The 31st G1 Climax continues, and there are some traffic jams forming at the top of A Block. Kota Ibushi has currently taken the top spot, but there is still time for KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr. and Shingo Takagi are currently nipping at The Golden Star’s heels. Ibushi is looking to be the first wrestler to make it to the G1 Climax Finals 4 years in a row.
Meanwhile, in B Block, Kazuchika Okada and Jeff Cobb are making their own history. Both men got dominant wins on Tuesday, making them both the first competitors to go 7-0 in G1 Climax competition since Kazuyuki Fujita in 2005. With each win, it becomes clearer and clearer that B Block is now a competition of just two men.
The only wrestler in B Block that could cause problems for Okada and Cobb is EVIL. While seemingly every opponent has gotten a visual pinfall over The King of Darkness, all but Okada have been unable to get the pin when it mattered. EVIL, with help from Dick Togo and his trusty garrote, has been carving his own path through the G1, and it is not impossible that said path ends at the G1 Finals.
Okada got his win over Chase Owens. Owens hoped to repeat the shocking upset victory he got over Hiroshi Tanahashi, but ended up being the first wrestler of the G1 to submit to the Money Clip.
Cobb’s win had the added benefit of being over the IWGP United States Champion, and company Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Cobb’s win puts the United Empire member in line for a future title shot, and considering the list of people he’s beaten, Cobb would be the heavy favorite.
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?G1 CLIMAX 31?(10/12)を公開‼️
＼『G1 CLIMAX 31』Bブロック公式戦‼️
コブがパワーで棚橋を圧倒??
棚橋を軽々ぶん投げる‼️果たして勝つのは⁉️? @tanahashi1_100 × @RealJeffCobb
? #njpwworld で配信中??登録＆視聴⏩https://t.co/CcdQ1XrpWA#G131 #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/vSKO2KC16R
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) October 12, 2021
Zack Sabre Jr. was at one point in the same conversation as Cobb and Okada, but his winning ways came to an end recently. A previous loss to Tomohiro Ishii was only the beginning, as Sabre found himself falling to KENTA on Saturday. The win tied KENTA with Sabre, and turned the tables on the once-winning IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Tama Tonga got revenge on Taichi for this past spring’s feud over the Iron Fingers from Hell. The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion fell to a Gun Stun. Tama’s brother Tanga Loa had a stellar showing in defeat, taking IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi nearly 20-min before falling to Last of the Dragon. Both Guerrillas of Destiny have made serious cases for themselves as singles wrestlers, though Tama’s win does put them back in the Tag Title scene.
SANADA got a much needed win over YOSHI-HASHI, while Toru Yano stayed alive, getting a wily countout win over Yujiro Takahashi.
10/9
NJPW G1 Climax 31- Night 13
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Non Tournament Match: Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita by submission. (9:31)
El Desperado submitted Kosei Fujita via Stretch Muffler. - Non-Tournament Match: Tomohiro Ishii def. Hiromu Takahashi by pinfall via Vertical Drop Brainbuster.
- A Block: KENTA (10) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (10) by pinfall via Go 2 Sleep. (22:24)
- A Block: Toru Yano (8) def. Yujiro Takahashi (4) by countout. (10:23)
- A Block: Shingo Takagi (10) def. Tanga Loa (4) by pinfall via Last of the Dragon. (19:08)
- A Block: Kota Ibushi (12) def. Great-O-Khan (8) by pinfall via Kamigoye. (20:22)
10/12
NJPW G1 Climax 31- Night 14
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Non-Tournament Match: Hiromu Takahashi def. Ryohei Oiwa by submission via Boston Crab. (7:16)
- B Block: Tama Tonga (4) def. Taichi (4) by pinfall via Gun Stun. (12:58)
- B Block: SANADA (6) def. YOSHI-HASHI (4) by submission via Skull End. (17:35)
- B Block: Kazuchika Okada (14) def. Chase Owens (2) by submission via Money Clip. (15:37)
- B Block: EVIL (12) def. Hirooki Goto (4) by pinfall via EVIL. (14:16)
- B Block: Jeff Cobb (14) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) by pinfall via Tour of the Islands. (19:05)
The G1 Climax continues on Oct. 13th at 5:30am ET on NJPWWorld.com
