The Greatest Matches in G1 Climax History
Many of the greatest professional wrestling matches in history have taken place in the G1 Climax.
In issues of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has rated 14 G1 Climax matches above five stars. Of those 14, six are rated 5.75 stars and above.
Not surprisingly, the top wrestlers of the modern era appear on this list multiple times. The G1 is where names like Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito built their legacies. However, it’s hard not to notice that of the wrestlers listed here, only one remains in NJPW today, and he’s finishing up in a few months, too.
Below, we look at the six greatest matches in G1 Climax history according to Dave Meltzer’s star ratings.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay – August 18, 2022 – 5.75 stars
This was the finals of the 2022 tournament, where Okada claimed his fourth, and likely final, G1 victory. At the time, tying Masahiro Chono’s record of five G1 wins seemed possible, but Okada would lose to Naito in the 2023 finals before signing with AEW in 2024.
The match was built around the story that Ospreay had never defeated Okada cleanly (he had only one win, marred by interference).
Meltzer wrote of the bout:
“This was not a match about flashy moves, although Ospreay did some amazing things including a sky twister press to the floor, but it was about slowly building moves for maximum drama and impact, and really about both men’s selling ability.”
“Ospreay was in tears leaving the ring. It was very clear the crowd wanted Ospreay and Okada to hug when it was over but they didn’t. Okada then said he didn’t want the G-1 Climax winner to just be seen as a stepping stone for an IWGP title match. He said he wanted the G-1 Climax to be seen as something much bigger and he wanted to elevate it and wanted to sellout the Dome. *****¾”
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay – July 20, 2019 – 5.75 stars
By the 2019 G1 Climax, The Elite had left NJPW, AEW had run a few shows, but Dynamite was not yet on the air. The Elite leaving was a blow to the company, and Omega not featuring in the tournament felt like the end of an era. It’s fitting that Okada and Ospreay delivered the best match of that year’s tournament, as their exits for AEW five years later would also mark the closing of a chapter for the G1.
This match took place on night seven of the tournament, not typically a spot for the best matches. However, a three-show stretch from July 18–20 produced some of the year’s top bouts.
Meltzer wrote in the July 29, 2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“All four shows this week were sellouts, with the three Korakuen Hall dates from 7/18 to 7/20 being three of the best cards of the year. All three main events, Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi on 7/18, Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii on 7/19 and Okada vs. Ospreay on 7/20 were among the best bouts this year. I’d go so far as to say had Ospreay beat Okada, and it was that night where when watching it felt special and the time to do it, it would have been the best match of the year. With Okada ch.net winning and not having what would have been this incredible emotional ending, it simply challenged for the top spot.”
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – August 12, 2018 – 5.75 stars
The finals of the 2018 G1 Climax is the highest-rated match of Kota Ibushi’s career according to both Dave Meltzer and Cagematch voters. It’s also tied for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s highest star rating, alongside his 2020 Wrestle Kingdom bout against Kenny Omega.
Ibushi’s match against Omega the night before, rated 5.5 stars, narrowly missed this list but is also considered one of his best.
Meltzer wrote of the bout:
“Tanahashi beat Kota Ibushi in the finals on 8/12 at Budokan Hall in Tokyo in a match that many regulars in Japan called one of the greatest matches in the history of the building–which covers an incredible amount of ground. It was a masterpiece of a match, probably Tanahashi’s best ever performance when it comes to fire and being a babyface. Ibushi on that night, and through the tournament, showed that he is one of the most physically talented and greatest in-ring performers of the incredible modern generation.”
Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito – August 13, 2017 – 5.75 stars
The finals of the 2017 G1 Climax is one of the tournament’s greatest matches and a defining moment in Tetsuya Naito’s career.
2017 marked Naito’s second G1 victory but his first since returning from a pivotal excursion to Mexico in 2015. His first tournament win in 2013 became controversial when a fan vote chose Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi to main event Wrestle Kingdom over Naito vs. Okada. Not long after, Naito ran off to Mexico and came back feeling very “tranquilo.”
Under his new persona, Naito captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2016 and won the G1 in 2017 to earn his long-awaited Tokyo Dome main event. However, he would fall short in that match, losing to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018.
Meltzer wrote of this match:
“Naito vs. Omega was an insane dangerous classic. Most had this as the best match of the tournament, and in doing so, makes it a strong contender for match of the year. As far as an explosive emotional match goes, there was none better this year. I liked Omega vs. Okada more, because I thought it was superior when it came to athleticism, and while also coming across far too dangerous, this match tread even more into that territory. Of course in many people’s yes, and DDT on the ringpost by Omega where it looked like Naito’s career could and Naito’s piledriver off a table to the floor are what made it the best match of the tournament and those spots will probably always be associated with this match, even if they weren’t supposed to happen like that. The piledriver was supposed to be a piledriver through the table but for whatever reason, when Naito jumped up, he missed the table and landed on the floor. To his credit, he was able to protect Omega going down, and the fear of injury and the selling like this was real and in each case, they went too far and were really hurt, added to the match.”
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega – August 12, 2017 – Six stars
The highest-rated G1 Climax match ever, according to Meltzer, was on the final night of round-robin action in 2017 between Okada and Omega. Omega picked up the win here before losing to Naito in the finals in the bout featured above. Meltzer awarded the match six stars, tying it with their Wrestle Kingdom 11 match.
Meltzer wrote of the bout:
“Omega vs. Okada was the third match of what had been as good a first two matches as you’d ever see. This is very much the modernized Flair vs. Steamboat 1989 program with the three national matches where people have debated which of the three bouts was the best, because all were classics and completely different. Because of the 30:00 time limit, it was faster paced with the storyline that Omega had to win in less than 30:00, because a draw would send Okada, who came in 6-1-1 while Omega was 6-2, to the finals. I was told that Omega considered this the best of the three matches. To me, I felt this match was every bit as good as the Tokyo Dome match, but there is a drama of building for 60 minutes that you can’t do in 24:40, but it’s all taste. The match built off the first two, was faster paced and more dynamic. If you’re not into the building of the match and drama of exhaustion, and just want fast-paced explosive action, this was the best of the three.”
Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay – August 12, 2023 – Six stars
Will Ospreay delivered one of his finest performances in his final G1 Climax, particularly in this semifinal loss to Tetsuya Naito.
The 2023 G1 was the end of an era. It was the last tournament for both Okada and Ospreay, who joined Kenny Omega in AEW the following year. Their departures, alongside the physical decline of Tanahashi and Naito, signaled a shift for NJPW’s landscape.
This match is Meltzer’s highest-rated Naito bout and tied for the third-highest of Ospreay’s career.
Meltzer wrote of the match:
“The Ospreay match ranks with the Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi match as the best G-1 match in history. The match seemed to be building toward the finish when there was a kick by Ospreay that knocked Naito out. At this point, Ospreay had to essentially take control of the match and make sure to set up the closing moves and position himself for the winning series of destinos. They did go right to the finish after the kick, as Naito was legitimately knocked silly. There is controversy because it would have appeared he suffered a concussion, and going on after a concussion isn’t the best idea, let alone working a match 20 hours later.”