G1 Climax 30 Night 15 Results: Okada vs Ishii in a banger
We are on the closing stretch of the G1 Climax 30. While the B Block standings are pretty much in the air, the A Block standings became clearer heading into the final block competition night. After a show of the year candidate on Night 13, this evening was headlined by a battle of CHAOS members.
The main event was Tomohiro Ishii meeting Kazuchika Okada. We also saw two of the best heels in NJPW with Suzuki-gun's Minoru Suzuki facing Switchblade Jay White of the Bullet Club. The other A Block matches saw Shingo Takagi battling Taichi, Kota Ibushi against Yujiro Takahashi and Will Ospreay versus Jeff Cobb.
We had a socially-distanced, limited-capacity crowd in Hamamatsu. This crowd had to be responsive to match the level of the Osaka crowd from Night 13. Our A Block standings heading into G1 Climax Night 15 were:
- Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay (5-2)
- Jeff Cobb, Minoru Suzuki, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi (3-4)
- Yujiro Takahashi (0-7)
For this evening, your "Matches To Watch" are:
- Jeff Cobb vs. Will Ospreay
- Minoru Suzuki vs. Jay White
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii
The fans in Hamamatsu were treated to another battle of the Young Lions to kick off the action.
G1 Climax 30 Night 15: Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura
Our opening contest was a rematch from G1 Climax 30 Night 12 with Gabriel Kidd facing Yuya Uemura. These two men, along with Yota Tsuji, all have four wins in the "unofficial" C Block between these New Japan dojo trainees during this tour.
We got our usual grappling start to this G1 Climax 30 encounter. Kidd took advantage, bringing Uemura to the ground. Uemura gained the upper hand by getting wrist control and working over the arm. Kidd regained the advantage and hit a dropkick for a two count.
In the end, Kidd tried the butterfly suplex. However, Uemura reversed and got the armbar. He quickly transitioned into a double underhook suplex with a bridge for the win in eight and a half minutes.
Yuya Uemura is the first to five wins in the C Block of the G1 Climax 30. This was a solid encounter once again. The two men worked well and executed everything at the right time. With three nights remaining, it will be interesting to see who has the most wins out of the three Young Lions.
Results: Yuya Uemura defeats Gabriel Kidd via pinfall
Star Rating: ***