19 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW G1 Climax 2019

13. Everything Is Okada (Night 15)

Kazuchika Okada EVIL
NJPW

It's hard to stand out in a tournament featuring the likes of Will Ospreay, Shingo Takagi, and Tomohiro Ishii knocking world-class performances out every single night, but Los Ingobernables de Japon's EVIL deserves commendation for his performances.

Though he's positioned as the fourth most important guy in his stable (or fifth when Hiromu Takahashi is around), he had a strong tournament. The bruising midcarder benefitted from elite opposition, absolutely, but he wasn't carried by the likes of Ishii, Will Ospreay, and Hiroshi Tanahashi, and accumulated a nice little body of work full of highlights.

EVIL's best performance came on night 15. Though it took Okada a while to run through the gears, the main event helped bring out the LIJ man's bruising best, particularly during the last 10 minutes, throughout which he was a house of fire. Earlier, Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi smashed their latest technical mini-masterclass in the pre-main, while Will Ospreay fought trough KENTA's bludgeoning barrage to overcome the former Hideo Itami. A great three-match run, though the night's tournament openers were skippable.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.