In the second night of action from Aichi prefectural gymnasium, the B block have their fifth matches. Survival is becoming a key factor in the Lion’s Kingdom as the tournament wears on.

Tetsuya Naito (2-2) vs Jon Moxley (4-0)

First singles meeting.

Curiosity is high for this bout; it’s very hard to predict just how Naito will match up against Jon Moxley, but perhaps hints might be had in the pair of IWGP Intercontinental Championship matches Naito had against Chris Jericho. Again, Naito is standing opposite a charismatic mastermind with a rich American resume, and again he has to deal with an unpredictable and very violent ring style. 

If Naito were to approach Moxley like Jericho, are there any keys to victory for him? Perhaps biggest would be not to take Mox lightly, and don’t let the Purveyor of Violence dictate the pace. Naito barely got out of the blocks in his first meeting with Jericho at Dominion, but was able to match him at his own vicious game in their Tokyo Dome rematch.

Jon Moxley has proven without a doubt though that he is his own man, and will bring plenty of surprises to El Ingobernable. With Mox still undefeated, a Naito win may factor very heavily into the final B block results. This could turn out to be one of the most pivotal bouts of the tournament. 

Shingo Takagi (2-2) vs Jay White (1-3)

First singles meeting.

Jay White is finally on the G1 Climax 29 board, having scored his first two points against Jeff Cobb in Hiroshima. According to White, the win over Cobb started a burn from the stern that will see him undefeated for the rest of the tournament, even despite the tough competition to come. 

Tough competition much like Shingo Takagi. Takagi may have come up short against Jon Moxley in Hiroshima, but the Dragon pushed Mox hard and hit him with lariats that were harder. The match ended with Shingo’s first submission loss in his NJPW career though, all thanks to focussed leg work from Moxley. Competitors like Yoshinobu Kanemaru had targeted Takagi’s knee during Best of the Super Juniors to no avail; Moxley’s powerful attacks proved more effective. With a noticeable chink in Takagi’s armour, White is sure to exploit and punish at the first sign of weakness, should the Dragon ever show it. 

Jeff Cobb (1-3) vs Taichi (2-2)

Overall singles record: 1-0 Taichi

First G1 meeting.

Since becoming a heavyweight in the spring of 2018, Taichi’s biggest rivals to date have been Tetsuya Naito, Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii. With two out of three beaten, and Ishii still to go, it’s fair to say that even at 2-2, his debut G1 campaign has been impressive. That contrasts with Jeff Cobb, who has been spectacular, powerful, and more often than not, unsuccessful. 

While Cobb has been reasonably calm about his record, simply vowing to ‘go back to the drawing board’, frustration may be creeping in, especially against an opponent who has frustrated him in the past. In Madison Square Garden, Cobb defeated Will Ospreay to become a double ROH Television and NEVER Openweight Champion, but what promised to be a dominant NEVER was cut short with no successful defences after Taichi snatched the gold in Fukuoka on May 3. Was Taichi’s Dontaku victory achieved entirely fairly? That’s debatable but the record books are not, recognising Taichi’s second NEVER title reign just as it did his Iron Finger From Hell assisted victory over Naito, and the win over Hirooki Goto in Hiroshima, low blow notwithstanding. 

Jeff Cobb is looking for redemption this Sunday, and for tournament survival. With a Hokkaido loss to Jon Moxley in the ledger, a loss to Taichi and a Moxley win over Naito would see Cobb all but mathematically eliminated. 

Juice Robinson (3-1) vs Tomohiro Ishii (2-2)

Overall singles record: 2-0 Ishii

Of which G1: 1-0 Ishii (2018– watch on NJPW World!)

After just four matches, Juice Robinson has already matched his 2018 G1 points total, and is only one more win away from matching his 2017 score. It is by far and away the best start to a tournament he’s ever had, but Robsinson’s eyes are on his last block match on August 11 in the Budokan. He is determined not just to score his last two points over Jon Moxley, but to put himself in the final in the process.

That necessitates delivering the goods against Tomohiro Ishii in Aichi. Last year in Yokohama, Robinson came up short against the Stone Pitbull, still working around an injured left hand; the injury was no doubt causing pain to Robinson when the two met a fortnight later in Ireland for OTT. With ‘only’ the damage of four tough singles matches to speak of, is a level playing ground between Robinson and Ishii the key to victory for Juice? Or will Ishii manage to bounce back from a biting pair of losses to Naito and Moxley over a one week span?

Hirooki Goto (1-3) vs Toru Yano (2-2)

Overall singles record: 5-4 Yano

Of which G1: 2-1 Goto (2008, 2014, 2018– watch on NJPW World!)

If there’s one thing we can suggest for this match, it’s not to get up and go to the bathroom or grab a snack as it begins as you’ll probably miss the whole thing. Yano and Goto have faced each other twice over the last decade, with a match time of 3:38. Three minutes and thirty eight seconds. Combined. 

Still, the results of those two matches tell a competitive story. Yano beat Goto against the flow of the match in 2014 (such as a 1 minute 21 second match can really be deemed as having a ‘flow’), but Goto would grab his win back four years later with a GTR. Looking further to the past, and we see a competitive spirit, and Yano having an edge against Goto. Yano had the slight experience edge ahead of Goto when he arrived in the Dojo in 2002, and that showed in the early stages of their pro careers. Yano would outwrestle Goto four times over 2003 and early 2004, but wouldn’t get another win over Goto until their 2014 G1 meeting. 

At two points, Goto is in a dangerous spot, but not a campaign killing one, yet. This is the worst opening four match stretch for Goto in his G1 career, but the last time he lost three matches in a row in a tournament, he went on to make the final in 2016.  There’s plenty of hope yet for Goto, but he must beat Yano to have a realistic chance of standing center stage in the Budokan August 12.