G1 Climax Tournament Final: Kota Ibushi vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Sweet Jesus, there are discussions about what constitutes a Five Star Match™ but frankly, if there were ever a match that deserved it, it was this. Some people, our very own Alex Richards, commented that perhaps Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi wasn’t the world beater it should have been, even though it was still spectacular, perhaps that’s because Ibushi knew he had to hold something back in preparation for this, a worthy final that also stood as a mission statement to say simply this: Hiroshi Tanahashi is still The Ace. Working a good thirty-five minutes, the match beautifully played off not just their previous singles encounters but also the entire G1, telling the story of Ibushi perhaps putting too much pressure on his knees with all his high-flying brilliance at the expense of his ability to effectively hit the Kamigoye double wrist-clutch knee strike. Tanahashi was playing veteran, questioning if he had enough left to go to where he had to in order to win.

I should say, this match did a fantastic job of making me root for both men but making it clear who I should want the winner to be by having Ibushi be accompanied by his fellow Golden Lover, Kenny Omega but Tanahashi came out with his Dojo Bro, the main man, The Wrestler, Katsuyori Shibata. From here on, the match did an admirable job of swapping sympathies with Ibushi playing the underdog in the slower technical moments and Tanahashi clearly working from underneath when the pace went to faster, striking sequences, also, Ibushi clearly has had something rubbed off on him by Ishii because even by Ibushi’s standards, those strikes were sounding nasty.

I could see how some people might find this to suffer from typical New Japan Main Event fatigue, what with it going over 30 minutes but the real takeaway here is that Tanahashi is still able to go, even at 41 and that even though we all knew Ibushi was a legitimate Main Eventer, it seems New Japan is ready to accept this too with both men putting in top-tier performances. Of course, when it was all done, Tanahashi got the pin but not without having to hit three High Fly Flow frog splashes. If strapped for time, I’d suggest just watch the main event and the prior tag match, if not just for the electric Okada-Mysterio interactions but whatever you do, do not even think of missing out on this match. Now, all we have to do is hope that Ishii wins the Heavyweight Title because I think we all know that The Ace vs The Stone Pitbull is what’s best for business.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

And so, that’s another G1 in the books. We got to see the coronation of Zackie Boy as being placed on the level of Omega, Ibushi & Naito, we got Suzuki being grumpy and the reminder that Yano is the true GOAT. While we can’t deny it’s seen some of the best ProWres has to offer, we’re all just a little bit tired now. Luckily, we get a bit of a break till the Destruction tour starts. Rest up, have a foot spa and let us pray for the soon and safe return of our Lord and saviour, Hiromu Takahashi. Till next time…