While the A Block reels and readjusts their strategies after Tetsuya Naito withdrew from the tournament, the B Block carries on under more traditional circumstances with their second night of block action on Friday from Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. The Main Event will feature perennial front-runner Kazuchika Okada looking to move to four points as he faces EVIL in a clash of styles. The semi-main event will feature the two wrestlers in B Block with the best winning percentages in 2021 as SANADA and Taichi regenerate their feud that has previously surrounded the IWGP Tag Team championships.
The third match on the card will see Jeff Cobb attempt to leverage the relative ease of his early-tournament schedule when he faces off with YOSHI-HASHI and the second match on the night will be the second Bullet Club derby of this year’s tournament when Tama Tonga steps into the ring with G1 first-timer Chase Owens.
And the night will begin with the two most experienced G1 Climax competitors in the B Block facing off. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto, each with over 110 G1 Climax matches under their belts will meet in the tournament for their fifth G1 Climax encounter. It seems a little questionable that Tanahashi and Goto are the first match on the card, but as they both enter the night’s action with 0 points, there shouldn’t be any major complaints as they both do their best to get on the board.
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 1566 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 Four (B Block)
Date: September 24, 2021
City: Tokyo
Venue: Ota City General Gymnasium
Time: 6:30pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (With Live English Commentary)
Local Time Conversions:
G1 Climax 31: B Block Results To Date
G1 Climax 31: B Block Table
Main Event
G1 Climax 31 B Block Match
Kazuchika Okada [2] vs. EVIL [2]
Kazuchika Okada looks like more like the man who held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for 720 days between 2016 and 2018 than the man who introduced the Money Clip submission as his finisher during last year’s G1, and that bodes well for The Rainmaker’s chances against EVIL in Ota City. Historically, EVIL has taken Okada to his limits, with four of their seven matches lasting longer than 27 minutes, but he has only defeated The Rainmaker twice in seven attempts. Okada looked seasoned and ready during his 29 minute and 36 second victory over Hiroshi Tanahashi to begin the tournament, but over the last 15 months, EVIL and his House Of Torture handyman, Dick Togo have built up a strategy that can’t be ignored. Okada is intimately familiar with the tactics of the torturous EVIL and Togo, having lost the New Japan Cup finals last summer in the match that featured Dick Togo’s first official appearance.
Okada has already shaken that monkey off his back with his victory at Castle Attack, but he’ll need to continue fighting EVIL off like the pest that he’s become if he’s going to finally reach another G1 Climax final.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- EVIL’s .400 winning percentage this year is the third lowest among this year’s B Block competitors.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Kazuchika Okada’s 14 singles wins in the last 365 days are third-most in NJPW.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Kazuchika Okada leads the all-time singles series with EVIL 5-2 and Okada leads the G1 Climax series 2-1.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Kazuchika Okada is just 4-3 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium with a 1-1 record in G1 Climax matches.
- Okada’s last match here was his first round loss to Shingo Takagi in this year’s New Japan Cup.
- EVIL is just 1-2 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium with a 1-1 record in G1 Climax matches.
- Most recently, EVIL defeated Kota Ibushi here in his second match of G1 Climax 29.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- Kazuchika Okada’s 29 minute and 36 second victory over Hiroshi Tanahashi was the third-longest G1 Climax match ever to render a decision.
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is Kazuchika Okada’s 10th consecutive G1 and his 10th overall.
- Kazuchika Okada won the G1 Climax tournament in 2012 and 2014 and he has not appeared in a G1 Final
- Okada only has one first-time matchup in this year’s B Block (Chase Owens).
- Okada has defeated every wrestler in the B block that is not a first-time match for him.
- Kazuchika Okada has been the IWGP Heavyweight Champion during five of the last eight G1 Climax tournaments.
- This year marks the first time that Kazuchika Okada has participated in consecutive G1 Climax tournaments without the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
- Kazuchika Okada holds the highest average points over the last five years of G1 competition at 12.6. He has not reached the finals during that time.
- Only Masahiro Chono (1994-2002) and Hiroshi Tanahashi (2007-2015) have won multiple tournaments at longer intervals than what would be Okada’s seven-year drought if he were to win this year’s tournament.
- Only Kenny Omega (.690) and AJ Styles (.737) hold better all-time G1 Climax winning percentages than Kazuchika Okada (.679)
- Okada’s 57 G1 Climax wins are seventh-most all-time, and fourth-most among this year’s field. If he keeps his typical pace, Okada has a very good chance of surpassing Naito and Goto for second all-time (Tanahashi-87, Naito-60, Goto-59).
- Between 2014 and 2015, Kazuchika Okada won nine-straight G1 Climax matches, a streak that was finally broken by Hirooki Goto.
- Between 2018 and 2019, Kazuchika Okada went 13 straight G1 Climax matches without suffering a loss, though Tanahashi and Okada did go to a Time Limit Draw to end the 2018 tournament. This streak was finally broken when SANADA defeated Okada in the longest G1 Climax block match to render a decision.
- This is EVIL’s 6th consecutive G1 entry and 6th overall.
- EVIL has averaged 10 points through his first 5 G1 tournaments. That is third highest among B Block competitors (Okada, Tanahashi)
- YOSHI-HASHI is the only wrestler in the B Block that EVIL has a winning record against historically.
- EVIL matched his career-high with 12 points during last year’s G1 Climax.
- EVIL has defeated the IWGP Heavyweight Champion twice during the G1. In 2017, EVIL defeated Kazuchika Okada. In 2020, EVIL defeated Tetsuya Naito.
Match Four
G1 Climax 31 B Block Match
SANADA [2] vs. Taichi [2]
SANADA and Taichi also strive to reach four points in the night’s semi-main event. In their previous two singles meetings, SANADA has won with flash pins as opposed to something more definitive so it stands to reason that Taichi will have his trademark confidence that he can outwit and defeat SANADA, especially after he was the pinfall victor over SANADA in their most recent Tag Team Championship match. Both wrestlers looked supremely confident in their opening matches of the tournament, and these two prideful wrestlers will certainly enter their match in Ota City brimming with optimism that they’ll be the one moving on with four points.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- SANADA and Taichi hold the top two singles winning percentages this year among the B Block field at .727 and .714.
- Of B Block competitors, it has been the longest since SANADA lost a singles match at 190 days. His last lost in a singles match in the New Japan Cup quarter finals on March 18th of this year. Since losing to Will Ospreay in the New Japan Cup quarter finals, SANADA is 3-0-1.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- SANADA’s 14 singles victories in the last 365 days is the third most in NJPW over that period.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Both wrestlers have been heating up over the last six months. Taichi, at 5-1, has singles victories over Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito and Tama Tonga in that time. SANADA carries victories over Tama Tonga and Taichi and he had a double-pin draw with Zack Sabre Jr.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- SANADA’s 27 hours, 21 minutes, and 41 seconds of Total Overall Match Length this year is the highest in NJPW. His 98 matches are also the most in NJPW this year.
Head To Head History
- SANADA is one of four G1 Climax B Block wrestlers who Taichi has not defeated in a singles match.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- SANADA is 1-3 all time at Ota City General Gymnasium with an 0-2 record in G1 Climax matches.
- SANADA enters his match with Taichi on a two-match losing streak at Ota City, he lost to Hirooki Goto in G1 Climax 28, and he lost to Will Ospreay in G1 Climax 29.
- Taichi is 0-3 all time at Ota City General Gymnasium with an 0-1 record in G1 Climax matches.
- Taichi has lost to Jon Moxley (G1 Climax 29), Tetsuya Naito (NJPW 46th Anniversary Show), and Taiji Ishimori (GHC Junior Heavyweight Title Match at NOAH Destiny 2015)
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is SANADA’s 6th G1 Climax entry and his 6th overall.
- SANADA has first-time matches with Jeff Cobb and Chase Owens during this year’s tournament.
- SANADA reached the finals for the first time in last year’s tournament, ultimately losing to Kota Ibushi in the final match.
- SANADA has averaged 8.8 points in his first five G1 tournaments, topping out at 12 points during last year’s tournament.
- SANADA and Kazuchika Okada participated in the longest G1 Climax match to ever render a decision when SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada in 29 minutes and 47 seconds during G1 Climax 29.
- This is Taichi’s 3rd consecutive G1 and 3rd overall.
- Taichi has ended both of his first two G1 tournaments with 8 points.
- Among B Block competitors, Taichi is still looking for his first singles victory over Kazuchika Okada, SANADA, Chase Owens, and EVIL.
- Taichi is one of four B Block competitors with a historical winning percentage against his block opponents of .500 or above.
Match Three
G1 Climax 31 B Block Match
YOSHI-HASHI [0] vs. Jeff Cobb [2]
Jeff Cobb and YOSHI-HASHI will face off in a first time singles match. Both wrestlers have dominated Tag Team divisions, and each is arguably the largest star of their standard team or duo, but they’re both on the outside, looking in on singles success. The first half of Jeff Cobb’s tournament would suggest that he is primed to make a run to the finals with his first matches against Chase Owens, YOSHI-HASHI, the fading Hirooki Goto, and the tag team specialist Tama Tonga. The back half of Cobb’s block competition is loaded with the tournament favorites, so he will benefit from continued focus and winning the matches he should, like this one against YOSHI-HASHI.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Over the last six months, both wrestlers are 2-2.
- Cobb’s losses are to Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada. His wins are against Kazuchika Okada and Chase Owens.
- YOSHI-HASHI’s victories are against Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Yota Tsuji. His losses are against KENTA and EVIL.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Jeff Cobb’s +41 Fall Differential is the best in NJPW this year. Cobb has just six losing falls this year, four of which occurred in singles matches. His 47 winning falls are the most in NJPW this year.
- YOSHI-HASHI’s 22 hours, 18 minutes, and 54 seconds of total 2021 match length is sixth highest in NJPW this year.
Head To Head History
- This is YOSHI-HASHI’s only first-time matchup in this year’s G1 Climax.
- Jeff Cobb has four first time matchups in this year’s G1 Climax, including YOSHI-HASHI.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Jeff Cobb is 0-1 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium. He lost to Tomohiro Ishii in 18 minutes and 33 seconds during G1 Climax 29.
- YOSHI-HASHI is 0-4 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium including an 0-1 record in G1 Climax matches. He has not wrestled here since G1 Climax 28 in 2018.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is Jeff Cobb’s 3rd consecutive G1 and his 3rd overall.
- Cobb has ended both of his previous G1 Climax tournaments with 8 points.
- Jeff Cobb’s 4 hours, 1 minutes and 20 seconds of Total G1 Climax match length is the lowest among B Block competitors who are not making their G1 Climax debut.
- This is YOSHI-HASHI’s 5th G1 entry, his second consecutive.
- Among this year’s B-Block competitors, YOSHI-HASHI has only defeated SANADA, Chase Owens, and EVIL. His .100 winning percentage against B Block competitors is the worst in the tournament.
- YOSHI-HASHI has the third-worst all-time G1 Climax winning percentage among wrestlers with over 20 G1 Climax matches. Only Tomoaki Honma and Wataru Inoue are worse.
- YOSHI-HASHI is still seeking his first singles victory over six of his nine G1 Climax B Block competitors.
Match Two
G1 Climax 31 B Block Match
Tama Tonga [0] vs. Chase Owens [0]
So far, so good for Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club matches in this year’s tournament. There were minimal shenanigans when KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi met in the A Block, so we can all hope for the same from the B Block. After their motivated performances on the first night of block competition, an honorable fight between two of the more driven members of Bullet Club seems to be a likely scenario. It stands to reason that Chase Owens will stay motivated until he gets the first two G1 Climax points of his career, but Tama Tonga’s high effort performance against SANADA in his first G1 match in three years proves that he’ll be no “easy out” through this year’s tournament.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Chase Owens’ negative 7 minute and 13 second Win/Loss Differential is the worst in NJPW this year. Chase takes a long time to accomplish his victories and he loses quickly.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Tama Tonga’s last singles victory occurred against ACH on December 11th, 2020 on NJPW Strong.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between Tama Tonga and Chase Owens.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Tama Tonga is 2-0 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium. He has wins here in the 2016 New Japan Cup and the 2018 G1 Climax.
- This will be Chase Owens’ first singles match in Ota City General Gymnasium.
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is Chase Owens first G1 Climax tournament.
- Seven of Owens’ nine G1 Climax block matches will be first-time matchups.
- Chase Owens is seeking his first singles victory against every single member of the B Block.
- This is Tama Tonga’s fourth G1 Climax entry, and his first since 2018.
- Tama Tonga has two first-time singles matches in this year’s B Block (Chase Owens & Jeff Cobb)
- Tama Tonga is seeking his first singles victory against five of the nine competitors in B Block.
- Tama Tonga’s 10 minute and 43 second average G1 match length is the lowest among this year’s B Block wrestlers.
Match One
G1 Climax 31 B Block Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi [0] vs. Hirooki Goto [0]
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto will continue their 17 year battle as they face off in the first match of block action from Ota City. Though Tanahashi has defeated Goto 10 times in 13 matches, Goto holds the high ground via his victory over Tanahashi in last year’s G1 Climax tournament. Hirooki Goto has never lost in Ota City General Gymnasium, coming in with a 4-0 record in the building while Hiroshi Tanahashi only has one career victory here. All signs point to what could be perceived as a Goto upset, but you can never count The Ace out as he attempts to record his record 88th G1 Climax victory.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Only Shingo Takagi, Kota Ibushi and Toru Yano have more singles wins in 2021 than Hiroshi Tanahashi.
- It has taken a long time to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi this year. His 31 minute and 29 second average losing match length is second highest this year among wrestlers with more than one loss.
- Hirooki Goto’s .333 winning % this year is the second lowest among this year’s B Block competitors.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s average singles match length of 23 minutes and 53 seconds this year is the highest among the B Block field.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Only three wrestlers have wrestled in more singles matches over the last year than Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 21: Shingo Takagi (27), Tetsuya Naito (26), and Kota Ibushi (24).
- Tanahashi’s 7 hours, 24 minutes, and 23 seconds of singles match length over the last 365 days is third longest in NJPW, only 14 minutes behind Kota Ibushi for second.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Hirooki Goto last won a singles match on March 5 when he defeated Taichi in the first round of this year’s New Japan Cup.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Hirooki Goto’s 22 hours, 48 minutes, and 54 seconds of total match length in 2021 is fifth highest in NJPW this year.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 87 matches in 2021 are seventh most in NJPW this year.
- Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi are both in the top 10 of NJPW with 45 and 46 overall victories, respectively.
Head To Head History
- Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto have been wrestling in singles matches since July of 2004. Tanahashi leads the all-time series 10-2-1. Their last four matches occurred during G1 Climax tournaments with Tanahashi leading the G1 series 3-1.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi has more victories over Hirooki Goto than he does over anyone else in the B Block, more than doubling his total four victories over YOSHI-HASHI.
History in Ota City General Gymnasium
- Hiroshi Tanahashi is just 1-3 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium including a 1-1 record in G1 Climax matches.
- He has lost to Toru Yano and Bad Luck Fale in the New Japan Cup, and KENTA in G1 Climax 29. He defeated Minoru Suzuki during G1 Climax 28.
- Hirooki Goto is 4-0 in singles matches in Ota City General Gymnasium including a 2-0 record in G1 Climax matches.
- Goto has defeated Jay White (G1 Climax 29), SANADA (G1 Climax 28), and Yuji Nagata twice (New Japan Cup 2015 & 2016)
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 29 minute and 36 second loss to Kazuchika Okada was the third-longest G1 Climax match ever to render a decision.
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is Hirooki Goto’s 14th consecutive G1 and 14th overall.
- Hirooki Goto has been to two G1 Climax finals, winning his first (2008) and losing the other (2016).
- Goto is one of four B Block competitors with a historical winning percentage against his block opponents over .500.
- Goto has averaged 9.2 points per year over the last five tournaments.
- Hirooki Goto boasts the third-most G1 Climax victories among this year’s G1 Climax competitors. Only Hiroshi Tanahashi (87) and Tetsuya Naito (60) have more G1 wins than Goto. With Naito surrendering all of the matches in this year’s tournament, Goto will very likely surpass him to regain second place on the all-time list.
- Goto has the second-most G1 Climax losses among this year’s field with 52.
- Hirooki Goto’s 111 all-time G1 Climax matches are the sixth-most all-time. During this year’s tournament, Goto will pass Togi Makabe for fifth.
- This is Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 20th consecutive G1 and his 20th overall.
- Tanahashi’s 20th G1 ties him with Yuji Nagata for second-most G1 Climax tournaments. Hiroyoshi Tenzan holds the record with 21 tournaments.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 152 G1 Climax matches are the most all-time. Toru Yano, at 123 matches, has the next most among this year’s G1 participants.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 40 hours, 45 minutes, and 40 seconds of total G1 Climax match time is the highest all time, and nearly ten hours longer than Yuji Nagata (30:59:56), who has amassed the second most G1 match length.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 11 point average over the last five tournaments is the second-highest average points per tournament, only behind Kazuchika Okada’s 12.6.
- Tanahashi is one of three three-time G1 Climax winners (Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan)
- Tanahashi has reached six G1 Finals, tied for the most all-time with Masahiro Chono.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 7 time limit draws in G1 competition are by far the most all-time. Kazuchika Okada’s 4 are second-most among competitors active in this year’s G1.
- Tanahashi has lost eight G1 matches by submission, most of this year’s competitors and third-most all time.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi has two first time matches in this year’s B Block (Jeff Cobb & Chase Owens)
- Tanahashi is one of four B Block competitors with a historical winning percentage against his block opponents over .500.
