NJPW G1 Climax 29: A-Block preview and predictions

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Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) (J) – IWGP Heavyweight Champion:

Kazuchika Okada is the best wrestler in the world. I say this with no exaggeration.

The current IWGP Heavyweight Champion has consistently been one of the top wrestlers for the last few years. Every match of his adapts to the style of his opponent, delivering quality every single time.

Okada has been the top guy in NJPW now since about 2012, though his journey to the top has not been without its challenges. First, his legendary feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi has led to some of the best matches either man has ever had, and it took years for him to overcome his rival, and now friend.

Okada has also had 4 incredible matches with Kenny Omega that saw both of them push each other to their limits, with Omega finally defeating Okada for the title in their 4th match. It took Omega nearly 70 minutes to best him, and in doing so, he took Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Okada eventually managed to regain the title from Jay White at the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard, a match I saw live in person. Okada will be looking to finally establish dominance in the G1 as champion.

Will Ospreay (CHAOS) (L) – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion:

Ospreay was one of the consistent highlights of this year’s BOSJ tournament.

Putting on superb matches with the likes of Rocky Romero, YOH and Robbie Eagles meant that Ospreay’s eventual storming of B-block was entirely justified; his match in the finals against the previously undefeated Shingo Takagi was truly a war of attrition, a titanic clash between two Junior Heavyweights, each with their sights set on blurring the lines between New Japan’s two divisions.

Ospreay has been teasing a transition to heavyweight for some time now, and his entry into the G1 is absolutely a statement of intent. Those familiar with Ospreay’s high-risk, high-speed style will know that the lad from Essex does not do things by halves. He’s out to prove he can kick it with the big boys, and he’ll pull out all the stops. Definitively one to watch throughout this tournament.

KENTA (J):

KENTA, otherwise known as WWE’s Hideo Itami, has returned home to Japan, but has made his debut in NJPW.

KENTA, joining the G1, will have much to prove since he has been gone. One of the top wrestlers in Japan for years, KENTA left his home promotion of NOAH to go to WWE, and had a less than stellar run there. Plagued by injuries, KENTA found himself relegated to 205 Live, where he had good matches, but no real push.

KENTA, however, is truly one of the best wrestlers in the world. The innovator of the Go To Sleep finisher will be looking to make a huge impact in the G1, and his opening night match with Ibushi has the potential to steal the show. I expect KENTA to be one of the major talking points this year.

Laura: KENTA is one of the tournament’s most intriguing propositions. Having failed to set the world on fire as Hideo Itami, it’s time to see if he can relight the fire he showed in NOAH.

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Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-gun) (L):

Our second British representative is also in A-Block this year. Suzuki Gun stalwart ZSJ brings his technical wizardry to the G1 for the third time, and while his style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, he is a legitimate threat.

ZSJ is an expert manipulator of limbs, a submission specialist who could very well leave a trail of injuries in his wake should his opponents take him lightly.

As ZSJ’s mentor Minoru Suzuki is surprisingly absent from this year’s competition, the weight of expectation is on the Brit’s shoulders this time around.

Hiroshi Tanahashi (L):

Oh, Tanahashi. NJPW’s beloved Ace is still going strong after last year’s great schism, which saw Kenny Omega and Tanahashi clash with the future of New Japan ostensibly at stake. Tanahashi’s eventual victory signified that New Japan was not quite ready to embrace Omega’s vision of the future – and perhaps moreso that they were not ready to give up their Ace.

And so Tanahashi, who has been competing in the G1 on and off since 2002, enters this tournament with two decades’ worth of expectations. But he’s not a young man anymore, and while he’s not yet ready to be put out to pasture just yet, he’s one of the oldest competitors in a tournament notably missing a number of significant veterans: no Suzuki, no Kojima, no Makabe.

And there are a lot of younger, hungrier stars in the making vying for a prime position on the New Japan roster…