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

14. Kota Ibushi Vs. Toru Yano (21 July)

Hangman Page Kazuchika Okada
NJPW

Rating: ***1/2

Kevin Kelly noted that Toru Yano's 50-second win over Kota Ibushi in the 2015 G1 Climax was the quickest in tournament history, and whilst the 'Sublime Master Thief' wasn't able to sneak by 'The Golden Star' at quite that pace, he did out-think the Golden Lover with a fire return to the cheating that had previously brought him such success.

Timed to perfection, Yano's shortcuts were vast and varied - when loose turnbuckles couldn't do the job, wrist-tape nearly could. When that still failed, his masterful manipulation of the referee's positioning won the day. After a handcuffed Ibushi still managed a moonsault, Yano instead forced the referee into a German suplex, blocking his field of vision to strike low en route to his first two points.

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