We don’t have much time for pleasantries, as NJPW’s G1 Climax 31 Final Night begins in under 7 hours. The only match of true consequence on the card is the main event, the G1 Climax Final Match between A Block winner, Kota Ibushi and B Block Winner, Kazuchika Okada. Below is the full match card, the block results, and my exhaustive notes for the final match.
NJPW G1 Climax 31 – Final
Date: October 21, 2021
Venue: Nippon Budokan
City: Tokyo
Time: 6:00pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (With Live English Commentary)
Local Time Conversions:
Match Card
Main Event, G1 Climax Final Match: Kota Ibushi [A] vs. Kazuchika Okada [B]
Match Four: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima vs. BUSHI , Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, Shingo Takagi
Match Three: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma vs. Chase Owens, KENTA, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa
Match Two: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi
Match One: Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano, Yuji Nagata
Match 0: Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru
G1 Climax 31: A Block Results
G1 Climax 31: A Block Table
G1 Climax 31: B Block Results
G1 Climax 31: B Block Table
G1 Climax 31: Miscellaneous Tournament Statistics
- At 17 minutes and 11 seconds, this year’s tournament featured the longest average match length ever, surpassing last year’s tournament by 1 minute and 28 seconds.
- In Total Match Length, this will likely be the second-longest G1 of all-time. The Final match would need to be 41 minutes and 43 seconds, over 6 minutes longer than last year’s final to be the longest. This year’s field accomplished this with eight fewer matches.
Main Event
G1 Climax 31 Final Match
Kota Ibushi [A] vs. Kazuchika Okada [B]
G1 Climax 31 Tournament Statistics
- Kazuchika Okada has already broken the record for the longest G1 Climax of all-time. At 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 42 seconds, he has surpassed Tetsuya Naito’s 2020 tournament (3:27:41) by just over 5 minutes. With the benefit of the final match, Kazuchika Okada may be the first wrestler to ever wrestle in a G1 Climax tournament with over four hours of total match length.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 23 minute and 38 second average match length is the highest in G1 Climax history.
- Kota Ibushi’s 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds of total match length is the lowest of any wrestler entering a G1 Climax Final since 2016, when both Kenny Omega and Hirooki Goto had shorter tournaments. Of course, this is the first time since 2012 that wrestlers completed a tournament with less than 9 matches each.
- Kazuchika Okada now holds the record for the most points scored in a single 20 wrestler G1 Climax Tournament at 16. The previous record was held Hiroshi Tanahashi who scored 15 points in 2018. Kazuchika Okada, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura all scored 16 points in 2014 when the tournament featured 11 wrestlers per block.
- The last five G1 Climax finals have averaged 32 minutes and 31 seconds. Kota Ibushi hasn’t wrestled in a singles match over 32 minutes since last year’s G1 Climax final against SANADA (35:12). Kazuchika Okada has done so twice this year (Ospreay, Wrestle Kingdom & Takagi, Dominion)
- 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.
- Kota Ibushi enters the final riding a five match winning streak, the longest in the tournament. To end the 2019 tournament and begin the 2020 tournament, Kota Ibushi won 9 G1 Climax matches in a row, including the 2019 final.
- Kazuchika Okada has been to two G1 Climax Finals (2012, 2014), he won them both.
- This will be Kota Ibushi’s fourth consecutive G1 Climax Final. Prior to Ibushi, no wrestler had even been in three consecutive.
- Ibushi is one of three wrestlers to win two G1 Climax tournaments in a row. (Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan)
- Kota Ibushi is one of five wrestlers to end the tournament with a negative Win/Loss Differential (average win minus average loss), Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi, and Tama Tonga are the other four.
- Kota Ibushi’s last four tournament average match lengths: 2020-18:13, 2019-19:33, 2018-19:48, 2017-16:49.
- Ibushi’s 17:11 average match length is 1 minute and 2 seconds shorter than his 2020 average, over 2 minutes shorter than his 2019 average, and over 2 and a half minutes longer than his 2018 average.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Kota Ibushi’s 16 singles victories are the second most in NJPW this year.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 14 singles victories are third most in NJPW this year.
- Kota Ibushi’s .800 winning percentage is second-best in NJPW this year, only behind Will Ospreay’s .889 (8-1).
- Kazuchika Okada’s 6 hours, 50 minutes, and 39 seconds of total singles match length is the third most in NJPW this year, behind Shingo Takagi’s nearly 10 hours, and 7 minutes behind Hiroshi Tanahashi. Kota Ibushi’s 6 hours, 36 minutes and 25 seconds are fourth most so far this year.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 22:49 average singles match length is the highest among wrestlers with 10 or more matches in NJPW this year.
- Only Shingo Takagi has been tougher to defeat in NJPW this year than Kazuchika Okada. Okada’s 28:06 average losing match length is second-highest in NJPW.
- Kota Ibushi’s -1:16 Win/Loss Differential (average win minus average loss) is one of the worst in NJPW this year. Okada’s +6:48 is one of the best in NJPW this year.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles
- Kota Ibushi’s 16 victories in the last 365 days are second most in NJPW over that time frame.
- Kazuchika Okada’s .789 winning percentage is the highest in NJPW in the last 365 days among wrestlers with over 10 singles matches.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- At 11-3, Ibushi and Okada hold the same win/loss record in the last 6 months, but it has taken Kazuchika Okada nearly two hours longer to accomplish the feat.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- In the last 90 days, Kazuchika Okada has been the best singles wrestler in NJPW. His 10-2 record, .833 winning percentage, and 10 victories are all best in NJPW.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
History in Nippon Budokan
- Kazuchika Okada finally got his first singles victory in Budokan when he defeated Jeff Cobb on the final night of B Block competition. Okada is now 1-1-1 in Budokan, including his 2019 G1 Climax loss to Kota Ibushi
- Kota Ibushi is 5-1 all-time in Budokan Hall, including a 3-1 record in G1 Climax matches here. Ibushi’s only loss at Budokan occurred against Hiroshi Tanahashi in the final match of the 2018 G1 Climax Tournament.
Head To Head History
- Depending on how you count Kota Ibushi’s time as Tiger Mask W, Kazuchika Okada holds either a 4-2 or 3-2 all-time record over Ibushi.
- Ibushi seems to hold the advantage in G1 Climax matches though. Ibushi has defeated Okada in the last two tournaments, once in Nippon Budokan, and holds the 2-0 G1 head to head record.
- Since 2017, Kazuchika Okada has won the two longest matches against Ibushi, Ibushi has won the two shortest.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 39 minute and 16 second victory over Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 14 is the third longest victory in his career.
G1 Climax – All Time
- Okada’s 64 all-time G1 victories are fourth all-time. A win in the final will tie Okada with Yuji Nagata at 65.
- Kazuchika Okada’s .696 all-time G1 winning percentage is second best all-time among wrestlers who have participated in 10 or more G1 Climax matches. AJ Styles leads with the best all-time record and a winning percentage at .737 in 19 matches.
- Okada’s 27:27:37 of Total G1 Match Length is fourth highest all-time.
- Kazuchika Okada won the G1 Climax tournament in 2012 and 2014 and he has not appeared in a G1 Final since.
- 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. Before this year, he had not reached the finals since 2014
- 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.
- Ibushi has reached the finals in four straight G1 Climax Tournaments.
- 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.
- During this year’s tournament, Kota Ibushi has surpassed Masahiro Chono for the 8th best all-time G1 winning percentage. Ibushi’s winning percentage sits at .636, surpassing Chono at .630.
Undercard Stats & Info
Match Zero
Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Recent History – 2021 Team
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Match One
Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano & Yuji Nagata
Recent History – 2021 Team
Recent History – Last 365 Days Team
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan are tied atop NJPW this year with 67 wins a piece.
- Cobb’s +47 fall differential is the best in NJPW this year.
- Toru Yano’s +24 Fall Differential is fourth best in NJPW this year.
Match Two
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs.
EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi
Recent History – 2021 Team
- EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi have never teamed with SHO, but EVIL and Yujiro do have some history as a tag team together.
Recent History – Last 365 Days Team
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI are an incredible 27-1 all-time as a 3 man team and they have won 20 matches in a row. Their only trios loss came on August 10th, 2019, against the Suzuki-gun team of Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
- During their 20 match winning streak, YOSHI-HASHI has 9 winning falls, Goto has 7, and Ishii has 4.
Match Three
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs.
Chase Owens, KENTA, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Tomoaki Honma’s -36 fall differential is worst in NJPW this year.
Match Four
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Satoshi Kojima vs.
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Shingo Takagi
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- This Particular Los Ingobernables De Japon foursome has never teamed together
- SANADA’s 106 total matches are the most in NJPW this year.
- SANADA’s 29 hours, 59 minutes and 3 seconds of Overall Total Match Length is the highest in NJPW this year.
- Shingo Takagi’s 65 overall victories are second most in NJPW this year.
