5 Most improved performers of the G1 Climax 31
The G1 Climax 31 is finishing up, with the end-of-the-block competition and the Finals this week. The 20 participants have been fighting hard to win their opportunity to headline the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 16. The main eventers have been in top form, but it was the lower card stars who have seen improvement over the past month.
When the lineup for the G1 Climax 31 was announced, there was much trepidation among the New Japan Pro Wrestling fans. With stars such as the "real" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, and "Switchblade" Jay White in the United States, a bevy of lower card performers and new stars got their opportunity in the tournament.
G1 Climax 31 A Block ahead of the final night
Points
Ibushi, KENTA, ZSJ & Shingo all at 12
Matches
Ibushi vs KENTA
ZSJ vs Tanga Loa
Shingo vs Yujiro
Tie breakers
ZSJ has wins over Ibushi & Shingo
KENTA has a win over ZSJ
Ibushi has a win over Shingo
Shingo has a win over KENTA https://t.co/1dx0wLmQXh
Monday will mark the A-Block Finals, while Wednesday will be the B Block Finals. The winners of each block will meet on Thursday in the Finals. It's been a wild ride coming into this final week of competition. In this article, let's take a look at the five most improved performers in the G1 Climax 31.
5) Taichi – G1 Climax 31
G1 CLIMAX 31 is 7⃣ DAYS AWAY!
IWGP Tag Team Champion Taichi is set to show the world just how threatening a singles competitor he is.
Will Tama Tonga throw a wrench in dangerous plans?
B block run down, key matches:
njpw1972.com/104104
#njpw #g131 https://t.co/GwLYBOGG8H
The B Block of the G1 Climax 31 was considered by many to be the weaker of the two blocks. It was top-heavy talent-wise with Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Jeff Cobb. The bottom half didn't have the headliners that were on the A Block.
Taichi is one-half of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with Zack Sabre Jr. as the Dangerous Tekkers. The Suzuki-Gun member has had exceptional singles encounters over the past few years, but the G1 Climax 31 has shown him to be someone who can step up in high-profile contests.
Taichi has had some good matches and a pair of great bouts considered by many fans to be show-stealers. Taichi and Jeff Cobb were 2-1 in favor of Taichi in the past three meetings, including a NEVER Openweight Title change in the past. Their clash on Night 10 of the G1 Climax 31 was hard-hitting and a seesaw battle with Cobb hitting the Tour of the Islands for the win.
Night 12 of the G1 Climax 31 was headlined by Kazuchika Okada facing Taichi. The two men have plenty of history coming into NJPW. Head-to-head, this has been a one-sided feud, but Taichi pulled out the victory on many occasions here. Okada hit the Rainmaker to defeat Taichi, finishing a wonderfully brilliant encounter.