On Monday, we saw Kota Ibushi prevail over KENTA to punch his ticket to the finals of the 2021 G1 Climax. However, it takes two to have a match if your name isn’t Al Snow, so tonight we will see who his dance partner will be. Within the B-Block, there are really only two options as far as winners go, and tonight’s main event of Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada will determine who moves forward.
Tama Tonga Belongs In Future G1 Climax Tournaments
Kicking off the show however, is the team of Young Lions Oiwa & Fujita taking on Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI. Their chests finally healed from the last time they got chopped to hell and back by Takahashi, and tonight they get some more. We’d see some improvement as they hit a double dropkick and showed their babyface fire – but in the end Takahashi forced a submission with a Boston Crab.
First match of tournament action comes from YOSHI-HASHI & Chase Owens, who both wrestled solid but unremarkable tournaments. Owens got a big win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, but that was the only highlight for him, and this was another solid match for both. A lot of Bobby Eaton influence was seen from Owens in this tournament, a fitting tribute. It was a clean match, it was hard hitting, and YOSHI-HASHI got the win with Karma.
Speaking of upset wins like Owens beating Tanahashi, Tama Tonga beat Kazuchika Okada in this tournament – his biggest singles win ever. Tonight however, he had Hirooki Goto who has 6 singles wins over Tama, and only a single loss. They’d fight hard like always, with this match being another example of why Tama Tonga should be a staple in future G1’s. The crowd was into it from start to finish, but a new cradle pinfall maneuver from Goto would get him yet another win over Tama.
Hiroshi Tanahashi Shows Rare Heel Side Against Taichi
Hiroshi Tanahashi had a solid tournament, unlike Taichi. A rib injury should have had Taichi out of the tournament, and he fought through it even though that meant he took six straight losses. Tonight, he was eager to finish fast – but his back gave out when he tried to hit his finisher following a backdrop. Tanahashi showed a rare heel edge as he worked over the injury, even busting out a Muta Lock. In the end, Tanahashi got greedy, and would miss a high flow and get rolled up in a Gedo Clutch to give Taichi a win to end his tournament.
After a classic like that, an EVIL match is not what anyone wanted – including him. With nothing to prove against SANADA he tried to simply leave the match. After being pulled back in, he’d work alongside Dick Togo to pull every dirty trick we’ve come to expect from EVIL these days, using chairs on the outside and exposed corners in the ring. SANADA remained calm and tried to fight off both EVIL & Togo, but in the end the referee missed a chair being thrown at him – and an STO closed this one out for EVIL.
Jeff Cobb & Kazuchika Okada Go To War In Epic Main Event
However, none of those matches matter as far as the finals of the 2021 G1 Climax goes. That all comes down to Jeff Cobb & Kazuchika Okada. Cobb wrestled a perfect tournament up to this point, with 8 straight wins. Okada had a single blemish on his record, as Tama Tonga caught him in the match on Night 16. This meant that Okada had to win tonight’s match, while a draw would put Cobb through the finals.
With the pressure on, they’d get started with Cobb overpowering Okada early. The goal for Okada was to drag this one out, as Cobb is used to blitzing through opponents. Okada would survive a few heavy suplexes and slams to nail a rare tope over the top rope onto Cobb. He’d try the tombstone in the ring, only for Cobb to counter with a double tombstone.
Tour Of The Islands would be countered, and Okada nailed a spinning rainmaker, but only got a two count. Cobb would take Okada up top for an avalanche Tour Of The Islands, only to be hit with a DDT instead. Okada got Cobb up for the Landslide, and would nail the rainmaker for the win. This one was high on drama, and their best match out of the three singles encounters in 2021.
By Way Of A Tiebreaker, The Winner Of B-Block Is…
This win would put Okada & Cobb at the same point total, which means due to the tiebreaker- we have Okada vs. Ibushi tomorrow in the finals. Okada hasn’t made a G1 finals in 7 years, and it’s a bit overdue really.
The final scoreboard for the B-Block is as follows.
Kazuchika Okada, Jeff Cobb – 16 points
EVIL – 14 Points
SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi – 8 points
Taichi, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto,Tama Tonga – 6 points
Chase Owens – 4
Who will win the 2021 G1 Climax, Kazuchika Okada or Kota Ibushi? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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