Kota Iibushi (38), who ranked first in block A, defeated SANADA (32), who ranked first in block B, and became the third consecutive G1 champion in history, after Masahiro Chono and Hirokichi Amayama.

At the end of the game, SANADA’s attack triggered a series of pinches, and in the end, Kamigoe, who is good at it, fired in quick succession. At 35 minutes and 12 seconds, the longest in the history of the G1 final, he won with a single shrimp. He won the right to challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome Tournament in January next year, and vowed to his fans that he would be crowned for the first time.

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Iibushi hugged the trophy received from “G1 Man” Chono to his chest with both hands, and raised the championship flag with an unsure step. The first final for the third consecutive year. Chono and Tianshan won the championship consecutively, “I will not run away, I will not lose, I will not give up. And I will not betray. My body is in bad shape, but I am very happy.” I put more effort into the repeated words and tasted victory.

35 minutes 12 seconds. It was the longest deadly battle in the history of the G1 final. I was attacked by my injured left leg and suffered from SANADA’s speed. At the end of the game, when Kamigoe was returned by TKO, he received a rounded body pressure on his back and reached a 3 count scene at O’Connor Bridge (foot compaction with back rotation). Even so, if I managed to avoid this pinch, the situation was reversed with a knee kick from a high kick. In the end, he stabbed two fires Kamigoe in his face and decided the game.

The skill was tested again, and the way forward became clear. Last year, he won the G1 title, but failed to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the biggest game of the year, the “Tokyo Dome Tournament”. Iibushi, who had another chance, expressed his strong desire to “maintain this tension and connect it to the Tokyo Dome. I want to exchange this G1 for an IWGP heavy-class belt as soon as possible.”[Masashi Okuyama]