NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 1 (July 6): Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
2. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Elevated by the well-earned excitement of the Dallas crowd, the latest chapter of the legendary Kazuchika Okada/Hiroshi Tanahashi series was respectfully qualified by commentator Kevin Kelly as being something greater than the Flair/Steamboat and Rock/Austin wrestling rivalries of old.
He needn't have worried about what analogies to attach - literally the second after the bell rang, the live audience informed any uninitiated viewers of just exactly who they were privileged to be watching. Okada and Tanahashi - mirroring one another aesthetically following their recent on-screen bond - were closer to the versions that went into battle during 'The Rainmaker's prior IWGP Championship run than last year's G1 block final, but miraculously found a brand new way to tell a story magnificently revisited in their 2018 trilogy.
Inseparable within the confines of the tournament constraints over the last half-decade, the two had previously gone to time limit draws in their prior G1 encounters. Defeating the clock as well as his iconic opponent was Okada's impetus in his first singles match since defeating Chris Jericho at June's Dominion. Performing again with the confidence he'd lost last year, he managed it in a breathless 22 minutes.
A loving tribute to their gripping feud, this match may have filled a few of those all-too-obvious empty seats given more advertising time. Instead, it existed to create the noise of a sold out venue, if not the visual.