Kazuchika Okada is heading to the G1 Climax finals. In the main event of Wednesday’s show, Okada felled Jeff Cobb, and punched his ticket to face A Block winner Kota Ibushi. It will be Okada’s 3rd trip to the finals, and he has never lost a G1 Climax final. It will be Ibushi’s fourth trip to the finals in as many years. Both he and Ibushi have both won two G1 Climax tournaments.
Okada’s road to the finals was not an easy one, though his record made it look like it. While Okada ran through the B Block competitors, with the only blemish coming from a loss to Tama Tonga, he didn’t do it as swiftly and decisively as B Block’s Jeff Cobb. Cobb went into Wednesday’s show unbeaten, a historic 8-0 in block competition. He marched to the ring, looking to carry United Empire’s standard all the way to the finals.
.@RealJeffCobb "Tombstone Piledriver"
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Try as he might, fight as he could, the great giant was laid low by The Rainmaker. Okada injured Cobb’s neck early in the match, and finally dropped him with a ripcord lariat. With the win, Okada will head to the G1 Climax finals for the first time in seven years.
Elsewhere on the show, EVIL brought every bit of his shenanigans to his former tag partner SANADA. SANADA put up a brave fight against EVIL, Dick Togo, and the slew of weapons they employed in their dirty victory. Much like EVIL’s other G1 matches, SANADA beat EVIL when it didn’t matter, and EVIL picked up the win when it did.
The Holy Emperor Taichi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in a surprisingly emotional underdog victory. Entering the match with already-injured ribs, Tanahashi did everything he could to punish Taichi’s torso, seemingly rendering Taichi’s Black Mephisto finisher useless. Taichi took advantage of Tanahashi’s cocky double-High Fly Flow combo, eating one High Fly Flow, and then getting out of the way of the other. One clutch pin later, and Taichi overcame the odds and beat The Ace.
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) (NIGHT 12) (NIGHTS 13 & 14) (NIGHT 15) (NIGHT 16) (A BLOCK FINALS)
Hirooki Goto defeated Tama Tonga in a back and forth battle, that came down to a simple, but effective rollup. YOSHI-HASHI bested Chase Owens soundly. Plus, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI got to beat up Young Lions Oiwa & Fujita.
Here are the full results:
10/20
NJPW G1 Climax 31- B Block Finals
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Non-Tournament Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) def. Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita by submission. (8:07)
Hiromu Takahashi submitted Ryohei Oiwa via Boston Crab. - B Block: YOSHI-HASHI (6) def. Chase Owens (4) by pinfall via Karma. (8:27)
- B Block: Hirooki Goto (6) def. Tama Tonga (6) by pinfall via Goto-shanshiki Clutch Pin. (15:19)
- B Block: Taichi (6) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) by pinfall via Gedo Clutch. (14:58)
- B Block: EVIL (14) def. SANADA (8) by pinfall via EVIL. (17:47)
- B Block: Kazuchika Okada (16) def. Jeff Cobb (16) by pinfall via Rainmaker to advance to the G1 Climax Finals. (23:35)
The G1 Climax 31 Finals will take place on Oct. 21st at 5am ET on NJPWWorld.com
