NJPW G1 Climax 29: A-Block preview and predictions

Come one, come all, to one of the most must-see events of the NJPW calendar: the G1 Climax. The 29th incarnation of this annual tournament kicks off on Saturday, and this year’s line-up is cause for excitement.

We’ve got KENTA, formerly known as WWE’s Hideo Itami, in his first NJPW appearance for over a decade. We’ve got Jon Moxley, aka Dean Ambrose, whose departure from WWE has given him a new lease of life.

Junior Heavyweights Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi make the jump to the heavyweight tournament after a gruelling Best of the Super Juniors. And keep your eye on Kota Ibushi, whose long-awaited commitment to New Japan may well see him emerge from the tournament triumphant.

The G1 Climax has historically been the home of some of the most thrilling matches New Japan has to offer.

With the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi and of course Toru Yano forming the backbone of two very strong brackets, we’re in for some truly exciting matches – some of which we’ll be seeing for the very first time. Let’s take a look at this year’s competitors, and scout out some of the must-see clashes in the coming weeks.

The G1 Climax is a Round Robin tournament that features 20 wrestlers from all around the world, and features two blocks. The winner of each block goes on to the finals of the tournament, where the winner gets a contract for a title match at Wrestle Kingdom. If a current champion wins, they can choose their own challenger.

Usually, the winner challenges the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but before they get there, they have to defend the title 3 times. The champion has never won since the contract rule was introduced.

Parts written by Josiah will be marked with (J) and parts written by Laura will be marked with (L). We hope you enjoy this introduction to the G1 and jump on board with NJPW! You can subscribe to NJPW World here.

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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…

Kota Ibushi (L):

This is not Ibushi’s first rodeo as far as the G1 is concerned, but it is his first tournament as a contracted New Japan employee. This doesn’t sound especially important to begin with, but it’s worth noting the persistent rumours that New Japan have been leery of pushing Ibushi in the past due to his insistence on remaining a freelancer.

Whether or not that’s true, it’s certainly the case that Ibushi has seen greater success in recent months than he has in previous years: a brief stint as NEVER Openweight Champion was superceded by a reign as IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

That Ibushi has tasted New Japan gold twice this year is not insignificant: his previous reigns as Junior Heavyweight Champion came to an end with his last win in 2014. This could finally be Kota Ibushi’s time, and not a moment too soon.

“The Golden Star” remains one of New Japan’s most exciting performers; he’s unpredictable, capricious and incredibly talented, and it’s long past time for Ibushi to shoot to the very top of the NJPW hierarchy.

Josiah: I think this is quite notable as well. Ibushi, previously, has never been under a full time NJPW contract. Ibushi has, for years, been one of the best wrestlers in the world. Completely content to carve his own path, he refused a WWE contract that would have likely seen him left on 205 Live.

Ibushi, instead, continues to impress all around the world. Since (apparently) signing a lifetime contract with NJPW, I expect to see him do very well in this tournament. I wouldn’t even be shocked to see him win it. I expect him to have some of the best matches of the whole tournament, and Ibushi will likely try his best to make sure he does.

EVIL (Los Ingobernables de Japon) (J):

EVIL is one of NJPW’s top tag team stars with SANADA. The member of Los Ingobernables de Japon is known for his elaborate entrances and costumes that help intimidate his opponents. EVIL has been quietly climbing the ranks in every single G1 and he can’t be counted out at all. EVIL has victories over Okada and several other top stars in New Japan.

Having earned a title shot previously against Okada thanks to pinning him in the G1, EVIL was not able to defeat him. EVIL will be looking to get another win over Okada, and as it stands, will have to compete against his tag team partner SANADA as well. Expect EVIL’s run to be very interesting.

SANADA (Los Ingobernables de Japon) (L):

Los Ingobernables de Japon’s resident strong, silent type, SANADA has slowly begun to emerge as a potentially brilliant singles competitor after several years propping up the tag division with partner EVIL. On paper, SANADA almost has it all: handsome, quietly charismatic (if not scintillating on the mic), strong and athletic, impressive in the ring.

Those who’ve suggested that SANADA is a singles champion in the making could well be proven right in this tournament. SANADA’s clash with EVIL will be well worth watching; New Japan know how to tell a story, and a friendly rivalry between two people who know one another as well as these two is bound to result in something exciting.

Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club) (J):

Bad Luck Fale is the resident big man in NJPW, always posing a challenge to the top guys in the G1.

In recent years, he has upped his cheating in the tournament, seeing himself get disqualified several times. Fale has gotten title shots against Okada and Tanahashi in the past, but has never successfully unseated the champion.

Fale, a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, is never to be underestimated. He will play spoiler in a few matches this time around, and I fully expect Fale get a few big wins in this tournament.

Laura: A friend recently described Fale as ‘a Russian Roulette’ wrestler, which seems fair – you’ll either get an enjoyable performance or complete rubbish, with little in the way of moderation. I’m still sour on Fale after last year’s underwhelming G1, rife with Bullet Club nonsense, so I’m interested to see whether he’s any better this time around…

Lance Archer (Suzuki-gun) (J):

Lance Archer is another big man that has seen great success in a tag team in NJPW. With his partner, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Archer has won the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles several times.

Archer is now a singles star, as Davey Boy Smith Jr. has left NJPW, and he will be looking to make a major impact. Don’t let Archer’s size fool you – this big man can do a moonsault and he is deceptively fast. Look for Archer to pick up a few big wins here this time around.

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.

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.