NJPW G1 Climax 30
Night 19
Final
#G1CLIMAX30
Event Date: October 18, 2020 (15:00 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Ryogoku Sumo Hall
Attendance: 2,928
Series: G1 Climax 30
Theme Song: “Blazing Souls” by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
Commentary (English – live remotely): Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero, Chris Charlton
Commentary (Japanese): Milano Collection AT, Jushin Thunder Liger, Shunpei Terakawa (1, 4), Yohei Onishi (2, 6), Shinji Yoshino (3, 5), Masahiro Chono (6)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 3), Makoto Abe (4 – 6)
Video
We take a look at the matches that took place on the final nights of block competition that determined the two block winners: Kota Ibushi and SANADA.
Match 1
Douki & El Desperado (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) & Zack Sabre Jr. (IWGP Tag Champ) & Taichi (IWGP Tag Champ) vs Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI (NEVER 6-Man Tag Champ) & Tomohiro Ishii (NEVER 6-Man Tag Champ) & Hirooki Goto (NEVER 6-Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Douki pins YOSHI-HASHI after Zack Mephisto (ZSJ assisting Taichi with hitting Black Mephisto)
Time: 10:34
Match Thoughts
Good match. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of these huge, chaotic tag matches, so this was fun. There was no rivalry that dominated the match, it was just everyone fighting everyone. My favorite parts were when Yano and ZSJ were in the ring together picking up where they left off in the G1 B Block match.
Ring Area
After the match, Suzuki Gun continues to attack the Chaos team. During the fight, Douki hits Ishii in his taped knee with a pipe. Suzuki Gun focuses on destroying Ishii’s knee while the rest of Chaos is also taken down. Douki picks up the NEVER 6-Man Titles and holds them in the air, perhaps issuing a challenge.
Match 2
Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) & Minoru Suzuki (NEVER Openweight Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Hiromu Takahashi pins Yoshinobu Kanemaru after Time Bomb
Time: 11:54
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Suzuki and Shingo went right after each other before the opening bell, and they never really stopped fighting. Hiromu and Kanemaru added a lot of speed to the match when they were legal in the ring, but the biggest focus was the never-ending war between Shingo and Suzuki. Suzuki was focused almost exclusively on Shingo, and Suzuki didn’t really even seem to care too much about winning the match. Suzuki just wanted to fight.
Ring Area
Takagi and Suzuki continue to brawl at ringside until they are finally pulled apart.
Match 3
Master Wato w/ Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jeff Cobb & Juice Robinson & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Gedo & Taiji Ishimori & KENTA & Jay White
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi submits Gedo with a Texas cloverleaf
Time: 9:12
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a bit of a lighter match. Spirits were high, and Tanahashi’s team was mostly just there to have a good time and get a nice win. Jay White tried to spoil everyone else’s fun, but Tanahashi and his team looked good tonight.
Video
It is announced that Wrestle Kingdom will return to Tokyo Dome in January for another two-day event. Wrestle Kingdom 15 will take place on January 4 & 5, 2020.
Intermission
The ring is cleaned and sanitized during a brief intermission.
Match 4
Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) w/ Bea Priestley vs SHO & Kazuchika Okada
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Will Ospreay submits SHO with a figure four leg lock
Time: 12:36
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This is certainly just the beginning of this rivalry, and this match was a great way to kick it off. Okada and SHO were both furious heading into this match, and they attacked Ospreay and Great-O-Khan before the opening bell. Ospreay and Okada were mostly kept apart throughout the match which made their interactions that much more important, and it allowed them to begin a slow build up to what could be a number of grudge matches down the road. I really enjoyed seeing SHO stand up for Okada and Chaos by just pummeling Ospreay, and I really liked seeing Ospreay in a position of power with his new team of Khan and Bea Priestley. Ospreay says he’s going to form a new faction, so it will be interesting to see who joins those three.
Match 5
Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL w/ Dick Togo vs BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC & Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: EVIL submits BUSHI with a scorpion deathlock
Time: 14:14
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Nothing was settled in the rivalry between Naito and EVIL. This was a dominant performance from Bullet Club who managed to isolate BUSHI for a large part of the match. Naito wasn’t able to ever really get going on offense, and the three-man attack from EVIL, Yujiro, and Togo was too much for Naito and BUSHI to handle.
Ring Area
After the match, EVIL and Naito have a staredown in the center of the ring. Using the distraction, Dick Togo comes up from behind and attacks Naito with a garrote. EVIL then hits Naito with EVIL before putting his foot on Naito while holding up the IC and heavyweight titles.
Video
Before the final match of this year’s G1 Climax, we take a look at the journeys of Kota Ibushi and SANADA throughout the tournament.
Ring Area
Masahiro Chono heads to the ring. Chono says a few words about NJPW leading the way with their handling of live events during the pandemic. Chono is ready for the final match of the G1 Climax 30, and he goes to take his seat at ringside.
Match 6
G1 Climax 30 Final Match
SANADA vs Kota Ibushi
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Kota Ibushi wins via pinfall after Kamigoye and wins his second consecutive G1 Climax final
Time: 35:12
Match Thoughts
What a fantastic match. Kota Ibushi’s leg was still hurting tremendously after his kicking match with Taichi a couple of days ago, but SANADA came into this G1 Climax final without any noticeable injuries (other than the normal wear and tear of the grueling G1 schedule). Despite Ibushi’s clear weakness though, SANADA didn’t go for his leg right away. Instead, Ibushi and SANADA had a cautious feeling-out process where they both grappled and looked for openings. The pace of the match picked up gradually, but the first really big moment that stood out was when Ibushi tried to slide under SANADA as SANADA went for a dropkick. SANADA partially fell on Ibushi, and it looked like Ibushi took a blow to the head. Ibushi seemed rattled, and that’s when SANADA really started to focus on Ibushi’s weaknesses.
SANADA attacked Ibushi’s leg and head, and Ibushi seemed to be in a bad way for a large part of this match. Ibushi never gives up, but it looked like his body wouldn’t be able to take the punishment SANADA was dishing out. Even when Ibushi was on offense, he struggled at times to execute as crisply as he usually does. But Ibushi would fight on. Ibushi started to hit some huge moves as the match went on, and the intensity picked up more and more. The final few minutes of the match were fantastic, with both men looking for a killing blow. SANADA kept going for Skull End as a setup for his moonsault, and Ibushi increasingly looked for knee strikes as a setup for Kamigoye. Both men would be countered over and over, but they would also connect at times. That led to some unbelievably close near falls and a whole lot of excitement. I think it’s safe to say this was the best match of this year’s G1 Climax (as it should be).
Show Impressions
This was a great show. I loved the format of this year’s G1 just having tournament matches throughout the tour, but it was nice to see the return of big tag matches tonight. Plus, the final match was outstanding.
Match of the Night
SANADA vs Kota Ibushi
This was a superb culmination to all 90 matches leading up to it over the past month.
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/255794?showResult=1