Every G1 Climax 30 Participant RANKED

5. Minoru Suzuki (3-6-0)

Best Match: Kota Ibushi – Day 13

Worst Match: Yujiro Takahashi – Day 7

Age really is just a number to Minoru Suzuki. At 52 years old, Suzuki had one of the best performances of his career in the G1 Climax and he was a standout in the tournament as well. Enough good cannot be said about Suzuki, his matches were always good, if not great, and he had the best match of the tournament against Kota Ibushi.

While not particularly close to winning the A Block, Suzuki could almost guarantee a great match every time he stepped through the curtain. With competition like Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Shingo Takagi, how could he not? Here is hoping Suzuki has many more G1 Climaxes left in him.

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4. Kota Ibushi (7-2-0 G1 Climax Winner)

Best Match: Minoru Suzuki – Day 13

Worst Match: Yujiro Takahashi – Day 15

Fourth on the list might seem a bit low for the G1 Climax winner but it is more of a statement about those ranked 1-3 than anything. Ibushi was fantastic in this tournament as you might expect at this point. Getting a big win on night one against rival Kazuchika Okada, Ibushi was set up for big things this year. This continued throughout, including the aforementioned match with Minoru Suzuki which was the best of the tournament.

Ultimately, Ibushi was able to defeat SANADA to win the G1 Climax. This makes him only the third man in history to win back-to-back tournaments, a historic feat to say the least. However, while Ibushi did have a stellar tournament, there were three others who did just a bit better.

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3. Shingo Takagi (4-5-0)

Best Match: Kazuchika Okada – Day 13

Worst Match: Yujiro Takahashi – Day 9

It is no longer a secret how good Shingo Takagi is. After years of being great in the less popular Dragon Gate promotion, Takagi has firmly established himself as one of the best wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling. While he still has been unable to break in the main event scene as a heavyweight, his matches have been on another level.

He continues to be one of the most dynamic performers in the world with his blend of strength and speed being unmatched by those in Japan. Seemingly capable of having a good match with anyone, his matches with Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada were two of the tournament’s best. If he gets the push to match his talent, Takagi will be unstoppable.

• Tomohiro Ishii
• G1 Climax
• NJPW
• Will Ospreay

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