Kazuchika Okada Wins NJPW G1 Climax 31 Tournament After Kota Ibushi Suffers An Injury

An unfortunate ending to the NJPW G1 Climax 31 tournament. 

Kazuchika won the G1 Climax 31 tournament, defeating Kota Ibushi in the finals. Unfortunately, there was no pinfall or submission victory for Okada as the bout was stopped after Ibushi suffered an injury following a missed Phoenix Splash. 

Ibushi landed hard on the mat and was clutching his arm/wrist after the miss. The referee stopped the bout and Ibushi was immediately attended to by officials. Okada also made his way over to Ibushi to check on him. 

NJPW announcer Kevin Kelly believed Ibushi suffered a dislocated shoulder as it appeared officials popped his shoulder back into place. Ibushi wanted to keep going, but Okada and NJPW medical staff wouldn’t allowed it, with Okada saying they would do it again. 

Ibushi made his way to the back as Okada was presented with the trophy. After the presentation, Okada addressed the crowd and said this was not the ending he wanted and was willing to face Ibushi again. He would also take his victory with pride and looks forward to challenging for the title at the Tokyo Dome. 

In the backstage presentation, Tama Tonga stepped to Okada and challenged Okada for the briefcase as he was the only man to defeat Okada during the tournament. 

Ibushi made it to the G1 Finals by defeating KENTA in the final bout of the A Block while Okada got past Jeff Cobb in B Block. 

As a result of his victory, Okada will challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 16 if he can keep hold of the briefcase until then. However, during his backstage press conference, Okada referenced going after the IWGP Heavyweight Title, not the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, which is currently held by Shingo Takagi. This marks Okada’s third G1 Climax tournament win and first since 2014. 

You can find results from NJPW G1 Climax 31 finals by clicking here.