Korakuen Hall. G1 Climax. Let’s go!!!
1. G1 Climax – Block A: KENTA vs. Lance Archer
KENTA’s matches with Ibushi and Tanahashi were attempts at classics that were fun but didn’t quite hit, while this was a smaller match but might’ve used 2019 KENTA the best. He was a natural underdog here, the role he played when everybody fell in love with him in the first place, so between the badass “come at me bro” kicks and him somehow being able to break out of THE CLAW, the heartbeat of a formerly green ring was slowly beating throughout Tokyo. Archer continued to look like a beast, highlighted by him catching a crossbody and just slamming KENTA face-first. Good wrestling. ***1/4
2. G1 Climax – Block A: EVIL vs. SANADA
Oh man they actually did the match I wanted. SANADA’s speed and flying contrasts so well with EVIL’s heel burliness, especially when you know they’re pals both after a tournament win. The landing on his feet off a German suplex was the first “oh shit” moment of the match, and then they just built and built this sucker until it started feeling like some super heated AJPW Budokan classic but in Korakuen Hall. Each guy trading their finishers could’ve easily felt gimmicky but I thought it made perfect sense in the context of trying to win a wrestling match, and the Tiger suplex hold near fall just flipped me out. If you’re going balls out, go balls out, but try to make some sense too. They did both, and I enjoyed the wrestling. A lot! ****1/4
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
Unless he’s against his inexplicably perfect rival Archer or Hiroshi Tanahashi, this is probably as good a Fale match as you’re getting. Okada sold the mediocre big guy offense like it meant something, and his using the rebound of big Fale against the ropes to manage a bodyslam only to collapse in pain right after is why he is very good at this. The Bullet Club interference is usually grating, but opposite Okada in Korakuen it became weirdly dramatic before the champ got a flash win. ***1/2
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
I say it every time they face off but there’s a credibility in the ZSJ/Tanahashi matchup like nothing else in wrestling. The format is pretty simple – mat exchange, stand up and recover, mat exchange, repeat. And ZSJ’s matwork can sometimes walk a fine line between shtick and actual competition, but Tana makes it the latter and takes that to its’ highest degree. I mean these guys did a backslide struggle for like 30 full seconds and it WORKED. So did Tanahashi selling ZSJ’s stretches like death, so did Tanahashi setting up an inverted dragon screw, getting slapped a bunch, and fighting through them to hit it anyways. A High Fly Flow countered with a Triangle Choke countered with a rollup is a heck of a finish to attempt, but surprise – it worked. ****
5. G1 Climax – Block A: Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
A match that felt like a classic match while I watched it in the moment and then a few days removed I’m not sure I could tell you a whole lot about it without referring to notes – WELCOME to 2019 professional wrestling during the New Japan Pro Wrestling Grade 1 Climax. I loved their Wrestle Kingdom match, which was a 10-minute opener compared to this nearly 30-minute epic, and I think both were high level that continued to showcase these two as having great chemistry while being two of the more athletically freakish main event level stars in wrestling today.
It was a Japanese-style epic with strike exchanges and limb targeting and near falls with all the spectacular stuff you want from these two. Will went after Ibushi’s ankle, while Will tried to avoid his allegedly hurt neck being targeted until Ibushi kicked him right in it. Not sure why Will lifted Ibushi up with only the power of his neck pretty soon after though – insert “I dunno” emoji here. Loved the GASPS as Ibushi set up the tombstone before Will was able to spring out with a front cradle followed by Will backflipping his way into a massive powerbomb – there was a LOT of stuff like that, and it capped off with a bunch of CHAOS (pun absolutely intended) that finally ended after a second or third Kamigoye. ****1/2
