It’s time for Night Six of the G1 Climax 30, and we are back to B-Block as the tournament makes its first stop in Tokyo. They will enter the legendary Korakuen Hall, and it’s a very strong card once again for the B-Block. Coming into this night, Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano, and Juice Robinson sit pretty at four points a piece. EVIL, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr and KENTA all have two points. Hiroshi Tanahashi, SANADA & YOSHI-HASHI all have zero, making this a crucial night for them.
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Two men entering the third night of action with zero points makes for a fine opening match, and that’s the case with YOSHI-HASHI & SANADA. YOSHI-HASHI just pushed EVIL to his limit in his previous match, while SANADA had an okay performance against Hirooki Goto. SANADA enters this one with a 2-0 singles record over YOSHI-HASHI, and if he wants to retake his spot as a potential winner in B-Block, he needs to make that record 3-0.
As expected, YOSHI-HASHI gave a signature and very spirited underdog performance, while SANADA controlled the pace of the match. He made a comeback, got fans behind him, fought out of two Skull Ends and countered a moonsault, giving SANADA more trouble than expected… even going as far to finally win a singles match against him! He’d nail Karma, and earn his first two points! This match was everything it needed to be, but SANADA could be doomed in this tournament.
Match Rating: 3/5 (***)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Much like SANADA & YOSHI-HASHI, KENTA & ZSJ enter this match tied, just at two points instead of zero. They are also tied in singles match results, but ZSJ had beaten KENTA in last years’ G1 Climax. This match also has a potential shot at Jon Moxley hanging in the balance, as KENTA holds a contract for a shot at the IWGP United States Championship, something ZSJ had his eyes on earlier this year.
This match as expected was a flurry of submissions, strikes, and both men trying to prove they’re the bigger bastard. KENTA is the better striker, no one tops ZSJ in submissions, but they’re evenly matched in the last category. Neither man had an easy job staying ahead, but once KENTA successfully got ZSJ on his shoulders without ending up in a submission for the Go To Sleep? He gained two more points in this tournament.
Match Rating: 3.25/5 (*** ¼)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson
Hiroshi Tanahashi is not having a great tournament. His first match was a five star war against Tetsuya Naito which he lost, and then he got Yano’d. Another loss gives Tanahashi his slowest G1 star since 2016, and Juice Robinson is coming into this one undefeated. They’ve only met once before, in the 2018 New Japan Cup, when Robinson lost to Tanahashi after a 29 minute epic. Is the ace ready to go that far once again to finally get on the board in this year’s G1?
It was a battle of pure babyface bravado, as both men hit all their signature blows while urging the fans to support them. Juice was the aggressor for the bulk of the match, while Tanahashi showed that he can garner sympathy better than anyone else in wrestling still. He launched a comeback, concluding with countering Pulp Friction into a quick pinfall to get his first two points of this tournament. This one felt like it was just getting started, but a surprise finish was nice.
Match Rating: 3.25/5 (*** 1/4)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Toru Yano vs. EVIL
Toru Yano has managed to trip up both SANADA & Hiroshi Tanahashi in this tournament, and now he has the daunting challenge of trying to use his unique style to foil EVIL’s plan of getting another shot at Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Double Championship. EVIL has a two win record over Yano, and has never looked better, and has Dick Togo to help deal with Yano’s tricks. Yano might have finally met his match.
A Toru Yano match always plays out the same, and the duo Dick Togo & EVIL were set to be his latest victims. Turnbuckles were quickly exposed, tape would be used on the outside, the classics. His tricks are getting known, and EVIL would use the low blow against Yano, before taking two from EVIL and being rolled up. You don’t pull on superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, and you don’t mess around with Toru Yano. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience, and has now gained six points in this tournament.
Match Rating: 2/5 (**)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hirooki Goto was called ‘wasted potential’ by Tetsuya Naito in a pre-G1 interview, and this was backed up by cold hard data. Goto has an overall 6-2 record against Tetsuya Naito, with 5 of those losses coming during past G1 Climax tournaments, and none of his wins coming during tournaments. It’s been almost half a decade since Goto last beat Naito, who is at the absolute top of his game, holding the IWGP Double Championship. However, those harsh words could be just what it takes for Goto to rise up and take him down once again, and prove his potential is not wasted, he’s just a very late bloomer.
This was your typical epic NJPW match, a back and forth battle that was always going to inch close to a time limit draw. Goto & Naito put their all into this one, giving a thrilling conclusion to a lacking night of G1 action. It was a fairly by the numbers match of this style, but Goto had that extra layer of motivation driving him forward as he tried to prove Naito wrong. He’d come extremely close at times, and the finishing stretch came equally close to being great, until Naito ended it early with a Destino, moving to six points, and was proven right about Goto.
Match Rating: 4/5 (****)
What was your favorite match of Night Six? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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