G1 Climax 30, Night 7 Preview

September 18, 2020
By: Lou Pickney

Here is a preview of the seventh 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 7 (A Block)
September 30, 2020 — Tokyo (Korakuen Hall)

1. Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii

This match should be outstanding. Shingo is 2-0 against Ishii in singles matches, including a victory over Ishii in last year's G1.

Previous singles matches

1. Shingo: August 8, 2019 — Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
G1 Climax 29
WON: *****1/2 & CM: 9.48

2. Shingo: February 20, 2020 — Tokyo (Korakuen Hall)
New Japan Road
WON: ****1/2 & CM: 8.89

2) Jay White vs. Will Ospreay

White and Ospreay are 1-1 in previous singles matches, though White's loss happened while he was on excursion in the pre-Switchblade era. This will be their first time facing off in a G1 match.

Previous singles matches

1. Ospreay: May 12, 2017 — New York City (Hammerstein Ballroom)
ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds
WON: ****1/2 & CM: 8.73
FREE MATCH (Ring of Honor official YouTube page)

2. White: March 6, 2019 — Tokyo (Ota City Gymnasium)
NJPW 47th Anniversary show
WON: ****3/4 & CM: 8.75

3) Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi

Okada leads the series 1-0 thanks to a win in February of this year. This will be their first meeting in the G1.

Previous singles match

1. Okada: February 2, 2020 — Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
New Beginning in Sapporo
WON: ****1/4 & CM: 8.29

4) Jeff Cobb vs. Kota Ibushi

Remarkably, this will be the first-ever time for Cobb and Ibushi to be in a match together of any kind. Despite the size difference, these are two gifted wrestlers who should work together well.

5) Minoru Suzuki vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Minoru leads the series 3-0, with all three singles wins having taken place in the G1. But this will also be their first singles match in more than six years.

Previous singles matches

1. Minoru: August 1, 2012 — Tokyo (Korakuen Hall)
G1 Climax 22
WON: N/A & CM: N/A

2. Minoru: August 7, 2013 — Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
G1 Climax 23
WON: N/A & CM: N/A
This match is not currently available on New Japan World

3. Minoru: July 28, 2014 — Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
G1 Climax 24
WON: N/A & CM: N/A

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