New Japan Pro Wrestling continued the 31st G1 Climax on Friday. As the tournament enters its back-half, three leaders have emerged in B Block. Kazuchika Okada and Jeff Cobb have carved unbeaten paths through the G1 Climax so far, and EVIL’s nearly-spotless record puts him nipping at their heels.
Okada got a hometown win over Taichi in the main event, despite the crowd being split between the local hero and the holy emperor. With each win, Okada becomes that much more unreachable, and his main event wins are getting shorter, suggesting his confidence is actually pushing him to beat his opponents quicker. There is only one A Block competitor that can touch him currently.
.@rainmakerXokada "Rainmaker!!!!!!"
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Jeff Cobb has been dangerous in this tournament. Like Okada, he’s been unbeaten through six rounds and shows not sign of stopping soon. Friday’s win over SANADA was notable for the fact that Cobb hit a pop-up variation of the Tour of the Islands. A devastating move that originally had a lengthy setup, Cobb’s finisher has become THAT much more dangerous as we head into the back half of the tournament.
EVIL beat the holy hell out of Hiroshi Tanahashi on Friday. EVIL brought the usual House of Torture shenanigans, and despite visually submitting to the Cloverleaf, EVIL’s tactics were too much for the Ace. Just one win separates EVIL from Cobb & Okada, and a slip-up by either man could spell victory for the King of Darkness.
Elsewhere on the card, Hirooki Goto put Chase Owens back in his place. The Crown Jewel of Bullet Club has been feeling cocky after upsetting Hiroshi Tanahashi, but was crushed with a GTR from the NEVER 6-Man Tag Champ. Goto’s tag partner YOSHI-HASHI got a win over Owens’s Bullet Club stablemate Tama Tonga, in a wild sprint of a match.
SEE ALSO: G1 Climax Results (NIGHT 1) (NIGHT 2) (NIGHT 3) (NIGHT 4) (NIGHT 5) (NIGHTS 6 & 7) (NIGHTS 8& 9) (NIGHT 10) (NIGHT 11)
Plus, El Desperado stretched Kosei Fujita to his breaking point. Here are the full results:
10/8
NJPW G1 Climax 31- Night 12
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Non-Tournament Match: El Desperado def. Kosei Fujita by submission via Indian Deathlock. (8:27)
- B Block: YOSHI-HASHI (4) def. Tama Tonga (2) by pinfall via KARMA. (13:14)
- B Block: Hirooki Goto (4) def. Chase Owens (2) by pinfall via GTR. (12:41)
- B Block: Jeff Cobb (12) def. SANADA (4) by pinfall via Tour of the Islands. (14:17)
- B Block: EVIL (10) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) by pinfall via EVIL. (17:22)
- B Block: Kazuchika Okada (12) def. Taichi (4) by pinfall via Rainmaker. (23:10)
The G1 Climax will continue on Oct. 9th at 4am ET on NJPWWorld.com
