10 Things I Learned From The 2016 NJPW G1 Climax

4. Fight Forever! Fight Forever!

Kenny Omega NJPW G1 Climax
NJPW.co.jp

The newest cool chant in wrestling sees the throngs in attendance implore the two individuals in combat to 'fight forever', a desire to see whomever it may be wrestle until the fireballs rain down to earth and armageddon does us all in. In WWE, it seems to be reserved somewhat for Sami Zayn matches.

There is no pairing in professional wrestling that are more deserving of this most-modern chant than Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. To explain it to the unaware, think of it as the Randy Orton vs. John Cena of New Japan Pro Wrestling, only every NJPW fan salivates as the match draws closer. It is the booking team's two favourites going at each other in many main events, yet somehow it is better every time.

On the final night of the A Block, Okada and Tanahashi went at it to see who would top the group. Whomever had their hand raised at the end of the bout would be going to the final night to compete for the briefcase. Sounds simple, right?

Well, no two men know each as well at this point in the game than Okada and Tanahashi. With each passing minute is became clearer and clearer that neither was getting the upper hand, and a 30-minute time limit draw was becoming more and more possible.

That is exactly what happened, and Hirooki Goto of all people made it through to the final. In failing to qualify, Okada and Tanahashi put on a true five-star battle, yet another match in their canon that sets them aside as the greatest rivalry in modern professional wrestling.

Fight forever, please.

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Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.