The first G1 Climax 30 Night 9 tournament match saw Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member and former NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi face Bullet Club member Yujiro.
Shingo came into the match with 2 points and in much in need of a win after his G1 Climax 30 Night 7 loss to former five-time NEVER Openweight Champion and CHAOS member Tomohiro Ishii.
Yujiro came into the match with 0 points and coming off a hard-fought loss to Suzuki-Gun leader Minoru Suzuki. While he’s practically eliminated from being able to advance to the G1 Climax 30 Finals, he can still elevate himself with the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) heavyweight rankings.
Yujiro refused to back down to Shingodespite the latter’s reputation of being one of the toughest men in professional wrestling. Despite the physical style of the match, Yujiro was able to stand toe to toe with Suzuki throughout the duration.
Despite Shingo bringing the fight to Yujiro, the Bullet Club member fought back and was able to threaten Suzuki during the later stages of the match.
However, Shingo was able to gain the fall at the 13 minutes and 38 seconds mark with his Last of the Dragon technique. The victory gives Shingo 4 points and a fighting chance to remain relevant on the final day of bracket actions.
Yujiro dropping to 0-5 means his chances of making the G1 Climax 30 Finals are effectively gone, yet he can still spoil the tournament for others if he can capture several victories during the second half of bracket action.
Shingo has matches against former IWGP Intercontinental Champion and G1 Climax 29 winner “Golden Star” Kota Ibushi (October 7th) and former five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and G1 Climax 22 and G1 Climax 24 winner “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada (October 10th).
If Shingo can win his next two matches, he will make a case for himself to advance to the finals.
