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NJPW: The Best & Worst of G1 Climax 29 So Far

By Corey Collins

TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 19: Tomohiro Ishii and Jon Moxley compete in the bout during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 29 at Korakuen Hall on July 19, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 19: Tomohiro Ishii and Jon Moxley compete in the bout during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 29 at Korakuen Hall on July 19, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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The Best: The New Lance Archer

Lance Archer has a bit of a polarizing history in New Japan. While teaming with Davey Boy Smith Jr. as Killer Elite Squad, Archer held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles on 3 separate occasions. Even with past successes, Archer never necessarily felt like a major player in New Japan in the tag team division.

A few months back, Davey Boy took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with his position in New Japan. This came after taking a loss to Toru Yano in the New Japan Cup where Yano used, as Yano does, his Sublime Master Thief techniques to outsmart his larger opponent.

This didn’t sit well with Davey Boy who demanded better opponents and to be taken more seriously by the company.

Shortly after this, it was announced that Davey Boy and New Japan had parted ways. This left Archer in a tough spot – without a tag team partner in a Suzuki-gun full of accomplished singles wrestlers. The one thing he had going for him? Being entered into the G1, something the leader of his faction couldn’t also boast.

As Archer built toward his return to the G1 after a 5-year absence he promised that “this year will be a year that you can not ignore me.” He couldn’t have been more on point.

You can count me in as one of the many surprised by the sudden turnaround of Lance Archer. He stormed through the curtain in Dallas like a beautiful horse with a dyed red bouffant and it couldn’t have been more perfect. On a night where Okada and Tanahashi main evented, I found myself placing Archer/Ospreay as my favorite match of the night. Really?!

Archer isn’t a spring chicken and his body has been through Hell throughout his wrestling career, so this may be one of his last chances to make his mark before he begins winding down. Or, this could be the birth of an entirely new Lance Archer who blazes new trails for years to come in New Japan. Either way, I’m all aboard the Archer train rolling through the G1.

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