NJPW & ROH G1 Supercard: Preview and Predictions
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
On the G1 Supercard, this match brings two of the most popular wrestlers in New Japan to center stage. You throw the IWGP Intercontinental Title into the mix and the Madison Square Garden crowd is surely to be salivating at the thought of these men squaring off in the center of the ring.
Kota Ibushi defeated Tetsuya Naito in the first round of the New Japan Cup this year. This match could easily have been a finals encounter, but the matchmakers threw a wrinkle in both of their tournament plans. While the match was probably the best opening round bout in the tournament, this eagerly anticipated rematch is sure to one up that brilliant contest.
Ibushi finally signed a long contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. A long-standing, freelancing free agent, Kota Ibushi will now be prominently featured on top of New Japan cards for the foreseeable future. In the conversation for the world’s best wrestler, Ibushi will now hone his craft exclusively for the promotion which he has starred in for many years.
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Naito and his ‘Tranquilo’ persona are widely popular in New Japan. He is a man who is also talked about as one of the top stars in Japan, Naito is long overdue for a lengthy run with the IWGP Heavyweight Title. While he held the title in 2016, a mere 70 days is a blip on the radar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Naito fell in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 12 to Kazuchika Okada, failing in his quest to reclaim the promotion’s major title. He rebounded at Wrestle Kingdom 13 to claim the Intercontinental Championship, defeating wrestling legend Chris Jericho in the process.
As mentioned in the paragraphs above, both men are bursting into the spotlight with the New Japan promotion. Ibushi is eyeing his first IWGP Intercontinental Championship while Naito most certainly is looking to move onto bigger and better things in the near future. I expect both men to pull out all of the stops in this head to head battle. My early prediction is Naito wins the 2019 G1 Climax and wins the IWGP Heavyweight Title at Wrestle Kingdom 14. In order to move in that direction, he will have to walk away from the Intercontinental Championship. Ibushi now has security and he will also secure the title belt in this thrilling rematch at the G1 Supercard.
Winner: Kota Ibushi