Daily DDT
Fansided

NJPW G1 Climax 29: A-Block preview and predictions

By Laura Mauro

NEW YORK. NY - APRIL 06: Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi during the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images)
NEW YORK. NY - APRIL 06: Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi during the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on April 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
NJPW G1 competitor - Kota Ibushi
OSAKA, JAPAN – JUNE 09: Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito compete in the IWGP Intercontinental Championship bout during the Dominion 6.9 In Osaka-Jo Hall of NJPW on June 09, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /

TOP 3 MUST-SEE CLASHES:

Laura: For my money, the top 3 must-see matches in A Block are:

Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr (30th July) – a match that I recently learned has never actually taken place in a New Japan ring.

Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi (10th August), a potential match of the tournament between two prodigiously talented men who have not faced one another in singles competition for over five years.

And as a potential sleeper hit, KENTA vs Kota Ibushi (6th July) which is on the opening night of the tournament, and could very well set the standard for matches to come.

Josiah: Picking the top 3 matches in this block is like trying to pick the best slice of pizza from your favourite pizza place – every slice is great.

Okada/KENTA will be one to watch. Will Ospreay/Kota Ibushi will likely be complete madness. KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi would be a lot of fun. Okada/Tanahashi is always a classic and it’s impossible for those two to have a bad match. KENTA/Tanahashi is a literal dream match. Ibushi/Okada might steal the entire tournament, and it’s impossible for those two to have a bad match against each other.

I realize I listed more than 3. I’m having a very difficult time picking only 3, as there are so many great ones here.

A-BLOCK WINNER PREDICTION:

Laura: This is a very difficult block to predict, with the likes of Okada, Tanahashi and Ospreay all with an excellent claim to the top spot. But my money is on Kota Ibushi this year. It’s surely got to be his time.

Next. NJPW G1 Climax 29: B-Block preview and predictions. dark

Josiah: I agree, Laura. This block is ridiculously difficult to pick. I think that Okada, Tanahashi, Ospreay, KENTA, and Ibushi all have a chance at winning the top spot. To be honest, even Zack Sabre Jr. has a chance as a pick from out of left field. With that being said, I think this is Kota Ibushi’s year to win the block. NJPW usually proves me wrong with these picks, but time shall tell.

Home/NJPW