19 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW G1 Climax 2019

14. Fight Fire With Fire (Night 10)

Tomohiro Ishii chops Juice Robinson at G1 29
njpw1972.com

Juice Robinson fought Tomohiro Ishii's fight (and almost won) on night 10. Rather than shrinking, 'The Flamboyant' threw his opponent's venom and bile right back at him in a heart-fuelled display proving that this new, "serious" Robinson a more compelling proposition than the expressive showman of old. Still a phenomenal babyface, he has sacrificed nothing and gained everything with this latest character direction, and while this bout was borderline Ishii by numbers, the tournament MVP is the best around when it comes to matches like this.

Jeff Cobb brought his worst against Suzuki-gun goober Taichi, though Toru Yano haters will have been relieved that his clash with Hirooki Goto lasted just 1:40. The CHAOS man is Marmite. If you're entertained, you're entertained, but he's never going to change anyone's mind.

Later, Jay White continued his G1 rebound by besting a struggling Shingo Takagi, who was suddenly finding his graduation to heavyweight a lot more trying than he'd imagined. Gedo's interference was critical; 'The Dragon' won't let that happen next time. Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito then tried to out-bastard each other in a personality-driven bout that began with the IWGP Intercontinental Champion deliberately taking an ice age to remove his entrance suit, much to Mox's chagrin. Boatloads of fun, though they definitely have a better match in them.

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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.