NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 2 (July 13) - B BLOCK: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
1. Juice Robinson Vs. Shingo Takagi
A bottlerocket of an opener for the Block that should have gone on at the end of the night rather than the beginning, Shingo Takagi's loss to Juice Robinson furnished the former with a healthy dose of heavyweight respect and the latter with a level of confidence that could take him a long way in this year's tournament.
Built on one of the neatest storytelling devices in the entire company, Shingo and Juice's first ever singles match presented both as men with a great deal to prove but a confidence that betrayed their dormant insecurities. As part of Takagi's graduation from the junior division, his hard-hitting assaults have required an injection of extra power just to keep pace with the "bigger" opponents. Robinson, meanwhile, has forced himself to get serious this year after an underwhelming G1 effort in 2018 and a devastating United States Championship loss to Jon Moxley.
Fire with fire, then, and thus a raging inferno formed.
Smashing the f*ck out of one another with breathtaking clotheslines in efforts to weaken heads and shoulders to be knocked clean off with the Pumping Bomber or Left Hand Of God respectively, Shingo and Juice defined the brutal spirit of the entire tournament with graduating and grizzled fury.