Kota Ibushi alone atop A Block after fifth night of matches.

October 5 saw A Block in G1 Climax 30 action, as the tournament hits its midway point. After the fifth night of action for the group, Kota Ibushi sits alone on top with eight points, while Yujiro Takahashi still remains at zero. 

Yujiro Takahashi was first to the ring for A Block action on the night, needing to get results as he sat at the bottom of the table with zero points, and facing an opponent in Shingo Takagi who badly needed to produce results of his own. Yujiro quickly showed the style he would bring to the table, pulling on Takagi’s hair to escape from a headlock, but the Dragon responded in kind. A hard shoulder tackle from Shingo though, and the flow of the match went the former NEVER champion’s way. 

Taking Yujiro ringside, Takagi attempted to send his opponent into the steel, but Takahashi blocked the shot and sent Takagi into the guardrails instead, Takagi swept the leg of Yujiro on the apron, but Takahashi rung his opponent’s head into the ringpost, giving a valuable chance to rest, and a valuable advantage to press. 

Takahashi got two off a boot in the corner and basement dropkick, and though overconfidence led him to trade with Shingo, he was able to extricate himself from a dangerous spot with his teeth. Takagi was able to lean on his sudden acceleration however, delivering a shoulder block and a knee to the gut before a big vertical suplex for two. 

A neckbreaker gave a much needed escape for Yujiro out of the Noshigami attempt by Shingo, and a Fisherman’s buster found its mark. So too did a Pumping Bomber for Shingo, but Yujiro fired back in kind, and followed up with an Intercollegiate Slam and Miami Shine, still only getting two. A rattled Takagi barely got off a Ryukon lariat, and declaring that receipts were due, delivered a sliding lariat.

Takahashi bit his way out of a Last of the Dragon attempt, and shoved the referee, going for his cane in the corner, only to have it broken by Takagi’s arm. A Pumping Bomber followed as the referee found his feet, and though there was clear damage to the Dragon’s arm, Last of the Dragon found its mark for the three. 

Jay White was frustrated early by the power of Jeff Cobb on the mat and in the ropes, but a typical misdirection gave him control, and enough of a perceived advantage to mock the big man before diving to the floor and taking the full advantage of the referee’s count.

Back inside though, he was met by an immense dropkick by Cobb, who then brought Gedo into the middle for a classic double noggin knocker with Jay. Gedo brought his own old school tricks though, holding onto Cobb’s ankle and allowing White to take control. The power of the Olympian shone through though, bowling Jay over and delivering a bearhug into an overhead belly to belly, a running backdrop following for two. 

Some expert maneuvering and a double handful of hair, and White would swing the match back his way with a DDT, then sending Cobb for his own terrifying ride into the corner. Calling on impressive strength of his own, a Bladebuster followed, and White was able to counter a charging Cobb with a Complete Shot to boot.

An Uranage connected for a White nearfall, but Cobb managed to call on his immense power with a huge Spin Cycle, and Gachimuchi Moonsault, before dropping his opponent with an overhead German suplex. Just as Cobb closed in on Tour of the Islands, White went prone, and a momentary distraction from Gedo was enough to lead to a snap sleeper suplex. Bladerunner was countered by Tour of the Islands from Cobb, and as Gedo tried to intervene again, he was tossed into the arms of his charge. A second Tour of the Islands connected and Cobb was victorious. 

The second half of the evening kicked off with Kazuchika Okada trying to stoke the fires of tournament momentum with a second consecutive win in his campaign after beating Taichi in Korakuen Hall. Prior track record put his opponent Minoru Suzuki at a distinct disadvantage, but with the bulk of those wins taking more than 30 minutes.

Indeed, the two men started slow, Suzuki, navigating a hammerlock to take control. The Rainmaker responded, picking the ankle of Suzuki, but the King again maneuvered himself into a plus position. The frustrated Okada threw elbows at Suzuki, but was quickly overpowered in the stand up, Suzuki continuing his outright domination on the floor up to and past the five minute mark.   

Keeping control, Suzuki stretched Okada on the mat, before the CHAOS leader responded with a neckbreaker. After a hard shiver from Suzuki, Okada finally fired up with shots of his own, but was dropped to his knees by Suzuki, who attempted a sleeper and Gotch Style Piledriver, before being countered by a reverse neckbreaker. 

Okada struggled in the face of a snarling Suzuki, but scored with a dropkick and twisting Tombstone before finding Money Clip. Suzuki countered with a straight armbar and kicked at the right arm of Okada to weaken a short arm clothesline. As the Rainmaker tried to fire back, Suzuki caught his opponent with a rearward takedown and a vicious rear naked choke, with deep hooks applied. 

Okada’s face went pink as he struggled to his feet, and went for the Money Clip again. Suzuki had the hold easily in hand and looked for a victory roll, but Okada sat down on the move for a flash pinfall. 

Tomohiro Ishii walked to the ring with a clearly damaged right leg after his battle with Shingo Takagi last week, an injury Taichi targeted with low kicks before sending the pitbull into the ringside steel and following with a ring hammer shot to the skull. The Holy Emperor was effective in the first five minutes, but pushed his luck a little too hard, Ishii eventually firing in shots to Taichi and landing a powerslam and repeated corner shots.

A corner high kick got Taichi time however, and when Ishii tried for an early Vertical Drop Brainbuster, Taichi replied with a knee out and hard headkick. The trousers came off, and though Ishii resisted a powerbomb, he crumpled with a huge right elbow at the ten minute mark, Taichi following with a Dangerous backdrop to put Ishii to the mat. 

Struggling to his feet, Ishii was able to power Taichi into the corner, and follow with a lariat, giving him breathing room and time to shake the cobwebs loose. The hard, cobweb free head then bounced off Taichi’s with a headbutt, and the CHAOS member absorbed a kick from Taichi to land an elbow and then a powerbomb. 

Taichi seemed to be knocked for a loop, with no defence for Ishii’s lariat, but had enough forethought to create a diversion with Red Shoes Unno and kick his opponent low, garnering two from a Gedo Clutch. A high angle Last Ride similarly only led to two, as Ishii stayed in the game at the 15 minute mark. 

Taichi himself dug deep, roaring back from an Ishii German, but went down to a headbutt as the Stone Pitbull fired himself up. Taichi kicked out of a lariat at one, hitting a Dangerous Backdrop for two, before a scintillating series of strikes and reversals led to a Gamengiri for Ishii. Taichi kicked out of the follow-up sliding lariat, but not the Vertical Drop Brainbuster, putting Ishii on four points. 

The main event saw Kota Ibushi and Will Ospreay look to break the deadlock at six points that existed when both hit the ring. Takamatsu gave both men an excited round of applause at the bell before settling in to see a technical display in the opening minutes, each man trying to gain wrist and then head control before Ospreay granted a clean break in the ropes, albeit with a little grandstanding. 

Ospreay continued an arrogant approach as the pace quickened, almost paying with a Kamigoye attempt from Ibushi, but continuing to fire in offense and remaining in firm control. Ibushi struggled to find an answer for the Briton but was able to fire off a dropkick to get a break, putting Ospreay down and following up with a double stomp to the gut as Ospreay tried to shoot in low. 

Still, his advantage was short lived. Ospreay scored with a flying forearm and a Sasuke Special, before a reverse Bloody Sunday got two at the ten minute mark. Ospreay tried to follow from the top rope, but Ibushi came back to his feet, hitting a springboard Frankensteiner and still seeing his opponent land on his feet. 

Some cocky strikes from Ospreay were too much for Ibushi though, and the Golden Star finally snapped with a shotei and harsh kicks to the head, followed by a German suplex to the British heavyweight Champion. A Boma Ye like double knee scored two for Ibushi, but a huge tornado Liger Bomb came in response as Ospreay closed in on victory. 

Ibushi sensed a Hidden Blade coming at the 15 minute mark and hit a sitout Last Ride for two before removing his knee pad. A series of reversals saw Ospreay try to hit an OsCutter, countered in mid air by a flying knee from Ibushi, and Kamigoye followed to put Ibushi at eight points.