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

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs Minoru Suzuki (July 14th)

Kenny Omega Tetsuya Naito
NJPW

Rating: ****3/4

Majestic selling of his brutally battered leg anchored Hiroshi Tanahashi's breathless encounter with Minoru Suzuki as both delved into their darkest hearts to secure points in their maiden outings. It's a place Suzuki knew well, gleefully enjoying his work as he wrenched on the recently repaired limb with the same fire he had whilst injuring it in their Intercontinental Title clash earlier this year.

Memories of that dire night and an unshakable fighting spirit fuelled Tanahashi, despite spending nearly all of the first 14 minutes of a 14:59 match on his back in agony. Matching Minoru's maliciousness with a merciless inverted dragon screw, Hiroshi drew uncharacteristic screams of horror from Suzuki that foreshadowed his literal and figurative collapse. Two High Fly Flows scored the unlikeliest of wins almost immediately afterwards.

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