'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
1) Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 31 Night 1
Trending
Tomohiro Ishii has long been known as the G1 Climax MVP every single year. His style of wrestling lends itself to success under the format of this tournament. Ishii's sudden bursts of intensity and hard-hitting action produced banger after banger every single tournament.
During the last two G1 Climax tournaments, Tomohiro Ishii and Shingo Takagi have delivered brilliant, violent contests that steal the show and are among the best matches of the year. They have an amazing chemistry with one another in these physically intense battles that are usually about stiff strikes and big moves.
Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE
The G1 Climax 31 Night 1 main event started out as furious as ever with the two men coming out like two battering rams. They kicked things off with a crazy pace, running right into each other with shoulder blocks and forearms. Shingo scored the first takedown and led to a fight on the floor with Ishii hitting a powerslam on the outside.
Neither competitor had a long advantage with the action going back and forth. It became a battle of "anything you can do, I can do better". They traded suplexes, which both men did not sell. Shingo hit a huge superplex for a nearfall, which Ishii responded with one of his own on a second attempt after dropping him on the first.
Shingo and Ishii traded forearm strikes, which ended with Takagi hitting the Made In Japan for a close nearfall. Shingo then hit a short clothesline to the back of the neck, but Ishii hit a German suplex to answer. Takagi immediately popped up and hit a lariat for a two count that got the fans in attendance even louder here at the G1 Climax 31 Night 1.
Ishii reversed the Last of the Dragon into a crucifix bomb for a nearfall. They both came at each other with stiff lariats. Ishii scored with a powerbomb and a lariat for two nearfalls. Shingo eventually blocked the vertical drop brainbuster into a dragon suplex. He followed with the Pumping Bomber for an awesome nearfall.
The two men traded headbutts with less than three minutes to go in the 30-minute time limit. Shingo blocked a forearm shot by Ishii and finally hit the Last of the Dragon to win this G1 Climax 31 Night 1 main event. It was an outstanding encounter that gave this year's tournament a standard that no one else could meet. That's why Shingo vs. Ishii was the best G1 Climax 31 match.
