NJPW G1 Climax Night 3 (July 14, 2019): KENTA makes his mark

Kota Ibushi (0) vs. EVIL (0)

G1 CLIMAX 29 大田区大会！第8試合Aブロック公式戦、@ibushi_kota VS @151012EVIL！両者ともにフルスロットル！どちらも譲らぬ激しい攻防！果たして最後までリングに立っているのはどちらだ!?登録＆視聴▷https://t.co/XKHy3UQncl#njpw #njpwworld #G1Climax #G129 pic.twitter.com/czJ3iTRnWN

— njpwworld (@njpwworld) July 14, 2019

EVIL’s entrance will not ever stop being intimidating but the Golden Star Kota Ibushi’s simple entrance reminded everyone who the good guy was. He was fighting with a slighting injured ankle, and EVIL focused on that after the men traded a slew of elbow strikes to the jaws and necks.

Red Shoes Unno was the referee, and his spirited sense of justice spiced up this already high-stakes match. EVIL’s ankle lock kept Ibushi in pain. Ibushi broke the hold and the crowd rallied behind him as he absorbed strike after strike to the chest and neck.

A dropkick changed the tide but not for long. Ibushi’s ankle injury limited his strong arsenal of kicks. EVIL still found the mat after EVIL failed to complete his finisher and Ibushi delivered a moonsault. EVIL completed a stunning superplex from the top rope and hit Ibushi with a lariat.

Ibushi gave EVIL a German suplex, and he received one as well before both men fell to each others’ running clotheslines. EVIL went back to Ibushi’s angle, and Unno had to get involved in separating the men once Ibushi found the bottom rope.

EVIL shoved Referee Unno into Ibushi, disrupting the flow of the match, and picked out of a rallying pin attempt at the 2-count. EVIL’s scorpion deadlock wasn’t enough to keep Ibushi from the bottom rope again, but his stamina was low after applying the hold.

Ibushi prepared his finisher with one knee bared. but EVIL didn’t stay down for the count. Ibushi bared the other knee and traded blows until Evil’s combination of finishers, Darkness Falls and Everything is Evil, ended the onslaught.

Result: EVIL (2) def. Kota Ibushi (0) via pinfall