It’s time for more action from the G1 Climax, and tonight we’re back to the B-Block. This one is getting interesting, as Jeff Cobb & Kazuchika Okada are neck and neck on the way to their meeting on the last night of B-Block action. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that they’re the main two players in this block – provided they can maintain their hot streaks. However, others like Hiroshi Tanahashi & SANADA aren’t going to be giving up just yet. Let’s get into today’s results.
EVIL Continues His Personal Reign Of Terror
Kicking off the action on the show, we’d see Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa in action against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. These aren’t matches Young Lions are meant to win. They’re meant to go out, get their asses kicked, and hopefully learn a few extra lessons from a defined veteran of the sport. Kanemaru took some heavy blows, but in the end had little issues claiming a win.
First match of B-Block action would see Jeff Cobb take on Tama Tonga. Tama Tonga is still trying to process that he had Hiroshi Tanahashi beat, and get caught with a flash pinfall. Tonight, he’d try to be the one to stop Jeff Cobb, and despite hitting him with every else – the GunStun would be countered and Cobb would otherwise dominate him on the way to a Tour of The Islands.
EVIL is another name who is in the running for the B-Block, just behind the leaders due to a loss to Okada. He’d face fellow Bullet Club member Chase Owens, who knows the dirty tricks of EVIL & Dick Togo. However, knowing is only half the battle – and when they came into play he’d fall into them all the same. Owens had a strong performance here, and had the crowd on his side with a great comeback stretch… only to fall to a low blow and STO from EVIL – and the crowd goes mild.
Hiroshi Tanahashi Is Proving He’s Still One Of The Best
After the intermission, we’d get into one of the harder to call matches on this card. YOSHI-HASHI has had his best year ever in NJPW as one third of the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions. However, he was yet to find his extra gear in singles. Facing off with Taichi, he’d be able to withstand the hard strikes and wicked submissions and keep pushing harder and harder. YOSHI-HASHI has always been someone who can take a lot of punishment, and it’d pay off as he nailed Karma to get his first G1 win since September of 2020.
One of the big two matches on this card would see Kazuchika Okada take on a very frustrated Hirooki Goto. Goto has won the G1 and made the finals in past years, but has yet to get a win at all this year. He’s beaten Okada in the past, including a few times in the G1 – but lots has changed since 2015. These two always bring great matches, having the chemistry and skill to flow from move to move. However, despite being able to counter the Rainmaker, Goto fell to a flash pinfall – going 0-4 in this year’s tournament.
Many claimed that Hiroshi Tanahashi already peaked this year in NJPW with his title wins over Shingo Takagi and Lance Archer, but he’s looking to prove everyone wrong in the G1 Climax. He’d have one of his more underrated rivals tonight in SANADA. Both have heavy influence from The Great Muta, and it shows in their offensive styles which mirror each other. They’d go back and forth for 25 minutes, before SANADA was crushed by a High Fly Flow.
Who’s Block Is It Anyways?
After today’s matches, the scoreboard for B-Block looks like this.
Kazuchika Okada, Jeff Cobb – 8 points
EVIL, Hiroshi Tanahashi – 6 points
SANADA, Taichi – 4 points
Tama Tonga, YOSHI-HASHI – 2 points
Chase Owens, Hirooki Goto – 0 points
Who will win B-Block? Can anyone hope to catch up to Okada & Cobb? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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