Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – G1 Climax (Finals)
As I watched this live for the first time, the big question that kept looming over my sleep-deprived mind was ‘’who should win this match?’’. Logically, New Japan won’t be able to rely on the Okada/Tana/Naito/Kenny Big 4 for eternity, so a G1 win would be a good first step towards inserting Ibushi into that top layer and cementing his superstar status. As y’all know by now, since this review is nearly a month late, Ibushi’s ascension to glory was not the story that was told here.
This match was about Hiroshi Tanahashi transcending age, injuries and adversity to claim his rightful spot in the NJPW pantheon as a god damn legend. It was also about the old trueborn New Japan generation standing up to the rising indie stars and basically telling them ‘’Fuck you, this is our house’’. The symbolism became crystal clear as soon as Shibata, the ultimate stand-in for Japanese wrestling traditionalism, came out to second his dojo frenemy.
The big moment that made me realize I was witnessing something truly special rather than just a really good wrestling match was when Ibushi snapped into Murder Mode and Tanahashi just fucking took it. This is when Tana entered the relm of Japanese wrestling Godhood, absorbing all of Ibushi’s shots and shaking them off like a cross between Hulk Hogan and Kenta Kobashi with better hair. Tanahashi might be ravaged from years of High Fly Flowing to the floor at the Tokyo Dome, but this man still does pure emotion better than anyone on the roster.
As Tana miraculously dodged the Kamigoye and started drilling Ibushi with locomotion Twist n’ Shouts, using every last ounce of his fighting spirit to pick his opponent back up, my initial concerns about Ibushi winning /long-term NJPW booking no longer mattered. Despite going into the opposite direction I was anticipating (or wanted), the story-telling on display was so strong that I was hooked line and sinker.
I gush about Tanahashi’s genius (as always), but this was also one of Ibushi’s finest big match performances ever. Clearly, Tana sat him down before the match and told him ‘’Bro, if you ever want to be Ace, you’ll have to start selling the leg’’ – AND HE DID! He sold and paced himself better than usual, milking all of that special G1 Climax finals atmosphere while still supplying all of these insane moments you’re expecting from a Kota Ibushi match. That backflippin’ Moonsault double kneedrop is the craziest thing I have seen all year.
The post-match bit with Ibushi nervously refusing to pay his respect to Tana was pretty special stuff. One day, Kota will beat Tanahashi on the big stage and surpass his hero, but not now: Tana ain’t done yet. GO ACE. ****3/4
Captain Lou’s 2018 G1 Climax TOP 10
1- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (Finals) – 8/12/2018
2- Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Block B) – 8/4/2018
3- Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito (Block B) – 7/15/2018
4- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (Block A) – 8/10/2018
5- Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi (Block B) – 8/11/2018
6- Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Block B) – 7/21/2018
7- Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi (Block B) – 8/4/2018
8- Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA (Block B) – 8/11/2018
9- Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (Block A) – 8/2/2018
10- Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL (Block A) – 8/5/2018
