The early portion of the match-up saw some back-and-forth action between both men, as Ibushi used his devastating strikes to take down Tanahashi, and the 2018 G1 Climax winner slowed down the pace by targeting Ibushi's leg before locking in a Texas cloverleaf.
Ibushi would get out of the submission eventually, but Tanahashi would continue his attack on the leg for the next several minutes. The former IC Champion countered in a big way, as Ibushi nailed a super hurracarana that got him a nearfall.
Ibushi had a brief moment of dominance until both men exchanged strikes in the middle of the ring. Ibushi gets the better of the exchange and continues to out wrestle Tanahashi, scoring several good nearfalls along the way. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion gets the advantage with multiple Twist N’ Shouts, and then connected with a sling blade for a nearfall of his own.
A short time later, Tanahashi would attempt a High Fly Flow, but Ibushi moved out of the way. The latter would eventually connect with the Kamigoye and get the three count. Kota Ibushi’s G1 Climax score is now 5-2 (10 points), whereas Hiroshi Tanahashi's record is now 4-3 (8 points).