NJPW G1 Climax 2019 BLOCK FINALS & GRAND FINAL (Aug 10, 11 & 12): Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Tetsuya Naito Vs. Jay White

Kota Ibushi Jay White
NJPW

You could be forgiven for thinking that the B Block final featuring Tetsuya Naito and Jay White was a WWE main event that had seeped into the New Japan Pro Wrestling orbit after reading views on booking that yet again sidelined the Los Ingobernables de Japon leader from a Tokyo Dome main event.

The booking of the G1 Climax had saved Naito's chase for the latest possible surge. Like White's own journey after a horrific start, he'd lost too many matches to f*ck up again, and managed to make this final stage by the grace of some much-needed fire rather than the 'Tranquilo' that first took him to the top.

A slew of indifferent matches were constantly justified by the underpinning reality that he'd win the whole thing, but 'Switchblade' had other ideas. Getting away with the usual Gedo bullsh*t but ultimately doing it by himself when it counted, White survived another exhausting finishing stretch to nail the favourite with his 'Blade Runner' then turned the heat way up in his post-match promo.

"Get that piece of sh*t out of here...did your hero fail you again?" soundtrack the caustic and callous ending to Naito's 2019 G1. Where he goes from here remains unclear, but it was none of Jay White's concern.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett