G1 Climax 30 Night Three brings the return of Block A action after a critically acclaimed first night that produced a wealth of interesting matches that left New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) fans in western nations wanting more.
Ibushi (Hontai) [2 Points] v Switchblade (Bullet Club) [2 Points]
Former IWGP Intercontinental and NEVER Openweight Champion Kota Ibushi faces the former IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental, and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, Jay White in the marquee match of G1 Climax Night Three.
Their record against each other in singles action is tied at one. Kota Ibushi defeated “Switchblade” Jay White during the G1 Climax 29 Finals, only for White to defeat Ibushi during Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night Two.
During their first matches of the tournament, White defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member Shingo Takagi and Ibushi bested CHAOS member Kazuchika Okada.
The encounter is expected to go past the twenty-minute mark, which may favor Ibushi after White had to do battle with the ultra physical Takagi.
Ospreay (CHAOS) [2 Points] v Ishii (CHAOS) [0 Points]
The headline match features CHAOS unit mates facing one another. As Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay faces former Ring of Honor (ROH) Television Champion and former five-time NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii.
Ospreay was able to defeat Bullet Club member Yujiro Takashi during his first Block A match, while Ishii came up short against NEVER Openweight Champion and Suzuki-Gun leader, Minoru Suzuki.
This will be the first singles match against one another.
Suzuki (Suzki-Gun) [2 Points] v Taichi (Suzuki-Gun) [2 Points]
The third match of G1 Climax 30 Night Three sees an intra Suzuki-Gun match as NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki faces Taichi, in what will be the second time they meet each other in a singles match.
On December 30, 2016, Suzuki defeated Taichi in 23 minutes and 45 seconds at an event produced by Taka Michinoku and Taichi.
During G1 Climax 30 Night One, Suzuki defeated Tomohiro Ishii in a physical match and Taichi was able to beat Jeff Cobb (Hontai).
Okada (CHAOS) [2 Points] v Yujiro (Bullet Club) [0 Points]
The second match of G1 Climax 30 Night Three sees former five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, who also won G1 Climax 22 and G1 Climax 24 face Yujiro Takahashi.
Both are coming off defeats in their first block matches. Okada dropped a fall to Ibushi, while Yujiro couldn’t defeat Ospreay in a competitive match.
Coming into the match Okada is 3-0 against Yujiro in singles competition, having defeated him during G1 Climax 24 and G1 Climax 25 block action, and recently beating him during Sengoku Lord in Nagoya on July 25, 2020.
Yujiro has been a thorn in Okada’s side over the past few months and is in a prime position to gain an upset over the current ace of NJPW.
Cobb (Hontai) [0 Points] v Shingo (LIJ) [0 Points]
The opening G1 Climax 30 Night Three Block A match sees former NEVER Openweight Champions Jeff Cobb and Shingo Takagi face one another after tough Night One defeat.
Cobb was unable to defeat Taichi, and Shingo came up short against Jay White.
During G1 Climax 29, Cobb defeated Shingo in their only previous singles match. The 12 minute and 27 timestamp may be similar to how long the two battle on the 23rd.
While it’s early to label the match as a ‘must-win’ for either, both will want to avoid starting the tournament in a 0-2 hole.
The opening match of the event sees NJPW Noge Dojo Young Lion Yuya Uemura face NJPW Los Angeles (LA) Dojo Young Lion Gabriel Kidd.
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit YouTube
and Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!
