NJPW G1 Climax Night 17: Okada & Ibushi's Epic Clash

Kazuchika Okada (12) vs. Koto Ibushi (14)

IN ONE HOUR! Rainmaker meets Golden Star as Kazuchika Okada faces Kota Ibushi in the deciding #g129 A Block match! https://t.co/1CWyr0uXkrLIVE ON @njpwworld!#g129 #njpw pic.twitter.com/xbkiXIc7q1

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) August 10, 2019

This match between the Rainmaker Okada and the Golden Star Ibushi was the most important match of the night; it would determine the winner of the A-block. Okada had the numbers on his side, but Ibushi has won several G1 Climax blocks. As the men entered, Ibushi looked almost worried. Okada seemed measured as well as he came down the ramp and fist-bumped commentator Rocky Romero. No matter if he won the tournament or not, he was already the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion; the G1 Climax determines who will challenge for that title at Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW's biggest show of the year. No matter who won the G1 Climax this year, Okada would perform at WK. Red Shoes Unno refereed.

The crowd worked itself into a lather the second the bell rang, and Ibushi looked deeply grateful. Okada was cocky, but that was nothing new. They grappled classically and led the fight into Okada's powerful leg locks. He didn't want to let Ibushi have any space.

That attitude didn't serve him for long, and Ibushi found time to soak in more of the crowd's delight. Okada quickly pushed Ibushi into the ropes and into a clean break. Unno stopped Okada from being nasty, and Ibushi came forward to honourably face Okada as a striker in the middle of the ring. Ibushi's beautiful dropkick put Okada on his knees before Ibushi, who dragged him into the corners and sidestepped Okada's dropkick, only to find himself dizzy and on his back outside of the ring.

Okada came out to deliver more pain to Ibushi with a DDT into the floor mats, and Unno had to check if Ibushi was fit to continue. Ibushi was cleared and beat the 20-count to get back in the ring. Okada waited for him and translated that moment of respite into a savage offense that included a textbook baseball sliding dropkick.

A facelock from Okada wore away at Ibushi's capacity, and Ibushi didn't have much advantage as he fought free. Ibushi whipped Okada onto his back with his legs on the Rainmaker's neck, and he drew Okada back up for a kick combination and a moonsault. Okada's shoulder pushed its way up to beat the count at 2.

Okada made his way outside of the ropes, and Ibushi flew over the ropes to smack Okada onto the ground. Ibushi began to limp a little more, and Okada got back into the ring as well as back into the groove of the match. He delivered a rough kick and another perfect DDT, and his pinfall attempt failed.

A blind mid-kick from Ibushi to Okada's bicep kept the Rainmaker's Rainmaker finisher at bay for the moment, and the men traded elbow blows to the face until Okada made Ibushi buckle with an uppercut. Okada faked Ibushi out and powerslammed him before climbing to the top rope. The flip didn't land the way Ibushi wanted as Okada's knees met Ibushi's aching abdomen.

Okada bodyslammed Ibushi but it didn't stop them from tangling on the top rope, breaking each others' grips until Ibushi made a super rana connect from that same rope. He paid Okada back for the earlier powerslam with one of the same, and the gamble went Okada's way eventually. He tossed Ibushi backward in a heavy German suplex, and they finished a combination that led to a dropkick from Okada.

Okada wanted to put his Tombstone Piledriver onto the heap of damage he'd laid on Ibushi, but an impressive reversal saw Okada's head hit hard. Ibushi dragged him up by his bleach-blond mop of hair, and he laid into him until Okada rallied. Perhaps rallied was the wrong word; they rested their shoulders on each other out of necessity until they could get to their feet.

A shotgun dropkick and a lariat that made a thunderous crack put Ibushi in the painful position of possibly winning, but Okada was more sly and flexible. He gained control of Ibushi's wrist and elbow, delivering two Rainmakers before Ibushi got a straightjacket suplex in. Okada dropkicked Ibushi and Ibushi piledrove the Rainmaker.

Ibushi went to the ropes and yelled Nakamura's YEEOH phrase, but both of his kamagoye finisher attempts failed spectacularly. A jumping knee to the face didn't fail, so his third kamagoye didn't either. A fourth put Okada away, the officials determined that his performance broke their point tie, and Ibushi became the A-Block champion.

It wasn't a quick victory, but it was an emotional journey, much like the G1 Climax itself. It's almost done, so come join me tomorrow and Monday for the B-Block and the Final to see who Ibushi will face and how the G1 comes to a close!

Results: Kota Ibushi (12/tiebreaker) def. Kazuchika Okada (12)

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See you tomorrow night!