NJPW G1 Climax 2018, Week 1: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
7. Jay White Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (July 16th)
Rating: ***3/4
Marginally inferior to 'Switchblade's maiden outing in this tournament but lightyears better than the pair's Wrestle Kingdom clanger earlier this year, Jay White's bubbling feud with Hiroyuki 'Red Shoes' Unno escalated beyond their Night 1 hostilities (more on that later) after 'The Ace' sustained 'Switchblade's fierce attack on a leg still smarting from the beating dished out by Minoru Suzuki two days earlier.
Pushed to the depths of his soul as he was against 'The King', Tanahashi was a victim of his own conscience as he dropped a chair briefly held aloft over White's head. He diverted from the high road with a low blow after White's nefariousness pushed him to the bring, but was again the man in the middle of Jay's near-comical abuse of Red Shoes.
Assuring victory yet again with his trusty chair shot/Blade Runner combo, White won out, raising significant concerns of just how far he could go as the Climax's resident rat.
