Welcome back to the G1 Climax as it’s been nearly a week since A Block has been in action and now that the break is over and we have less than two weeks left, the schedule is going to be intense from here. We’re now at the halfway point with nobody undefeated and only one person is mathematically eliminated.

Will more be eliminated after tonight? Who moves up in the rankings?

All this and more as we…dive right in.

Star Rating System:

• 0 Stars: Dave Meltzer
• 1 Star: Vince Russo
• 2 Stars: Tony Schiavone
• 3 Stars: Eric Bischoff
• 4 Stars: Bruce Prichard
• 5 Stars: Jim Cornette

G1 Climax A Block Match
Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Review: Time for our first match-up as we have Shingo Takagi taking on Yujiro Takahashi. Yujiro is the only one that’s eliminated right now but he has a chance to take someone down with him right here. Shingo already has three losses and only one win, so if he loses here, he’s out. Shingo cannot afford another loss going forward if he wants to stay in the game. Will we have a second person eliminated?

Shingo was able to get Yujiro in a headlock but was able to reverse it just by pulling Shingo’s hair to make him let go and does a headlock of his own. Shingo was able to power him off to get Yujiro to the outside of the ring to try and attack him but Yujiro would get the upper hand. Yujiro does a Reverse DDT onto the ring apron after throwing him around the guardrails a couple of times. Yujiro is weird that while his matches have been the worst of each show, he doesn’t perform terribly, it’s just his match quality doesn’t match up. Shingo is a great opponent for him as well to get him to that other level unlike his matches with Okada and Ospreay.

Shingo takes a page out of Yujiro’s book by biting his fingers how he would do it and gets him down for a Lariat. Shingo attempts the Blood Fall but Yujiro fights out of it, getting tossed into the ropes as Yujiro kicks Shingo’s arm before hitting a reverse DDT. Great sequence happened after Shingo barrages him with forearms as he would go for a kick, which Yujiro catches his leg to push it down, making Shingo fall face first as he attempts a kick, Shingo moves out of the way for the Pumping Bomber, Yujiro ducks it and the two hit each other with forearms before Yujiro would Flapjack him into the ropes in a sloppy matter. Shingo goes for the Last of the Dragon as Yujiro bites his hand to make him let go while pushing the referee out of the way. While the ref was down, Yujiro grabs his pimp cane in an attempt to hit Shingo with it but Shingo blocks it with a forearm, hurting himself in the process as Yujiro punched him down. Yujiro attempts a Lariat as Shingo counters it into the Blood Fall, and finally hits the Pumping Bomber! Shingo picks him up for The Last of the Dragon and hits it to get the victory, staying in the race!

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a quarter

G1 Climax A Block Match
Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb

Review: Time for our next match as we have Jay White taking on Jeff Cobb. Jay suffered his first loss at the previous show to Will Ospreay, so he would need to win here to get back to the top. Much like Shingo, Jeff can be eliminated from the tournament if he loses one more match. Will Jeff be eliminated or does he delay Jay’s rise to the top?

Jay reaches a new level of big dick energy as a heel when he would have a small sequence with Cobb when he jumped over him but Jay playfully slaps his face and rolls out of the ring quickly to start his little mind games. I’ve been critical of Cobb’s performance in New Japan as a whole last year but it looks like he’s slowly finding his rhythm in his performance and it really shows with the people he’s been fighting lately. Maybe when the tournament is over, he’ll start to be more well-polished in their style. Jay was almost counted out early when he refused to get back in the ring and once he finally does, he attempts to escape again but Cobb catches him to stop him, hitting a Dropkick after Jay kicked him off. What I love from Jay here is how good he made Cobb look in the match while still being this top guy in the company, he made Cobb look more devastating with how he sold his moves, like when Cobb threw him over for a Belly-to-Belly.

Cobb looked like he was gonna go for the Tour of the Islands but tosses him up into a Suplex position as Jay got behind him to pull his hair as he hits the DDT to stop him. Jay catches him with a Reverse STO and would attempt to go for the German Suplex but Cobb hits him with a few elbows to let go, and Jay catches him with a beautiful Uranagi instead. Jay catches Cobb’s leg for a Dragon Screw and starts kicking his leg in a few times until Cobb tosses him into the turnbuckle. Cobb grabbed his legs to pull him up as he caught him in his arms before hitting the Backdrop as Jay kicked out but he hits a Moonsault right after for another pin as he kicked out again. Cobb goes for the Tour of the Island but Jay fights off to hit the Blade Runner but Cobb reverses to hit a German Suplex instead! Cobb goes for the tour one more time as Jay grabbed the ropes while the referee breaks them up, Gedo tries to take advantage of the distractions but Cobb was having none of that until Jay used this distraction to hit the Sleeper Suplex. Jay goes for the Blade Runner but Cobb slams him with the Tour of the Islands as Gedo came in to try and help, but Cobb threw Gedo onto Jay. Cobb would hit the Tour of the Islands one more time and gets the surprise victory over Jay!

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

G1 Climax A Block Match
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki

Review: We’re now at the halfway point as Kazuchika Okada takes on Minoru Suzuki, and it’s not the main event this time around. Okada is around the middle with the rankings as a win here would put him near everyone else and get Suzuki on his level. A win here for Suzuki means he’ll finally defeat him in singles competition and propel himself to the top of the scoreboard. Will the Openweight Champion be able to defeat Okada or does Okada pull a victory again?

For the start of this match, the two would do some chain wrestling around the ring to show off their amateur wrestling ability but Suzuki came out the winner when Okada made his way to the ropes. Like any other king, he pats his back as a good job but stomps his bad back down immediately. Okada decided to fuck around with Suzuki by shoving him but paid the price when Suzuki does a Cross Armbreaker between the ropes to hurt his arm for more damage. If you look at all of their encounters in New Japan since he came back, this one would be considered their weakest of the bunch. I get Okada is trying to go for something new with that Cobra Clutch he calls the Money Clip and not 10k Cobra Clutch (my fault there), but it’s just not working and while some of his matches have been solid, his performances themselves are just lacking since he stepped down. This is why I say Kento Miyahara is better than Okada because whether he’s on top of the card or even in the middle, he still performs at a top-level while Okada just declines himself here on purpose. I get that it’s for story reasons but it’s just not working.

After Suzuki worked on Okada’s arm with the Kimura Lock, Okada was able to stop his momentum by hitting a slow Neckbreaker as the two are down. The two stare each other down and would exchange forearms with Suzuki hitting him harder each time while taunting him and eventually wins that fight, making Okada fall to his knees. Okada hits an Uppercut and runs the ropes with Suzuki quickly following him as he applies the Sleeper, turning it into the Gotch Style Piledriver as Okada reversed it into the Reverse Neckbreaker. Suzuki gets a couple of body shots on him before Okada ducks to attempt the Rolling Lariat as Suzuki ducks but is caught with a Dropkick. Okada hits the Spinning Tombstone and would apply the Money Clip onto him and when Suzuki was getting close to the ropes, Okada rolls him into the middle to reapply it but Suzuki catches his arm for the Armbar. Okada was able to get to the ropes and once Suzuki lets go of the hold, he just kicks his arm in while looking down at him like the maniac grandpa that he is. Okada was able to catch his arm to attempts a short-arm Lariat as he missed the first time but was able to get it after. Suzuki catches him in a Rear-Naked Choke and has it locked in tight with Okada fading until he rolled him over to attempt the Money Clip but Suzuki catches him with the choke again! Suzuki quickly turns him around to go for the Gotch Style Piledriver but Okada flips him over, grabbing his legs to pin him as Okada was able to sneak in another victory!

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

G1 Climax A Block Match
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi

Review: Time for our semi-main event as our Holy Emperor, Taichi takes on the Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii. Despite Ishii winning at the main event last show, he still has three losses and if he loses to Taichi here, he’s out. Taichi suffered his first loss to Okada at the previous show and would need to win here to grab the first place spot. Will the two put on another classic for us?

Explosive way to start it off as the two attack each other immediately with Taichi delivering kicks to Ishii’s leg while he chops Taichi’s chest with the two of them going back and forth until Taichi’s kicks come out the winner of the first round of these little brawls. Taichi is having fun kicking Ishii around and gets to the point where he is getting on his nerves, no selling the kicks on his head, and gets up to attempt a German Suplex but Taichi elbows him and ran the ropes but gets caught in a Powerslam. I know people love the chemistry between Ishii and Kenny Omega but the chemistry between Ishii and Taichi is just as good and debatable for being better as it is so unique how well they work together to create magic every time they’re in the ring. I know a lot of people aren’t sold on Taichi still but he actually is a solid performer so has been doing great ever since he moved up to the heavyweight division a couple of years ago, and is one of the best things of A Block so far with how he presents himself as a character and a performer. Taichi in the heavyweight division is the best thing to happen to him because his gimmick and style just never fit as a junior and that’s why a lot of people were turned off by him, this is how he needs to be as a heavyweight and not a junior.

A roundhouse kick to the head by Taichi and it’s time for him to strip as he rips his pants off, and Ishii immediately gets up with our own reaction to whenever he does that! Ishii hits him with a forearm but is then caught with a Jumping Kick. Taichi has him in a Powerbomb position as Ishii holds his ground until Taichi hits a couple of Kawada type kicks with Ishii getting up right away to only meet a forearm from the emperor. Ishii was able to Powerbomb him into the turnbuckle but Taichi quickly charged at him, only to be caught with a Lariat. Taichi pushes the ref out of the way, attempting a low blow as Ishii caught his leg and attempts a Jumping Kick as Taichi ducked and kicked his head, Ishii getting up right away and headbutts him down. Ishii gets him up for the Vertical Drop as Taichi fights off him to push the ref again, kicking him below the belt this time as he attempts to roll him up with the Gedo Clutch as Ishii kicked out! The two finally get up as Taichi attempts a Superkick but Ishii catches him for a German Suplex, Taichi getting up right away, only to be hit with a headbutt. Ishii hits a Lariat with Taichi getting up right away to hit the Ax Bomber and the two would hit each other with a Lariat until Taichi catches him with a Backdrop but Ishii kicked out at two! Taichi hits the Jumping Kick but Ishii is still standing this time around as he charges at him, Taichi catching him for the Black Memphisto but Ishii reverses into a Powerbomb with Taichi landing on his feet to kick him as Ishii hits his leg before hitting a Jumping Kick of his own! Ishii finally hits the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and gets the victory in a great match!

Highlights from “#G1CLIMAX30 Night9” (Oct 5th)
Watch full matches on New Japan World!

.@taichi0319 (3-1) faces Tomohiro Ishii (1-3) in your semi main event!

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— njpwworld (@njpwworld) October 5, 2020

Rating: Bruce Prichard and a quarter

G1 Climax A Block Match
Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi

Review: Time for our main event as we have Kota Ibushi taking on Will Ospreay. This will be the rubber match between the two as they fought each other twice last year with a win each. The winner of this match will also be first place on the scoreboard while the loser will be tied with four other people. Who will be in first place in this rubber match?

The two will also start with some chain wrestling and it seemed like Ibushi had the advantage until Ospreay turned it around to get him in a headlock till they made it to the ropes and as Will lets go, he ruffles Ibushi’s hair like he’s a child. Ospreay would do something like this again when he stood on Ibushi’s back, marching on it for a bit to show his new attitude but is met with a kick from Ibushi. Ospreay got Ibushi to the outside with a Hurricanrana and fakes him out with a flip attempt to the outside, posing in the ring but Ibushi quickly gets in to attempt the Kamigoye as Will moves to hit his handspring kick. If you watch the post-match interviews, you see a new side of Will as he’s trying too hard to be this cocky gaijin like how Kenny Omega was when he was in New Japan with cringeworthy promos. Not sure if this will be the payoff in the long run or is just being cocky now for beating Jay last time, but we’ll see as it develops. Much like the Okada/Suzuki match earlier, this match would also feel underwhelming compared to previous bouts and not sure if it’s with Will changing his style and attitude but they were definitely missing something to raise that bar as they have before.

Ospreay taunts Ibushi to come over to hit and hits Ibushi with a kick and a chop to get him down but Ibushi kips back up and goes for a kick as Ospreay catches his foot to kick it, charging at him to be caught with a Double Stomp by Ibushi on his sternum. Looked like Ibushi was going for the Last Ride but Ospreay jumped over him to go over the ropes to hit the Pip Pip Cheerio, sending Ibushi to the outside, leading Will to do his cartwheel flip over the ropes to land on him. Ospreay goes to the top rope but Ibushi would go up there with him, attempting a Tiger Driver off the top as Ospreay pushed him down, Ibushi jumping back to the top to hit the Hurricanrana as Will barely landed on his feet and taunted Ibushi once again, leading Ibushi to charge at him to be caught with a forearm. Ospreay calls for the Oscutter but Ibushi grabbed his pants to pull him in as he hits the German Suplex for a two count. Ibushi would call for the Boma Ye and hits it but Ospreay kicked out at two again! Ibushi calls for the Kamigoya but Ospreay moved out of the way, hitting the Marufuji Kick to daze him as he picked him up for the Stormbreaker but Ibushi would get himself off to attempt the Kamigoye again, being caught into a Powerbomb as Ibushi kicked out! Will calls for the Hidden Blade as Ibushi ducked to kick his head and pulls him in for the Last Ride as Ospreay kicked out. Ibushi attempts the Kamigoye again but Will rolled him up for a kickout as he quickly got him up for the Stormbreaker, having Ibushi fight out of it again to be caught with a Superkick! Ospreay calls for the Oscutter again but is caught with a knee by Ibushi midair, and then hits the Kamigoye to get the victory over Ospreay!

G1 CLIMAX 30 A BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH@ibushi_kota vs Will Ospreay

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— njpwworld (@njpwworld) October 5, 2020

Rating: Eric Bischoff and three quarters

Overall: All the matches were under twenty minutes and none of them were bad at all. I can see people giving it a lower grade due to two of the more anticipated matches of the show didn’t deliver like they wanted them to but they still weren’t awful either. Nobody new got eliminated thankfully, making the next show more interesting to see how it plays out.

Favorite Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi

Least Favorite Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Score: 7.5/10

A Block Standings:

1. Kota Ibushi: (4-1) (8 Points)
2. Taichi: (3-2) (6 Points)
3. Jay White: (3-2) (6 Points)
4. Will Ospreay: (3-2) (6 Points)
5. Minoru Suzuki: (3-2) (6 Points)
6. Kazuchika Okada: (3-2) (6 Points)
7. Jeff Cobb: (2-3) (4 Points)
8. Shingo Takagi: (2-3) (4 Points)
9. Tomohiro Ishii: (2-3) (4 Points)
10. Yujiro Takahashi: (0-5) (0 Points) (Eliminated)