The opening G1 Climax 30 Night 3 tournament match saw former NEVER Openweight Champions Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member Shingo Takagi and Jeff Cobb meet in their second-ever singles match.
Last year Cobb was able to defeat Shingo, in what was the first G1 Climax appearance for both wrestlers. Coming into this match both wrestlers were coming off a loss in their opening match of the tournament.
G1 Climax 30: Cobb v Shingo
Cobb dropped his G1 Climax Night 1 match to Suzuki-Gun member Taichi, while Shingo fell short in defeating former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and Bullet Club member Jay White.
The contest saw Shingo attack Cobb with his blend of power and speed, while Cobb relied on his Greco Roman wrestling background to take batter Shingo with high technique suplexes.
As during their G1 Climax 29 match, the competitors looked evenly matched with neither being able to exploit the others slightly differing techniques. However, much like their match last year, Cobb was able to gain the advantage due to his Olympian level Greco Roman ability.
Cobb was able to take the fall from Shingo at the 11 minute and 44-second mark after hitting his Tour of the Islands technique. The victory moved Cobb to 1-1 in G1 Climax 30, while Shingo dropped to a surprising 0-2.
Despite being in an early hole, it’s unlikely Shingo will struggle throughout the tournament, especially after coming off his V3 NEVER Openweight Championship reign.
Cobb taking the victory over Shingo gives him some room for error as G1 Climax 30 continues. After his impressive performance during New Japan Cup USA 2020, Cobb is looking to take the next step in his singles career within New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
A solid finish within the tournament will make the case for Cobb and Shingo to receive an opportunity at a championship in the near future.
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