G1 CLIMAX 27
TOP 15 MATCHES (so far)
The following matches are listed in order of their broadcast date, not necessarily in order of how good we may think they are. They represent the absolute best of the G1 Climax’s first half, and can be viewed exclusively on New Japan World for less than $9 per month.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi
July 17, 2017 (Night 1)
This was the highly anticipated New Japan return of Kota Ibushi (not including his still-great run as the masked anime character Tiger Mask W) and there’s no better way to feature a returning top talent than against a man that has become something of a measuring stick for the promotion. Naito was out for blood, looking to prove that Ibushi didn’t deserve a spot in this year’s G1 after abandoning the company. He brutalized his opponent’s neck and hit some pretty devastating maneuvers to add impact to his Destino finisher, but the Golden Star didn’t hold back either. This might be worth watching for the no-hands piledriver off the second rope alone, or Ibushi’s awesome deadlift German suplex from the apron.
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
July 17, 2017 (Night 1)
These two have gone to war on many, many occasion in the past. You know exactly what you’re getting with Goto and Ishii, and it sure as heck isn’t a technical masterpiece or high-flying parade of flashy offense. It’s two big bulls, both from the CHAOS faction, beating each other senseless and looking to prove that they have a legitimate claim to their leader’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship by winning the G1. You might have expected them to reign it in a little bit during the first night of a very long, grueling tournament, but you would be very, very wrong.
Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Suzuki
July 20, 2017 (Night 2)
Did you enjoy Suzuki’s brutal title match against Okada earlier this year? Then chances are you’ll probably like this one as well. If you were one of the many fans that liked that bout but thought it was about 10-15 minutes too long (like me), this one has the benefit of a tighter story being told within the confines of a much shorter time limit. Suzuki employed his usual offense of terror looking like a final boss straight out of Dragon Ball Z, as Omega continued to struggle back and wait for his openings. Plus, it was opening night for the B Block and the main event between two top stars that absolutely needed to come out of the gates looking strong.
EVIL vs. Sanada
July 20, 2017 (Night 2)
While not quite on the level of some of these classics, I thoroughly enjoyed this slugfest between the two heavyweight middle men of Los Ingobernables. Both had something to prove, and although they shook hands before and after the bout, in between bells it was a completely different story. You would have though they’d hated each other since birth with the way EVIL destroyed his partner with multiple steel chairs, or Sanada’s cold, calculated submissions. This had a tremendous amount of intensity and had me on the edge of my seat, somehow rooting for both men as two of my favorite up-and-coming performers in New Japan today.
Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
July 21, 2017 (Night 3)
This is Yuji Nagata’s final year in the G1 Climax after an absolutely legendary career. While some have been critical of the third generation stars being involved with the tournament (including Okada himself), Nagata has silenced every single critic by putting on some of the best matches of his entire career over the past two weeks. He is wrestling with the intensity and fire of a man 10-15 years his junior, looking like the Blue Justice we all know and love. Up against an equally hard-hitting Hirooki Goto hot off his opening night victory, this was the bout that made people realize Nagata was deadly serious about performing in this year’s G1.
