NJPW G1 Climax 2018, Week 2: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

6. Kota Ibushi Vs. Juice Robinson (19 July)

Hangman Page Kazuchika Okada
NJPW1972.com

Rating: ****1/4

Outshone by the 'Golden Star', Juice Robinson had days to wait before finding the fighting spirit than won him his first singles title in NJPW (more on that later). This allowed Kota Ibushi to glisten yet again in another delicious display, stealing all the headlines by combining grace and fury with a moonsault to the outside from the steel post.

It was a spot that teased his Golden Lovers partner Kenny Omega into trying a similar move later that night, but the 'Best Bout Machine's guardrail effort couldn't compete with Ibushi's unbelievable balance. Their tacit back-and-forth battle remains of great intrigue as the tournament continues.

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