The G1 Climax has officially come to a close. The confetti has fallen and a winner has been crowned, and now the fans and wrestlers alike can take a deep breath and allow the last 19 shows to marinate in their hearts and minds.
This year’s tournament included more high quality matches than any G1 Climax in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling. As of this writing Dave Meltzer has awarded four 5(+) star ratings to the tournament matches and counting. However, while there have been more excellent matches than ever before in this tournament, the tournament faltered with the matches of a couple of its participants.
The decision to have interference in every single one of the Bullet Club OGs’ matches soured many fans on a portion of the tournament. Many felt that the constant outside interference and ref bumps tainted what would have otherwise been the greatest G1 Climax in history.
Now with the tournament in New Japan‘s rear view mirror, it is time to look back on all 20 participants in this year’s tournament and rank them from worst to best. Each wrestler will be ranked based on their performance in the tournament and their presentation. It is worth noting that at a point early in the tournament it became clear that the B Block was superior to the A Block in terms of match quality. However, wrestlers will be judged based on the performances that were shown and if a wrestler’s presentation suffered because they were in the weaker block, then so be it.
Once again a reminder that this list is subjective and entirely one man’s opinion. If you disagree with any of the placements on this list, great! Make your own list and leave it in the comments below. With that out of the way, let us begin.
