A Block next sees action in Kobe
After an Osaka start, and long trip up north to Hokkaido, the G1 tour comes back to the Kansai region in the south west of Japan for night four, and the third night of A Block action. Now all 20 wrestlers in the tournament are out of the starting blocks; with just three members undefeated at the present moment, it’s already looking hotly competitive, while those at the bottom fo the table will need to pick up their game tonight or risk being on the bubble by the mid point of their campaign.
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Kazuchika Okada (1-1) vs Jay White (2-0)
Overall singles record: 2-1 White G1 record: 1-0 White
Jay White’s insistence on labelling this year’s tournament the ‘Jay-1 Climax’ might not be endearing him to most fans, but naysayers might have to follow suit if he can maintain his current momentum. After a slow start to last year’s G1 still led the Kiwi to becoming only the fourth non-Japanese to stand in the G1 final, his 2-0 record thus far in 2020 certainly stands him in good stead to be a factor by the time we get to Ryogoku next month.
Those two victories might have come with assistance from Gedo at ringside, but be that as it may, White has still polished off two tough competitors in Shingo Takagi and last year’s winner Kota Ibushi. The Ibushi win in particular, delivered with an emphatic Bladerunner counter to Kamigoye, was key for Jay in exorcising the ghost of last year’s G1 final loss and halting the self professed ‘godlike’ momentum of Ibushi.
Ibushi had, after all, defeated Kazuchika Okada on night one of the tournament, and now, even after improving to 1-1 in Sapporo, questions are still circling over the Rianmaker. Making his way to Sapporo with a taped lower back, Okada’s win over Yujiro Takahashi came against the flow of a match that was dictated by the ‘Tokyo Pimp’, as strikes lacked force and lifting maneuvers proved difficult. Nobody is better at targeting a visible weakness than Jay White, and that could mean deep trouble for Okada.
In the same arena that saw White and Gedo stab the Rainmaker in the back, defecting from CHAOS to eventually take over in BULLET CLUB, could White go six points up? Or will Okada be able to evoke memories of Madison Square Garden last year, and put the Switchblade in his place?
Will Ospreay (2-0) vs Shingo Takagi (0-2)
Singles record: 1-0 Ospreay
Since his return to NJPW action this past weekend, Will Ospreay has been nothing if not confident. Loudly claiming in ring and backstage that he is ‘the best professional wrestler in the world’, the British heavyweight Champion has backed his claims up with a 2-0 record thus far in the tournament. For arguably the best wrestler in the world then, a test in Kobe in a rematch of what many deemed the best bout in the world for the year 2019 against Shingo Takagi.
That June night it was Ospreay handing Shingo his first NJPW defeat in the finals of the Best of the Super Junior tournament, a match that captivated fans and set both men up for their G1 debuts that summer. One year on, Shingo has had several fierce battles in a 2020 MVP contendership year, while Ospreay has taken a pandemic enforced absence to become larger and more aggressive.
If there were any concerns that Ospreay might suffer from ring rust, they were put aside by his first victory over Yujiro Takahashi in Osaka, and completely dispelled after his bout with Tomohiro Ishii in Hokkaido. Shingo has been slow out of the blocks however, after losses to Jay White and Jeff Cobb. In his years dominating Dragon Gate, Shingo Takagi is well used to wrestling in front of the Kobe crowd; could that territorial familiarity help redress the balance within the G1 and against Ospreay tonight?
Kota Ibushi (1-1) vs Tomohiro Ishii (0-2)
Singles record 2-1 Ibushi G1 record 2-0 Ibushi
Kota Ibushi’s third G1 encounter with Tomohiro Ishii is the first in two years after consecutive victories for the Golden Star in 2017 and 2018. While Ishii can claim a 2014 win over Ibushi, his victory in NEVER Openweight Championship competition came when Ibushi was still wrestling as a junior heavyweight, and within the same weight class, Ibushi has a perfect record over the Stone Pitbull.
Add to this Ishii’s current 0-2 positioning at the bottom of A Block with Shingo Takagi and Yujiro Takahashi, and what stops Ishii from being the decided underdog in this match? Most significantly will be the damage incurred by Ibushi Wednesday night in Sapporo. While Ishii himself had a hard hitting war with Will Ospreay, Ibushi’s main event was crushing, with Jay White aggressively targeting the 2019 G1 winner’s knee, and finishing Ibushi with a Bladerunner that dropped Ibushi on his head. As the physical rigours of the tournament start to take their toll, the rugged tank like nature of Tomohiro Ishii may start to find form in this tournament, and a win over Ibushi would be a hell of a way to show it.
Jeff Cobb (1-1) vs Minoru Suzuki (1-1)
First NJPW Singles meeting
Jeff Cobb heads into his first NJPW meeting with Minoru Suzuki (and second match overall with the King after a RevPro encounter in 2018) at 1-1 after an impressive and hard fought victory over Shingo Takagi in Sapporo. Minoru Suzuki also knows what it’s like to defeat the Dragon, and indeed Jeff Cobb; after all that sole singles encounter in 2018 saw the King victorious, and World Tag League last winter also saw Minoru Suzuki victorious over Cobb.
With both men at two points, a win in Kobe will be important in ending the first three match leg of the tournament with a positive record, and carrying momentum into an intense stretch of back to back matchups next week. Neither man will give an inch this Sunday.
Taichi (2-0) vs Yujiro Takahashi (0-2)
Singles record 2-1 Taichi
Taichi and Yujiro Takahashi get the A Block action started for the night in Kobe. The two men are certainly not afraid of bending the rules wherever possible, and in non-pandemic times are certainly no strangers to glamourous female company, but similarities aside Taichi and Yujiro have rarely crossed paths over the years, and their singles encounters have all taken place while both men were junior heavyweights. The most recent meeting in fact was all the way back in 2008, a match that saw Taichi on top; the Suzuki-Gun member is always eager to rub past victories in the face of his opponents, and will doubtless be mindful of his past with Yujiro as both head to Kobe.
In terms of form in this year7s tournament, Taichi will be coming into Sunday’s bout double confident after scoring a pinfall victory over Minoru Suzuki to go 2-0 Wednesday. For Takahashi, a 0-2 record hasn’t fazed the Tokyo Pimp too much, as he’s simply relished the chance to be back in the G1; that said, he needs to get winning fast if he’s to remain in any kind of contention going forward.
Yota Tsuji (2-1 this tour) vs Gabriel Kidd (1-1 this tour)
Singles record: 4-0 Tsuji (1-0 this tour)
Young Lion competition rages on with the opening match of the evening between Yota Tsuji and Gabriel Kidd. In Osaka, their fourth singles meeting saw Tsuji victorious with a Boston Crab submission to the Briton, but Kidd rebounded in Sapporo against Yuya Uemura, delivering a thunderous Double Arm Suplex to score his first NJPW victory. Now having a taste for glory, Kidd will absolutely be looking to keep the roll going. Having settled on a finishing hold though, will Kidd be able to land the move on the larger Tsuji, or, with momentum high on two successive wins, will the former American football player’s power once again win out?
