10 Best Matches From The NJPW G1 Climax 2018

7. Kenny Omega Vs Tetsuya Naito (15 July)

Kenny Omega Tomohiro Ishii
NJPW

Rating: *****

The 'Best Bout Machine' took just one match to live up to his moniker in the 2018 G1 Climax, stealing an incredible opening salvo from B Block in another spellbinding clash with fellow 2017 finalist Tetsuya Naito - their third tournament classic in as many years.

As the last two winners of a competition that has only grown in prestige with the company itself, Naito and Omega perhaps best represented the cross-pacific appeal of the organisation at present, babyfacing each other by the end of an exhilarating final third. It foreshadowed incredible tournaments for both, with Naito in particular using his maiden outing as a reminder of exactly how he'd navigated his way back to the Wrestle Kingdom main event earlier this year in the first place.

Ultimatly, The LIJ leader was left looking at the lights via Omega's unbeatable One Winged Angel, but both men shone Sirius-bright like the international stars they are.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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