The G1 Climax is back again, and NJPW is ready to hand out some match of the year contenders right out of the gate. Action starts with the A-Block, and we have a Wrestle Kingdom rematch capping off the action. Who would get an early lead in points as this tournament gets started?
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay
The last time NJPW fans saw Will Ospreay, he still had the body of a junior heavyweight. However, during quarantine in the UK, he found the weight room and is now a proper heavyweight. His lack of bulk was what held him back in last year’s edition of G1, and Bullet Club’s Yujiro Takahashi would be the first one to see what this new Ospreay is now capable of.
Takahashi would put up a great fight in the early going, maintaining a slower pace that benefits him. Once Ospreay got moving, it was a different story entirely. It became clear Ospreay could still fly around the ring while hitting twice as hard, and Takahashi would be overwhelmed. The Stormbreaker would put him down in just seven minutes. Ospreay gains two points.
It’s not easy to have a good match with Takahashi, fans will have a better set of matches ahead of him with Takahashi in his rear view mirror. He’d take the microphone after his win and assure fans that he is back to make NJPW great once again, and he will be the one to win it all.
2.5/5 (** ½)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Taichi vs. Jeff Cobb
Taichi is having one of the best years of his career, having singles victories over Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi in the New Japan Cup, and winning the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Now he looks to continue this momentum into the G1 Climax as he has another match with Cobb, having previously beat Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship.
Much like how our opening match was to show how dominant Ospreay can be now, this match early on showed Cobb in his element, until Taichi suppressed his advantage using underhanded tactics. The middle of this match would take a slow pace as Taichi was in control, making Cobbs comebacks all the more exciting.
Watching Taichi get thrown around like a child was fun for a while, he’d finally wake up, and the final stretch of his match gave fans something befitting the G1 Climax. In the end, Taichi managed to avoid the Tour Of The Islands and hit Black Mephisto for the victory in 12 minutes, earning two points.
3.25/5 (*** 1/4)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki
You’d be hard pressed to find two heavier hitters in the A Block than Suzuki & Ishii, and they will clash to start the tournament off. A win here nets Ishii a future NEVER Openweight Championship match, but Suzuki is on a roll after his big win over Shingo Takagi last month, making this a daunting challenge even for Ishii, who is always at his best in the G1.
This match was exactly what you expected, just two tough bastards brutalizing each other with increasingly hard strikes, slipping signature moves along the way. It’s what people envision when they think of NJPW for a reason, a pure display of strong style wrestling. You can put this match on any card, and it’d thrill fans and have all viewers bodies aching just watching these men absorb damage.
Kicks, elbows, headbutts, and more would all land flush, Ishii refusing to quit and Suzuki laughing at the pain. After 13 minutes, Ishii would be dropped with the Gotch Style Piledriver, mercifully ending this match before both men would be taken out of the tournament. Suzuki takes two points.
4.5/5 (**** 1/2)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Shingo Takagi vs. Jay White
For most of 2020, Shingo Takagi has been the best part of NJPW. His reign as NEVER Openweight Champion provided some excellent matches, with only Minoru Suzuki able to stop him. Now he looks to bounce back in his second G1 Climax, but with a returning Jay White in his path? It will not be easy to get started. White made it to the finals last year, and is a favorite to win it all this year.
White would control this match to the best of his ability in the early going, shutting down Shingo and targetting his back. He’d quickly learn that Shingo isn’t to be taken lightly, and a fast paced back and forth match would follow. It wasn’t nearly as hard hitting and cathartic as Suzuki vs. Ishii, but shined with its use of heavy strikes and suplexes from Shingo and White’s high in-ring IQ and agility.
The final stretch was a flurry of big moves, with everything from Made In Japan, the Kiwi Crusher and Pumping Bomber coming out. Shingo got a visual pinfall off Last Of The Dragon, but the referee was wisely knocked down by White. A low blow, Rega-Plex and the Blade Runner would be enough to get White the win after 19 minutes, giving him two points.
It had the usual trappings of a Jay White match, but remained exciting all the same, showing why he’s the top villain in NJPW’s future.
4/5 (****)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
At Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year, this was the main event of Night One. Ibushi won last year’s G1 Climax, and looked to take the IWGP Heavyweight Championship off the shoulder of Okada in what is still manys Match of The Year.
Things didn’t go as planned for Ibushi who lost, and has had a hard year since mainly tagging with Hiroshi Tanahashi, winning and losing the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. The G1 could be his restart as he looks for back to back wins, and for Okada as well who spent the bulk of the year feuding with Yujiro Takahashi of all people. This match is needed to get both back on track, and refind themselves for this crucial tournament.
This was always going to be an epic match, there is a reason why this was the main event of this show. It started slow, both men knowing this one could easily reach a time limit draw, escalating steadily as minutes tick by. Bigger moves started to come out, and Okada even tried to end it early with his Cobra Clutch before being fought off.
They’d trade strikes, and Ibushi would get more and more dangerous. He’d channel Nakamura, but get dropped on his neck. Urgency would build as they only had ten minutes left, and this is when things got going. Okada matches are all about that finishing stretch, when he goes all out, but just as that began, Ibushi got him with a quick Kamigoye for the win. He avenged his failure in the Tokyo Dome, and got two points.
4.25/5 (**** 1/4)
This group is in action again this coming Wednesday, with a rematch of last years finals in White vs. Ibushi & Ishii vs. Ospreay standing out. B Block starts tomorrow, with Naito vs. Tanahashi & KENTA vs. Goto being must see matches.
What was your favorite match from Night One of the G1 Climax? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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