10 Best Wrestling Matches Of The Week (July 22)
2. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Naomichi Marufuji - NJPW G1 Climax - 18/7/16
Was it a shock? It must be, the IWGP Heavyweight Champion losing so decisively on the opening night of the G1 Climax to an outsider, it has to be considered a shock. At the same time, nobody was surprised with the performance put in by Naomichi Marufuji, the ace of NOAH who was once one of the best in the world. What was surprising here was how one-sided this was.
In many ways, Naomichi Marufuji wrestled the perfect match here, taking Kazuchika Okada apart in a brutally methodical fashion, leaving no space, no room, not a sniff of hope for the possibly over-confident champion. Okada tried and tried to hit the Rainmaker, but Marufuji had damaged the champ's arm a little too much.
A superkick, a jumping knee and an Emerald Flowshion later, Okada was down for the three. It may have been a shock, but not to Marufuji. He responded to the three in a sort of 'what did you expect?' manner, a man who knew how good he is and wanted to remind people.