19 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW G1 Climax 2019

4. A Strong Opener In Dallas (Night 1)

Njpw G1 Climax Lance Archer Will Ospreay
NJPW

The G1 Climax's opening night was what it needed to be, with highlights in exactly the right places as Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer and Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi bookended the tournament action with their crowd-popping bangers.

Downsides were few. AXS TV's production brought greater audio fidelity but shoddy camerawork exposed the many empty spaces in Dallas' American Airline Center too often (not that 4,846 is a bad attendance for a company of this size). Elsewhere, EVIL worked hard against Bad Luck Fale, but Bad Luck Fale is still Bad Luck Fale.

The rest of the show was golden. SANADA largely held up his end of the bargain in his mat-based ballet with Zack Sabre Jr., even if "showing technical wrestling to Americans is like reading Shakespeare to a dog." Though his performance was uneven, KENTA looked a bit more like his old self than Hideo Itami as he ragdolled Kota Ibushi with stiff kicks, breeding much hope for this tournament run. In the main event, Okada and Tanahashi played a good-to-great 'Greatest Hits' version of their usual worldie.

But a familiar face stole the show in the tournament opener, as Will Ospreay and Lance Archer did battle in their second great match of 2019. 'The Aerial Assassin' drew most of the plaudits in the aftermath but the 'American Psycho' was at least his equal, playing his terrifying monster role to perfection before his hometown crowd... and that claw pin finish? Lovely stuff.

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.