With the G1 about to begin in less than a day, thought I would share some of my personal favorite G1 Finals.
1991 G1 Climax Final – Keiji Mutoh vs Masahiro Chono – the first G1, technically, and one that paved the way for perhaps the company's largest "boom" period. You have 2 of the 3 OG Musketeers (With Hashimoto watching from the outside of the ring) battling it out for supremacy, for who would step up and achieve success first. Combine that with an absolutely white-hot crowd, and it's the G1 Final that all others aspire to.
1995 G1 Climax Final – Keiji Mutoh vs Shinya Hashimoto – You have the two biggest stars of 90's NJPW (and of the promotions' history) battling it out; Mutoh had just defeated Hash for the IWGP months prior and was also dealing with a scarred forehead (courtesy of Ric Flair) that gets busted wide open. Mutoh gives one of his best babyface performances and Hashimoto shows why he was one of the greats.
1998 G1 Climax Final – Shinya Hashimoto vs Kazuo Yamazaki – a G1 victory had eluded NJPW's "Ace" of the 90's, Hashimoto, and here he faces as tough an opponent as any in the form of the ex-UWF kick and submission master, Yamazaki.
2001 G1 Climax Final – Keiji Mutoh vs Yuji Nagata – Nagata steps up to the big stage as he battles the new "Shining Wizard" Mutoh; both guys are in peak form, as the crowd cheers wildy for both.
2003 G1 Climax Final – Jun Akiyama vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan – The best run by an "outsider" in the G1, as NOAH's would-be "Ace" Akiyama makes it to the finals, where Tenzan must defend the honor of SHIN-NIHON and hope to finally win his first G1.
2005 G1 Climax Final – Masahiro Chono vs Kazuyuki Fujita – not only the final of one of the most prestigious tournaments in wrestling, but also a tribute to the late Shinya Hashimoto, who had passed a month prior. Both men dedicate a win to Hash, as he was one of Chono's best friends and fellow Musketeer and a big brother/mentor figure to Fujita.
2008 G1 Climax Final – Togi Makabe vs Hirooki Goto – right in the midst of the heated feud between RISE and GBH, the heroic Goto looks to overcome the violent “Unchained Gorilla”. Goto gets busted and bloodied, leading to an emotional climax.
2011 G1 Climax Final – Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tetsuya Naito – Nakamura has been the youngest IWGP champ (at 23 years old, which still stands) but the G1 Final victory he eluded the “King of Strong Style”; Naito seemed primed to be a future top star and this was a clash of two ambitious men.
2014 G1 Climax Final – Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazuchika Okada – CHAOS collides, as the leader of the faction takes on the new “golden boy” in the “Rainmaker”; Nakamura he defeated Okada in a G1 match in 2013, so Okada is especially determined to prove himself here.
2015 G1 Climax – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura – an era defining match, as the two biggest stars in NJPW of the previous decade collide in their final showdown; doesn’t get any bigger or emotional, seeing the “Ace” vs the “King”.
2017 G1 Climax Final – Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega – both these men’s trajectories/paths seemed somewhat similar, as both were white-meat babyfaces who transformed into heelish personas (“El Ingobernable” and the “Cleaner”). Here, Naito had to overcome as intense an Omega as ever.
2018 G1 Climax Final – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kota Ibushi – all the feels. A worn down and battered Tanahashi, with Shibata in his corner, seeks to have one last run at the top as he faces down the “Golden Star”, Ibushi, with Omega in tow. Despite their being a friendship and deep respect between the two, Ibushi batters Tana, only to realize why Tana is the “Ace”.
2022 G1 Climax Final – Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay – the “Rainmaker” and the “Aerial Assassin” collide in perhaps their finest match. Ospreay has been on a tear this time, but rain once against headfirst into his “big brother”. Ospreay sight to use the past (High Fly Flow, Styles Clash, V-Trigger) to overcome Okada, to his own detriment.
2023 G1 Climax Final – Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada – another era defining match, like Nakamura/Okada, as the leader of LIJ sought to beat his more accomplished “kohai” once again. Okada turns up the arrogance, in defiance of his longtime rival and the very pro-Naito crowd.
by MrPuroresu42
