Cero Reviews NJPW G1 Climax 31, 9.30

[cero2k]

NJPW G1 Climax 31, Day 7
September 30, 2021
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

Yujiro Takahashi [2] (w/Pieter) vs. BUSHI - 7/10
BUSHI is wearing a Stardust Genius themed mask, honoring Naito, who he is replacing tonight.

Match was ok. BUSHI got cut off after Yujiro hid behind Pieter during a dive, Yujiro got some offense, BUSHI made a comeback, but was cut off again when BUSHI went for MX and taken out with his DDT. This ended up being a really good match, the last couple of minutes were really good. Only thing I'd change would be Yujiro's pace, but that's about it.

G1 Climax 2021 Block A Match
Tomohiro Ishii [0] vs. Tanga Loa [2] (w/Jado) - 8.5/10
This was great! This was exactly what I hope to see out of Loa in the tournament, he hasn't fully awaken the Strong Style in him, but he's there, someone just needs to kill Krillin in front of him or something. The match was mostly paced like an Ishii match, with a lot of striking, but they did slow down around the middle.

G1 Climax 2021 Block A Match
Zack Sabre Jr. [6] vs. Great-O-Khan [6] - 9/10
Holy shit! This was awesome! 100% grapplefuck, a completely different match from anything we've seen in New Japan for a while. The match wasn't as long, but it didn't need to be, and it had another snap finish from Sabre where he locks in a submission and ends things like an MMA match. I also really liked how some of O-Khan's chain wrestling kept being modified around him having the claw locked in on Sabre.

Sabre is 4-0.

G1 Climax 2021 Block A Match
Toru Yano [4] vs. Kota Ibushi [2] - 6.5/10
This was perfect for what it was supposed to be. Ibushi survived some of YTR's stuff early on, but quickly regained himself, and in a matter of three knees to the head, pinned Yano for the win. It was short, the schtick wasn't pushing the limits, and Ibushi's selling made

G1 Climax 2021 Block A Match
KENTA [4] vs. Shingo Takagi [4] - 8/10
After Nagata worked over Shingo's arm in his replacement match, KENTA indeed kept going after Shingo's arm in this match. I really appreciated that.

The match was good, it wasn't my favorite of the night, but it was a good match. There is a moment where the referee went down and and KENTA hurt Shingo's arm with a chair, and I thought the spot was unnecessary the way it played out, but I think with better timing and selling, it could had been a GREAT near tease when KENTA locked in GAME OVER. At the end, Shingo recovered enough to hit the Last of the Dragons and win.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
And YET another strong G1 show, I really loved the Sabre vs O-Khan match, Yujiro and Loa's were better than expected, Yano's match was great for what it was supposed to be, and the main event, while not the best, was a really good solid match. What else can you want?

Block A
Great-O-Khan - 3-0-1 -- 6
KENTA - 2-0-2 -- 4
Kota Ibushi - 2-0-2 -- 4
Shingo Takagi - 3-0-1 -- 6
Tanga Loa - 1-0-3 -- 2
Tetsuya Naito - 0-0-4 -- 0
Tomohiro Ishii - 1-0-3 -- 2
Toru Yano - 2-0-2 -- 4
Yujiro Takahashi - 2-0-2 -- 4
Zack Sabre Jr. - 4-0-0 -- 8

Block B
Chase Owens - 0-0-3 -- 0
EVIL - 2-0-1 -- 4
Hirooki Goto - 0-0-3 -- 0
Hiroshi Tanahashi - 2-0-1 -- 4
Jeff Cobb - 3-0-0 -- 6
Kazuchika Okada - 3-0-0 -- 6
SANADA - 2-0-1 -- 4
Taichi - 2-0-1 -- 4
Tama Tonga - 1-0-2 -- 2
YOSHI-HASHI - 0-0-3 -- 0