Jul 29, 2018 0:45:13 GMT RT said:

Or...Naito wins the rest of his matches and Omega/Ibushi is the deciding match. If Omega wins, he’s in the finals. If Ibushi wins, Naito moves on. Omega sort of expects his friend to lie down for him, but Ibushi is too proud and wins. This sets up a title match between them and the winner faces the finals winner (Naito or Okada/Tanahashi) at WK.

Yes, this is the other way for Ibushi/Omega to have stakes. Perhaps it's the more likely one.

Pete, Emperor, and RT thanks a bunch for the opinions, context, and explanations that's helped a ton as I work my way through my first full time NJPW event. Cheers.

That being said, did anyone watch Kota versus Ishii (also how do you pronounce that, I've heard Ish-ee and Ishee-ee)? Maybe again it's my newness but that match was brutal as fuck. I really thought they used their no sells well and at several points I was scared these dudes were going to end each other. The more of Ishii I see the more I like the dude. He's so fucking brutal.

It's Ishee-ee. That match was uncharacteristically stiff. Ishii normally works like that, but even he was a lot more intense than usual. We've seen hints of Ibushi's dark side in some of his previous big matches (not in this tournament), but here he was fully unleashed right until the finish. Never seen that side of Ibushi present for so long. Could be a sign of things to come.

I've yet to finish this particular show but I would have even been happy with it ending right there. That match put some hair on my chest.

Jay White vs Hangman Page was the standout of the July 30th show. Tanahashi has been very disappointing this tournament. Maybe the age and the injuries really are catching up to him.

Nobody's watching this anymore but do yourself a favour and watch Ibushi vs Tonga and Omega vs Yano from the August 8 show. In that order. It's important you watch both. Events in the first are referenced in the second.

I've got all 16 shows and plan on catching up on them this weekend, but I'm about 13 shows behind. I made it up to Day 3, was about to write up about how Suzuki/Makabe was a smart follow-up to their earlier match back in March (Makabe learning from his earlier mistake, waiting for Suzuki to regain his feet and hitting him with a standing King Kong Knee Drop, before going back to finish him off), then I got busy then before I knew it, it was Day 8...then it was Day 13...now we're up to the final day of each block.

I did catch those Day 16 matches. As dumb as the set-up was for the balcony dive, it really breathed some life into the Tonga/Ibushi match and was the perfect tonic to all that heat that proceeded the match. The back and forth in the ring was good and I like how the referees show discretion with the DQs in NJPW. It'd be nice if the WWE employed the same logic, especially for chicken shit champions.

I thought Yano/Omega was a more consistent match and I like how frantic both guys worked it. I accidentally skipped ahead when I was trying to find the match and thought Omega won the match, so seeing Yano go over was a shock, even in hindsight. Even though from a kayfabe perspective, I question Yano's credentials, as far as being a performer goes, he's one of the few where I buy into a lot of his near-falls. There were so many flash pins where I didn't know if it was going to be the pin and the one that actually beat Omega shocked me.

Day 17

The final day is always tough because usually you have three matches with absolutely no stakes. The opening three matches of Elgin-Makabe, YOSHI-HASHI-Page & Suzuki/Fale all suffered because they were simply there to make up the numbers. It didn't stop them from trying to piece together competitive matches, but they didn't leave you wanting more. In fact, I thought the booking here was poor and don't think anybody benefited from Makabe & YOSHI-HASHI winning. I know it's just the nature of the beast, but last year there seemed to be some general intrigue in watching a guy like Yuji Nagata work his final G-1 match, this just promised me more Makabe & YOSHI-HASHI who are always the weakest parts of these round robin tournaments.

It's fair to say you could skip those matches and not miss out on anything important. The White/EVIL match was an interesting pairing. In a lot of ways, their careers parallel one anothers. Both came through the NJPW Dojo, both went to ROH to better themselves as performers, both made their debuts at POWER STRUGGLE and both ended up aligning themselves with powerful New Japan factions. Like a lot of matches, there was a lot of back & forth, but both guys did a good job of portraying this match as Jay White's to lose. He mostly controlled the action and whatever EVIL did was usually in retaliation more than sticking to his own gameplan. However, when the match came down to the crunch, White just didn't have the tenacity to kick out of Everything Is Evil even with the referee bump. White wasn't just down for the three count, he was down for five which at that main event level isn't good enough.

It set up a compelling main event where the winner would go onto advance into the final. It's a situation both guys found themselves in back in the 2016 G-1, except this time Tanahashi had the advantage with a draw being just as valuable as a win. In a lot of ways, it's amazing that fans still get up for this match even though they've had so many 'epics' in the past 6 years. In a lot of ways, this match followed the trend, but I like the contrast from that 2016 G-1 match. Whereas both guys went out all guns blazing, Tanahashi took a far more defensive and methodical approach. He kept it mostly to the ground, focusing on the knee of Okada and was constantly on the look-out for the Rainmaker, knowing it was the only move in Okada's arsenal that could keep him down for the three count. In the end, it was a gameplan that worked out well and Tanahashi certainly ended the match the stronger, hitting a High Fly Flow and looking for a second before the time evaporated.

I suspect he'll be the runner up come finals time, but it was nice to see Tanahashi finish the regular tournament on a high.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Day 18}
Since it just happened, I'll put up Spoilers.

ZSJ defeated Naito, which gave Ibushi the opportunity to advance to the finals. In an epic main event, both guys pulled out all the stops but in the end, Ibushi just wanted it that much more. After hitting a top rope tiger driver variation, Ibushi was able to finish his Golden Lovers tag team partner with their finishing move, the Kamigoye.

Tanahashi vs. Ibushi is your G-1 2018 final. Will we see a Ibushi/Omega rematch? Or will Tanahashi have one last crack at the Tokyo Dome?

Loved Omega/Ibushi! Can’t wait for the finals!

Where to even begin.

Goto Vs Ishii
Ishii vs Ibushi
Ibushi vs Omega
Omega vs Ishii
Tana Vs Okada
Sanada vs Ishii
Zack Vs Naito

And many more.

Just great match after great match, mostly from the B Block

It’s going to be hard to pick a favourite match, but it’s probably going to be an Ishii match. The guy has been arguably the best in the world for 5 years straight, and right now he’s operating at a higher level than ever

Man, I have no idea how people do G1. I have a couple of days off next week so am looking to watch the very best matches. I've watched ZSJ/Ibushi, ZSJ/Naito and Omega/Ibushi so far. What are the matches that are must see guys? I'll go with hilaryfan,'s list but is there anything else? Emperor, Ice, Big Pete, SM, RT, Krimzon

Aug 11, 2018 5:09:18 GMT Big Pete said:

It set up a compelling main event where the winner would go onto advance into the final. It's a situation both guys found themselves in back in the 2016 G-1, except this time Tanahashi had the advantage with a draw being just as valuable as a win. In a lot of ways, it's amazing that fans still get up for this match even though they've had so many 'epics' in the past 6 years. In a lot of ways, this match followed the trend, but I like the contrast from that 2016 G-1 match. Whereas both guys went out all guns blazing, Tanahashi took a far more defensive and methodical approach. He kept it mostly to the ground, focusing on the knee of Okada and was constantly on the look-out for the Rainmaker, knowing it was the only move in Okada's arsenal that could keep him down for the three count. In the end, it was a gameplan that worked out well and Tanahashi certainly ended the match the stronger, hitting a High Fly Flow and looking for a second before the time evaporated.

I loved Okada vs Tanahashi. It was so understated, but it told such a great story that it hooked me so much more than Omega/Ibushi and most of the other insane crazy epic matches. Tanahashi went into that match having stated more or less that he couldn't beat Okada (in reference to their previous match at Dontaku). Although Tanahashi started off strong with extended leg work, it wasn't long before the fans came to the realisation that Tanahashi couldn't keep up and it was only a matter of time before Okada hit the Rainmaker and won. Yet Tanahashi kept fighting. He's physically inferior, yet his heart kept him in the match. He avoided the Rainmaker and the Tombstone again and again, and even pulled off some unconventional moves in his own Tombstone and the Styles Clash. Even after all that, you still felt Okada was going to eventually overcome. But as the final minutes ticked down, suddenly Tanahashi dropped Okada and hit the High Fly Flow to the back. Okada kicked out, but Tanahasi headed towards the top rope for the kill, and he may well have got it had the time not expired. A great match that sent Tanahashi to the final without getting a pinfall over Okada, but it keeps the hope alive that Tanahashi can still compete at the very top and may get a win over Okada in the future.

Naito/ZSJ and Omega/Ibushi were both great matches, but for me did not meet the lofty standards set by this G1 and the previous G1 block finals. Naito/ZSJ felt disjointed, and I didn't get much of a story besides Naito getting in Zack's head at the start (a story that ended very quickly). Still, it ended on a high note, with perhaps my favourite finish of the tournament: ZSJ hitting a flash Zack Driver for the first time in one of his block matches and picking up the win. I honestly wasn't expecting that to end the match, nor was I expecting Zack to go over Naito again, so I popped huge. Loved Zack's reaction too. Omega/Ibushi didn't pack the emotional punch I expected from two super close people fighting against each other for the first time in over five years. They sold it well at the start but it didn't take long for it to go to a crazy balls-to-the-wall action fest, hitting each other with ridiculous moves as if it were just a regular match between two people who aren't "lovers". Even though the action was great, the match could have been so much better if they went with a more emotional route, maybe with both guys reluctant to hit their big moves.

PB, here's my list of favourite tournament matches: Naito/Omega, Ibushi/ZSJ Ishii/Ibushi, Ishii/Omega, Ishii/ZSJ, Ibushi/Naito. All B Block. The best A Block matches were White/Okada and Tanahashi/Okada, but they aren't as good as any of the listed B Block matches. Looks like Ishii is the tournament MVP. Ishii always gets hyped as the best after every G1, but for me this is the first year in which he's truly delivered on that claim.

Aug 11, 2018 22:30:52 GMT Emperor said:

Aug 11, 2018 5:09:18 GMT Big Pete said:

It set up a compelling main event where the winner would go onto advance into the final. It's a situation both guys found themselves in back in the 2016 G-1, except this time Tanahashi had the advantage with a draw being just as valuable as a win. In a lot of ways, it's amazing that fans still get up for this match even though they've had so many 'epics' in the past 6 years. In a lot of ways, this match followed the trend, but I like the contrast from that 2016 G-1 match. Whereas both guys went out all guns blazing, Tanahashi took a far more defensive and methodical approach. He kept it mostly to the ground, focusing on the knee of Okada and was constantly on the look-out for the Rainmaker, knowing it was the only move in Okada's arsenal that could keep him down for the three count. In the end, it was a gameplan that worked out well and Tanahashi certainly ended the match the stronger, hitting a High Fly Flow and looking for a second before the time evaporated.

Naito/ZSJ and Omega/Ibushi were both great matches, but for me did not meet the lofty standards set by this G1 and the previous G1 block finals. Naito/ZSJ felt disjointed, and I didn't get much of a story besides Naito getting in Zack's head at the start (a story that ended very quickly). Still, it ended on a high note, with perhaps my favourite finish of the tournament: ZSJ hitting a flash Zack Driver for the first time in one of his block matches and picking up the win. I honestly wasn't expecting that to end the match, nor was I expecting Zack to go over Naito again, so I popped huge. Loved Zack's reaction too. Omega/Ibushi didn't pack the emotional punch I expected from two super close people fighting against each other for the first time in over five years. They sold it well at the start but it didn't take long for it to go to a crazy balls-to-the-wall action fest, hitting each other with ridiculous moves as if it were just a regular match between two people who aren't "lovers". Even though the action was great, the match could have been so much better if they went with a more emotional route, maybe with both guys reluctant to hit their big moves.

PB , here's my list of favourite tournament matches: Naito/Omega, Ibushi/ZSJ Ishii/Ibushi, Ishii/Omega, Ishii/ZSJ, Ibushi/Naito. All B Block. The best A Block matches were White/Okada and Tanahashi/Okada, but they aren't as good as any of the listed B Block matches. Looks like Ishii is the tournament MVP. Ishii always gets hyped as the best after every G1, but for me this is the first year in which he's truly delivered on that claim.

Thanks for the list!

I think I enjoyed Naito/ZSJ a little more than you, but I agree that it was a little disjointed. There were times when things looked a little choreographed, but that's a problem I think I'm starting to have with Naito in general. I think it's partly to do with the Tranquillo gimmick that things just look too smooth and not like enough of a struggle. I loved the finish though and thought they built to it really well. I genuinely didn't know who was going to win which really helps me enjoy a match a lot more. ****1/4

I really loved Omega/Ibushi and I think I have a different take on it. To me it felt like they were so determined to put their relationship to the back of their minds and just go all out to prove that they were capable of not being distracted by their friendship. So the lengths they were going to was to prove that they are totally committed to winning even against each other - almost as if they were overcompensating in order to avoid the emotional reality of fighting each other. If they face off again, I think that's when things will get more wrenching between them. I thought it was a fantastic match because there was just such a level of trust between them both. I'm a total sucker for emotional pull in wrestling and I was on the edge of my seat the whole match, just totally transfixed by what was going on. It felt like they had to go balls to the wall to keep themselves distracted from what they were actually doing to the person they most cared about, yet they both clearly knew each other well and had each other's numbers. *****

Aug 11, 2018 22:48:24 GMT PB said:

I really loved Omega/Ibushi and I think I have a different take on it. To me it felt like they were so determined to put their relationship to the back of their minds and just go all out to prove that they were capable of not being distracted by their friendship. So the lengths they were going to was to prove that they are totally committed to winning even against each other - almost as if they were overcompensating in order to avoid the emotional reality of fighting each other. If they face off again, I think that's when things will get more wrenching between them. I thought it was a fantastic match because there was just such a level of trust between them both. I'm a total sucker for emotional pull in wrestling and I was on the edge of my seat the whole match, just totally transfixed by what was going on. It felt like they had to go balls to the wall to keep themselves distracted from what they were actually doing to the person they most cared about, yet they both clearly knew each other well and had each other's numbers. *****

That's an intelligent interpretation of the match and not one that occurred to me while I was watching. I did notice the trust and the level of scouting. In the early stages that had each other's signature moves all figured out. Also when both guys did their crazy dives, the other guy was in the absolute perfect position to catch them and make the dive look as good as possible. It's incredible how well they know each other. Personally I'd be reluctant to give it anything more than ****1/4.

I was going through CageMatch.com just to see how many stand-out matches there were in contrast to other years. My formula was that if a match had 4 1/2 stars and a user-rating of 8+, then it would qualify.

Here's my results
2018: 23
2017: 14
2016: 8
2015: 9
2014: 16
2013: 5
2012: 2

Which sounds right. For years, the G-1 was relatively skippable with guys just going through the motion for the most-part. Then in 2013 they started having genuine MotYC and Ishii made a name for himself, then 2014 was just ridiculous. Just about everyday there was a MotYC and that's when the tournament exploded.

The 2018 list for those interested

G-1 Climax 28 Highlights
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki – Day 1
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr – Day 2
Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito – Day 2
Kota Ibushi vs. Juice Robinson – Day 4
Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Day 4
Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto – Day 4
Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson – Day 6
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto – Day 6
Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Day 8
SANADA vs. Kota Ibushi – Day 8
Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI – Day 9
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Day 10
Kenny Omega vs. SANADA – Day 10
Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin – Day 11
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr – Day 12
Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroki Goto – Day 12
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki – Day 13
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega – Day 14
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – Day 14
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada – Day 17
Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA – Day 18*
Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tetsuya Naito – Day 18*
Kota Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega – Day 18*

*Meltzer had yet to rate Day 18, but based on strong UserRatings, and Dave's taste, it's safe to assume all three will be there.

If there’s one more match I’d recommend, it would be Sanada Vs Ibushi.

Just to see what happens when two insanely alien Martian Venus Jupiter like athletes are forced to go head to head

Was not expecting that outcome. A return to glory for the former ace Tanahashi. I don't think the final was as good as last year's final or even the one before that, but it was a suitably epic match with some really compelling moments. Shibata in Tanahashi's corner was a really nice touch. I popped.

Shades of Rocky III, with Apollo Creed in Rocky's corner. I'm with you Emp, I thought it was Ibushi's time and we'd get our Golden Lovers Tokyo Dome main event. With that said, Tanahashi has really brought it these past couple of nights and the fans still love him. It sort of seems wrong that a Block A guy wins it all, given how many amazing matches came out of Block B, but I doubt we're going to be upset come WrestleKingdom time. I'm actually rallying for one final Tanahashi reign, and I can't wait to check out his cheesy family flick that's been hyped relentlessly through out the tournament.

Now I've got a ton of wrestling to catch up on. There's no way I'll watch through all 90 matches, so I'll stick with that list. I don't really need to see any Bad Luck Fale or Tama Tonga matches and I've seen all the Jay White matches I wanted to see.

Tanahashi vs Omega may be a more compelling match than Ibushi vs Omega to the Japanese audience. The Golden Lovers storyline is great, but the past few nights have shown how ridiculously over Tanahashi is with the big Japanese crowds. They clearly favoured him over Ibushi. Not to mention that Tanahashi vs Omega is a fresh match. They've only wrestled once before, in 2016, not long after Omega advanced to the heavyweight division.

Some other news from the G1 finals show:
- Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori won the NEVER six-man belts from The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll. BCOG were awarded the belts and threw them on the floor in front of one of the desks before walking out.
- Ishii pinned Chase Owens in a tag match, then challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
- Rey Mysterio made an appearance. He teamed with KUSHIDA and Taguchi (in costume and going by some other name) against Okada, Sho and Yoh. Mysterio and Okada had some animosity. I guess there's a match between the two coming up, maybe at the next US show.

Damn that final was incredible. I haven't loved a Tanahashi match in a long time (haven't watched his other G1 matches this year yet) but that was just such a beautiful rebirth moment for reminding us why he's the ACE and now I really want him to kick Kenny's ass and take his title back. And Kota Ibushi is probably my favourite guy in New Japan so to win me over like that takes a lot. The crowd being so hot for him really helped. Looking forward to hopefully getting time to catch some of the other matches this week.

This also made me want Tanahshi/Cena so badly. It's probably my ultimate dream match right now. I think Tanahshi would bring out the best in Cena and it would be the ultimate pro wrestling match (for my tastes).

Aug 12, 2018 15:52:27 GMT Emperor said:

Tanahashi vs Omega may be a more compelling match than Ibushi vs Omega to the Japanese audience. The Golden Lovers storyline is great, but the past few nights have shown how ridiculously over Tanahashi is with the big Japanese crowds. They clearly favoured him over Ibushi. Not to mention that Tanahashi vs Omega is a fresh match. They've only wrestled once before, in 2016, not long after Omega advanced to the heavyweight division.

Some other news from the G1 finals show:
- Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori won the NEVER six-man belts from The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll. BCOG were awarded the belts and threw them on the floor in front of one of the desks before walking out.
- Ishii pinned Chase Owens in a tag match, then challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
- Rey Mysterio made an appearance. He teamed with KUSHIDA and Taguchi (in costume and going by some other name) against Okada, Sho and Yoh. Mysterio and Okada had some animosity. I guess there's a match between the two coming up, maybe at the next US show.

Also, Cody pinned Juice and challenged him the US Title. 

I'm not much help for recommending matches because I barely watched any this year. I was just too busy with moving and work to do anything more than keep up with highlights and results.

That being said, I did watch Omega vs. Ishii because I saw a picture of Omega's bloody face and immediately said "I have to watch this match." The only other full matches I watched were ZSJ vs Naito, Omega vs. Ibushi, Ishii vs. Goto, and the final. Plenty of other matches I would like to watch, but if I ever get around to it is another story.

Omega vs. Ishii was probably my favourite match of the tournament of the few I saw, with Omega vs. Ibushi and the finals being close seconds. A lot of people are saying Ishii was the MVP of this tournament and even though I only watched a couple of his matches and the rest were highlights, I'd have to agree. The staredown wtih Omega alone was amazing. Elite vs CHAOS is going to be excellent. Ishii looks like such a threat to Omega right now and not just because he beat him in the tournament. He looks better than ever, and CHAOS is just standing by waiting to pick up the pieces from the Bullet Club civil war.

Aug 13, 2018 0:39:29 GMT SM said:

Aug 12, 2018 15:52:27 GMT Emperor said:

Tanahashi vs Omega may be a more compelling match than Ibushi vs Omega to the Japanese audience. The Golden Lovers storyline is great, but the past few nights have shown how ridiculously over Tanahashi is with the big Japanese crowds. They clearly favoured him over Ibushi. Not to mention that Tanahashi vs Omega is a fresh match. They've only wrestled once before, in 2016, not long after Omega advanced to the heavyweight division.

Some other news from the G1 finals show:
- Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori won the NEVER six-man belts from The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll. BCOG were awarded the belts and threw them on the floor in front of one of the desks before walking out.
- Ishii pinned Chase Owens in a tag match, then challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
- Rey Mysterio made an appearance. He teamed with KUSHIDA and Taguchi (in costume and going by some other name) against Okada, Sho and Yoh. Mysterio and Okada had some animosity. I guess there's a match between the two coming up, maybe at the next US show.

Also, Cody pinned Juice and challenged him the US Title. 

By far what I'm the most excited about right now. Even though that match would have me torn like no other. I love both of those guys. 


Beyond that, I'm  surprised at the outcome for the most part. I figured after Ibushi v. Omega there was absolutely no way in hell we would see those two at WK. I don't mind though, there's a good story to tell here with Tanahashi.