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SEP.30.2020

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G1 Climax 30 update: Night 7 【G130】

 A five way tie atop A Block in Korakuen Hall

 

September 30 saw night seven of G1 Climax 30 and the fourth match of A Block action, ending with    atop the table with  points while Yujiro Takahashi sat last at zero points.

The first group match of the evening saw Minoru Suzuki take on the still winless Yujiro Takahashi. Eager to get going, Yujiro was throwing feet at Suzuki even before the bell, and though the King put him down to the mat, Yujiro took Suzuki to the floor and pursued with some vicious offense. This only served to anger the King however, and Suzuki soon delivered his receipts with a steel chair on the floor. 

In ring, Yujiro was able to deliver a fisherman buster to Suzuki, but the NEVER Champion felt as if he had a clear margin, toying with his opponent and baiting him into taking his best swing. That swing came with a lariat from Takahashi, but Suzuki escaped from Miami Shine, and a Pimp Juice attempt was converted into a sleeper hold and Gotch Style Piledriver for a comfortable victory. 

Jeff Cobb and Kota Ibushi were next to face off in a hotly anticipated first time meeting. Cobb went to the mat and grappled Ibushi in the early going, bringing him to the ropes on two occasions. With a clear edge in grappling, Cobb felt confident to switch up and try to strike Ibushi, quickly paying for the impudence with a mid kick and standing moonsault. 

On the run, Cobb showed his athleticism with a big dropkick, and though eh only scored a one count, the control of the match had swung in his favour. The confident Cobb flung Ibushi overhead with a belly to belly, but Ibushi managed to land a Frankensteiner, and delivered a plancha out to the floor. When Cobb tried to go back to what brought him, attempting to shoot in for a double leg, Ibushi leapt in with a double stomp, but the Olympian was able to catch the Golden Star and deliver a forceful backdrop, and the Spin Cycle to bring the match under control. 

Cobb was finally able to outstrike Ibushi in the match when a huge lariat rocked the defending G1 champion. Gutwrench suplexes followed, and the F5000 connected for the nearest of two counts. Ibushi worked his way out of a second attempt though and when Cobb tried to shoot in again, he was rocked with a huge knee. Kamigoye followed for the win.  

Kazuchika Okada walked to the ring after intermission frustrated at his two point record, and relative lack of form against a Taichi with much to be confident about at the top of the table. The Holy Emperor instantly attacked at the bell, targeting Okada’s taped lower back, and sending the Rainmaker crashing into the ringside steel, before Desperado on colour commentary at ringside allowed Taichi the chance to land a huge chair shot. 

Firing up after being dominated for the bulk of the first five minutes, Okada finally found some boots out of the corner and a forearm and back elbow. A dropkick off the top turnbuckle to the floor followed for Okada, and out on the floor, a DDT followed, but Okada was struggling with back damage, and was slow to his feet after executing the move. A big missile dropkick attempt was swatted aside by Taichi, and control shifted once again with a tilt a whirl backbreaker. 

Kawada kicks followed for Taichi, who tried to score with a Last Ride, but Okada responded with a reverse neckbreaker. Taichi again read an attempted dropkick, and with trousers removed, caught a rallying Okada with a Dangerous Backdrop. Okada still resisted the Last Ride however, and caught Taichi with a Tombstone before sinking in the Money Clip. 

Okada pushed the advantage with a short range lariat, but Taichi prevented a second by pulling the referee in Okada’s path, hitting a low blow and almost scoring victory with a Gedo Clutch. As the match passed the 15 minute mark, Taichi managed to hit his own Ax Bomber themed variant of the Rainmaker, before trying twice for Black Mephisto only to find himself in the Money Clip. When Taichi neared the ropes, Okada hit a backbreaker to stay in the hold, and the referee called for the bell with Taichi unable to improve his position. 

Ever the strategist, Jay White was bent on stopping Will Ospreay’s momentum early in the semi main event, slow to engage until an Ospreay chop rocked the Switchblade. White was able to avoid an attempted dive however, and soon leveraged the Briton out of the ring and to the floor where he was able to create an opening in his opponent’s knee.  

With the match in his hands, White was unwilling to let go, and halted Ospreay’s momentum until a handspring corkscrew put him to the mat. The Pip Pip Cheerio followed, but White was able to connect with a DDT to cut off the Assassin yet again, and once more with the Complete Shot. A top rope superplex was too ambitious for the Kiwi though, and Ospreay wriggled free before delivering a springboard dropkick. Gedo pulled White free from the ensuing Tree of Woe, stopping Ospreay going from coast to coast, but he didn’t prevent a Sasuke Special, and then a Springboard 450 for two. 

Ospreay missed an Os Cutter attempt, the knee buckling and leading to an Uranage, both men downed at the 15 minute mark. White scored with the Kiwi Crusher for two, but the British Champion Ospreay had enough will to land a Liger Bomb and OsCutter, just getting two. Hard forearm shots to the rear of the head followed, and a Stormbreaker attempt led to Gedo’s momentary interference, only eating a forearm shiver for his efforts. The Hidden Blade found its mark, and Stormbreaker struck for the three. 

The Stone Pitbull Tomohiro Ishii headed into his fourth match after three defeats as the stone underdog, but unwilling to go down easily to anyone, let alone Shingo Takagi. Neither man went down easily at the start of the match at least, both athletes charging at one another and neither falling until Ishii was finally able to score a shoulder block knockdown.    

Pressing the advantage, Ishii pursued the Dragon outside, and continued to rain in blows before Takagi finally scored a left armed lariat out on the floor. Shingo kept the pressure up back inside, but a Noshigami attempt would be turned into a brainbuster, and the stone headed Ishii absorbed every response from Takagi as he rained in blows in the corner. 

Shingo found his response with a Ryukon lariat and a backdrop, but as the trash talk proved too much for Ishii’s temper, the CHAOS member fired home with elbows and chops to the throat. An enraged Takagi responded in kind, however, before scoring with a wheelbarrow German suplex and a sliding lariat. Only kicking into a higher gear with every blow absorbed, Takagi and Ishii charged toward each other with strike after strike as the crowd applauded them on. 

Gaining the upper hand, Takagi struck with Made In Japan and a Pumping Bomber, but only got two. A second attempts at the lariat though and Ishii ducked under and landed a backdrop. The ungiving Ishii landed a powerbomb before hitting his own impressive lariat, still only getting a two count from the former NEVER Champion, and a second lariat to Takagi moments later only got one as the match entered its final minutes. 

Takagi powered out of a sliding lariat at two, before using his knee to escape a Vertical Drop Brainbuster and landing his own sliding elbow. Throwing all he had left, Takagi landed a barrage of one two elbows, before Ishii responded in kind, charging in at Takagi, but getting countered into a Takagi style GTR. Another Pumping Bomber from Shingo still didn’t finish the match, and Ishii resisted Last of the Dragon, landing an uncharacteristic swinging DDT when Takagi went for the hold one too many times. 

As the match passed the 25 minute mark, both combatants charged with headbutts to the jaw, Ishii getting space with an enzuigiri. A huge lariat followed, as did the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to finally put Ishii on the G1 board.     

 

 

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