NJPW G1 Climax 30 – Night Ten (October 6th) Preview, Statistics, and Notes

by | Oct 5, 2020 | Column, NJPW, Preview

 

The B Block of G1 Climax 30 returns to action on October 6th in the first of two G1 events from Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall. This card will be the second of four in a row for this year’s G1 roster as a part of the toughest stretch in the tournament. The B Block is truly wide open. As we enter this set of matches, seven of the ten competitors are within two points of the top of the block.

This will be the first B Block card of this year’s tournament that doesn’t include Tetsuya Naito in the main event, as he drops into the semi-main event against YOSHI-HASHI, deferring the top billing of the evening to Hiroshi Tanahashi and KENTA as they each look to improve upon their 2-2 records thus far in the tournament. Further down the card, we’ll see one of the current front runners, Juice Robinson attempt to gain his first career victory over recent IWGP Heavyweight Champion, EVIL. Third from the bottom, Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA will face off in a Wrestle Kingdom 14 rematch, and don’t blink during the first block match of the night; Toru Yano and Hirooki Goto will step between the ropes to continue their series of matches that end nearly immediately after the starting bell.

You can find my complete statistical breakdown for every competitor in this year’s G1 Climax here, I have interactive, sortable tables for NJPW’s 2020, detailed results and statistics of all 1505 G1 Climax matches to date, and This Year’s Tournament at SportOfProWrestling.com, and you can let me know what you find when you drill down by dropping me a line on Twitter @TheChrisSamsa.

Date: October 6th, 2020

Venue: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall

Time: 6:30pm JST

Watch Live or OnDemand On NJPWWorld

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G1 CLIMAX 30: B BLOCK RESULTS TO DATE

SPORT OF PRO WRESTLING BOX SCORE

BLOCK TABLE

UP-TO-DATE, DETAILED RESULTS AND STATISTICS CAN BE FOUND AT SPORTOFPROWRESTLING.COM

G1 CLIMAX B BLOCK MATCH

Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] Vs. KENTA [4]

The main event will feature two legends of this millennium facing off for just the second time in their storied careers as Hiroshi Tanahashi takes on KENTA. In their first meeting, during last year’s G1 Climax tournament, Hiroshi Tanahashi and KENTA met in KENTA’s first match back in Japan after spending nearly five years in the United States, competing mostly in the NXT brand of WWE. KENTA defeated The Ace in just over 18 minutes in the middle of his four match winning streak to begin last year’s G1. That was when we believed KENTA’s allegiance stood with Katsuyori Shibata and NJPW’s LA Dojo. That alignment led NJPW fans to believe that KENTA would fight in New Japan in good faith, and KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi was a long standing dream match that would establish supremacy with honor.

As we know, KENTA’s time fighting in NJPW honorably was a short one. At the end of a five match losing streak to finish last year’s tournament, KENTA aligned with Bullet Club and that is the KENTA who we know now. Hiroshi Tanahashi, on the other hand, hasn’t changed since last year’s tournament. He is still the same fan favorite “Ace” that NJPW fans have known for decades. Tanahashi looks to stay within reach of the top of the block standings and he now has the honor of New Japan Pro Wrestling to fight for against KENTA, who continues to utilize nefarious means and Bullet Club shenanigans to gain victory over the NJPW roster.

G1 CLIMAX 30 – TOURNAMENT TO DATE

  • KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi both enter with 2-2 records and four points,
  • KENTA and Tanahashi have both averaged almost exactly 16 and a half minutes to accomplish their victories during this year’s tournament, but Tanahashi’s 27:16 loss to Tetsuya Naito on the first night of B Block competition may have lingered with The Ace through the first half of the tournament. Tanahashi should be about as rested as he can be, coming off of three days off as he enters his second of main event in this year’s tournament.

G1 CLIMAX HISTORY

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 38 hours, 37 minutes, and 57 seconds of Total G1 match length is more than 10 times KENTA’s relatively small 3 hours, 35 minutes and 31 seconds.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi will have to win four of his last five matches to meet his five-year G1 points average of 12.
  • KENTA just needs to win three of his last five to improve on his 8 point performance from last year’s G1.

2020 RESULTS

  • KENTA enters this match 6-4 in singles matches on the year, he started his year with two consecutive losses: A Wrestle Kingdom loss to Hirooki Goto, losing the NEVER Openweight Championship, and a double title challenge to Tetsuya Naito at New Beginning in Osaka. He then had almost exactly six months off before rattling off five straight victories through the New Japan Cup USA and his first G1 Climax match against Hirooki Goto. Since then, he has traded wins and losses through the remainder of the first half of the tournament.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi has an uncharacteristic 3-4 singles record in 2020 coming into his match with KENTA but he has won his last two, defeating Juice Robinson and YOSHI-HASHI to score his four points in this year’s G1 Climax.

HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY

SPORT OF PRO WRESTLING PODCAST

G1 CLIMAX NIGHT TEN (OCTOBER 6) AUDIO PREVIEW

G1 CLIMAX B BLOCK MATCH

YOSHI-HASHI [2] V. Tetsuya Naito [6]

Dating all the way back to January 5th of this year, Tetsuya Naito’s last eight singles matches have been booked in the main event. Such is life as the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, but often times, the G1 Climax tournament provides a respite from those ever-challenging main events. It took a match with YOSHI-HASHI to move Tetsuya Naito one slot down the card, but that may not provide Tetsuya Naito an opportunity to relax just yet. While it may not have produced more than one result in the win column, YOSHI-HASHI has been his best self in this year’s tournament, proving to the rest of the field that he can compete in the most grueling professional wrestling tournament on the planet.

G1 CLIMAX 30 – TOURNAMENT TO DATE

  • Through four matches in this year’s G1, Tetsuya Naito’s matches have averaged 26:12. Naito’s matches against Zack Sabre Jr (2nd), Hiroshi Tanahashi (7th), and SANADA (9th) are now three of the nine longest G1 block matches to end in a decision.
  • YOSHI-HASHI has been more competitive in this year’s tournament than any other year he has participated in before. His 16:48 average match length is more than four minutes longer than the 12:40 average that he had produced in the G1 before entering this year’s tournament.

G1 CLIMAX HISTORY

  • YOSHI-HASHI is still just 9-22 in G1 Climax matches all time, but he seems to have moved out of the risk zone to meet Tomoaki Honma at the bottom of the G1 Climax all time winning percentage list.

2020 RESULTS

  • It is not easy to be the champion. Tetsuya Naito enters this match with 9 singles matches under his belt in 2020. Eight of his nine singles matches have lasted longer than 26 minutes. Every one of Naito’s singles matches this year have been longer than his 2019 average of 18:43.

HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY

  • Tetsuya Natio leads the historical series with YOSHI-HASHI 6-0, including two G1 Climax matches in 2016 and 2017. Naito and YOSHI-HASHI were both Young Lions in 2008 during their first two meetings.

G1 CLIMAX B BLOCK MATCH

Juice Robinson [6] V. EVIL [4]

In the middle of the G1 Climax block matches, we’ll see former IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion EVIL take on former United States Champion, Juice Robinson. Robinson enters this match with EVIL at 3-1 and with just one more win over his last five matches, Juice will match his previous G1 high of 8 points.

EVIL looks to improve on his 2-2 record in this year’s tournament in his third match ever against Juice Robinson. EVIL’s track record against Juice Robinson is good, he has defeated The Flamboyant One in both of their previous meetings. But, EVIL and Juice Robinson have both transformed at least once since their last meeting in 2017. Juice has come out of the gates hot in this year’s tournament, winning three of his first four matches, and only losing to the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi. EVIL has bounced between the win and loss column thus far in the tournament, most recently defeating KENTA in a battle for Bullet Club supremacy.

G1 CLIMAX 30 – TOURNAMENT TO DATE

  • Tournament to date, only 88 seconds separates EVIL and Juice Robinson in Total Match Length. Juice has been more efficient in his victories though, winning matches in just over 13 minutes, while EVIL, frequently utilizing his manager, Dick Togo, needs 16 and a half minutes to put away his opponents.

G1 CLIMAX HISTORY

2020 RESULTS

  • With 9 wins, EVIL still has the second most victories in NJPW in 2020, behind Kazuchika Okada’s 11 and tied with Jeff Cobb.

HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY

  • This will be EVIL and Juice Robinson’s first singles match outside of the storied Korakuen Hall.
  • EVIL is 2-0 against The Flamboyant Juice Robinson, with a 1-0 record in the G1.

G1 CLIMAX B BLOCK MATCH

SANADA [2] V. Zack Sabre Jr [4]

SANADA and Zack Sabre Jr. will meet in a Wrestle Kingdom 14 rematch in the second B Block match of the night. These two first met in March of 2018 in the semi-final of a New Japan Cup that Zack Sabre Jr. would go on to win. Since then, they have wrestled four more times, trading victories between G1 Climax matches (SANADA wins), and RevPro British Heavyweight Championships (Zack Sabre Jr. wins).

History and trends would suggest that SANADA is in line for a victory here, as the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship was on the line during their most recent match up, and The Cold Skull is 2-0 against ZSJ during the G1 (2018, 2019). SANADA will look for a three-peat as he attempts to leverage the momentum he created by defeating the Los Ingobernables de Japon leader, and IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, Tetsuya Naito just the other night in his hometown of Niigata. SANADA left it all in the ring three nights ago, defeating Naito in a noticeably exhausting match.

Zack Sabre Jr. enters his match with SANADA on the other end of the rest spectrum. He defeated Hirooki Goto in less than four minutes in his most recent block match and he is two matches removed from his own lengthy war with Tetsuya Naito. Zack will look to get into the G1 win column against SANADA as he attempts to stay in the heart of a wide open B-Block.

G1 CLIMAX 30 – TOURNAMENT TO DATE

  • If we remove Toru Yano matches completely, Zack Sabre Jr’s 3:59 victory over Hirooki Goto is the 19th shortest G1 match of all time. With Yano included, it moves to 37th. The last time a match that short occurred in the G1 without Toru Yano was in 2011 when Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Hideo Saito in 3 minutes and 29 seconds.

G1 CLIMAX HISTORY

  • Both Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA enter their third G1 Climax match against each other with 17 all-time G1 victories, but SANADA has suffered nine more losses than ZSJ, landing him at 17-23 for a .425 winning percentage, while Zack Sabre Jr. has only lost 14 matches, landing him with a much more palatable .548 winning percentage.
  • After his victory over Tetsuya Naito Thursday in Niigata, SANADA has now won two of the 10 longest G1 Climax block matches to have gone to a finish.

2020 RESULTS

  • SANADA’s -6:34 Win-Loss Differential is second worst in 2020, better only than Los Ingobernables De Japon faction mate BUSHI. SANADA’s poor performance here is particularly jarring because he has participated in the fourth most singles matches in NJPW this year with 12.

HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY

  • If history is any indicator, SANADA is primed to win this match. He and Zack Sabre Jr. have traded victories in their five matches against each other, beginning with their first match at the 2018 New Japan Cup all the way through their RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title match this past January at Wrestle Kingdom.
  • These two have met twice during the G1, in 2018 and 2019, both ended with SANADA victorious.

G1 CLIMAX B BLOCK MATCH

Hirooki Goto [2] Vs. Toru Yano [6]

Two of the three wrestlers who entered this year’s tournament with over 100 G1 Climax matches under their belt will open the B Block contests on the card from Hiroshima. Toru Yano looks to continue his Cinderella story and stay atop the block standings while Hirooki Goto looks to tap into what has historically driven him to success in past G1 Climax tournaments.

G1 CLIMAX 30 – TOURNAMENT TO DATE

  • If we remove Toru Yano matches completely, Hirooki Goto’s loss to Zack Sabre Jr. is the 19th shortest G1 match of all time. With Yano included, it moves to 37th. The last time a match that short occurred in the G1 without Toru Yano was in 2011 when Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Hideo Saito in 3 minutes and 29 seconds.

G1 CLIMAX HISTORY

  • The only wrestler in this year’s tournament who has participated in more G1 Climax matches than Toru Yano (114) and Hirooki Goto (106) is Hiroshi Tanahashi (146).
  • Yano is only one victory away from his G1 Climax standard of 8 points, his average over the last 10 years. Toru Yano has not deviated more than two points from his average in the past 10 years, finishing with either 6, 8, or 10 points every year.
  • Goto will have to win four his last five matches to land at his five year average of 10 points.

2020 RESULTS

HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY

  • There’s no way to tease a time limit draw through the statistics here. Over the past decade, Goto and Yano have participated in 3 of the 18 shortest G1 Block matches in history.
  • Hirooki Goto and Toru Yano have wrestled each other ten times, but it would be a little bit unfair to say that they are familiar with each other in the ring. Those ten matches have TOTALED one hour, six minutes and twenty seconds of ring time.
  • Over the last ten years, Goto and Yano have wrestled three times in the G1, totaling 5 minutes and 20 seconds. If we add in their 2008 G1 match to complete their series in the tournament, we come to a total of 17 minutes and 11 seconds over the course of four G1 Climax matches, not even two minutes longer than this year’s tournament single-match average of 15 minutes and 20 seconds.