7 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Royal Quest

by Andy H Murray

1. Okada Triumphs In The House Of Suzuki

Minoru Suzuki's frustration at missing out on this year's G1 Climax effectively bought him this: an IWGP Heavyweight Title Shot.

Rather than earning his match with Kazuchika Okada via the tournament, MiSu did it the old school way. He waged an unholy, p*ssy war on undercard tag opponents throughout the G1, taking him and Zack Sabre Jr. to Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi on finals night. There, he pinned 'The Rainmaker,' and lo, Royal Quest had its main event.

The torturous murder grandpa's likeliest path to victory was always going to be stretching Okada's long limbs to breaking point. Suzuki did so with minimal respect for his opponent, literally laughing at Little Kazu's face as he tried knocking him down with weak forearms. On offence, the challenger was at his sadistic best, spending much of the match looking for his Gotch Piledriver. He did so by weakening Okada with submission attempts, a Penalty Kick, and a single-leg dropkick to the seated champion's face, though 'The Rainmaker' resisted.

Defying the Rainmaker pose with a slap to the mouth, Suzuki had the Copperbox behind him as the bout entered its third act. The building was thunderous as he tried to knock Okada out with single blows. When he finally did it, after minutes of trying, the building sounded like the end of the world - though it wasn't to be. Suzuki's stiff, gnarly shots couldn't put Okada away. He was unable to find a deathblow.

Having avoided the Gotch, Okada put MiSu away with the Rainmaker. A wonderful way to conclude an inconsistent show blighted by issues. SANADA emerging as Okada's next challenger was a great moment, too, coming so soon after the LIJ man defeating 'The Rainmaker' for the first time.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.