New Japan Pro Wrestling continued the 31st G1 Climax on Sunday. B Block took center stage, as everyone wrestled with a seemingly unspoken agreement to make each match better than the one that came before it. A spectacular night of action that was headlined by a return to form of NJPW’s greatest rivalry.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada had their first singles match in over 800 days, and the match was an instant classic. Nearing the 30-min time limit, Okada finally brought The Rainmaker Lariat out of mothballs and put his greatest rival down with less than 30sec to spare. After what feels like an eternity of a reliance on the Money Clip submission hold, Okada’s win showed that maybe the franchise star of the past decade is ready to carry NJPW into the current decade.
#G131 Day2 (Sep 19)
Watch Now, in ENGLISH:https://t.co/xS8F2164p8
The legendary rivalry collides!
Can The Ace continue the momentum he's riding since becoming the IWGP US Heavyweight Champion?
Can the Rainmaker get a hot start for this tournament by beating his eternal rival? pic.twitter.com/ApnN7FG2ad
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) September 19, 2021
Elsewhere on the show, Taichi got a hard-fought victory over Hirooki Goto. Taichi continues to become more-and-more the workhorse hoss that the likes of Goto and Ishii have been, and as all of their contests, the match was a battering affair.
SANADA snuck out a win against Tama Tonga, as the long-time tag rivals got their hands on each other in singles action for the first time in ages. A newly-motivated Tama looks to be a deadly obstacle for B Block, with both Skull End and a Moonsault not being enough for Cold Skull. SANADA had to rely on a last-ditch clutch pin to get the victory.
Jeff Cobb crushed Chase Owens in Owens’s G1 Climax debut. Owens fought valiantly against the large Hawaiian but a Tour of the Islands left him stranded with a loss. YOSHI-HASHI got a visual pinfall on former-IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL in another damn fine contest, but interference from House of Torture led to YOSHI-HASHI being on the losing end. Plus Kosei Fujita tried unsuccessfully to avenge fellow Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa’s loss to SHO.
SEE ALSO: Full G1 Climax Schedule
Here are the full results:
9/19
NJPW G1 Climax 31- Night 2
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Non-Tournament Match: SHO def. Kosei Fujita by ref stoppage via Snake Bite. (8:09)
- B Block: EVIL (2) def. YOSHI-HASHI (0) by pinfall via EVIL. (17:15)
- B Block: Jeff Cobb (2) def. Chase Owens (0) by pinfall via Tour of the Islands (12:11)
- B Block: SANADA (2) def. Tama Tonga (0) by pinfall via O’Connor Roll. (19:04)
- B Block: Taichi (2) def. Hirooki Goto (0) by pinfall via Black Mephisto. (18:30)
- B Block: Kazuchika Okada (2) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) by pinfall via Rainmaker. (29:36)
G1 Climax 31 will continue on Sept. 23rd at 5:30am ET on NJPWWorld.com
