both partners of Tetsuya Naito at some point and, obviously, would both eventually join Bullet Club. Los Ingobernables de Japon were working from underneath, even with the lowest-performing G1 entrant Yujiro as one of their opponents, thanks to the aid of the well-dressed Dick Togo. BUSHI, especially, was taking seemingly one continuous beating at the hands of EVIL and Yujiro, but the crowd was with him all the way.
Finish: EVIL submitted BUSHI with the Scorpion Deathlock.
G1 Climax 30 Final Match: Kota Ibushi def. SANADA (35:12)
This is Ibushi’s third consecutive G1 Final, and he won the whole tournament last year, while this is SANADA’s first time making it this far. Kota Ibushi’s left leg was heavily wrapped due to his celebration of kicks against Taichi on Friday. As any student of Keiji Mutoh well should, SANADA saw the leg as a weakness and didn’t take long to begin dismantling it wherever possible. Ibushi, of course, still had one good leg and two good arms, but SANADA was making life difficult for him, applying a figure four leglock that Ibushi could not escape without a rope break. Ibushi tried his best to continue with high-flying offense on one bad leg, but the pain that would follow often stopped him from capitalizing on it. Ibushi landed a powerslam and went for a top rope phoenix splash, but SANADA moved out of the way and used the opportunity to perform a top rope moonsault, but that move missed as well. Ibushi tried to throw strikes, but SANADA kept going back to his leg, and Ibushi’s desperation was palpable. He hit a sitout powerbomb on SANADA and called for the Kamigoye, but would receive a low dropkick to the knees for his troubles. SANADA put the pressure on with a bridging Tiger Suplex, and then a giant swing into the Skull End. He would let go to try and land a top rope moonsault, but Ibushi would roll out of the way again. Suddenly, he rearranged SANADA’s jaw with a head kick followed by the Boma Ye, but when he went for the Kamigoye, SANADA turned it against him with a pop-up TKO! He followed it with a top rope moonsault, and then went for another, but Ibushi blocked it with his knees! SANADA managed to rise to his feet and apply the dragon sleeper, but Ibushi turned it into a leg-hook tombstone piledriver to nearly put SANADA away. SANADA rolled Ibushi into the Japanese leg roll clutch but Ibushi would barely kick out before three, which would make the crowd break the rules and vocally pop. Ibushi landed flush with a jumping knee strike and followed it with a Kamigoye, but SANADA kicked out! Ibushi was unfazed, and struck with one more Kamigoye to win the G1 Climax!
