19 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW G1 Climax 2019

3. If You Found Yourself Fatigued... (Night 17)

Kazuchika Okada Kota Ibushi
NJPW

... with Kazuchika Okada's well-established big-match format at any point in the G1 Climax, watch his A Block decider with Kota Ibushi. It'll remind you who the hell the 'Rainmaker' is.

A Block unfolded in such a way that the whole thing came down to this winner-takes-all singles match. This looked likely from the moment the brackets were put together, though the tournament's various twists and turns sowed seeds of doubt throughout. Finally, having somehow avoided putting Ibushi and Okada together since the 42nd Anniversary Show in 2014 (!!!), Gedo delivered a fresh, exciting showdown to decide which of these phenomenal showmen was going to the finals, and it brought the best versions of both performers to the table.

The conclusion harked back to Ibushi's previous match with Lance Archer, but while the Suzuki-gun behemoth absorbed his Kamigoye, Okada, the wrestling god, kicked out. A crowd-popping moment for sure, though the IWGP Heavyweight Champion succumbed to a second moments later, concluding a superlative match.

Other highlights included an excellent bout between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay that wasn't far off the main event in terms of quality, and one of KENTA's more compelling performances as he struggled to deal with Zack Sabre Jr.'s mat mastery.

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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.