It’s time for the last day of A Block action in this year’s G1 Climax! We have four men who can still win this one, those being Jay White, Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, and Will Ospreay. Tonight everything falls into place in the legendary Ryogoku Sumo Hall, where this tournament ends.
White has the easiest route, wins over Okada & Ibushi will ensure he wins in a tie, so he needs to beat Tomohiro Ishii and have Okada & White lose their matches. Ibushi beats Okada & Ospreay in a tie, so if White loses, and he wins? Ibushi makes it through. Okada needs both Ibushi & White to lose their matches, and to beat Ospreay. Finally, Ospreay needs to beat Okada, and have everyone else lose. Who will win?
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Jeff Cobb
This one is all for bragging rights, as both men are fully eliminated from the tournament. Takahashi has yet to win a single match in this year’s G1, and it lacks a signature upset. Cobb could get to 10 points, or be the man who lost to Yujiro Takahashi! It is probably the last time Takahashi ever gets a G1 match, he’s going to make it count.
While Takahashi got another spirited display in, The Suplex Monster would maul him. He’d play the crafty veteran, but with him being unable to get Cobb up for any of his signature moves, and be thrown around the ring like a small child. Takahashi would get fed up, shove the referee, would use his cane to bludgeon Cobb, and nail Pimp Juice for the win. Cobb ends this tournament at 8 points, and Takahashi ends it at 2 points, which is a victory in his own right.
Match Rating: 2.75/5 (** ¾)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi
When this match was announced late in the tournament, everyone thought this much anticipated rematch would have higher importance. Instead, both men have been eliminated from the field.They had a classic bout back in Jingu Stadium with Suzuki taking Shingos NEVER Openweight Championship, and it’s time for round two.
No feeling out process, no collar and elbow tie ups, just a flurry of forearms from the word go. This was how the match started, and that’s the tone this one took. They picked up right from where they left off in Jingu, and after a long tournament, there were some frustrations to be let out. Suzuki targeted the arm of Shingo to weaken the Pumping Bomber, and threw his signature hard strikes, but Shingo came back hard. He’d absorb insane punishment to the arm, but it wouldn’t be enough. There was some masterful grappling, excellent strikes, and in the end this rivalry goes 1-1 after Shingo nailed Last Of The Dragon.
A tiebreaker should come before we know it for that NEVER Openweight Championship, a great matchup for Power Struggle or even Wrestle Kingdom. Shingo ends at 8 points, and Suzuki ends at 6 points. Suzuki dropped matches to Taichi, Ospreay, White and Ibushi as well giving him a lot of potential challengers in the coming months.
Match Rating: 4.25/5 (**** ¼)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
Okada hasn’t made the finals of the G1 since 2014, but they’re in reach tonight. He just needs to beat Ospreay for a fifth time, on one of his more unlucky tournament spots, with a record of 2 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws in that last G1 weekend. This could finally be Ospreays time to beat a man he looks up to, and could reach the finals in the process, despite his 5% chance.
Knowing the importance of this win, Ospreay got this one started off in a hurry, with Okada matching his pace, bringing out another level of The Rainmaker we haven’t seen much of this tournament. Okada survived this blitz and was able to slow the pace down, but you can’t keep Ospreay slow. A calculated assault on the neck of Ospreay was the plan, softening him up for the Money Clip… or the Rainmaker.
Ospreay pulled out some new tricks like a Hidden Blade from the top rope or countering a dropkick into a powerbomb, showing that once again Okada brings out the absolute best in him. But was his best enough to beat Okada this time? A spinning lariat into a Money Clip nearly ended it, until his girlfriend Bea Priestly came out to the ring to harass the referee, and a former Young Lion, Tomoyukio Oka returned and hit a claw slam on Okada. Ospreay hit Stormbreaker, and Okada was done.
He finally beat Okada, and this is the start of a new Ospreay, attacking Okada after the match with a hidden blade, saying he held him back, and the birth of a new faction. Expect Okada to look for revenge, as both men end this tournament at 12 points.
Match Rating: 4.5/5 (**** ½)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi
On the final night, Ibushi has a chance to make the finals and remove a thorn from his side. Ever since a loss to Taichi in the New Japan Cup and losing the IWGP Tag Team Championships to Dangerous Tekkers, Taichi has weighed on his mind. After a strong tournament for Ibushi, Taichi could ruin this in just three seconds, he’s done it before.
This one started with a healthy array of kicks from both men, seeing who hits harder until both men fell after about three minutes. Taichi has had one of the best tournaments of his life, no longer cheating as much and proved he’s as tough as they come. Many asked throughout the years where Kawada went wrong with Taichi, but he was simply a late bloomer. This was one of the hardest hitting matches of the tournament, only topped by matches like Suzuki vs. Ibushi.
It was just kick after kick, with very little else happening in this match, yet it was excellent. Both men were struggling to stand as most were aimed to the legs, whoevers leg gives out first would lose. We would pass the 15 minute mark, and the kicks kept coming, holding each other up to keep this going. Ibushi nailed the Kamigoye, meaning 100% of the offense of this match was leg based.
This was unlike any other match I’ve ever seen, and perhaps the greatest match that Taichi ever had because of that. He earned some respect here, and finished with a respectable 8 points. Ibushi moves to 12 points, and if Jay White loses, he might be limping into the last night, only one day of rest between him and the last night. His left leg was near useless once adrenaline wore off, a short term injury but a deadly one.
Match Rating: 4.75/5 (**** ¾)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White
This entire block comes down to this match. If Jay White wins? He makes the finals. Ishii can’t win, but this match is of such importance that he can influence the entire block. If Jay White loses, Kota Ibushi is in the finals. White likes to use his opponents weapons to his advantage, but Ishii’s main weapon is his unbreakable spirit. He’s beaten White in the past, and can do it again.
White got cocky early, and took a huge forearm to the face, before Gedo made his presence known early and gave the opening. This set the early pace, but Ishii isn’t someone easy to break down, and one powerslam let him corner White and batter him with strikes, but he hurt his leg along the way in this tournament. That is something White can work with and target, and slows down the insane pace of Ishii, another one of his great weapons. He’d attack the knee with everything, Ishii fighting in between being shut down.
Ishii would be dropped on his head with suplexes, planted into the mat with a urange, suplexed knee first into the corner, but he fought on. The Stone Pitbull didn’t give in, even when his knee wanted too. He’d get creative, throw headbutts, and barely survive submissions, and look to take White’s leg out.
Ishii would do everything in his power to stop the Blade Runner, take Gedo out, and finally hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to win this match after a beautiful ending stretch. He ends the tournament at 8 points, Jay White ends at 12, and this loss was important.
Match Rating: 5/5 (*****)
Kota Ibushi Wins The A-Block
With Jay White losing to Ishii in that excellent main event, it was all it took for Kota Ibushi to move to the finals. He makes history being the first man who makes the finals three years in a row, and has a chance to win two in a row.
Will Kota Ibushi win the G1 Climax 30? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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