10 Best Wrestling Pay-Per-Views Of 2019 (So Far)

4. NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

Cody Dustin Rhodes
NJPW/ROH

Like a delicious if stodgy plate of food with one gross element - that element being sous-chef Bully Ray's over-long gristle - G1 Supercard was the night on which Ring Of Honor died, but New Japan Pro Wrestling tore it up at the wake.

Joining WCW and TNA in a dubious club, LOLROH reformed a salacious, old TNA stable in a workrate promotion and debuted Enzo Amore and Big Cass (in, and it wasn't credited enough, an inspired angle with shoot precedent). Even the best pure ROH match on the card - an ultimately brutal Three Way Ladder war - was deeply inelegant, amateurish almost, in its transparent set-up.

But New Japan killed it in front of a boisterous, bang-up-for-it crowd of fly-in hardcores in the most gorgeous, big-time setting.

Jay White nope-spotted the Rainmaker in a great Okada main event that substituted character for overt danger without compromising drama. White lost the IWGP Heavyweight Title, but gained several new admirers in another mature, rich performance. Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi wrestled a super-heated, world-class big match; Hiroshi Tanahashi's arm bent to ungodly angles in his technical mini-masterclass opposite Zack Sabre, Jr.; Junior Heavyweights Bandido, Dragon Lee and Taiji Ishimori assembled a brain-busting, lung-bursting 100mph sprint.

And, when ROH and NJPW collaborated, PCO and Will Ospreay endangered themselves for our ghoulish thrill. The action was eclectic, momentous, and of the highest quality, even if it sprawled.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!