This year was my first time watching NJPW's G1 Climax (or, really, getting into NJPW period), and it was incredible.
Twenty (okay, like nineteen, if we're being totally honest; Bad Luck Fale is firmly, solidly 'fine') top-flight wrestlers; a round robin format; and an opportunity for talented individuals to showcase ther talents in singles match-ups, which - thanks to the company's tag-heavy undercards, are not overly common - made for a summer of entertaining watching that, along with some forays into AEW and GCW (Game Changer Wrestling-- think 'ECW, ver. 2019'), made the desperate, gasping flailing that the WWE has been engaging in lately look even sillier than it otherwise might have.
Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) in particular had an amazing run through the tournament, in which he demonstrated a ton of stylistic flexibility without forgetting the high-energy brawling that that made him who he is to begin with. He's been absolutely killing it since leaving the WWE, and here in particular he seemed rejuvenated, as if he was having the time of his life-- even when one of his matches immediately descended into goofy shenanigans involving DVD sales and turnbuckle fights.
I'm excited for what comes next with New Japan, especially since it's 'a junior heavyweight tournament featuring, among others, the(/a?) former Sin Cara/Mistico, who can, in fact, work if he's not mired in the WWE system'.
