Are we in the golden age of wrestling? There’s just so much damn good wrestling going on that it’s astounding. I’m not able to keep up with all of it, but now is a great time to be a wrestling fan. Get ready for some more New Japan ass kissing because this was a strong show.
Sho, Yoh, Rocky Romero, Gedo, and Yoshi-Hashi vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and King Haku, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kushida vs. Marty Scurll and Hangman Page, and Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito and Bushi were all very fun matches in their own way.
However, nothing consequential happened, so you don’t have to go out of your way to see any of these matches if you missed them.
The real story of the G1 special was the strong title matches.
Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb for the Never Openweight Championship is arguably the weakest of all the title bouts; however, this was still a damn good match.
Jay White vs. Juice Robinson for the IWGP U.S. Championship was a great match and I’m happy that Robinson is the new champ. It’s really nice to see White grow into his “switchblade” persona. Granted, he still needs some fine tuning, but the kid definitely has a bright future.
I wasn't a fan of the fact that Robinson singled out White as not being American thus he didn’t deserve the IWGP United States title.
It's 2018, and it’s time pro wrestling gets past the xenophobia crap. I don’t understand why most foreign heels have to hate America. If they hate America so damn much, then why the hell are they in this country? Most are just normal folk who eat, sleep, and work happily.
I’m sorry, I’m going off on a tirade a bit as I know that’s not White’s gimmick nor was that played up in the match. But that’s what made Robinson come off badly.
When Robinson said that White didn’t deserve the title because he wasn’t American, I instantly disliked him because he came off as a racist. If Americans were the only ones who could challenge for the title, then why are NJPW officials allowing other nationalities to compete for the title?
Also, what was the deal with the Josh Barnett moment? I’m not a fan of announcers looking stronger than wrestlers. Granted, Barnett is a certified bad ass by being a former UFC Heavyweight champion, but how many people watching knew this?
No offense to Barnett, but he’s not Connor McGregor or Ronda Rousey, meaning that his name is mostly unknown to a mainstream audience. It was weird moment, and it wasn’t bad by any means, just unnecessary.
“The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. Evil and Sanada for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles was another awesome encounter. I’ve been kissing their ass for the past several months, so there’s really nothing more to say. It’s a Bucks match, so you know their style; If you enjoy it then you’ll love this match as well.
Personally, my match of the night goes to Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Dear god this match was just freaking awesome! It didn’t have the compelling story that the main event did, but these two click so well together in the ring. The match went nearly 16 minutes and that felt too short for my liking.
And finally, Kenny Omega vs. Cody for the IWGP Heavyweight championship was a terrific match. I love how it feels like I’m watching a movie play out in Omega’s recent matches. The months of build between these two compiled a dramatic match.
Don’t get me wrong, I never believed that Omega was losing this match. It’s his first title defense, but I loved the emotion and story that was weaved through out the match.
The post-match attack was very interesting; however, I feel we should’ve went off the air with the Bullet Club lying on the ground beaten and broken.
The moment between Cody and Kenny could have been saved for another night. The fact that Omega and his crew were able to get up freely and walk out lessens the viciousness of the attack.
This was a strong show, but it clocked in at 4 hours and 30 minutes, so if you don’t have that much time then just watch the five title matches. If you could only see one match then my pick would be Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee. Though Cody vs. Kenny Omega is a strong second.