Ranking All 91 Matches in the G1 Climax 26 Tournament

Welcome to my second annual ranking of the best matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax tournament! The same caveats from last year apply, e.g. rankings are difficult, they’re just opinions, etc. Rather than repeat myself, I’d like to use this space to discuss this year’s themes.

Before the tournament, smart money was on Tetsuya Naito to win. He had just lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Okada and a rematch seemed immenent. He did go on to have, in my opinion, the best showing of anyone in the tournament despite not winning his block.

Naomichi Marafuji and Katsuhiko Nakajima from Pro Wrestling Noah were in the tournament, and both looked excellent. Marafuji’s chops are the stiffest in wrestling and left many bruised chests in their wake. Nakajima displayed great ring pyschology in his match with Yuji Nagata and toughness in his match with Michael Elgin. He really impressed.

In what was likely his final G1 Climax tournament, Hiroyoshi Tenzan put on some solid performances, particularly against Tomohiro Ishii. YOSHI-HASHI, SANADA, EVIL, and Tama Tonga made their G1 debuts and all came out looking better for it. I thought YOSHI-HASHI in particular took a big step forward.

The final two nights of the G1 were outstanding. Plenty of scenarios were still in play such that the winner of each block was very much up in the air. The final A and B block matches on nights 17 and 18 stand out as two of the best matches I’ve seen in my entire life. Kenny Omega won the G1 Climax 26 as a total darkhorse, and became the first gaijin to ever accomplish that feat.

And now the rankings. The number after each match indicates the night on which it took place. A block matches were on odd nights and B block matches on even nights. All of these matches can be viewed online at New Japan World:

Match-of-the-Year Candidates

1. Okada vs. Tanahshi (17) – Going into the final day of Block A action, a number of scenarios were still in play. Okada, Tanahashi, Goto, Marafuji, and Bad Luck Fale all still had chances to win the block. Fale would be upset by Tama Tonga, while Marafuji would be eliminated by Goto. Goto had lost to both Tanahashi and Okada earlier in the tournament and held no tiebreaker advantage. His only chance of winning was if Okada and Tanahashi went to a 30-minute time limit draw. Otherwise, the winner of this main event would be the winner of Block A. After having put together numerous classic matches over the past few years, most recently at Wrestle Kingdom 10, this match had a lot to live up to.

   And it delivered in a big way. The crowd was vocal even before the opening bell. After a series of chain wrestling sequences, Tanahashi ended a clean break with a slap to Okada’s face. Enraged, Okada exploded into a quick succession of high impact maneuvers, struck the Rainmaker pose, then went for the Rainmaker Clothesline just three minutes in. Tanahashi’s roll-up quickly swung momentum in the other direction and led to a standoff. That was one hot firecracker to set off so early, but it educated the audience that in this match, anything was possible at any time. After some innovative mat work, the action spilled to the outside. Tanahashi hit the first of many dragonscrew leg whips by twisting Okada’s leg across the top of the guardrail. Tanahashi stayed on the offensive and connected with a huge High Fly Flow off the top turnbuckle to the floor. When it looked as if Okada might get counted out, Tanahashi went to retrieve the champion, who surprised him with a piledriver onto the floor.

   A series of flurries with surprise counters followed. About 20 minutes in the crowd got the sense that any move now could be the last. Tanahashi almost got a submission with a really deep, Liontamer-like Texas Cloverleaf. He hit a reverse slingblade, a High Fly Flow onto Okada’s back, but hit Okada’s knees on the third attempt. Okada seized the moment, set up Tanahashi for a piledriver, only to see it reversed. Tanahashi went for the High Fly Flow again but Okada connected with his signature dropkick. The rest of this match was a thing of beauty for which no recap can do full justice. The seesaw of momentum swung with high magnitude and frequency, driven largely by Okada’s repeated attempts to hit the Rainmaker Clothesline. After an exchange, Okada refused to release his grip on an exhausted Tanahashi’s wrist. He pulled Tanahashi in and connected with a big Rainmaker-style clothesline. He tried to finish him off with a second, but Tanahashi reversed into a full nelson suplex. “ONE MINUTE LEFT,” they announced over the PA system! Okada kicked out and hit a cradle piledriver. Tanahashi kicked out, so Okada went to finish him with the Rainmaker Clothesline, “THIRTY SECONDS LEFT” but Tanahashi reversed into the sling blade again. Is your head spinning yet? Tanahashi flew to the top turnbuckle “TWENTY SECONDS” and connected with the High Fly Flow. In a pivotal moment, Tanahashi decided “TEN SECONDS” he needed one more High Fly Flow to finish Okada off. He flew back to the top while many members of the audience were begging him to cover Okada before he ran out of time. Tanahashi hit the second High Fly Flow, and may very well have scored the pin, but time ran out at the referee’s count of two. They tie, and while Goto may have won the block, we all came out as winners. No two wrestlers in the world may have better synergy than these two. It was so good I got goosebumps just writing this recap.

2. Kenny Omega vs. Naito (18) – The final match of Block B would be decisive. The winner would advance to face Hirooki Goto in the Finals the following day. Goto had won his block by virtue of a tie between Tanahashi and Okada in their main event. The challenge Omega and Naito faced was that Tanahashi and Okada’s match may be remembered as one of the greatest G1 matches of all time. Being able to approach that bar would take all of their talents. And they pulled it off.

   Kenny was demonstrably not impressive by Naito’s entrance. Naito took it slow early, knowing that he could win the block with a tie. Steve Corino on English commentary astutely observed that the strategy would put considerable strain on Naito’s cardiovascular system and compromise him in the following night’s finals. Taking it slow would be quickly erased as an option, because Kenny Omega turned on the jets and would not let up. The key to the match was Omega’s knee. Naito attacked it early and often, leaving Kenny to hobble around for literally the entire match – superior job of selling the injury. Naito, who always seemed to know exactly what to do in those limited timeframes, would often exploit the small delays in Kenny’s offense. Kenny would then bounce back ferociously and unexpectedly. This seesaw theme repeated with new variations throughout the match. The psychology through all of it was sound and compelling.

   Kenny body slammed Naito kidney-first into the ring apron. Then he powerbombed him through a table beyond the guardrail. Then he did a Tope Con Hilo over the top rope into the crowd and onto Naito. The pace never let up, largely due to Kenny’s relentless motor. He absolutely crushed Naito with a series of knee strikes, some employed as counters. There were tons of great near falls after this. Naito hit a super reverse frankensteiner. Kenny hit a cradle back-to-belly piledriver. As the time ticked below four minutes, Kenny desperately tried time and again for One Winged Angel. Naito sucked Kenny in with a slam, but his diving head collided with Kenny’s jumping knee. One Winged Angel was blocked, so Kenny turned it into a German suplex. Finally the One Winged Angel hit and KENNY OMEGA WINS HIS BLOCK!!! The shot of Naito being dragged from the ring while still grasping towards Omega in the ring was gorgeous.

   What a war. With the win, Omega became the first Canadian to advance to the finals of the G1 Climax. For me, the result was genuinely shocking since I thought New Japan was using this tournament to set up a rubber match between Okada and Naito at Wrestle Kingdom. But perhaps this was the way to tell the story of Naito being unable to win the biggest matches without the help of Los Ingobernables. For Kenny Omega, this was the biggest match of his career, and the best I’ve ever seen him perform. If played the right way, Kenny Omega took a big step up towards top star status.

3. Kenny Omega vs. Goto (Finals) – If you asked most people to predict which two wrestlers would be facing off in the finals of this year’s G1 Climax, you could have made big money on the long odds of Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto. Yet despite it all, both men had a great tournament and deserved to be in this spot. The crowd seemed largely behind Omega, particularly when Goto attempted to exploit the knee injury Omega suffered at the hands of Naito the previous night. Goto’s attack was a great way to continue the story and sell the point that he would do what was necessary to win.

   While the match couldn’t exceed the ridiculously high bar set by the A Block and B Block finals, this was still my third favorite match of the entire tournament. As usual, Kenny Omega wrestled like he could never get tired, and Goto fought with a fierce fighting spirit. After a lengthy back and forth, the finale saw Omega try numerous attempts to hit the One Winged Angel. When he finally hit it and got the three count, the building exploded, as Kenny Omega had become the very first foreign wrestler to ever win the G1 Climax tournament. His victory speech given in both English and Japanese was a nice touch that showed how he is really one of the very best in the world today.

4. Ishii vs. Okada (13) – This match started so hot, and with such high-impact moves that there were plausible near falls in the first thirty seconds! These two members of CHAOS know each other exceptionally well. This familiarity no doubt played a large part in the chemistry they displayed in the ring. From the outset, they told the story that Ishii was every bit the match for Okada. Once the crowd caught on to that, they were hooked. As usual, Okada was very fluid, but Ishii matched his counters every step of the way. Okada and Ishii kept trying for the Rainmaker Clothesline and brainbuster, respectively, but had to settle for other high impact moves that couldn’t quite finish up their opponent, but which lead to a collection of outstanding near falls. The finish was genuinely satisfying. I just sat in my chair muttering, “Man, that was really, really good.”
5. Shibata vs. Naito (8) – Shibata entered with both his knee and shoulder heavily taped. He also entered angry and not willing to take any nonsense from Naito. This led to his propelling Naito at high velocity into the guardrails, sending him toppling into the crowd. Naito responded by wrapping Shibata’s knee in the guardrail, then executing a dropkick from the apron into the guardrail. Naito focused his offense on Shibata’s knee, mostly with a collection of excellent submissions. Naito’s taunting allowed Shibata to gather his fighting spirit, and the battle equalized. The end sequence was really snug and told a great story. I’d pay to watch these two guys go at it any day of the week.
6. Naito vs. Elgin (4) – This G1 main event at Korakuen Hall absolutely rocked! Naito worked the knee, Elgin sold expertly, and it remained a focal point of the story for the entire match, eventually leading to the finish. Despite the pain, Elgin would not surrender, countering all of Naito’s signature offense with his peerless display of power. Big impacts were given time to breathe. A collection of great counters heightened audience investment. The way the pin was arrived at was smart and fluid. It was a clear victory, but neither man really lost here.

Excellent

7. Nakajima vs. Elgin (18)
8. Okada vs. Goto (5)
9. Marafuji vs. Okada (1)
10. Goto vs. Marafuji (17)
11. Elgin vs. Shibata (6)
12. Tanahashi vs. Marafuji (13)
13. SANADA vs. Tanahashi (1)
14. Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI (16)
15. Naito vs. Nakajima (12)
16. Naito vs. Honma (10)
17. Tanahashi vs. Goto (9)
18. Nakajima vs. Nagata (8)
19. Elgin vs. Honma (16)
20. Ishii vs Makabe (17)
21. Tenzan vs. Ishii (1)
22. Elgin vs. Kenny Omega (8)
23. EVIL vs. Shibata (18)
24. Naito vs. EVIL (14)

Pretty Good

25. Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale (7)
26. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kenny Omega (2)
27. YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL (8)
28. Shibata vs. Nakajima (4)
29. Tanahashi vs. Ishii (11)
30. Kenny Omega vs. Nakajima (16)
31. SANADA vs. Ishii (14)
32. Tama Tonga vs. SANADA (13)
33. Yano vs. Nagata (12)
34. Makabe vs. Tanahashi (3)
35. Bad Luck Fale vs. Okada (15)
36. Okada vs. SANADA (3)
37. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Nakajima (10)
38. Kenny Omega vs. Yano (4)
39. Goto vs. Makable (15)
40. Nakajima vs. EVIL (6)
41. Elgin vs. YOSHI-HASHI (12)
42. Okada vs. Tenzan (9)
43. Marafuji vs. Tama Tonga (15)
44. EVIL vs. Honma (12)
45. Kenny Omega vs. Honma (6)
46. Goto vs. Tenzan (13)
47. Shibata vs. Kenny Omega (12)
48. Tanahashi vs. Tenzan (15)
49. Goto vs. Tama Tonga (11)
50. Kenny Omega vs. EVIL (10)
51. Tama Tonga vs. Bad Luck Fale (17)
52. Okada vs. Makabe (11)
53. Marafuji vs. Makabe (9)
54. Bad Luck Fale vs. Marafuji (3)
55. SANADA vs. Goto (7)
56. Shibata vs. Nagata (16)
57. Elgin vs. Nagata (10)
58. Kenny Omega vs. Nagata (14)
59. Honma vs. YOSHI-HASHI (4)
60. Nagata vs. Naito (2)
61. Honma vs. Shibata (2)
62. Tama Tonga vs. Tanahashi (5)
63. Nakajima vs. Honma (14)
64. Goto vs. Ishii (3)
65. Shibata vs. YOSHI-HASHI (14)
66. SANADA vs. Tenzan (17)
67. Okada vs. Tama Tonga (7)
68. Ishii vs. Marafuji (7)
69. Marafuji vs. Tenzan (5)
70. Nagata vs. YOSHI-HASHI (6)
71. Naito vs. Yano (6)
72. EVIL vs. Michael Elgin (2)
73. Bad Luck Fale vs. Makabe (13)
74. Honma vs. Nagata (18)
75. Marafuji vs. SANADA (11)
76. Yano vs. Elgin (14)
77. Makabe vs. SANADA (5)
78. Nagata vs. EVIL (4)
79. Bad Luck Fale vs. SANADA (9)

Decent to “Just There”

80. Makabe vs. Tama Tonga (1)
81. Makabe vs. Tenzan (7)
82. Nakajima vs. Yano (2)
83. Goto vs. Bad Luck Fale (1)
84. Yano vs. YOSHI-HASHI (18)
85. Yano vs. Shibata (10)
86. Tama Tonga vs. Ishii (9)
87. EVIL vs. Yano (16)
88. Yano vs. Honma (8)
89. Ishii vs. Bad Luck Fale (5)
90. Bad Luck Fale vs. Tenzan (11)
91. Tenzan vs. Tama Tonga (3)