Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano
July 25, 2017 (Night 6)
Okay, so… Fair warning, this isn’t the greatest technical wrestling match on our list. In fact there have been many a critic (and one very loud, obnoxious Jim Cornette) that have spoken out against it. I put it on the list not because it’s a classic display of the greatest wrestling on the planet, but because it’s simply one of the best comedy matches in history. You can complain that Kenny Omega “shouldn’t” be working this style of match in the position that he’s in, but at the end of the day if you loosen your grip on the imagine rulebook and just have fun with a product that is 100% about entertainment, this is one of my favorite matches from the G1 so far. No it wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but it had me literally crying tears of joy as I clutched my sides in laughter. It was fun. Wrestling is supposed to be fun. If you disagree, move on.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
July 26, 2017 (Night 7)
Tanahashi is great. Goto is great. We’ve already talked about both of them. The arm injury continued to a problem, and more importantly continues to be a great vehicle for storytelling. Marry that to two guys who are absolute experts at creating a believable, engaging story in the ring and you’ve got… Well, this match.
Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
July 27, 2017 (Night 8)
This might be the single greatest match of the G1 so far. Arguments can be made for others, but in any other year it would be an instant candidate for Match of the Year. That’s something we’ve said a lot in 2017, and you can pretty much exclusively blame Kenny Omega for setting that tone. In 2016 these two introduced a ladder match to New Japan for the first time ever and had an absolutely unforgettable barn-burner of a championship bout. They followed that up with another fantastic affair during the G1 specials in Long Beach, where Omega would go on to become the first ever IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. With their career rivalry tied at two wins and two losses each, this was the Best of Five finale and it absolutely delivered as such.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima
July 27, 2017 (Night 8)
The reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion on an undefeated streak in the G1, taking on the third generation star and legend still looking for his first win of the tournament. On paper this was easy to predict given current booking trends, but in the G1 you just never know. As the story progressed the fans rallied behind the underdog Kojima and there was a real sense that the upset was coming. This proved two things: that Okada can have an amazing match with literally anyone for any reason at any time, and that Kojima can still put on excellent performances at this stage of his career.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
July 29, 2017 (Night 9)
Tetsuya Naito came into night nine with six points on the board, and as the odds-on favorite to win the A Block and advance to the G1 Finals. Tomohiro Ishii was trailing with four points, with the very real sense that if he allowed the Los Ingobernables leader to advance to eight his chances of mounting a comeback would begin to slim. After all, should he make it to the final night of block competition somehow tied with Naito, it would be this bout that decided their fate. Beyond all that, you’re also looking at one of the hottest stars in New Japan at the top of the car taking on one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet today. So really, it had no chance of being anything but great.
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So there you have it, our Top 15 matches (and some change) of the 2017 G1 Climax so far. It’s been an incredible ride so far, and it’s almost hard to believe we’re only halfway to the finish line. Take a look at some of the matches we still have left…
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Juice Robinson
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
- Kenny Omega vs. EVIL
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito
- Michael Elgin vs. Minoru Suzuki
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
- Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega
