Even though we are only a few days into New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax, the tournament is already heating up.
The first two days of action were jam-packed with twenty participants in two different blocks fighting for those much needed first two points. There were ‘Match of the Year’ candidates, upsets and a lot of hard-hitting action.
Here are the top five matches from the first two nights of the G1 Climax 30.
5. EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
There’s something about a heel v heel match that is just exciting for fans. This matchup between EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr. was no exception. Over the years, the two have had their fair share of battles. This has consisted of verbal taunts from ZSJ which included calling EVIL a pumpkin spice latte.
However, because of all of EVIL’s antics, Zack Sabre Jr. cemented himself a the babyface of this match. It was bizarre, but the crowd loved it. With wrestlers as different as these two, we had some nice contrasts of styles throughout mixing strength and submission skills. The match seemed effortless as the two flew across the ring.
Unfortunately, with Dick Togo by EVIL’s side, everything seemed to go against Zack. It was essentially a classic Bullet Club two on one handicap match while Red Shoes Unno’s back was turned. Luckily, as someone not averse to breaking the rules, ZSJ knew what to do to counter this. It was a matter of doing what he did best and that is wrestling.
In the end, the Vegan Hydra got the better of EVIL with his European Clutch. The applause of the crowds echoed through the arena because it was the lesser of two evils. Pun intended.
4. SANADA vs. Toru Yano
It is no secret that Chaos’s Toru Yano is a master of the G1 causing spoilers left, right and centre. Yet, you wouldn’t have been able to predict that something so brilliant would come so early. In his match against SANADA, fans were treated to a classic Yano G1 match which had people laughing from the minute the bell rang.
Referee Marty Asami seemed to have put a stop to Yano’s antics after discovering rolls of tape concealed in his ring gear. After this blow, Yano went to his second weapon; the trusted turnbuckle. However, SANADA also seemed to be aware of his shenanigans trying his hardest to counter the sneaky style.
It did feel like a lot of this match occurred outside of the ring. At one point, Yano almost lost via count-out when he tried to lure SANADA out of the ring. Then SANADA put Yano in a Paradise Lock outside which was rudely broken by Yuya Uemura. After trying to give Uemura some payback, Yano went to work wrapping the two together with tape to get the count-out victory again.
It was another classic Yano match won with the help of some tape.
3. Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada
In a rematch from this year’s Wrestle Kingdom, the first night’s main event saw the Rainmaker vs. the Golden Star. Both had something to prove with Ibushi having lost their Wrestle Kingdom bout and Okada in a floundering state on the mid-card.
Luckily, all of this motivation just meant that their match was even more spectacular with non-stop action throughout. There were high-flying, high-risk and high-speed moves executed by two charismatic and handsome men. Also, like many Okada matches, we continued to see this new side of the Rainmaker emphasising not only his athleticism but ground-offence. Factoring those together with Ibushi’s striking skills, this match had a bit of everything with so many different shades making it even more exciting to watch.
It felt like a condensed version of their match from January with a whole lot at stake and more action than humanly possible. Their rivalry is far from over.
2. Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii
When the blocks were first announced and people saw that Minoru Suzuki and Tomohiro Ishii were in the same block, it got fans excited. Little did they know hard-hitting the match was going to be because it surpassed anyone’s expectations.
The duo spent the first few minutes stood in the ring just throwing forearms and elbows at each with a monumental force. Like many good Suzuki and Ishii matches, it looked more like a fight than a wrestling match and soon made its way outside of the ring. No matter what was thrown at them, neither man stayed down for long. They threw everything but the kitchen sink into this match. We even saw some new moves out of the men like a variation on Suzuki’s sleeper hold. It was full of action from the start to end.
However, another reason why it was such a good match because there were shades of light and dark. In the end, all it took was a beautifully executed roll-up from Suzuki into a Gotch Style Piledriver for the win.
For two men of that size prized on being brawlers, it a surprisingly fast-paced that had the audience on the edge of their seats.
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Even though we’ve only had a few days of matches, people have already Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito as ‘Match of the Year’ contender. Going into the bout, the determination was etched upon Tanahashi’s face. He wanted to prove that he is still the amazing wrestler we all know and love.
However, Naito wasn’t going to let Tanahashi achieve that dream easily. From the second the bell rung, we saw the Ungovernable One try to play his mind tricks on The Ace. This meant that, for two highly athletic men, the start of the bout was oddly slow and methodical. It focused on submissions and targeting body parts. Luckily, that didn’t last long and the two wrestlers started flying around the ring at top speed.
Both Naito and Tanahashi seemed to be on an equal footing throughout putting their all into the match. This meant that fans saw the best of the two men and their amazing wrestling talents. There was a Reverse Frankensteiner, a beautiful Twist and Shout and, of course, a Slingblade.
In the end, after two Destinos and a failed High Fly Flow, Naito got the win in just over 27 minutes. It was a match of different layers between two men who know each other so well and have amazing in-ring chemistry.
What has your favourite G1 Climax match been so far? Let us know on Twitter!
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