10 Best Matches From The NJPW G1 Climax 2018

6. Kota Ibushi Vs. Tomohiro Ishii (28 July)

Kenny Omega Tomohiro Ishii
NJPW

Rating: *****

Tomohiro Ishii's fight to the near-death with Hirooki Goto shortly before his battle with 'The Golden Star' was clearly not an outlier - the 'Stone Pitbull' came close to the brink yet again in an incredible effort against Kota Ibushi, with the eventual finalist taking to the skies in yet another reminder of what he had in his locker when time came for his B Block finale against Kenny Omega.

Ishi'll be fondly remembered yet again for his summer exploits, with his eventual IWGP Heavyweight Title clash with Bullet Club's leader later this year likely to trigger reminders of his exceptional efforts.

Meanwhile, if Omega is as good as he claims to currently be, is it only down to the teaching of Ibushi? Balcony moonsaults, high dropkicks, chops to the throat and the most dramatic one-count kick out (itself a luxurious callback) of 2018 fed into an attritional war that will sit atop many match-of-the-tournament lists. And nearly did this one.

Ibushi didn't just challenge his Golden Lover for B Block supremacy - he tacitly threatened the very legacy of the 'Best Bout Machine’.

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