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

3. SANADA Vs. Kota Ibushi (26 July)

Tomohrio Ishii Kota Ibushi
NJPW

Rating ****1/2

Arguably the most aesthetically pleasing contest of the entire 2018 G1, Kota Ibushi's battle with SANADA saw two beautiful faces knocked back on their heels by one another before the latter sneaked the win.

Ibushi has been a joy to behold thus far, entering tournament (and title?) winning form at just the right time, but SANADA too hasn't slouched in the high pressure opportunities he's been afforded.

Beating each other to the point of exhaustion, Ibushi's dynamism looked to be his strongest remaining weapon against the LIJ member until a last gasp Skull End attempt left the physically debilitated 'Golden Star' down long enough to suffer SANADA's stunning moonsault.

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