G1 Climax 30, Night 5 Preview

September 17, 2020
By: Lou Pickney

Here is a preview of the fifth night of G1 Climax 30, the annual two-block round-robin heavyweight tournament in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In recent years, the G1 has featured a flurry of ultra high-end matches.

The star ratings are from highly respected journalist Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON). The number next to it is the cagematch.net (CM) score for the match as of last check before publication.

IMPORTANT: A subscription to the New Japan World streaming service (¥999/month) is required to watch the linked videos.

G1 Climax 30, Night 5 (A Block)
September 27, 2020 — Kobe, Japan

1. Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada

White leads the series 2-1. White is 1-0 against Okada in the G1.

Previous singles matches

1. White: July 14, 2018 — Tokyo (Ota City Gymnasium)
2017 G1 Climax 27
WON: **** & CM: 7.75

2. White: January 4, 2019 — Tokyo Dome
Wrestle Kingdom 13
WON: ****1/2 & CM: 7.91

3. Okada: April 6, 2019 — New York City, USA (Madison Square Garden)
ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard
WON: ****3/4 & CM: 8.57

2. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay

This is the rematch from their lone previous single meeting, an instant classic in last year's BOSJ tournament final. If you've never watched that BOSJ match, you really must do so. It's spectacular.

Previous singles match

1. Ospreay: June 5, 2019 — Tokyo (Ryogoku Sumo Hall)
Best of the Super Juniors 26 Final
WON: *****3/4 & CM: 9.64
2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Match of the Year

3) Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Two of the very best in New Japan meet again. This is an absolutely loaded show.

Previous singles matches

1. Ishii: May 25, 2014 — Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
NJPW Back to Yokohama Arena
WON: ****3/4 & CM: 9.36

2. Ibushi: July 23, 2017 — Tokyo (Machida Gymnasium)
G1 Climax 27
WON: ****1/2 & CM: 8.81

3. Ibushi: July 28, 2018 — Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
G1 Climax 28
WON: ****3/4 & CM: 9.56
Lou's Note: This match was penalized a quarter-star in the Wrestling Observer for being too dangerous.

4) Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki

Cobb and Minoru have only had one match before, at a RevPro show in New Orleans over WrestleMania 34 weekend. I saw it in person and it was great fun.

Because of a commission rule in the state of Louisiana, piledrivers were legit banned (unless you're WWE) and Minoru had to find another way to win without the Gotch-style piledriver.

Previous singles match

1. Suzuki: April 6, 2018 — New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
RevPro WrestleCon 2018
WON: N/A & CM: N/A

5) Taichi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

This will be their first-ever singles match.

MORE:

G1 Climax 30, Night 1 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 2 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 3 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 4 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 5 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 6 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 7 Preview
G1 Climax 30, Night 8 Preview

See any mistakes, omissions, or needed corrections? Please let me know: @LouPickney