19 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW G1 Climax 2019

10. Gladiators (Night 16)

Shingo Takagi Tomohiro Ishii
NJPW

The brutal simplicity of Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii played perfectly to your writer's tastes, with the duo coming through majorly on night 16, slapping the sweat off each other's tired, strained bodies in a clash that only lasted 22 minutes, but was one of the G1's most gruelling.

No other G1 bout felt like such a struggle. Shingo entered with weary, bloodshot eyes. He looked like a man who'd experienced the hell of war to a level his body could no longer take, but still had the will to continue, knowing his granite-cast opponent would end him if he didn't. Ishii, meanwhile, had his ear busted open by 'The Dragon' (his ear!), and showed, once again, that you don't need to perform a dozen flippydoos or know seventeen different suplex variations to put on a great match. This was a gladiatorial spectacle closer to AJPW's old Kings Road blueprint than NJPW's Strong Style.

The rest of the card couldn't quite live up to this. Regardless, watching Taichi and Toru Yano trying to out-bullsh*t each other was a hoot, Jay White vs. Juice Robinson was on par with their previous encounters, and Tetsuya Naito was at his arrogant, spitting best against Jeff Cobb.

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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.