10 Best Matches From The NJPW G1 Climax 2018
1. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (10 August)
Rating: *****
Hiroshi Tanahashi's 8-1-1 record following his emotional G1 Climax victory was rightfully touted by Kevin Kelly as the reason he was exactly where he deserved to be, all sentiment aside.
The loss - an advert mostly for Jay White's early-tournament sh*thousery - was an outlier, as was this lone draw that closed A Block out in a the grandest possible fashion.
Their second match in 2018 brought the collective win-loss-draw record against one another to a tantalising 5-4-3, with this G1 semi-final neatly articulated by Chris Charlton as a battle between two icons fighting to regain supremacy, rather than celebrate it. 30 more minutes of these two was the gift it was always destined to be, and not even the last time they'll wage war this year if the ultimate babyface 'Ace' gets his wish of defending his Wrestle Kingdom title shot against the frazzled 'Rainmaker' before January 4th.
Considering everything New Japan Pro Wrestling has offered in 2018, a trilogy between these two was by far the most unexpected delight, but their A Block finale serving as such a masterpiece was no surprise at all.