It’s time for Night Two of the G1 Climax, and our first taste of action from the B-Block! Toru Yano, SANADA, KENTA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Zack Sabre Jr., EVIL, Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Tetsuya Naito make up this block, and are set to steal the spotlight from A-Block. The first night of action sees the epic rivalry of Naito & Tanahashi come back to light, and without Kenny Omega & Kazuchika Okada to steal that spotlight, among other matches. Who would get their first points of the tournament?
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Juice Robinson
These are the two underdogs in the block, and unless things go seriously wrong, one will get this tournament started with two points. They bare their hearts in the G1 Climax every year, giving their fair share upset victories and the best matches they’ll provide in a year.
These two are only as good as their opponent in the ring, and are both just fundamentally sound babyfaces. The crowd was very into this one thanks to Juice Robinson, there were some pockets of hard hitting action and both men got their signature moves in. They’ll both have more exciting matches in this tournament, but possibly none as smooth and well paced, as that is both mens strong point.
Juice Robinson would get the win after almost 16 minutes, getting his first two points of the tournament. Personal bias towards both men makes this one of my favorite matches of the night, and it really showed why both men keep making it into the G1 despite their low status in NJPW.
3.75/5 (*** 3/4)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Toru Yano vs. SANADA
There are two kinds of people when it comes to the G1, those that love the variety Toru Yano provides, and those that despise it. He provides shorter, less intense comedy matches, and can beat anyone in a pinch. SANADA knows him well, and can match Yanos hidden technical wrestling skills with ease, but can he beat The King Of Pro Wrestling himself?
The referee would keep finding rolls of tape on Yano, one of his classic tricks. He tried to pull the turnbuckle off, but SANADA made him dizzy with a rollup. Yano’s tricks are losing their luster, and he almost abandoned the match, taking a seat on the ramp and letting the referee count as SANADA sat confused, before breaking the twenty count.
They’d duel with the turnbuckle pads, and finally SANADA would try to wrestle a normal match, until he opted to tie Yano up in the Paradise Lock and leave him on the ramp to be counted out, a Young Lion Yuya Uemera saving him. Yano had one more roll of tape, tied SANADA to the Umera, and they didn’t make it back to the ring in time. The sublime master thief claims his first victim in this tournament.
2.5/5 (** 1/2)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto
Much like Suzuki vs. Ishii from Night One, this is going to be the hardest hitting match of this card. Goto & KENTA have had their issues since KENTA turned on Shibata, and have had some hard hitting clashes ever since. KENTA holds the right of challenge for the IWGP United States Championship, something anyone who beats him could get a future chance to claim as well.
They last met at this years Wrestle Kingdom over the NEVER Openweight Championship, and picked up right where they left off, battering each other with hard strikes However, KENTA is the type to flee and catch his breath in the early going, making this dynamic different than the headstrong Suzuki & Ishii in the early going. This became more submission focused than expected, which suited KENTA. Heavy blows would still fly, signature moves would be hit, and a great match was crafted through it all.
KENTA won via submission after 17 minutes, getting his first two points.
3.75/5 (*** 3/4)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
The two biggest bastards in B-Block are already meeting, and they’ve both been on a roll in 2020. Zack Sabre Jr. has thrived alongside Taichi in the tag team division, while EVIL had some time as IWGP Heavyweight Champion after defecting to Bullet Club. Both have a high chance of winning this block and going to Wrestle Kingdom, but they need to get past each other first. EVIL of course brought Dick Togo along, but ZSJ can just tap them both out if he has too.
Since becoming a main event talent, EVIL has wrestled the same style of match, heavily cheating to soften up opponents for his heavy signature blows. However, ZSJ is a ring general, and once he got in control of this match, it would be his type of match. We got to see a rare babyface side of ZSJ in this match, the crowd getting behind the lesser of two evils. This was a welcome change, and boosted this match ever so slightly.
It’d remain back and forth, hard blows thrown from both sides, Dick Togo doing Dick Togo things when the referee was down, what you expect from an EVIL match in 2020. In the end, after an excellent finishing stretch, ZSJ showed his underdog ability when he’d counter EVIL’s finisher into a pinfall for a victory out of nowhere after 16 minutes, getting his first two points of the tournament.
4/5 (****)
G1 Climax 2020 Block B Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
One of the greatest trilogy of matches in NJPW history is reborn. In 2017, they battled throughout the year for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, only overshadowed by some guys named Kenny Omega & Kazuchika Okada. Their matches only got better with time, but they haven’t met in singles action since then.
Now, Tetsuya Naito holds both the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships, and is the man everyone in the G1 is looking to get in the ring with in the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi could get a chance at double gold sooner, he just needs to beat the champ. Big match feel doesn’t begin to describe this one, it was HUGE.
Tanahashi might have looked like a broken down man in his recent singles matches, but these two always bring the absolute best out of each other. He turned back the clock, and refound the ace within himself, and forced Naito to have his best match since Wrestle Kingdom alongside. Their chemistry is almost second to none, and it was impossible to not be on the edge of your seat for the 27 minutes of action here. In the end, Naito was able to drop his greatest rival once again, and get this G1 started off perfectly. This was the best NJPW match since their restart, hands down.
You don’t get much better than these two in NJPW, and this was another five star encounter for them. Sadly we can’t expect this Tanahashi every night, as this performance likely took a toll on him, the danger of starting against Naito.
5/5 (*****)
What was your favorite match from Night Two of the G1? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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