Everything you thought you knew about G1 Climax 31’s A Block has changed. Perennial favorite, Tetsuya Naito has withdrawn from the tournament, and he has forfeited his remaining matches. Naito will finish with zero points and Zack Sabre Jr. will now be the only wrestler who actually wrestles in nine A Block matches. While ultimately disappointing, the removal of Naito opens a myriad of possibilities regarding who will rise to the top of the block and advance to the G1 Climax 31 finals out of the A Block.
In the updated block standings, accounting for the forfeits, Shingo Takagi, KENTA, Great-O-Khan, and Yujiro Takahashi all sit with four points while Zack Sabre Jr, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Tanga Loa, and Kota Ibushi all sit at two. With seven more matches on the docket for most of the block, anything can happen, but Shingo Takagi coming out of the blocks with four points and avoiding his longtime unit-mate and friendly rival, Tetsuya Naito positions him as the current favorite. Ironically, Zack Sabre Jr. has the cleanest and most honest path to the block. ZSJ also has his points for defeating Tetsuya Naito, but he earned them in a grueling 27 minute and 5 second match with Naito, ultimately injuring Naito’s knee and submitting the Tranquilo one.
The two perceived front-runners, Zack Sabre Jr. and Shingo Takagi will meet in the main event from Ota City General Gymnasium on September 23rd. Zack will look to continue running roughshod through Los Ingobernables De Japon by defeating Shingo Takagi while Shingo attempts to quickly ascend to 6 points, just one victory behind his points total of eight in his first two G1 Climax tournaments.
The semi-main event will feature two workhorses of recent G1 Climax tournaments when Kota Ibushi looks to shake his loss to Yujiro Takahashi by leveraging his historical performance against Tomohiro Ishii. Ishii is likely still recovering from his battle with Shingo Takagi on night one, but if anyone can put up a fight while recovering, it is Tomohiro Ishii.
The tournament matches on the card are rounded out with a Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club match between KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi and Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan. Dynamics in inter-unit matches are always questionable, but this will be our first visibility to traditional Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club – House of Torture, a story that may weave itself through this year’s tournament. Great-O-Khan will certainly be looking for payback on Toru Yano. O-Khan certainly hasn’t forgotten getting his hair tied to the barricade to get himself eliminated from this year’s New Japan Cup.
This, of course, isn’t the last you’ll hear from me for this year’s G1. In daily preview posts, I am dissecting each tournament matchup, including 2021 and recent singles performance, individual head-to-head histories, and miscellaneous applicable research. Round robin tournaments are great equalizers for data: each wrestler competes in the same schedule throughout the tournament by facing each other wrestler once. So, as the tournament goes on and data points become more relevant, I’ll be including some advanced metrics and probabilities for each card as well. I’ll also help to dissect the complicated tiebreakers and other tournament nuances as they come up. I’ll also be back tomorrow with a similar preview of B Block.
Of course, you can find interactive tables for NJPW’s 2021, detailed results and statistics of all 1561 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.
NJPW G1 Climax 31 Night Three (A Block)
Date: September 23, 2021
City: Tokyo
Venue: Ota City General Gymnasium
Time: 6:30pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (With Live English Commentary)
Local Time Conversions:
G1 Climax 31: A Block Results To Date
Tetsuya Naito’s Forfeits
- Shinsuke Nakamura was the last wrestler to forfeit a G1 Climax match. On July 28, 2015, Nakamura forfeited his match against Michael Elgin due to an elbow injury. Nakamura returned to the tournament after taking one match off and he went on to win his block.
- The last time a wrestler forfeited multiple G1 Climax matches was in 2013 when both Hirooki Goto and Hiroyoshi Tenzan both forfeited the last three matches of their tournaments.
- Prior to 2013, the last forfeits occurred in 2005 when Togi Makabe forfeited five G1 Climax Matches.
- There have been 1561 G1 Climax decisions rendered. Before today, 23 of those decisions were rendered via forfeit, or 1.4%.
G1 Climax 31: A Block Table
Main Event
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Shingo Takagi [4] vs. Zack Sabre Jr [2]
Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr. will wrestle in a singles match for the first time in twelve and a half years when they do battle in the main event on September 23rd. Most would think this is a first time matchup; and in the cerulean blue New Japan Pro Wrestling ring, it is. But Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr. go way back. In March of 2009, Shingo Takagi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. via submission in the semi-finals of wXw’s 16 Carat Gold tournament. Shingo would go on to win that tournament while Zack Sabre Jr. would eventually return to Germany seven years later, winning the same tournament in 2016.
Both wrestlers labored through 27+ minute victories to begin their tournaments, so it stands to reason that both will enter the second match of block competition a little less fresh, but a little more confident. Zack Sabre Jr. will carry the trophy of Tetsuya Naito’s injured knee for the remainder of the tournament, along with the point that he’ll be the only wrestler in A block who will wrestle nine tournament matches. Shingo will undoubtedly be motivated to avenge the injury to his Los Ingobernables De Japon unit-mate, but after an incredibly physical match with Tomohiro Ishii, he may need to adjust his style or strategy, especially against the creative submission specialist, Zack Sabre Jr.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Shingo Takagi has been the most dominant and the most active singles wrestler in NJPW this year. His 14 singles victories this year are the most in 2021. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Will Ospreay each have the second-most wins at 8.
- Shingo’s 7 hours, 1 minute, and 9 seconds of Singles Match Length is more than two hours longer than Hiroshi Tanahashi who is the next highest in NJPW.
- Shingo Takagi has been the toughest wrestler to defeat in NJPW this year. His 36 minute and 53 second average losing match length is the longest in NJPW. All three of Shingo Takagi’s singles losses in 2021 have surpassed the G1 Climax time limit of 30 minutes, maxing out with the second longest singles match in NJPW this year, his 44 minute and 53 second loss to Will Ospreay at Wrestling Dontaku.
- Zack Sabre Jr’s +5:59 Win/Loss Differential is seventh best in NJPW this year.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Shingo Takagi’s last singles loss occurred on May 4th, 2021 against Will Ospreay.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- Shingo Takagi’s six singles victories in the last 90 days are the most in NJPW, seven wrestlers are tied behind Shingo with three wins in the last 90 days.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Zack Sabre Jr’s 11 submission victories in NJPW in 2021 are the second highest this year.
- Only Jeff Cobb’s +41 Fall Differential is better than Shingo Takagi’s +40
Head To Head History
- Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr have faced each other once in a singles match. Shingo defeated ZSJ in the semi-finals of wXw’s 16 Carat Gold tournament in 2009. Shingo went on to win the tournament. Zack Sabre Jr would win the same tournament in 2016.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada at Ota City General Gymnasium earlier this year in the first round of the New Japan Cup.
- Shingo is 2-2 in singles matches at Ota City General Gymnasium in his career, and he is 0-1 in G1 Climax matches here.
- Zack Sabre Jr. is 1-2 in singles matches at Ota City General Gymnasium. He has lost two straight at tonight’s venue and he holds a 0-2 record in G1 Climax Matches here.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- Zack Sabre Jr’s 27 minute and 5 second victory over Tetsuya Naito was the longest singles victory in his NJPW career. His previous longest was his 27 minute and 4 second victory over Will Ospreay for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship at New Beginning in Sapporo, 2020.
- Shingo Takagi’s 27 minute and 56 second victory over Tomohiro Ishii was the eighth longest G1 Climax match to render a decision.
G1 Climax – All Time
- Shingo Takagi’s 18 minute and 58 second average G1 match length is the highest ever among wrestlers with over 10 G1 matches and is the longest among this year’s field.
- Shingo Takagi’s .818 winning percentage against this year’s A Block is the highest in this year’s tournament.
- Zack Sabre Jr is one of seven A Block wrestlers who have not defeated Shingo Takagi.
- Shingo has scored 8 points in each of his first two G1 Climax tournaments. The IWGP Heavyweight Champion has averaged 12.2 points in over the last 10 G1 tournaments.
- In the A Block, only Toru Yano (.429) and Yujiro Takahashi (.328) have lower all-time G1 Climax winning percentages than Takagi’s .444.
- With just 18 G1 Climax matches, only the tournament debuts of Great-O-Khan and Tanga Loa have less G1 Climax experience than Shingo.
- Zack Sabre Jr has averaged 10 points in his four previous G1 Climax appearances. His 10 point average is the third highest in his block, only behind Tetsuya Naito (12), and Kota Ibushi (11.6)
- Zack Sabre Jr has won 9 G1 Climax matches by submission, that is the most in this year’s tournament, and 5 more than the next highest in the A Block (KENTA-4).
Match Four
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Kota Ibushi [2] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [2]
Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii will each be seeking their first victory of G1 Climax 31 when they meet in the semi-main event from Ota Ward General Gymnasium. Ibushi enters the match on a two-match losing streak, including his shocking opening night loss to Yujiro Takahashi. Ibushi has had Ishii’s number in the G1 Climax tournament though, going 3-0 in G1 matches with The Stone Pitbull. Ibushi will look to get back on track by extending his winning streak against a familiar G1 foe.
Tomohiro Ishii may have lost is G1 Climax opener this year, but if there is such a thing as a moral victory in the G1, that was it. Ishii struggled his way to the back after his loss to Shingo Takagi the other night, missing one boot and with one hand swollen to twice his size, but if anyone can tough it out in a G1 Climax, it is Tomohiro Ishii, but it will be a feat, as always, for Ishii to continue at the same pace as his night one loss.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Kota Ibushi’s eight singles victories this year are second-most in NJPW behind Shingo Takagi.
- Only half of Ibushi’s 8 wins have occurred in the last 6 months. He had four victories between January and March of this year but was slowed down significantly recently due to his illness.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Kota Ibushi’s 15 singles victories in the last 365 days are second-most in NJPW. Only Shingo Takagi has more wins than Ibushi with 19.
- Of wrestlers with over ten singles victories in the last calendar year, Kota Ibushi is one of two with a negative Win/Loss differential (Toru Yano is the other).
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Kota Ibushi leads the all-time series with Tomohiro Ishii 3-1 and all three of his victories have come in G1 Climax tournaments. Ibushi enters his match with Ishii on a three-match winning streak.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Kota Ibushi is 2-3 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium including a 1-1 record in G1 Climax matches. Ibushi wrestled Kazuchika Okada here on March 6, 2017 as Tiger Mask W.
- Tomohiro Ishii is 3-0 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium and two of his three victories occurred during G1 Climax Tournaments. He holds victories over EVIL, Jeff Cobb, and Toru Yano here.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- Ibushi has reached the finals in his last three G1 Climax tournaments. He is the only wrestler to ever reach three consecutive finals.
- Ibushi won the last two G1 Climax tournaments, he is one of three wrestlers (Chono, Tenzan) to ever go back to back in the prestigious tournament.
- Ibushi’s .614 G1 winning percentage is the highest in A Block.
- Ibushi’s 17:08 average G1 winning match length is the highest in the A Block. Kenta’s 16:21 is the second highest.
- Kota Ibushi’s stamina and conditioning has been impressive through the last three G1 tournaments. His 2018, 2019, and 2020 tournaments are three of the six longest individual tournaments in G1 History.
- Tomohiro Ishii has averaged 8.4 points over the last five tournaments.
- Ishii’s 18 hours, 26 minutes, and 47 seconds of total G1 match length are the second highest in the A Block. Only Tetsuya Naito has more G1 ring-time than Ishii.
Match Three
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
KENTA [4] vs. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
This year’s first Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club match will see KENTA facing off with Yujiro Takahashi. Under traditional circumstances, it’d be expected that KENTA dominates this match or works out a deal with the typically inept Yujiro, but Yujiro is entering his match with KENTA a little more confident after defeating the defending G1 Climax champion clean on night one. This will be our first taste of traditional Bullet Club vs. House of Torture Bullet Club which adds some intrigue to the interaction as we start to see the old guard interact with the new sub-unit of the nefarious group.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- KENTA’s 13 singles victories in the last 365 days land him 6th in NJPW.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- KENTA is 2-0 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium. In 2019, he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi for his third straight victory to begin G1 Climax 29, and he most recently defeated Juice Robinson in the first round of this year’s New Japan Cup.
- Yujiro Takahashi is 1-1 in Ota City General Gymnasium. In 2015, Yujiro advanced in the New Japan Cup with a first round victory over YOSHI-HASHI, and in 2016, he was defeated by Toru Yano in 1 minute and 13 seconds in the first round of the New Japan Cup.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- Only KENTA, Kota Ibushi, and Shingo Takagi have a historical winning percentage against A Block opponents above .500.
- Yujiro Takahashi is one of three first time matchups for KENTA in this year’s G1 Climax.
- Before his consecutive victories over Jeff Cobb and Kota Ibushi, Yujiro Takahashi last won back-to-back G1 Climax matches in 2014 when he defeated Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima in the middle of G1 Climax 25.
- KENTA is one of four first time matchups for Yujiro Takahashi in this year’s A Block.
Match Two
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Toru Yano [2] vs. Great-O-Khan [4]
Toru Yano and his extended ring-introduction will take a new record with him into his match with Great-O-Khan. By losing to KENTA in his first match of G1 Climax 31, Toru Yano has lost more G1 Climax matches than anyone else in G1 Climax history. His 68 losses surpassed Yuji Nagata’s 67 losses, but I have my doubts regarding whether that’ll end up in the ring introduction.
Great-O-Khan will look to avenge his New Japan Cup second-round loss to Yano in an arguably higher-stakes spot as he strives to start his G1 Climax career with two consecutive victories.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- In 2021, Toru Yano has won a YTR Style Texas Strap Match, Two New Japan Cup matches, a creation of darkness blindfold match, an I quit match and a four-way match.
- Great-O-Khan’s last singles loss occurred on April 26th, 2021 when he lost to Tetsuya Naito.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- Only Shingo Takagi (6-0) has a better singles record in the last 90 days than Great-O-Khan at 3-0.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Toru Yano’s +21 Fall Differential is tied with Hiroshi Tanahashi for fourth-best this year.
Head To Head History
- Great-O-Khan looks to avenge his count-out loss to Toru Yano during the second round of this year’s New Japan Cup.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Great-O-Khan only competed in one singles match in Ota City General Gymnasium, and that was when he still went by Tomoyuki Oka. He lost to Manabu Nakanishi on March 6, 2017 at the NJPW 45th Anniversary Show.
- Toru Yano is 3-1 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium. He is 1-1 in G1 Climax matches here.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- Toru Yano enters his 16th G1 Climax, tying Masahiro Chono for the fourth-most G1 Tournaments. Only Hiroyoshi Tenzan (21), Hiroshi Tanahashi (20), and Yuji Nagata (19) have participated in more G1 tournaments than Yano.
- Over the last ten G1 Climax tournaments, Toru Yano has averaged 7.8 points per year. He has not scored less than 6 and he has not scored more than 10.
- Toru Yano’s 122 G1 Climax matches are fourth most all-time.
- Toru Yano’s 68th G1 Climax loss in his tournament opener this year made him the losingest wrestler in G1 Climax history.
- Toru Yano’s 51 G1 Climax victories are the ninth most all-time. With two wins he will surpass Togi Makabe for eighth most all-time.
- This is one of just three rematches for Great-O-Khan in this year’s A Block.
- Toru Yano has participated in 4 of the 10 shortest G1 Climax matches ever including the shortest, his 18 second loss to Hirooki Goto in last year’s tournament.
Match One
Special Singles Match
Yuji Nagata vs. Tanga Loa
Tanga Loa faced Yuji Nagata in his first ever singles match in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2017 and Nagata was victorious easily against the less-experienced Tanga Loa. In an unexpected rematch, Tanga Loa looks to celebrate his first ever G1 Climax points (via forfeit) by proving that he’s grown enough over the last four and half years to defeat Nagata.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Yuji Nagata and Tanga Loa have met once in a singles match. Nagata defeated Tanga Loa in the first round of the 2017 New Japan Cup.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Yuji Nagata is 0-2 in singles matches at Ota City General Gymnasium. He lost consecutive New Japan Cup first-round matches in 2015 and 2016.
G1 Climax – All Time
While this is not a G1 Climax match, this does serve as an opportunity to highlight Yuji Nagata’s all-time performance in the G1 Climax tournament.
- Yuji Nagata’s 138 G1 Climax matches are the second-most all time, only behind Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 152.
- Nagata is one of only two wrestlers who have surpassed 30 hours of G1 Climax match time. His 30 hours, 59 minutes, and 56 seconds are second only to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
- Yuji Nagata’s 65 G1 Climax victories are third-most all time, behind Hiroshi Tanahashi (87) and Hiroyoshi Tenzan (66)
- Toru Yano’s loss in his first G1 Climax match of this year’s tournament unseated Nagata as the person with the most G1 Climax losses.
