NJPW G1 Climax 2018, Week 1: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

6. Jay White Vs Kazuchika Okada (July 14th)

Kenny Omega Tetsuya Naito
NJPW

Rating: ****1/4

Jay White promised to take over CHAOS from within when he joined up with the group at Kenny Omega's expense back in January. On that night, he shook the hand of the Bullet Club leader before dropping him with his Blade Runner finisher. Whilst that same trick failed against his troubled leader, just about every other one worked a treat.

Okada - magnificently portraying a man teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown following his Dominion IWGP Title - was again a step slower, not least after White rattled ref Red Shoes with a back fist just before he was hit with a desperation Rainmaker clothesline.

From there 'Switchblade' executed his sh*thouse plan to perfection. Countering a sloppy tombstone with a low blow, he launched a chair at Okada's face before hitting the Blade Runner in time for a convenient referee recovery.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett