In arguably the biggest upset in the G1 Climax thus far, Toru Yano defeated IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito.
The Los Ingobernables de Japon leader is no stranger to the G1 Climax, as the 37-year-old has previously won the 2013 and 2017 tournaments; however, those wins never translated to victories at the Tokyo Dome as Naito lost to Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship both times.
Naito’s momentum is rolling high since recapturing the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Kota Ibushi back at Dominion, but Yano shocked the New Japan star by catching him in a roll-up to get the three count.
Naito never took the former IWGP Tag Team Champion seriously throughout the match and Yano did what he does best, entertaining the fans with his comedy antics. Naito’s misjudgment got the best of him and now, the IWGP Intercontinental Champion starts off the tournament on the losing end.
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