The match-up began with some chain wrestling between the two New Japan stars, until Zack Sabre Jr got the advantage thanks to his submission game.
The bout would see ZSJ work on various body parts of the IWGP Intercontinental Champion with different submissions until the England native heavily worked over the leg of Ibushi.
Ibushi would fight back with his devastating strikes and then connected with a powerbomb that resulted in a strong near fall. It wouldn’t take long for ZSJ to regain the advantage by locking in another leg submission; however, Ibushi eventually fought out of the maneuver and connected with a head kick and a running knee strike that almost resulted in another loss for ZSJ.
In the end, Ibushi nailed the Kamigoye and got the three count. Kota Ibushi’s G1 Climax score is 6-2 (12 points), whereas Zack Sabre Jr’s record is 3-5 (6 points).