It’s time for more action from the A-Block, as well roll into the eleventh day of the 2020 G1 Climax. Last time with the A-Block, Kota Ibushi took a clear lead with eight points, but Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, Kazuchika Okada, Taichi & Jay White all right behind him all with six points. These are our front runners, but unless your name is Yujiro Takahashi, you still have a chance at making the finals with enough wins.
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Going 0-5 is impressive in the G1 Climax, but Yujiro Takahashi has yet to steal a single win in the G1. He knew coming into this tournament that he stood little chance, and despite some spirited performances, he’s mathematically eliminated. Takahashi can only play spoiler, but with Tomohiro Ishii getting two wins in a row and getting moving? He will be lucky to survive The Stone Pitbull.
Takahashi got a cheap shot in before the bell, allowing him to control the pace throughout the match. He’d throw everything he had at Ishii and some flash pinfall attempts got him near falls, but in the end he’d be dropped with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster, giving Ishii his third straight win.
The drama of Takahashi just trying to get a single win makes his matches interesting, and it’s hard to deny he’s not putting his all into them. This was a solid and enjoyable match, a fine way to start this night’s tournament action.
Match Rating: 3/5 (***)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
The first of three first time matches on this night, Kazuchika Okada is somehow coming in as the underdog. He has more points than Jeff Cobb, but in trying to prove he’s more than just the Rainmaker, he’s relied on the Money Clip submission, and has ended up with a hurt lower back. Someone like Cobb is not going to be easy to choke out, and could easily throw Okada around if he even tries this submission, right onto that hurt back. Okada needs to win to stay in this tournament, and Cobb wants to get the biggest win in his career.
As expected, Cobb would focus on the lower back and use his power advantage to manhandle Okada like no one ever had before. However, this led to him getting overconfident, even mocking Okada’s Rainmaker pose before looking for a ripcord Tour Of The Island. Okada would rally back after this, and use a flash pin to beat Cobb.
It was a great little match, and showed great potential for future Cobb vs. Okada matches. Okada gets up to eight points, and the finals are looking possible for him.
Match Rating: 3.25/5 (*** ¼)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match: Minoru Suzuki vs. Will Ospreay
Another first time matchup, and one that is incredibly interesting on paper. It’s a total styles clash, as the high flying striker of Will Ospreay meets the grounded and sadistic Minoru Suzuki, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Ospreay is a great grappler, having bested Zack Sabre Jr. to become British Heavyweight Champion, and having gained great confidence. However, Ospreay has almost gotten too confident, and that could make Suzuki ready to humble him. It can go either way, and one man will hit eight points from it.
Ospreay made a choice as the bell rang, to start a slugfest with Suzuki. This led to him getting mauled like he was a Young Lion, but to Ospreay’s credit he fought back with all his heart. He fought until Suzuki started to register the damage caused by his strikes, avoided the Gotch Style Piledriver, and hit Stormbreaker to slip away with the win and two more points.
If you liked Suzuki’s matches with AJ Styles & Kenny Omega, this one was cut from the same cloth, and was just an absolute treat. This potentially gets Ospreay a shot at the NEVER Openweight Championship, something which could happen at Power Struggle.
Match Rating: 4.25/5 (**** ¼)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match: Taichi vs. Jay White
The two most devious heels in the bracket, Taichi & Jay White have both done very well for themselves. They come into this match with six points each, and have only met once before, when White beat Taichi in last year’s G1 Climax. White is a fan of Taichi, but that won’t stop him from pulling every trick in the book to get back on track after a loss to Jeff Cobb.
Heel vs. Heel matches are always good fun, if not just for the absurdity of what can transpire. This one had a slow start as they both played the same mind games, plenty of counters to signature moves showing the smoothness of Jay White, hard strikes aplenty and some low blows on the way to White finally nailing the Blade Runner to get another two points in this tournament. A very entertaining match that displayed the exact reasons Taichi & Jay White are so good, while showing the differences between them as heels.
Match Rating 4/5 (****)
G1 Climax 2020 Block A Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi
The final first time matchup of this night is one of the most anticipated of the tournament, as Shingo Takagi finally meets Kota Ibushi. Their paths have never crossed, careers always running parallel. Ibushi & Takagi have been on fire throughout this tournament, having some of their best matches of the year, but Shingo has a worse win loss record at this point of the game. This match is going to be insane, and if Ibushi wins, he’ll be the first in the tournament to hit ten points!
As expected, this was perhaps the best match the A Block has seen yet. Both men had done their research, and came ready for an absolute war. From the opening bell, this one was a fast paced flurry of strikes and signature offense from both men, and the pace never slowed down even as the twenty minute mark came and went. The final stretch saw Takagi come back from a Boma-Ye, block the Kamigoye and hit Last Of The Dragon to halt Ibushi’s progress, and get perhaps his biggest win yet in NJPW. It was as perfect as a first time match in NJPW can get, and hopefully a rematch is not far away.
Match Rating: 4.75/5 (**** ¾)
What was your favorite match of Night Eleven of the 2020 G1 Climax? Let us know in the comment section down below!
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