10 LIVE Observations From The NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

1. How To Take Over

Kazuchika Okada
Twitter (JayWhiteNZ)

Look, right, I promise I am 1) Not making this up and 2) not flexing.

But, after the show, and to my shame I've forgotten the man's name, a lovely Scottish fan of mine introduced himself. We had a nice chat in which we each took it in turns to rave about the quality of the show. This chap hadn't followed the product, but on the strength of the buzz, being in town, he decided to go ahead. He's purchasing a New Japan World subscription as soon as he lands.

Whatculture.com's Simon Gallagher, sat in a separate area, texted me in the immediate aftermath of the Cobb/Ospreay opener to let me know he prefers New Japan to casual WWE fandom.

As wrestling fans do on 'Mania Weekend, a cockney guy in a t-shirt struck up a conversion with me. A fan of Will Ospreay's UK stuff primarily, he's headed to Royal Quest on the strength of the show. It was thought New Japan had cutely capitalised on there being every western fan in one city. Could they have booked MSG outside of 'Mania Weekend?

Inconclusive - but they d*mn sure made new fans on the strength of what, by some distance, was the best live wrestling show I've ever seen.

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!