The combined G1 Supercard between NJPW and ROH is in the books, and there are ramifications up and down the New Japan roster coming out of the huge show. What will become of the new and former champions after Madison Square Garden?
Until April 6th, 2019, there hadn’t been a non-WWF/WWE show in Madison Square Garden since 1960. With the rapidly changing face of professional wrestling in the past couple of years, it was only a matter of time before another company stepped onto some of professional wrestling’s most sacred ground.
In this case, it was two companies combined for a joint show on the biggest weekend of the year. With matches spanning both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, G1 Supercard was a show with just as many hits as misses. On the New Japan side of things though, the matches and stories delivered good-to-great every step of the way.
Quality of matches and stories aside, New Japan has now laid out a brave new landscape ahead of a 2019 absent of some of their biggest names, which have departed for All Elite Wrestling. With multiple title changes, redemptions, and setbacks, the course after G1 Supercard is exciting yet unknown for much of the New Japan roster.
Dragon Lee and the Junior Heavyweights
Clocking in as the second-shortest match of G1 Supercard behind the 15-second flash victory of Rush over Dalton Castle, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title match was as exciting as it was rapid. After dethroning the exiting KUSHIDA at Wrestle Kingdom 13, Taiji Ishimori promised that the Junior Heavyweight division would be reborn.
With just 2 successful defenses under his belt, against Ryusuke Taguchi and Jushin Thunder Liger, Ishimori stepped into MSG with plans to vanquish two of the top luchadores in the game today. On a night where the Bullet Club were defending 3 titles, it would be important to Jay White’s Cutthroat Era to leave holding as much power as they entered.
It’s no secret that the Junior Heavyweight division is hurting for viable challengers and warm bodies. KUSHIDA has now officially signed with NXT, Hiromu Takahashi has been absent from New Japan since suffering a broken neck at the hands of Dragon Lee, Liger is retiring in less than a year, and Taguchi is wrapped up with the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Titles to name a few.
Keeping that in mind, perhaps it was necessary to shake things up with Dragon Lee capturing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title at G1 Supercard. Lee is no stranger to New Japan or Ishimori while Bandido’s NJPW appearances have come by way of Ring of Honor in the past.
Could this be a preview of things to come with three names locked in for BOSJ 26?
The dethroning of Ishimori by a non-regular roster member highlights the dire state of the entire division, and the need for new Junior Heavyweight blood to flow into the company. Could a Dragon Lee title reign mean an influx of new faces to the company, or are we just biding time until the BOSJ in a division that feels largely forgotten?
Or, have we just been biding time until Hiromu can make his triumphant return? With the title he never lost now around the waist of the man who put him on the shelf, could the story of 2019 be Hiromu running through the Best of the Super Juniors in order to reclaim his spot atop New Japan’s Junior Heavyweights?
Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, and the NEVER Openweight Title
The story for Will Ospreay has been to prove that he can bridge the gap between the Junior Heavyweights and Heavyweights of New Japan. With impressive victories in the New Japan Cup, Ospreay seemed well on his way to cementing that claim.
The NEVER Openweight Title itself has been one that has languished in repetition over the years. That all felt like it was about to change when Kota Ibushi defeated 4-time title holder Hirooki Goto for the championship in last December.
Ibushi, not quite the same type of heavyweight as a Goto or Ishii, was sure to bring something new to the title and the division as a whole. This was never more highlighted than in his first defense against growing boy Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Many of the feuds and matches for the NEVER Openweight Title have shone a light on the hard-hitting, strong style, mean old dads of New Japan like Goto, Ishii and Minoru Suzuki. Featuring the prize in a match between two daredevil flyers was a total change of pace.
Ospreay defeated Ibushi for the title in a classic and brutal match at the Tokyo Dome combining high flying with sickening strikes which saw the Golden Star carried out of the ring on a stretcher and sidelined for weeks with a concussion. In felling Ibushi in his first defense, Ospreay became the very first Junior Heavyweight to hold the NEVER Openweight Title.
With Ospreay’s journey toward heavyweight, he was able to catch heavyweight mainstays like Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale off guard with his hybrid offense.
It would be the hybrid offense of another unconventional wrestler which would be his own undoing at G1 Supercard.
Jeff Cobb is no stranger to New Japan and no stranger to bridging that very same gap between Junior Heavyweight and Heavyweight that Ospreay has been tip-toeing across. While Cobb is obviously no Junior Heavyweight, his agility and ability to move like someone half his size has made him an opponent for whom it is incredibly hard to plan a strategy.
It’s quite fitting, then, that Jeff Cobb used his own hybrid offense to catch Ospreay off guard and defeat the Aerial Assassin in his very first defense of the NEVER Openweight Title. With his victory, Cobb also retained the ROH TV Title making him a cross-company dual champion.
As Mike Elgin exits New Japan, the company will be looking for another foreign hoss to fill his spot. Personal opinions of Elgin aside, his in-ring abilities have been on point in New Japan, and he is able to surprise with agility as well.
Jeff Cobb very easily slots into the Elgin spot and winning the NEVER Openweight Title solidifies him as a fixture on upcoming tours.
The future for both men is as yet uncertain, but the result of their match paints a few possibilities.
While Ospreay is trending toward the Heavyweight division, he’s still very much a part of the Junior Heavyweight division. Could we see Ospreay land himself in the Best of the Super Juniors for, potentially, his last year in the brackets? Or, does Ospreay step into the G1 Climax to try his hand against the best heavyweights in the world?
For Cobb, G1 Supercard is a step toward a potential new life in New Japan. He had been closely tied to Elgin on previous tours, but with Big Mike moving on from the company, Cobb has the chance to step into the spotlight all by himself.
With the NEVER Openweight Title over his shoulder, Cobb could dominate the spring before rolling onto the G1 to crush some more dreams the way he crushed Ospreay’s in New York City.
The Submission Master and The Fallen Ace
The stories of Zack Sabre Jr and Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Japan have been as interesting in the past year as they may have ever been.
In the 2018 New Japan Cup, Sabre was able to submit Tanahashi in the final round to become just the second foreigner to win the tournament. Since then, it’s been Zack Sabre Time all the time with nary a bump in the road along the way.
For Tanahashi, the road to Madison Square Garden and G1 Supercard has been far less kind. After being separated from the IWGP Heavyweight Title since 2014, Tana reclaimed his familiar prize for an 8th time at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
The glory of rising back to the top of the New Japan roster would be short-lived, though, as Tanahashi would drop the championship to Jay White the following month in Osaka.
For Tanahashi, the path back to the title would necessitate a win in the 2019 New Japan Cup.
While Tanahashi was able to avenge his loss to Sabre in last year’s tournament by catching ZSJ in a surprise pin in the quarterfinals, he would fall to another rising star in SANADA in the semifinals.
Since winning last year’s G1 Climax to earn his Tokyo Dome title shot, Jay White suggested that Tanahashi’s time had come and gone and that his beaten-down body could no longer compete with men such as himself.
With the Switchblade Shock at The New Beginning, a loss in the New Japan Cup, and the results of G1 Supercard it may be time to accept White’s words.
By way of submission, ZSJ put an end to Tanahashi’s MSG dreams. Leading up to the event, Tanahashi spoke endlessly about his excitement to compete in the building and continue the legacy of Tatsumi Fujinami.
For Tana, winning in Madison Square Garden at G1 Supercard was more than just a matter of pride – it was a necessity.
What becomes of The Ace of the Universe, then, after tapping out to Zack Sabre Jr in the center of the ring in the world’s most famous arena? Can he bounce back in the second half of 2019, or has his flame been snuffed out by a new generation on the rise?
For Sabre, this may be yet another sign of the changing times in New Japan. With the loss of names like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Chris Jericho to All Elite Wrestling, the need for wrestlers who have connections to western audiences is more crucial than ever as the company looks to expand.
With the fallout of the main event of the evening, could Sabre parlay his huge victory over Tanahashi at G1 Supercard into a G1 Climax victory and an eventual shot at Okada in the Tokyo Dome?
Where Do Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito Go From Here?
When Kota Ibushi announced that he had finally signed a contract with New Japan, many fans felt that the company would strap a rocket to his back sooner than later. The consensus amongst most was that the main reason Ibushi hadn’t risen to the IWGP Heavyweight Title was his insistence on remaining a freelancer.
With the news of Ibushi’s signing and the subsequent announcement of him competing in the New Japan Cup, he became my quick pick to take the entire tournament and challenge Jay White for the championship in MSG. It felt too soon for White to lose, and Ibushi/White felt like a suitable main event for the show.
After being knocked out of the tournament early by Zack Sabre Jr, Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito began to set their sights on one another. Ibushi, after all, eliminated Naito in the very first round earning an eventual shot at the IWGP Intercontinental Title.
For Naito to find himself out of the tournament so early was a crushing blow to the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon who saw his future as one draped in gold. Naito sought to become the first person in New Japan history to hold both the Intercontinental and Heavyweight Titles at the same time.
Through a brutal match full of terrifying head drops, a little bit of sloppiness, and a tremendous story told of two men who simply love to destroy one another, Ibushi came out with his very first reign as IC Champion at G1 Supercard
To reach this point for Ibushi is a logical next step. His short reign as NEVER Openweight Champion ended in spectacular fashion against Will Ospreay at the Tokyo Dome, and with that prize in his rearview mirror, the next stepping stone toward the IWGP Heavyweight Title was the Intercontinental Title.
In the case of Naito though, there is a fear of being lost in the shuffle in the New Japan roster yet again. His partner in LIJ, SANADA, went on an absolute tear in the New Japan Cup and solidified himself as a true main eventer. Now, with the loss of the IC Title for which he holds so much disdain, where does he focus his gaze?
Naito’s ultimate goal of holding the two top titles in the company at the same time have gone up in smoke, but could we see that same goal reached by Kota Ibushi instead? Ibushi will undoubtedly be a part of the G1 Climax and, with his commitment to New Japan, he runs as good a chance as anyone to win the grueling tournament.
With Ibushi becoming a constant in New Japan and with SANADA’s meteoric rise, where does Naito fit on a Tokyo Dome card? A step back to the NEVER Openweight Title would seem like a demotion for a man who doesn’t take being left out of the main event very well. Naito may simply become a victim of a stacked roster as his allies and enemies leave him wanting more.
Rainmaker’s Redemption and The Dulling of The Switchblade
Everything has come full circle for Kazuchika Okada.
After being betrayed by Jay White and Gedo last year, Okada struggled to find his place in New Japan. Weird Okada was in full bloom, but he wasn’t the same Okada that everybody had come to know and love. The remnants of the Rainmaker slowly slipped away match after match until he hit his breaking point.
With a grudge match against White set for the Tokyo Dome, it was more important than ever before for Okada to return to form. At Wrestle Kingdom, Okada did bring back his signature Rainmaker bits and pieces – the proper entrance music, the extravagant entrance gear, and the shorts replacing tights.
Still, it wasn’t enough. In just 14 minutes, Jay White defeated Okada to shock the crowd in Tokyo. Suddenly, all of White’s boasting became a reality. He really was better without Okada and CHAOS, and the Rainmaker just wasn’t on his level.
Resiliently, Okada surged forward toward the New Japan Cup as White blazed new trails by becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Okada poetically ripped through three members of CHAOS in the Cup before meeting SANADA in the final round.
The stars seemed to be aligned for SANADA to claim victory in his first Cup finals, but the power of the Rainmaker was too much for Cold Skull to handle. In just over 30 minutes, Okada punched his ticket for an IWGP Heavyweight Title match with Jay White in MSG at G1 Supercard
Despite the attempts of Gedo to turn the match in the favor of Jay White, and despite White’s own attempts to slow the pace and avoid the Rainmaker lariat at all costs, Okada gritted his teeth and leveled his opponent with a barrage of tombstone piledrivers and Rainmakers to become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the 5th time.
What does it mean for Jay White to drop the title on his first defense after holding the title for less than 60 days? Was everything White said leading up to Wrestle Kingdom actually true, or were his victories over Okada and Tanahashi flukes of a flash in the pan champion? After losing clean as a whistle to Okada, where does White go and how does he make any claim to the championship?
The clear path for any heavyweight on the roster is the summer’s G1 Climax, but does White have what it takes to outlast the massive two-block tournament?
After losing the IWGP Heavyweight Title, it took Okada nearly a year to get back to being the same man he was before he lost it. Does White have the will to fast track his way back to the title picture?
For Okada, the crowd of potential challengers is huge and ever-growing. White clearly has a grudge, but who else could be on the short list of possible G1 winners? After coming so close to upending Okada in the finals of the New Japan Cup, will SANADA have what it takes to redeem himself for a Tokyo Dome challenge?
Will Kota Ibushi attempt to fulfill the dream of Tetsuya Naito and become New Japan’s first double champion? Can Naito bounce back from a disappointing loss in Madison Square Garden to avenge his Wrestle Kingdom 12 loss to Okada in the Dome? Is the time truly now for Zack Sabre Jr after having vanquished Hiroshi Tanahashi? Or, does The Ace still have another G1 run left in him?
The coming months in New Japan will be all-important up and down the roster with the fallout of G1 Supercard rippling through every division in the company. It’s only a matter of time before we begin to see the Best of the Super Juniors, G1 Climax, and Wrestle Kingdom start to take shape.