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| The Ace has done it! Photo Credit: NJPW1972.com |
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (Final Night, 8/12)
Though Ibushi is only five years younger than Tanahashi, it feels like they're an entire generation apart. Tanahashi is the rock-solid statesman of New Japan Pro Wrestling, while Ibushi is the fiery upstart with the boy-band hair who never wants to sign a contract. And though Ibushi is probably the favorite between these two among American fans, the reception Tanahashi received at Budokan should tell you something about the Japanese fans. They prefer longevity and stability. They prefer someone who does things the "right" way. And that's Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The final match of the 28th G1 Climax was utter perfection, as it always is. This is where performers step up and deliver harder than perhaps any other night of the year. Tanahashi and Ibushi used not just their physicality, but also their facial expressions and in-ring acting ability to work the crowd into a frenzy. At times it felt like Ibushi was going to defeat old guard, especially when guest commentator Chris Charlton said, after a particularly intense slap exchange that ended in a brutal Ibushi lariat, "Ibushi's arms were just long enough to punch God in the face!"
But God was too strong. It took three High Fly Flows from Tanahashi to end it, one of them coming when Ibushi was improbably standing, almost like a zombie who refused to lose. But he did, and Hiroshi Tanahashi has won his third G1 trophy.
Kota Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega (Night 18, 8/11)
Midway through the match, color commentator Rocky Romero recalled how Ibushi and Omega said that if they ever did this match again, which last happened in 2012, then they might kill each other. When Ibushi did a standing moonsault and landed on Omega's chest with his knees, that was when I started to believe the prophecy may come true.
If I have to be honest, I think this one fell just short of my expectations, but my expectations were astronomically high. Ibushi and Omega still delivered a breathtaking roller coaster of a match, complete with all the emotional Golden Lovering you would expect, but never letting that stuff overtake the action in the ring. I thought maybe they were saving a better match for Omega's championship defense at the next WrestleKingdom, but Ibushi's loss in the finals disproved that. Either way, another meeting between these two will happen someday, and it will be more violent and more dangerous than ever before, and I will be all the way there for it.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito (Night 18, 8/11)
In pre-match interviews, Sabre claimed that his sole purpose for even competing in this match was to ruin Naito's chances of making it through to the G1 Final. And when a real a-hole like Sabre has his mind made up, it's hard to stop him. Naito fought extremely hard and kept up with Sabre's grappling and dickery, but he fell just short. The crowd at Budokan had been fully behind Naito, and when he lost, a hush fell over the crowd. Kevin Kelly and Romero couldn't stop talking about the woman behind them who was sobbing her eyes out. Don't you wish you were her, so you could care even more about wrestling than you already do?
Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA (Night 18, 8/11)
With nothing on the line but pride, Ishii and SANADA ended their B Block run by going absolutely insane for 17 minutes. SANADA showed the most fire and personality I think I've ever seen from him, which is exactly what Ishii brings out of all of his opponents: a fury and anger they didn't know they possessed. Once again, Ishii is one of the best wrestlers in the damn world, and it looks like he will definitely be getting that shot against Kenny Omega for the IWGP Championship this fall. He won't win, but good lord, the match will rule.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (Night 17, 8/10)
Okada's mental breakdown seemed sure to end when he righted the ship and won the A Block, but things are never that easy against Tanahashi. After an unbelievable final stretch which saw Okada trying to hit the Rainmaker in every way he could possibly think of, the match ended in a time limit draw, which is the third time these two have gone to a draw in G1 matches. I'm convinced that these two will be able to have brilliant matches for at least the next ten years. Tanahashi can be 50+ and still just slapping the shit out of Okada when he tries to clothesline him. I think we all need this to be so.
