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| Match of the Tournament? Photo Credit: NJPW.com via OK Pow Sports |
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi (Night 10, 7/28)
Far and away my favorite match of the tournament so far. I'm putting this at the top of the list, out of chronological order, because I want you all to watch this as soon as possible. It had everything an NJPW match can contain: Strong Style brutality, feats of athleticism and character-driven storytelling. It was just all I ever want in wrestling, and that's not just because Ishii and Ibushi are two of my very favorites. From Ishii's taunting of Ibushi's weak strikes (helpfully translated on the English commentary), to Ibushi suddenly no-selling like Hulk Hogan, this was a wild ride told in nearly half the time a usual NJPW main event lasts. Kevin Kelly, not usually one for mild swears, ended the match by saying, "JESUS, what a war."
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA (Night 6, 7/21)
Probably containing the most grappling of the tournament, this match found Zack being deterred and befuddled in ways he has rarely faced. SANADA proved that he can go move-for-move and still keep his hair looking great.
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Night 6, 7/21)
Yeah, I know I just wrote about Ishii a second ago, but I have to tell you about another match in which he hit someone very hard for a very long time. Goto has been having a not-so-secret MVP run in this G1, as he just seems to be upping his game and really taking his role as a Big Fight Guy. Ishii and Goto are both fit for that role, and they are also both study dudes, as noted when I saw someone on Twitter refer to this as a battle between two human rectangles.
Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano (Night 6, 7/21)
And I know I just told you about Kota Ibushi, but again, he can do basically anything, as proven in this match where he went back to his DDT roots and did all the comedy silliness with Toru Yano he could think of. All four turnbuckles got removed, Ibushi's hands got taped together, and insanity prevailed.
Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito (Night 6, 7/21)
Juice is one of the best babyfaces in the business, and with his still-broken hand, he has something that can be exploited by any competent heel. That's just what Naito did, and he leaned hard into his dickishness to really get this going. The closing stretch was breathtaking.
Switchblade Jay White vs. Minoru Suzuki (Night 7, 7/22)
A pretty good match that needs to be seen if you're wanting White to get some comeuppance for his shenanigans. Suzuki was the perfect Angry Dad to knock some sense into a gothy no-goodnik like White.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Night 8, 7/26)
Hello again, Mr. Ishii! Have a seat wherever you'd like! Oh, is this young British man bothering you, kicking you in the head and mocking you? Then by all means, please bash him in the throat with your forearm as much as you feel is necessary. Just watch out for those armbars, they'll get ya.
Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI (Night 9, 7/27)
Trust me, I'm just as shocked as you that I'm including a YOSHI-HASHI match here. He is a black hole of charisma that no one seems to like, but it cannot be denied that the guy is a pretty solid wrestler. And in this match, he finally put everything together. He conveyed actual human emotion and fought super hard. And yes, he was doing this with the assistance of one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, but still, he deserves a pat on his head with that terrible, terrible hair.
Kenny Omega vs. SANADA (Night 10, 7/28)
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion remained unbeaten here, giving SANADA everything he could by selling hard and fighting even harder. Omega continues to ride an interesting line between being a beloved champion and his old insufferable anime villain character. Time will tell if he can stay good.
