NJPW G1 Climax 2018, Week 3: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

8. Kazuchika Okada Vs. YOSHI-HASHI (27 July)

Tomohrio Ishii Kota Ibushi
NJPW

Rating: ****

Kevin Kelly was again in excellent form in catching up an audience that may not have been aware of the unique history between ‘The Rainmaker’ and ‘The Headhunter’. A Wrestle Kingdom 6 battle between the two following their returns from very different excursions resulted in Okada getting the win and promptly beginning his transcendent rivalry with Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The path was less fruitful for YOSHI, and though he did what he could to combat the increasing confidence of a still-broken Kazuchika Okada, a second Rainmaker was enough to finish the job despite the failure of the 2012 variant earlier in the match.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. 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