Former IWGP Intercontinental Champion and G1 Climax 29 winner “Golden Star” Kota Ibushi needed a victory in the second G1 Climax 30 Night 17 headline match to keep his chances to advance to the tournament finals alive. His opponent, former two-time NEVER Openweight Champion and Suzuki-Gun member Taichi wanted to further prove that he can compete against one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Ibushi was coming into the match with 12 points and a hard-fought victory over Bullet Club member Yujiro during G1 Climax 30 Night 15. Taichi was able to defeat former NEVER Openweight Champion and Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member Shingo Takagi during the same night.
In what was a match where both wrestlers chose to test the depths of one another’s fighting spirit, the match nearly consisted of nothing but roundhouse kicks.
Taichi and Ibushi challenged the other to employ their best kicks to the other’s back, thighs, and hamstrings, putting forth a high impact display and a test of wills.
The display showed just how far Taichi has come since January 2018, and that he has truly harnessed the “Dangerous” spirit of his famed mentor Toshiaki Kawada; who was five-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a two-two Champion Carnival Champion (AJPW), and a member of one of the best all-time tag teams the Holy Demon Army (w/Akira Taue).
Ibushi would earn a painful fall at the 17 minutes and 12 seconds mark with his Kamigoye technique to move to 14 points and keep his G1 Climax 30 Finals hopes alive.
Despite the victory, Ibushi is highly compromised going into a potential finals match as his legs will not have the opportunity to heal in such a short period of time. However, a focused Kota Ibushi has shown that he can accomplish anything inside of a professional wrestling ring.