NJPW G1 Climax 2019 BLOCK FINALS & GRAND FINAL (Aug 10, 11 & 12): Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
3. Kota Ibushi Vs. Kazuchika Okada
Objectively, this was a phenomenal encounter that relied on all the usual epic Kazuchika Okada tricks and traits to ready Kota Ibushi for the biggest match of the entire event. Subjectively, it fell a tiny bit short.
Much - not least in the wake of the Ibushi match two days later - felt indulgent and slightly overthought. Did Okada need to kick out of the Kamigoye with that huge spot planned for the final? Was the ponderous work on the 'Golden Star' early on really worth working at half speed just to have the match go nearly 30 instead of 20? Didn't the eventual winner deserve a different arc to that offered to KENTA, SANADA and others in the tournament?
Perhaps these criticisms are a touch glib considering what the match did provide. 'The Rainmaker's incredible dropkick counter to the Bomaye was more than just a thing of violent beauty, it was a reminder that Ibushi's gods were no match for the real, live-and-in-living-colour god that stood before him.
That was the exact reason Ibushi had to hit his Last Ride with a catch rather than a setup, and why the Kamigoye, after such brutal punishment, should have worked at the first time of asking. This was nearly something beautiful - at least that is probably still to come.