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

8. Tomohiro Ishii Vs Toru Yano (July 15th)

Kenny Omega Tetsuya Naito
NJPW

Rating: ***1/2

An unexpectedly exciting thriller between the two regular partners, Toru Yano's game effort against the 'Stone Pitbull' had jaws hitting the deck long before he miraculously sprung up from a Ishii's killer german suplex.

Crowds awaiting Yano's usual clowning were left wanting, but their cries were drowned out by exhilarated cheers for the G1 favourite as he gave his earnest all before succumbing to some of the very same tricks he'd normally have already employed.

Ishii's low blow sunk his banter buddy, but by then a bizarrely brilliant impression had already been left by 'YTR' ahead of his next tough test against 'ZSJ'.

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