NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 11 (July 30) - A BLOCK: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

1. Will Ospreay Vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Zack Sabre Jr Will Ospreay
NJPW

Billed as a Battle Of Britain by Rocky Romero on commentary as Zack Sabre Jr attempted to play spoiler for the remainder of his thus-far disappointing tournament, the British Champion’s clash with Will Ospreay was both a luxurious celebration of their wildly differing styles and f*cking fervent fight.

‘ZSJ’ quite understandably blamed Boris Johnson’s recent ascension to Prime Minister for his detached and distracted displays thus far, but it was as if the mop-topped slime himself was across the ring from him as he grasped at his opponent’s flying, flailing limbs. Going for arms and legs to reduce mobility and neck just to be a d*ck, Zack’s nothing-to-lose confidence shone through as he backed up his threat by eliminating Ospreay from contention after 20 gruelling minutes.

Escaping countless traps set by the submission specialist, Ospreay’s increasingly awe-inspiring arsenal was again deployed with thought and decorum. He targeted shooting star press at his opponent’s back just to avoid the counter, struck an Oscutter from a submission escape, and somehow nailed a surprise springboard back elbow without hitting the ropes with momentum.

The ‘Aerial Assassin’ really could be the wrestler of the year, even if this civil war loss heartbreakingly removed any chance of a formal coronation.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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