It’s time for perhaps the most iconic tournament in modern wrestling. Twenty of the best in the world are going at it for a chance to main event Tokyo Dome, as we settle into the G1 Climax once again. Tonight might have only been the start of the tournament, but the standard might have already been set.
Kota Ibushi Kicks Off The G1 With A Big Loss
Action started off with new Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa facing off with the newest member of BULLET CLUB, SHO. SHO absolutely dominated this match – thought Oiwa was able to show some guts and hearts. He’s expected to have many big matches this tournament, as is fellow young lion Kosei Fujita.
Tournament action kicked off with the winner of last two years G1’s Kota Ibushi taking on Yujiro Takahashi. Takahashi won a single match last year, but it was against Jeff Cobb so quality over quantity. He was able to show great control once again, and debuted a new finisher to get a shock win over Ibushi tonight – a lifting DDT. This makes three years in a row that Ibushi dropped his first match, so not all hope is lost yet.
Next up were two men who are new to the G1 Climax. Great O-Khan and Tanga Loa. Two of the biggest men in the tournament, they really slugged it out in a typical powerhouse match – with Loa getting aid from Jado along the way. O-Khan kicked off his tournament with a big win using The Eliminator.
Shingo Takagi Is Looking To Run This Tournament
KENTA is one of the few men in NJPW who can outdo Toru Yano, making their encounter largely comedic. Both men were checked for tape by the referee, but still managed to use some to disrupt the match. KENTA even taped Yano up and shoved him under the ring, only for Yano to pop out behind him with a low blow and roll up for the win. Yano in the G1 is always interesting – as he will destroy your brackets.
The first must see match of the tournament came with Tetsuya Naito & Zack Sabre Jr. Naito is one of the best in the G1, really having the style down to a science after an incredible run in 2020 where he broke the all time in-ring time record. Attacking the neck and wearing everyone down was the strategy, and he’d bring that tonight. However, ZSJ would be able to survive the onslaught, give a dazzling display of grappling, and tie Naito up like a pretzel for a submission win.
Main eventing tonight’s show was two of the best brawlers in the world. The IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi clashed with Tomohiro Ishii, and from the moment the bell rang they were throwing everything at each other. Over the following 27 minutes, we’d see Ishii pull out everything but his finisher as he showed that he can go blow to blow with the best of the best when the stakes are high. Shingo survived the get a win, and thankfully has a few days to rest.
Getting Down To Just The Results
After tonight, here are the relevant numbers to this tournament. Yujiro Takahashi, Great O-Khan, Toru Yano, Zack Sabre Jr. and Shingo Takagi have two points. Kota Ibushi, Tanga Loa, KENTA, Tetusya Naito, and Tomohiro Ishii remain at 0 points. Things are just getting started, but with the block so stacked – every match matters.
What was your favorite match of the first night of Block A action? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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