G1 Climax Star Ratings Revealed

In a year that has featured more 5(+) star matches than any other year in history (and we’re only in August), three more matches have been added to the list. The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has been released along with the star ratings for the last three nights of the 2018 G1 Climax.

With the G1 Climax coming to a close last Sunday, the three biggest matches of the tournament took place on three straight nights. The A Block final between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada was the first match to take place and received a 5 star rating. Tanahashi and Okada wrestled to a 30-minute draw, which allowed Tanahashi to win the block and advance to the tournament finals. The match was the second match the two men had had in 2018, and the eleventh match the two have shared over their legendary six-year rivalry.

The next night featured the most anticipated match of the tournament when Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi wrestled each other for the first time in six years, receiving a 5 1/2 star rating. The Golden Lovers battled one another for over 23 minutes before Ibushi was able to defeat Omega with the Kamigoye. Ibushi debuted a new move in this match, a standing moonsault where he lands with his knees on his opponent’s chest. The move looked absolutely horrifying and it added to the match. What is most interesting is that this match received a very high, 5 1/2 star rating and yet there will almost undoubtedly be another match in the Golden Lovers story.

Finally, there was the G1 Climax Final. In this match, the veteran Hiroshi Tanahashi managed to defeat Kota Ibushi to win his third G1 Climax and the right to face the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom 13, earning a 5 3/4 star rating in the process. The highest star rating given to any match in this year’s tournament and the second highest rated match of 2018 (behind only Okada vs. Omega, which received the only 7 star rating ever), The tournament final was the kind of epic encounter a wrestling fan hopes will occur at the end of a classic tournament. With recently defeated Kenny Omega in Ibushi’s corner and Katsuyori Shibata in Tanahashi’s corner, the emotion of this match can not be properly expressed through words. Ibushi showed his dark side, which has only been seen a few times and Tanahashi proved his naysayers wrong by not only winning the tournament but also having perhaps the best match of his legendary career.

What was your favorite match from this year’s G1 Climax? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter or Discord!

 

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• wrestle kingdom 13
• five star match
• wrestling observer newsletter
• Ring of Honor
• IWGP Heavyweight Champion
• new japan pro wrestling
• kota ibushi
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Kazuchika Okada
• G1 Climax
• NJPW
• Kenny Omega

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