Top 5 G1 Climax 30 Opening Weekend Matches

Top 5 G1 Climax 30 Opening Weekend Matches

Even though we are only a few days into New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax, the tournament is already heating up.

The first two days of action were jam-packed with twenty participants in two different blocks fighting for those much needed first two points. There were ‘Match of the Year’ candidates, upsets and a lot of hard-hitting action.

Here are the top five matches from the first two nights of the G1 Climax 30.


5. EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

There’s something about a heel v heel match that is just exciting for fans. This matchup between EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr. was no exception. Over the years, the two have had their fair share of battles. This has consisted of verbal taunts from ZSJ which included calling EVIL a pumpkin spice latte.

However, because of all of EVIL’s antics, Zack Sabre Jr. cemented himself a the babyface of this match. It was bizarre, but the crowd loved it. With wrestlers as different as these two, we had some nice contrasts of styles throughout mixing strength and submission skills. The match seemed effortless as the two flew across the ring.

Unfortunately, with Dick Togo by EVIL’s side, everything seemed to go against Zack. It was essentially a classic Bullet Club two on one handicap match while Red Shoes Unno’s back was turned. Luckily, as someone not averse to breaking the rules, ZSJ knew what to do to counter this. It was a matter of doing what he did best and that is wrestling.

In the end, the Vegan Hydra got the better of EVIL with his European Clutch. The applause of the crowds echoed through the arena because it was the lesser of two evils. Pun intended.


4. SANADA vs. Toru Yano

It is no secret that Chaos’s Toru Yano is a master of the G1 causing spoilers left, right and centre. Yet, you wouldn’t have been able to predict that something so brilliant would come so early. In his match against SANADA, fans were treated to a classic Yano G1 match which had people laughing from the minute the bell rang.

Referee Marty Asami seemed to have put a stop to Yano’s antics after discovering rolls of tape concealed in his ring gear. After this blow, Yano went to his second weapon; the trusted turnbuckle. However, SANADA also seemed to be aware of his shenanigans trying his hardest to counter the sneaky style.

It did feel like a lot of this match occurred outside of the ring. At one point, Yano almost lost via count-out when he tried to lure SANADA out of the ring. Then SANADA put Yano in a Paradise Lock outside which was rudely broken by Yuya Uemura. After trying to give Uemura some payback, Yano went to work wrapping the two together with tape to get the count-out victory again.

It was another classic Yano match won with the help of some tape.


3. Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada

In a rematch from this year’s Wrestle Kingdom, the first night’s main event saw the Rainmaker vs. the Golden Star. Both had something to prove with Ibushi having lost their Wrestle Kingdom bout and Okada in a floundering state on the mid-card.

Luckily, all of this motivation just meant that their match was even more spectacular with non-stop action throughout. There were high-flying, high-risk and high-speed moves executed by two charismatic and handsome men. Also, like many Okada matches, we continued to see this new side of the Rainmaker emphasising not only his athleticism but ground-offence. Factoring those together with Ibushi’s striking skills, this match had a bit of everything with so many different shades making it even more exciting to watch.

It felt like a condensed version of their match from January with a whole lot at stake and more action than humanly possible. Their rivalry is far from over.

4 years ago by Sonal Lad

@Wrestling_Chat

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