NJPW G1 Climax 2018, Week 4: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
Brilliance from Ishii and Omega; buffoonery from Tonga and Fale.
Week four presented the G1 Climax 28 at its most testing, for the audience and the performers.
This is when the action typically starts to slow down. By Sunday, each participant had wrestled seven or eight singles matches in quick succession (plus undercard tags). Fatigue and injuries inevitably take a toll, particularly among veterans like Togi Makabe (45 years old) and Hiroshi Tanahashi (41), for whom self-preservation becomes a major priority. Coupled with the Firing Squad's contrived sports entertainment !*$%, this leaves long portions of certain shows feeling like a slog.
But the magic is still very much alive, and this week yielded an instant classic that stands not only as the G1's finest so far, but a clear Match Of The Year contender.
Regardless, expect things to pick up when the competition resumes on Wednesday. We still have Kota Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada, and a host of other potential bangers to look forward to. The G1's closing week is going to be tremendous, even though the Tongan blight shows no signs of clearing.
Let's run through the past four nights of action.
NOTE: Michael Hamflett returns to his regular role next week.
20. Hirooki Goto Vs. Tama Tonga (4 August)
Rating: DUD
Tama Tonga, the most cringe-worthy wrestler in the world, hit rock bottom in an awful match epitomising everything wrong with the ongoing Firing Squad angle. Interference, a referee bump, a terrible Tanga Loa pre-match promo: mark all three off on your bingo cards.
These bouts would be fine if the action leading up to the shenanigans was delivering. It isn't, though. Instead, Tonga is continually exposing himself as a bland, unengaging worker before the inevitable. His character is toe-curlingly bad, particularly when he opens his mouth, and while his Gun Stun finisher always looks good, it's the only part of his arsenal that does.
'The Bad Boy' is, in the words of Jim Cornette, "a preliminary f*cking wrestler," and he has been badly exposed in this G1.