NJPW & ROH G1 Supercard: Preview and Predictions

Jesse Velasquez

TOKYO,JAPAN - MARCH 6: Jay White looks on during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Ota City general Gymnasium on March 6, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)

New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring Of Honor are collaborating for the mega G1 Supercard on Saturday, April 6th. The event will take place from the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden in New York City.

With ten matches on the main card and a pre-show battle royal preceding them, G1 Supercard is sure to be delightful for a wrestling fan of NPW and Ring Of Honor.

Each promotion has a main event on the G1 Supercard which features their brand’s respective heavyweight championships. All told, there are seven title matches featuring nine prestigious championships to be put on the line.

With the recent focus on bringing New Japan to a Western audience, a brand new event like the G1 Supercard in the “World’s Most Famous Arena” will be sure to draw an immense amount of attention in the United States. High profile WWE cards will also be staged in New York during the coming days, making this a “Super Bowl” type of weekend for pro wrestling. New Japan and Ring Of Honor will be looking to bring in a fantastic alternative style to the sports entertainment brand from Stamford, Connecticut.

Without a further ado, let’s dive into this magnificent spectacle that will be sure to entertain the masses. This will is surely be an electric Saturday night of G1 Supercard action and it kicks off with a battle royal featuring talents from both promotions.

An undoubted highlight of #g1supercard at Madison Square Garden April 6 will be the #honorrumble ! Jyushin Thunder Liger will be one of 30 participants representing both NJPW and ROH. Who would you like to see enter the fray? pic.twitter.com/jD1Zr1JNy9
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) March 26, 2019

The Honor Rumble Battle Royal

The pre-show will start off with a 30 man, over the top rope battle royal involving stars from both Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. The winner of past Honor Rumble’s have been granted a future shot at the Ring Of Honor heavyweight championship.

While the title shot hasn’t been granted as of press time, expect this match to be a fun opener. As of this article, Kenny King, PJ Plack, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas), and Cheeseburger have been confirmed from Ring Of Honor. Jushin Liger has been the only member from the New Japan roster to be revealed for the opening contest.

Kevin Eck of ROHWrestling.com reports “I’m told there will be several surprises in the Rumble, including one competitor who has had numerous matches at Madison Square Garden and even defended a world title there.”

Who that mystery wrestler happens to be is anyone’s guess. With 23 other competitors yet to be announced, you can expect to see some big name talent appearing in the Rumble. I expect one of 2 names to emerge victorious. NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii or Ring of Honor’s Silas Young. I will be going with a crowd favorite to win the Rumble.

Winner of the battle royal: Tomohiro Ishii

IWGP NEVER Openweight and ROH Television Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Jeff Cobb (c)

You cannot pick a better opener for the G1 Supercard. The NEVER Openweight Champion Will Ospreay will challenge Ring of Honor World Television Champion Jeff Cobb. Both championships will be on the line this match. This is truly a con flip contest as the 2 men have been on fire in 2019.

Since Ospreay has wiped out the aerial nickname, he has truly become an assassin. Ospreay knocked Kota Ibushi out and defeated him at Wrestle Kingdom 13 to win the NEVER championship. He has since wrestled PAC in England, Jay White in the main event at the New Japan anniversary show and made it all the way to the quarterfinals in the New Japan Cup. He defeated multiple men larger than him with a power based offense, which is very uncharacteristic of Ospreay. Yet, he is still known to be one of the best high flyers in the world.

After winning the Ring of Honor Television Title last fall in a mere 90 seconds, Jeff Cobb has been a man possessed this year. He has not been pinned in America and is also the current Pro Wrestling Guerilla Champion. Cobb’s blend of mat work and agility for a man his size are rivaled by few in the world, which will create a match up problem for any opponent.

Will Ospreay is one of the few men in the last six months to pin Jeff Cobb, doing so with a “Stormbreaker” in a tag match at ‘Honor Rising’ in February. While both competitors are sure to bring their A-game in the opening contest at G1 Supercard, I’m going with Ospreay to become a two-time Ring of Honor World Television Champion.

Winner: Will Ospreay

Dalton Castle vs. Rush

Immediately following Rush’s victory at the ROH 17th Anniversary show, Dalton Castle stormed the ring and grabbed the microphone. He threw down a challenge to the undefeated Rush “on the most iconic stage of them all, Madison Square Garden.”

Despite being a decorated former ROH World Champion, Dalton Castle comes into the G1 Supercard event with an unfortunate losing streak in big matches. Having lost two straight at major Ring of Honor events, Castle understandably felt compelled to call out the undefeated newcomer in an attempt to put his name back on the map.

Meanwhile, Rush will continue to his roll in his new home. The ‘Los Ingobernables’ leader left MLW to sign a contract with Ring Of Honor in the early part of 2019 and has proceeded to rattle off win after win in the process. With his exciting Lucha background and their push to sign him, it’s no wonder that the promotion has treated Rush like the star that he was coming from Mexico.

With the many recent signings by ROH, I fully expect them to continue elevating their newly acquired talent. I look for Rush to remain undefeated and pick up a win over a former champion in the process

Winner: Rush

Women of Honor Championship Match: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Kelly Klein

When she arrived in Ring of Honor, Mayu Iwatani brought with her a pedigree that is matched by very few in women’s wrestling. At only 26 years of age, Iwatani is an eight year veteran who made her name in Stardom. In Stardom, she has held the Artist of Stardom Championship four times, the Goddess of Stardom Championship twice, the Wonder of Stardom Championship twice, and the High Speed Championship and World of Stardom Championship one time each.

In February, Mayu Iwutani defeated Kelly Klein to capture the Women Of Honor championship. Klein demanded a return match at the ROH 17th Anniversary show, only to fail to recapture her title. Now, she looks for one last opportunity to rectify those losses. What better way to show off two of the world’s best women wrestlers than ending their trilogy on the G1 Supercard?

Some history deserves to be made on a stage like this. While Mayu has made the rivalry one-sided in the won-loss column, Klein has shown spirited efforts in defeat. I see a reversal of fortunes coming in this contest. Look for the powerhouse to become the first two-time Women of Honor champion.

Winner: Kelly Klein

New York City Street Fight: Bully Ray vs. Juice Robinson

The seasoned veteran Bully Ray opened up a challenge to anyone on the New Japan and Ring of Honor roster. However, this was no normal open challenge. Prepared to come back to Madison Square Garden, an arena the New Yorker was no stranger to during his tenure with WWE, Bully Ray laid down a challenge for a New York City Street Fight.

While Bully Ray’s open challenge remained unanswered for quite some time, Juice Robinson stepped up to the plate last Sunday in Baltimore. As Ray came out at the end of a match between SIlas Young and Mark Haskins, Robinson made a save for Haskins. When Bully Ray high tailed it, Robinson grabbed a microphone and answered Bully’s challenge for G1 Supercard on Saturday night.

Bully Ray took to Twitter saying Juice wouldn’t make it and Minoru Suzuki was too afraid to show up and answer his challenge. It’s quite amazing that he had the fortitude to call out arguably the toughest man on the New Japan roster and potentially the toughest man in wrestling. Because of that, we may see an appearance by the Japanese legend at some point in this match. I’m giving the nod to the NJPW United States champion in this everything goes street fight.

Winner: Juice Robinson

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido

This match right here has the potential to tear the house down. Most IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches do. The fantastic display of aerial pyrotechnics and chain wrestling make these bouts must watch television.

Taiji Ishimori is the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, having won the championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January. The ‘Bone Soldier’ has been a force since his return to New Japan last year, aligning himself with the Bullet Club in the process. He made the finals of the New Japan ‘Best of Super Juniors’ tournament and has been steamrolling his way through the junior division ever since.

Dragon Lee is a CMLL and part-time NJPW/ROH junior sensation. He challenged for the junior championship last Summer, falling to defeat former champion Hiromu Takahashi in a thriller of a contest. Lee brings years of experience with him and the G1 Supercard nod shouldn’t be too large of a stage for the only 23-year-old Mexican superstar.

Another 23-year-old high-flying Luchador will be appearing in this match. Bandido signed with Ring Of Honor in early January. He was also featured in the main event of All In, teaming with Rey Fenix and Rey Mysterio. They squared off against AEW founders The Young Bucks and New Japan’s Kota Ibushi. While Ishimori and Lee are quite talented in the air, Bandido will bring the most electric move set to this match.

Be prepared for a match that will pull out all of the stops. A feud isn’t necessary to promote these three men as their skills speak for themselves. With that being said, a title change would be quite a surprise. Ishimori is the favorite coming into this and will likely walk out with a win and the retention of his title.

Winner: Taiji Ishimori

ROH and IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Guerrillas Of Destiny (c) vs PCO and Brody King (c) vs The Briscoes vs EVIL and Sanada

Follow along with me. The Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions Jay and Mark Briscoe challenged the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Guerrillas Of Destiny after a match at ‘Honor Rising’. The stipulations were that both sets of titles would be put on the line at the G1 Supercard.

There were a couple of issues here. PCO and Brody King had a match with the Briscoes at the Ring Of Honor 17th Anniversary show for the ROH tag titles. King and PCO ended up winning the match and the championships, throwing a monkey wrench into the match at Madison Square Garden. While it would be assumed that they would take the place of The Briscoes in this battle, the company had other ideas. The Brisoces were added back into the match along with former IWGP tag champs EVIL and Sanada, making this a fatal four way bout with the winners taking home both sets of tag team championships.

PCO and Brody King have not appeared on New Japan soil since signing with Ring of Honor. The other three tag teams have experience with both promotions. The Guerillas of Destiny have owned both sets of championships at one point in their careers. EVIL and Sanada appeared in the New Japan Cup with Sanada making it all the way to the finals of the tournament. The Briscoes are the most accomplished tag team in Ring of Honor history.

This should be an all out war between four teams that don’t like each other what so ever. You could make an argument for any team to win this match and I wouldn’t disagree. With the familiarity factor in both the United States and Japan, I’m picking the ‘Bullet Club’ team to emerge victorious and hoist four title belts above their heads.

Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny

RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

These two men are familiar foes. They have faced off with one another in each of the last two New Japan Cups. Zack Sabre Jr won the New Japan Cup in 2018, defeating ‘The Ace’ in the finals. Hiroshi Tanahashi returned the favor in this years Cup, pinning Sabre in a quarterfinal bout. With the score nodded at one, this rubber match will be a delight to the G1 Supercard crowd.

The two men were on opposite sides of the ring in a tag match at the New Japan Cup finals show. Even though Tanahashi’s team won the match, Sabre would get the last laugh. He and Taichi would attack their opponents and issue challenges to Tanahashi and Will Ospreay respectively.

Zack Sabre Jr’s technical style is a rubik’s cube to solve. It’s how he emerged on the New Japan scene in winning the 2018 New Japan Cup. Submission after submission, rest hold after rest hold, Sabre confuses and wears his opponents down before ultimately tapping them out. He threw down a request for one of the biggest stars in New Japan history. It was time to put his RPW British Heavyweight Championship up for grabs against Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Tanahashi’s track record needs zero introduction. He held the IWGP Heavyweight championship at the beginning of 2019. It marked the 7th time he has held the most prestigious title in the Orient. While he is nearing the end of his illustrious career, Tanahashi still is one of the most accomplished and best wrestlers in the world today. Talk about elevating championships, Hiroshi Tanahashi would be the most famous wrestler worldwide to hold the British Heavyweight Title. While Sabre is a match up problem for anyone, I’m going with the Japanese legend in this bout to become the new RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

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

ROH Heavyweight Championship Three-Way Ladder Match: Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll

Jay Lethal and Matt Taven wrestled to an exhausting 60-minute draw at the ROH 17th Anniversary show for the Ring Of Honor Heavyweight Title. Both men knew that after the dust had settled, they would be featured in a rematch at some point down the line. At G1 Supercard, you will see these two men will be involved in a ladder match with ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll to determine the heavyweight champion of the promotion.

Jay Lethal is a two-time ROH Champion, a legend in the promotion and a man that is no stranger to massive matches. Having held the title for nine months, Lethal has turned back unsuccessful challenges by Dalton Castle, Cody, Kenny King, and Will Ospreay among many other competitors. He is the man who offered up this ladder match and triple threat opportunity to his 2 deserving challengers.

Taven has staked his claim as ‘The Real ROH Champion,’ returning from injury and awarding himself a ‘Real World Championship Belt.’ He is not shy in thinking just how great he is and now he will have an opportunity to stake claim as the man to carry the Ring of Honor flag for the near and foreseeable future.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada is seeking to end his redemption tour with another IWGP Heavyweight Title run in the cards. Okada dropped the belt last Summer to Kenny Omega at ‘Dominion’ in what was billed by some as the ‘greatest match in professional wrestling history.’ When Okada dropped the title, he adopted long pants and a new hairstyle. With it came a losing streak. Losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay White in the G1 Climax tournament had many people wondering if ‘The Rainmaker’ was indeed washed up?

Jay White has had a marvelous run since his debut at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Even though he lost to Hiroshi Tanahashi, he immediately gained the respect of fans in Japan. He would upset Kenny Omega at the end of the month to win the IWGP United States Championship. There was tension in the CHAOS faction as Jay White from the very beginning had stated he was in it for championships and at the end of the day, he was all about himself.

At the end of the G1 Climax, White would turn on CHAOS. He attacked the leader of the faction, Kazuchika Okada at the end of his match with Tanahashi. In the process, he beat up Tanahashi and in turn, took Okada’s long time manager Gedo with him. White proceeded to join forces with the new ‘Bullet Club’ and became the group’s de facto leader. White has become the most feared heel in Japan and took aim at New Japan’s top prize.

White would defeat Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in spite of Okada’s return as ‘The Rainmaker’ with his classic trunks. The opportunity arose for Jay White to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion at ‘The New Beginning’ in February. He was successful in his first attempt, defeating Tanahashi to win the IWGP title for the 1st time in his young career. White has stepped up and wants to be the leader of the new era going forward in New Japan.

Kazuchika Okada had to earn this title shot the hard way. He outlasted 31 other men in the New Japan Cup to earn this opportunity at G1 Supercard. He defeated Michael Elgin, Mikey Nicholls, Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii, and Sanada to win one of the biggest tournaments in New Japan. After his thrilling win in the finals of the Cup over Sanada, he declared he would return with the IWGP Championship and grant Sanada an opportunity at the title.

Jay White came to the ring and refuted Okada’s claim. Claiming that his title reign was a reality, White promised to retain his title at Madison Square Garden in the man event of the G1 Supercard. White is burgeoning superstar whose light is shining brightest at the moment. With still over a decade left of his career left, Jay White can establish dominance in New Japan over the next few years with continued successful title defenses.

Okada is looking for retribution. If he can dethrone his former CHAOS stablemate, he will re-stake claim as the best wrestler in New Japan and take the title in the process. To do this, he will have to defeat Jay White. Something he has not done in their only 2 singles matches. Can Okada reign supreme once again?

If New Japan is looking to send the American fans home happy, Okada will win on the most famous stage in the World. The company however has hitched it’s wagon to this former Young Lion who has run roughshod over New Japan since his debut just over a year ago. Who will New Japan look towards to carry the baton as it’s flag bearer? Well, you can make an argument for White to establish himself as the next big star in the Orient. You can also make a case that Okada is still in his prime and in big match moments, he rises to the occasion. I’m going with the experience and sending the fans home satisfied.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada

Jesse Velasquez

Minneapolis, Minnesota. Family, sports, wrestling, fitness, writing and food. I sound like a dating profile at the moment.