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

1. Kota Ibushi Vs. Tomohiro Ishii (28 July)

Tomohrio Ishii Kota Ibushi
NJPW

Rating: *****

Tomohiro Ishii's fight to the near-death with Hirooki Goto just last week was clearly not an outlier - the 'Stone Pitbull' came close to the brink yet again in an incredible effort against Kota Ibushi, with the 'Golden Star' taking to the skies in yet another reminder of what could be to come in the Block B finale against Kenny Omega. He'll be fondly remembered yet again for his summer exploits.

Meanwhile, if Omega is as good as he claims to currently be, is it only down to the teaching of Ibushi? Balcony moonsaults, high dropkicks, chops to the throat and the most dramatic one-count kick out (itself a luxurious callback) of 2018 fed into an attritional war that will sit atop many match-of-the-tournament brackets.

Ibushi isn't just challenging his Golden Lover for B Block supremacy - he's tacitly threatening the legacy of the 'Best Bout Machine'.

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