G1 Climax 31’s A Block heads back to the origin of the tournament as they invade EDION Arena Osaka for their seventh night of tournament action. Positively streaking Kota Ibushi will take on negatively streaking Great-O-Khan in a main event that could tie Great-O-Khan for the block lead. The semi-main event will feature IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi facing off with Tanga Loa in a match where Takagi is sure to be the heavy favorite. The third tournament match down the card will feature two wrestlers on the brink of elimination as Toru Yano and Yujiro Takahashi face off, and tournament action will begin with Zack Sabre Jr looking to extend his block-lead against KENTA.
In what is sure the most anticipated special singles match of the tournament (replacing Tetsuya Naito’s scheduled tournament matches), Hiromu Takahashi will face Tomohiro Ishii in a rematch of their New Japan Cup 2020 classic. The opener of the night will feature Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita participating in their first tag team match against El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
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.
Find interactive tables for NJPW’s 2021, detailed results and statistics of all Every G1 Climax match 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 Thirteen (A Block)
Date: October 9, 2021
City: Osaka
Venue: EDION Arena Osaka
Time: 5:00pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (With Live English Commentary)
Local Time Conversions:
G1 Climax 31: A Block Results To Date
G1 Climax 31: A Block Table
Key Tiebreakers
(Victories over wrestlers within 2 points of the block lead)
Kota Ibushi: Tomohiro Ishii (8), Shingo Takagi (8)
Tomohiro Ishii: Zack Sabre Jr (10), Great-O-Khan (8)
Toru Yano: KENTA (8)
Shingo Takagi: Ishii (8), KENTA (8)
Zack Sabre Jr: Ibushi (10), Shingo Takagi (8), Great-O-Khan (8)
Great-O-Khan: none
KENTA: Ishii (8), Great-O-Khan (8)
Tanga Loa: none
Yujiro Takahashi: Kota Ibushi (10)
Main Event
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Kota Ibushi [10] vs. Great-O-Khan [8]
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- Kota Ibushi’s 3 match winning streak ties him with Tomohiro Ishii for the longest streak running in the A Block.
- Kota Ibushi’s last four tournament average match lengths: 2020-18:13, 2019-19:33, 2018-19:48, 2017-16:49.
- Ibushi’s 15:09 average match length is over 3 minutes shorter than his 2020 average, over 4 minutes shorter than his 2019 average, and over 4 and a half minutes shorter than is 2018 average.
- Only Yujiro Takahashi has a longer losing streak running than Great-O-Khan in the A Block.
- Entering the G1 Climax tournament, Kota Ibushi’s average singles match length was 24 minutes and 24 seconds. During the tournament, Ibushi has averaged just 15:09. With a win/loss differential of just 51 seconds, Ibushi has committed (or over-committed) to his strategy of ending his matches in a shorter duration.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- On average, it has taken Kota Ibushi 1 minute and 26 seconds longer to win matches than to lose matches in 2021. That is third-worst in NJPW so far this year.
- Great-O-Khan’s 5 minute and 31 second win/loss differential is sixth-best in NJPW in 2021.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Kota Ibushi’s 17 singles wins in the last 365 days are the second most in NJPW. Only Shingo Takagi (20) has more victories in that time.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- In the last 90 days, O-Khan and Ibushi have the same win/loss record and only 7 minutes difference in Total Match Length.
- O-Khan’s +6:55 win/loss differential with an average losing match length of 20:30 and an average winning match length of 13:35 is third best in NJPW in the last 90 days.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Great-O-Khan’s 67 overall wins are the most in NJPW this year. His .807 Overall Win% is third best behind his United Empire mates, Jeff Cobb (.853) and Will Ospreay (.818)
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between Kota Ibushi and Great-O-Khan.
History in EDION Arena Osaka
- Kota Ibushi is 10-5 in singles matches in his career at EDION Arena Osaka including a 4-2 record in G1 Climax matches here. Prior to his loss to Yujiro Takahashi to begin this year’s tournament, he had won his last four G1 Climax matches here.
- Great-O-Khan is 1-1 in singles matches in EDION Arena Osaka, he lost to Kazuchika Okada at Power Struggle 2020, and he defeated Tanga Loa to begin his G1 tournament this year.
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 .625 G1 winning percentage is the highest among this year’s A Block competitors, and ninth best all-time, creeping up on Masahiro Chono, Keiji Muto, and Jay White to sneak into the top 5.
- Ibushi’s 16:54 average G1 winning match length is the second highest in the A block, only behind Shingo Takagi.
- 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. His average match length of 15:09 in this year’s tournament is over 3 minutes per match lower than his previous three tournaments’ combined average.
Individual G1 Climax Tournament Schedules
Great-O-Khan
(W) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Great-O-Khan vs. Tanga Loa
(W) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Great-O-Khan vs. Toru Yano
(W) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Great-O-Khan vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(L) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Great-O-Khan vs. Zack Sabre Jr
(L) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Great-O-Khan vs. KENTA
(L) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Great-O-Khan vs. Tomohiro Ishii
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Great-O-Khan vs. Kota Ibushi
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Great-O-Khan vs. Shingo Takagi
(W-forfeit) October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Great-O-Khan vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi
(L) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Kota Ibushi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(W) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(L) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr
(W) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
(W) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi
(W) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Kota Ibushi vs. Tanga Loa
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Kota Ibushi vs. Great-O-Khan
(W-forfeit) October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA
Match Five
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Shingo Takagi [8] vs. Tanga Loa [4]
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- Shingo should come into his match with Tanga Loa relatively fresh, his 22 minute and 17 second average match length dropped by over 3 minutes after his match 6 minute and 16 second loss to Toru Yano, which was his shortest G1 Climax match ever.
- Shingo Takagi’s shortest loss of 23:57 is the highest in the A block, the second highest in the tournament.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Shingo Takagi’s 18 singles victories are the most in NJPW this year.
- Shingo Takagi is very possibly on pace to overtake Will Ospreay’s 2019 for the most NJPW singles match length hin one modern calendar year (Ospreay had 11 hours, 21 minutes, and 35 seconds of singles match length that year. Ospreay participated in 33 singles matches that year. Shingo is at 23 right now).
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Takagi’s 21 singles victories are the most in NJPW over the last 365 days.
- Takagi’s 10 hours, 18 minutes, and 15 seconds are the most in NJPW in the last 365 days.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- Shingo, a fighting champion, is averaging one singles match every 8.18 days over the last 90.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Shingo Takagi’s +42 fall differential is second best in NJPW this year. Only Jeff Cobb’s fall differential is better than Shingo’s.
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between Shingo Takagi and Tanga Loa.
History in EDION Arena Osaka
- Tanga Loa is 0-1 in singles matches in EDION Arena Osaka, he lost to Great-O-Khan to begin this year’s tournament.
- Shingo Takagi is just 2-3 with NJPW in EDION Arena Osaka, including an 1-3 record in the G1 Climax here. His only victories here with NJPW were his NEVER Openweight Championship victory over Minoru Suzuki at Power Struggle last year and his opening night victory over Tomohiro Ishii in this year’s tournament.
G1 Climax – All Time
- Shingo’s average G1 losing match length of 20 minutes and 6 seconds is the longest all-time.
Individual G1 Climax Tournament Schedules
Shingo Takagi
(W) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(L) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr
(W-forfeit) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Shingo Takagi vs. Tetsuya Naito
(W) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Shingo Takagi vs. KENTA
(L) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi
(W) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Shingo Takagi vs. Toru Yano
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Shingo Takagi vs. Tanga Loa
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Tanga Loa
(L) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Tanga Loa vs. Great-O-Khan
(W-forfeit) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Tanga Loa vs. Tetsuya Naito
(L) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Tanga Loa vs. Toru Yano
(L) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Tanga Loa vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(W) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Tanga Loa vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(L) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Tanga Loa vs. Kota Ibushi
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Tanga Loa vs. Shingo Takagi
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Tanga Loa vs. KENTA
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Tanga Loa vs. Zack Sabre Jr
Match Four
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Toru Yano [6] vs. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Toru Yano has dominated the head-to-head series with Yujiro Takahashi. Yano leads the all-time series 5-1, including a 3-1 lead in G1 Climax matches.
- Yujiro’s 2 minute and 56 second victory over Toru Yano in G1 Climax 24 is the 22nd shortest G1 Climax match all-time.
History in EDION Arena Osaka
- Yujiro Takahashi is 4-11 in singles matches at EDION Arena Osaka including a 3-6 record in G1 Climax Matches. Yujiro began his tournament by defeating Kota Ibushi here on opening night.
- Toru Yano is 13-18 overall in EDION Arena Osaka including a 8-9 record in G1 Climax matches here.
G1 Climax – All Time
- This is Toru Yano’s 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 127 G1 Climax matches are fourth most all-time.
- Toru Yano’s 71 G1 Climax losses are the most all-time.
- Toru Yano’s 53 G1 Climax victories are the eighth most all-time.
Individual G1 Climax Tournament Schedules
Yujiro Takahashi
(W) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
(L) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Yujiro Takahashi vs. KENTA
(L) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Great-O-Khan
(W-forfeit) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
(L) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tanga Loa
(L) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Toru Yano
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi
Toru Yano
(W) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Toru Yano vs. KENTA
(L) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan
(W) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Toru Yano vs. Tanga Loa
(L)September 30, Korakuen Hall: Toru Yano vs. Kota Ibushi
(W-forfeit) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito
(L) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Toru Yano vs. Shingo Takagi
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Toru Yano vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Match Three
G1 Climax 31 A Block Match
Zack Sabre Jr [10] vs. KENTA [8]
G1 Climax 31 – Tournament To Date
- The only other wrestler to win 5 or more G1 Climax matches by submission in a single tournament was MVP in 2011 when he won six via a combination of his Irreversible Crisis and the Oyasumi (Kimura)
- Zack Sabre Jr. has labored through his victories thus far in G1 Climax 31. His Average winning match length of 20:48 is the longest in the block.
- Zack Sabre Jr. has won all five of his G1 Climax wins this year by submission.
- Shingo Takagi’s most recent submission loss prior to G1 Climax 31 occurred on July 29, 2019, against Jon Moxley
- Kota Ibushi’s most recent submission loss prior to someone other than Zack Sabre Jr. occurred on July 4, 2014, against KUSHIDA
- Tetsuya Naito’s most recent submission loss to someone other than Zack Sabre Jr. occurred on June 11, 2017, against Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Great-O-Khan’s submission to Zack Sabre Jr was his first submission loss in NJPW since returning from excursion.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Eight of Zack Sabre Jr’s 9 singles victories in 2021 have been by submission. 11 wrestlers are tied for second place in most singles match submission victories with two.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- KENTA’s 15 singles victories are third most in NJPW over the last 365 days. Only Shingo Takagi and Kota Ibushi have more wins during that time.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Zack Sabre Jr’s 14 overall submission victories this year are the most in NJPW this year. Kazuchika Okada is second with 10, though only one of those occurred during a singles match.
Head To Head History
History in EDION Arena Osaka
- Zack Sabre Jr is 5-3 in NJPW singles matches in EDION Arena Osaka, including a 4-0 record in G1 Climax matches. He began his tournament here by defeating and injuring Tetsuya Naito here.
- KENTA is 3-2 in singles matches in EDION Arena Osaka, including a 1-2 record in G1 Climax matches. He lost to Toru Yano to begin his tournament here this year.
G1 Climax – All Time
- Zack Sabre Jr’s 14 G1 Climax submission victories are fifth-most all time.
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Minoru Suzuki are the last two wrestlers to win three straight G1 Climax matches via submission, both in 2014.
- 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)
Individual G1 Climax Tournament Schedules
Zack Sabre Jr.
(W) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tetsuya Naito
(W) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Shingo Takagi
(W) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Kota Ibushi
(W) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Great-O-Khan
(L) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(W) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Yujiro Takahashi
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Zack Sabre Jr vs. KENTA
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Toru Yano
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tanga Loa
KENTA
(L) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: KENTA vs. Toru Yano
(W) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: KENTA vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(W) September 26, Kobe World Hall: KENTA vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(L) September 30, Korakuen Hall: KENTA vs. Shingo Takagi
(L) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: KENTA vs. Great-O-Khan
(W-forfeit) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: KENTA vs. Tetsuya Naito
October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: KENTA vs. Tanga Loa
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi
Match Two
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
History In EDION Arena Osaka
- Tomohiro Ishii is 13-8 in singles matches at EDION Arena Osaka, including a 4 match losing streak dating back to Power Struggle 2019.
- Hiromu Takahashi is 1-5 in singles matches at EDION Arena Osaka, including a 2 match losing streak.
Individual G1 Climax Tournament Schedule
Tomohiro Ishii
(L) September 18, EDION Arena Osaka: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
(L) September 23, Ota City General Gymnasium: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi
(L) September 26, Kobe World Hall: Tomohiro Ishii vs. KENTA
(W) September 30, Korakuen Hall: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tanga Loa
(W) October 3, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr
(W) October 7, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Great-O-Khan
(W-forfeit) October 9, EDION Arena Osaka: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito
October 13, Xebio Arena Sendai: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi
October 18, Yokohama Budokan: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano
Match One
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa
Recent History – 2021 Team
Recent History – Last 365 Days Team
