NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Finals Results – Oct. 21, 2021 – Ibushi vs. Okada

Oct 21, 2021

October 21, 2021
Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan
English Commentary – Kevin Kelly & Chris Charlton
Results via Ethan Renner of F4WOnline.com

Quick Match Results

Pre-show: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado defeated Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa via Boston Crab (submission 8:40)
Yuji Nagata & Toru Yano defeated United Empire via NU2 (pinfall 8:29)
SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL defeated YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto via Everything Is Evil (pinfall 11:20)
Chase Owens, Guerillas of Destiny, & KENTA defeated Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Hiroshi Tanahashi via Package Driver (pinfall 10:41)
UWF Rules 5-Minute Time Limit match – Shibata drew Zack Sabre Jr. via Time Limit Draw (5:00)
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi defeated Master Wato, Rysuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan via Pumping Bomber (pinfall 12:17)
G1 Climax 2021 Finals – Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi via Ref Stoppage (25:37)

Pre-show
Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado

This was your standard Young Lion tag. Very similar to last night, only Oiwa sold most of the way and made a hot tag to Fujita.

Desperado and Oiwa traded headlocks. Desperado cut Oiwa off. Kanemaru tagged in and continued working Oiwa over. Oiwa came back with a vertical suplex and made the hot tag.

Fujita got a crab applied to Kanemaru, but Kanemaru forced a break. Desperado held Oiwa at bay while Kanemaru used a crab to submit Fujita.

Winner: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado via Submission.

Yuji Nagata & Toru Yano vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)

This was an okay opener with a lot of comedy.

O-Khan and Yano have an on and off blood feud going, so they began here. Yano exposed a buckle. Empire turned it into a brawl around ringside and took control of the bout.

O-Khan and Cobb worked on Yano. Yano used a hair pull on Cobb to break free and tag out. Nagata hit Cobb with some signature offense. Cobb answered with a dropkick and tagged out.

Nagata blocked an iron claw and hit an exploder on O-Khan. Yano tagged back in as they worked towards the finish. Yano and O-Khan traded throws. Cobb and Nagata brawled to the outside.

Yano hit a low blow and cradled O-Khan to steal the pin.

Winner: Yuji Nagata & Toru Yano via Pinfall.

YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL

Not good. House of Torture is exactly that.

SHO produced a CHAOS flag and stomped on it. We got a brawling start with all six guys in. Goto ended up cut off and his taped right shoulder was worked on.

Ishii tagged in and did some cool reversal spots with Yujiro and Yujiro kept accidentally hitting EVIL on the apron. Ishii was then cut off.

Ishii made a hot tag to YH. YH got some offense, but then the Dick Togo show began. Togo interfered. Togo jumped in the ring. Togo used his ligature. The ref got bumped.

SHO cracked YH with a chair, EVIL hit Everything is EVIL, the ref was revived and EVIL pinned YH.

Winner: SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL via Pinfall.

Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chase Owens, Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga), & KENTA

The match was good, all action. The post-match was the story, as KENTA attacked Tanahashi and stole the IWGP US title. KENTA and Owens briefly argued as to who was going to challenge Tanahashi next. Owens relented and said he’s going back to America and KENTA can have the first shot.

The babyface side got the early shine, as Makabe and Loa started off. Tonga and Honma tagged in and Honma was cut off until hitting a vertical suplex. Tiger got a tag and ran wild. He hit KENTA with a Tiger driver for a near fall.

Tiger was then cut off. They built to a Tanahashi hot tag. He hit KENTA with a dragon screw and a somersault senton for a near fall. Tana missed with a slingblade and KENTA rolled him up for two. KENTA used a schoolboy for another near fall.

Owens blind-tagged in and hit a lariat on Tana for a two count. Tana blocked a package driver with twist and shout and tagged Honma.

Honma hit kokeshi, but Bullet Club jumped in to cut him off. Owens used a package piledriver to pin Honma.

Winner: Chase Owens, Guerillas of Destiny, & KENTA via Pinfall.

Zack Sabre Jr. entered after intermission.

Katsuyori Shibata then entered.

A five minute UWF rules exhibition match was announced. Shibata was forced to retire after suffering a subdural hematoma in a match with Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis in April 2017. He has been serving as the head coach at NJPW’s LA Dojo since 2018.

UWF Rules 5-Minute Time Limit Match
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shibata

Shibata looked great, but he didn’t really take any bumps.

They had a grappling battle. Shibata used a figure four, Sabre reversed it. Sabre got a heel hook, Shibata reversed it. They traded neck ties. Sabre used a side headlock. Shibata reversed into a sleeper.

Sabre had a cobra twist applied. Shibata reversed it and had the hold applied as time expired.

Winner: None.

Shibata cut a promo and said that the next time you see him in the ring, it will be in a match.

Master Wato, Rysuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi

A very good match. Again, this was all action.

Hiromu and Taguchi started off with some comedy. They ran the ropes. Taguchi ran in place while Hiromu blew himself up. Tenzan and Kojima doubled up on Hiromu with tandem offense. Wato tagged in, but LIJ went four-on-one to cut him off.

LIJ took turns in working over Wato. Wato blocked a suplex from SANADA and tagged Kojima. Kojima hit SANADA and Hiromu with machine gun chops. SANADA missed a standing moonsault. They traded strikes. BUSHI tagged in for a missile dropkick and a double down.

Tenzan tagged in and worked on BUSHI to set up the closing stretch. BUSHI was caught in the Anaconda Vice, but Tenzan gave up the hold. BUSHI hit a dropkick and tagged Shingo.

Shingo hit a DVD for a near fall. He teased a Pumping Bomber, but Wato intercepted with a springboard forearm. Everyone jumped in for a big move and fought to the floor, leaving Shingo and Tenzan in the ring.

Shingo hit a superplex and a Pumping Bomber to pin Tenzan.

Winner: BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi via Pinfall.

G1 Climax 2021 Finals
Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada

They were on their way to having a classic, but Ibushi injured himself missing a phoenix splash. This will be memorable, but unfortunately for the wrong reason.

They started slowly, trading headlocks. They traded tentative strikes. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault off a mid kick.

Business picked up after they brawled to the outside. Ibushi blocked a whip into the barricade and hit a half-and-half suplex on the floor. He threw Okada back inside and hit a springboard dropkick.

Okada sent Ibushi out to the floor with a dropkick, then hit a DDT on the ramp. Okada threw Ibushi back in and hit a shotgun dropkick. Okada used the Money Clip. Okada gave up the hold and hit a picture-perfect dropkick.

Okada went back to the Money Clip. As Ibushi fought to the ropes, Okada hit a backbreaker. He applied the hold again, but Ibushi forced a break. Okada hit a top rope elbow. Ibushi ducked under a Rainmaker. Okada ducked a kick. Ibushi hit a lariat.

They traded strikes. Ibushi hit a snap rana and a top rope Asai moonsault to the ramp. Back in, Ibushi hit a last ride for a near fall. Ibushi went for Kamigoye, but Okada turtled up. Okada used a backslide to set up a Rainmaker, but Ibushi ducked it. Ibushi hit a high kick, a v-trigger and a Kamigoye, but Okada kicked out.

Okada reversed a Kamigoye attempt into a cradle for a near fall. Okada avoided a v-trigger. Ibushi hit a lariat. Ibushi went for a phoenix splash, but Okada rolled out of the way.

Ibushi landed awkwardly on the phoenix splash. Red Shoes checked on Ibushi and called for the stoppage.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada via Ref Stoppage to become the winner of the G1 Climax 31 tournament.

They spent several minutes working on Ibushi in the ring as medical staff came in. They appeared to be trying to pop his shoulder back in.

I watched the spot about a dozen times. It appeared that Ibushi landed on his knees, but he had so much force on the landing that even still, his right arm hit the mat and caused the injury.

Okada cut a promo. He put himself over, put over Ibushi and said his focus is on the Tokyo Dome.

Confetti fell and Okada posed with the G1 flag and trophy.