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

2. Tetsuya Naito Vs. Tomohiro Ishii (19 July)

Hangman Page Kazuchika Okada
NJPW

Rating: ****3/4

Tetsuya Naito's G1 Climax has thus far been the most rewarding period of his entire year following a heartbreaking Wrestle Kingdom loss he's gamely attempted to no sell.

Small gains getting hampered by significant defeats had become something of a pattern for the LIJ leader, to the point where even exceptional contests such as the aforementioned Okada battle or his G1 opener with fellow 2017 finalist Kenny Omega both ended in crushing defeat.

Victory over Tomohiro Ishii was, in every sense, sweet vindication. 'Tranquilo' got points on the board, earned unrequested sympathy as a gutsy warrior in the face of the 'Stone Pitbull's rock hard attacks, and even stole the show out from under the 'Best Bout Machine' that followed him.

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