NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 12 (August 1) - B BLOCK: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

2. Jeff Cobb Vs. Shingo Takagi

Jon Moxley
NJPW

Is it at all possible that Jeff Cobb’s end-tournament form can somehow erase a deeply disappointing early run in his maiden G1? Against Shingo Takagi, just as he did against Taichi, he used his unbelievable power to pick up two more valuable points. Unlike his battle with the Suzuki-gun sh*thouse, this one was actually hard-fought. Cobb’s contests have mostly mirrored the skill level of his opponent - unsurprisingly, a scrap with Shingo was a total banger.

Takagi’s hard-luck story has been a pleasure to watch play out so soon after losing at the last to Will Ospreay in the Best of the Super Juniors final. The Los Ingobernables de Japon lightweight has hit heavier and heavier with every passing match in an attempt to increase the impact of his biggest and most brutal weapons. Flipping Cobb inside out from a Pumping Bomber earned and deserved one of the most dramatic nearfalls of the entire tournament.

Wins and losses matter of course, and he’s had too many of the latter than former since graduating - a strong push coming out of the event would be the least he deserves after giving his body and unbeatable aura to the most gruelling pro wrestling competition in the world.

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