NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 1 (July 6): Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

3. Kota Ibushi Vs. KENTA

Kota Ibushi KENTA
WWE

Grounding the death-defying Kota Ibushi before pounding him with kicks as vicious as the damage the 'Golden Star' ordinarily inflicts on himself, KENTA's New Japan bow was an intriguing glimpse into a man forced down but not out by a damaging WWE run.

The enormous scar on his left shoulder (and the support sleeve taking the rest of his arm) served as a painful reminder of a tenure as unlucky as it was uninspiring, but taking years of frustration out on his first A Block foe as former sh*tkicking supremo Katsuyori Shibata looked on added a certain heft and pathos to a match that occasionally tiptoed towards dreary rather than deliberate.

Kota Ibushi has the remainder of the G1 to express himself as only he can, but KENTA's progression following this opening victory will be fascinating to observe.

This was far from a disappointment, and to those new to his work (and certainly a strong portion of his vocal support within the American Airlines Center) his catharsis came through as powerfully as his skin-splitting kicks. He has willingly and wilfully walked back into the spotlight amongst wrestling's elite and will be forced to thrive or perish as a consequence.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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