NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Night 5 (July 18) - A BLOCK: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
1. Kota Ibushi Vs. Will Ospreay
It feels safe to assume based on his style alone that Will Ospreay’s much-publicised neck injury is legitimate rather than a carefully crafted work between the ‘Aerial Assassin’ and all the usual suspects, but the extent to which his sore spot was preyed upon in this blowaway battle certainly added pained pathos to an already-awesome spectacle.
Exhilarating enough on its own terms, this borrowed heft heavily from the broken bodies of the men contesting it. A superlative sales pitch for the power of the G1 Climax as a concept, this was also at-times unsettling evidence of its human cost.
Ospreay has been shouldering a richly-deserved “best in the world” tag for much of this year, having kicked off his 2019 by nearly chopping off Kota Ibushi‘s head in a blistering G1 Climax opener. Back in January, his Hidden Blade was the secret weapon beyond every other in both men’s arsenals. Here, with 27 minutes on the clock, he could no longer mask its necessity - and paid the price for his opponent’s prior knowledge.
‘The Golden Star’ dodging the deadly device to hit his own killshot on the current Junior Heavyweight Champion was an elegant conclusion to a match-of-the-tournament contender that was as beautiful as it was brutal. Bad ankle overcame bad neck on the night - hopefully both are still able to overcome these war wounds by August.