10 G1 Climax 27 Matches That You Need To See
9. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Yuji Nagata (23/7/2017)
Yuji Nagata picked up one win in this year’s G1, and yet, to many, he was the MVP. Having announced before the tournament started that this was to be his final appearance in it, he was out there to prove he still had what it took and that he could still keep up with the younger wrestlers.
In this one, he was going up against the former Ace who in a rare moment was booed by the Japanese crowd. Luckily, Tanahashi is a smart man and he slipped seamlessly into the heel role, disrespecting the elder statesman as he slapped him around. That only served to fire Nagata up, though, and he came roaring back desperate to get the victory.
Ultimately, he’d fail and Tanahashi would win despite his injured arm. However, if anyone had any doubts about whether Nagata could still go in the ring, this match put an end to them. He went out there against one of the best wrestlers in the world and quite frankly it would be disrespectful to say he held his own, he was his equal. Nagata was the heart and soul of this tournament and this match shows it.