11 Things We Learned From The 2018 NJPW G1 Climax

by John Bills

1. There Is Life Left In Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi EVIL
NJPW1972.com

‘Life’ may well be an understatement, as Hiroshi Tanahashi set many records on his way to his third G1 Climax win. His total of 15 points was the most in a 20-man G1, and no man has ever won the tournament with just a single loss along the way. Hiroshi Tanahashi looks as though he is on his way to the Tokyo Dome, and anyone disputing whether or not he is deserving of that honour are well and truly out of touch.

Tanahashi had some incredible matches throughout the tournament, not least the record-breaking final against Kota Ibushi. The 35-minute epic put any doubts over 2018 Tanahashi to bed, and then some. Was it the old Tanahashi, the ace that held the company on his own back for years? Of course not, but this was a much more experience Tanahashi, a Tanahashi desperate to respond to those who wrote him off.

Hiroshi Tanahashi was undoubtedly the deserving winner of the 2018 G1 Climax. Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito were dealing with internal issues. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi were more interested in entertaining than winning. Switchblade and the Tongans focused more on cheating and mind games. Nobody else had what it took to climb the mountain.

It was left to the man with the greatest hair in wrestling to show the new blood how it is done. Hiroshi Tanahashi still has to overcome Okada and White to make it to the Dome, but nobody can deny that he deserves one last night in the sun.

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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.