14 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

7. The Junior Heavyweights Go NUTS

Bandido Dragon Lee
NJPW/ROH

Coming in at a shade under nine minutes, the Taiji Ishimori vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido IWGP Junior Heavyweight Triple Threat was much shorter than most expected. It didn't matter. This, like last year's ALL IN main event, was a berzerk blitzkrieg that actually benefitted from its shorter runtime, with three of the world's foremost high-flyers cramming all kinds of madness into the curtailed runtime.

If you like sprints, you need to check this out. It was one of the most gif-worthy matches of the year, and with moments like Bandido nailing his top rope Moonsault slam on both men and Lee hitting one of the best Canadian Destroyers your writer has ever seen, it is crammed with beautiful set pieces. Jim Cornette types will likely be appalled, but that's their loss.

Dragon Lee scored the win with a pin on Bandido, so the prospect of a singles match between him and Ishimori remains. This is his first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title reign. He's a stellar performer, he deserves it, and earned it on the back of another breakneck NJPW performance.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.