NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

Which G1 Final is your all time favorite and why? Mines is this one. Absolutely incredible!


Which G1 Final is your all time favorite and why? Mines is this one. Absolutely incredible!

32 comments

  2. I remember watching this on AXSTV (with Jim Ross and Barnett on commentary) and man the match itself was great in terms of the unpredictability of who was gonna win, considering Nakamura was red hot and Tanahashi was still in his prime at this point. New Japan has had A LOT of amazing matches but this one sits right up there as an all time favorite. This one got me into NJPW.

  4. Tanahashi vs Ibushi is a very special one for me i was going through alot mentally that summer & the G1 was what kept me going Tanahashi winning really made me believe things will get better

  5. Top five as of now, and I’ve watched plenty of the older ones too:

    Masahiro Chono vs Keiji Muto 1991 Final

    Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega 2017 Final

    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kota Ibushi 2018 Final

    Shinya Hashimoto vs Kazuo Yamazaki 1998 Final

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tetsuya Naito 2011 Final

  6. Naito vs Omega, one of my favorite njpw matches ever, the crowd was red hot and my boy Naito winning was very satisfying

  7. Shinsuke vs Naito G1 2011

    Hashimoto vs Yamazaki G1 1998

    Sasaki vs Nakanishi G1 2000

  8. Ringwork wise? Naito v Omega,
    Story wise? Tanahashi v Ibushi

    Super hard to pick between which one I love more

  9. I think maybe Ibushi vs Tana or Naito vs Kenny, I think ospreay vs Okada has worked its way up there for me also.

    But I don’t have a solid number 1 I love alot of them

  11. I’ll do a top 5, in chronological order:

    – Chono vs Muto, 91

    – Kensuke vs Tenzan, 97

    – Tenzan vs Akiyama, 03

    – Nakamura vs Naito, 11

    – Naito vs Omega, 17

  12. NIaito vs. Omega G1 2017. Everyone talks about the Omega-Okada quadrilogy, but I consider this match to be better than all but one of those four. Absolutely love that match

  13. Naito vs Omega in 2017 was probably the best, but Okada vs Nakamura in 2014 still holds a special place in my heart since that’s when I started watching New Japan.

  15. For me Ibushi vs tana based on the fact that I was in genuine awe Abd shock after watching it

  16. G131 Ibushi vs Okada

    There has never been anything in the history of wrestling more exciting than a six weeks of incredible matches culminating to a final, in which Kota Ibushi attempts a ridiculous flip off the top rope and shatters his arm and shoulder 5 minutes in to the match, resulting in a referee stoppage and awarding Okada the prestigious tournament victory!

    /S

    Anybody?

    <crickets chirping>

  17. Still Tana vs Ibushi for me. As a Tanahashi fan, seeing him win the G1 again and get the IWGP Heavyweight belt one last time was a great story. Especially after that match vs Okada at Wrestling Dontaku, it felt like it was the end of Tanahashi as a main eventer, so this big comeback in the G1 was so good to watch.

  22. Ibushi/White. Couldn’t really explain for that sole match as a whole. I just really loved that whole 2019 tournament.

  23. Tanahashi vs. Ibushi. Even as he’s banged up from years of carrying the company and being in his 40s, Tana showed why he’s the Ace and has the crowd in the palm of his hands. Ibushi was amazing in his first of four consecutive G1 Finals.

  24. For me it’s either Nakamura/Tanahashi or Ibushi/Tanahashi, for two different reasons. For the former: I got into watching NJPW because of Nakamura and now looking back into it, this was his/their “Misawa/Kawada 2005”. I still get chills watching that finishing sequence, with Nakamura simply refusing to fall down and Tana has to pull off a short range High Fly Flow.

    And for the latter: 2018 was a year full of turmoil for me on all levels and watching Tana winning the G1 28 after losing the IC title in February, losing the NJC final in April and losing his all time record of title defenses to Okada in May, man, the tears just flowed.

  25. Tanahashi vs Ibushi, Omega vs Naito. Omega vs Goto VERY rarely gets spoken of perhaps because of the Omega/Naito classic the night before it but that’s a hell of a match as well. Omega doing the Bloody Sunday and styles clash is a classic moment.

  26. – Jay White vs Kota Ibushi: The entrances alone were telling. Jay comes out with nearly the entirety of Bullet Club, but Ibushi comes out alone. Just the first of many epic encounters.

    – Okada vs Karl Anderson: Anderson being the first Gaijin in 20 years to make the finals made this match a big deal for him. This final gave birth to the stipulation of the winner getting their title match at Wrestle Kingdom.

    – Okada vs Nakamura: This match pretty much cemented Okada as the new leader of Chaos. Hard hitting action, and Nakamura was not holding back on his Chaos partner.

  27. Naito vs Omega and Tanahashi vs Ibushi. Both are my favorites and are special to me. I was there live for both of them.

  29. Tana vs Ibushi (G1 28, 2018), because Tana is my guy.

    The sequence during which he moves forward through the slaps is one for the ages. The greatest display of hulking up ever.

    Twice in my life, I cried in front of wrestling. Both times happened courtesy of my favorite wrestler ever, in the span of three months. After the tears of sadness at Wrestling Dontaku, the tears of joy to conclude the summer of rebirth.

    Tana’s arc in 2018 is arguably the greatest piece ever booked by the company and it peaks here.

    The kind of out-of-the-body experience that rewards the fans for paying attention for so long. The perfect example of what investment, character-driven approach and storytelling pushed to the highest highs can produce.

    Go Ace!

  30. Of what I’ve seen, 2018 forward, Ace/Kota was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Loved Kota/Jay too though.

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