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It is July, and New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax tournament is back! The premier tournament of the Japanese wrestling brand has always given us some spectacular bouts over the years, and this year it is even more special. With top athletes such as Kenny Omega and Hangman Page exiting the NJPW roster earlier this year for the newly formed All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and existing stars such as the versatile Tama Tonga choosing to focus on tag-team wrestling there were legitimate questions asked about who would fill up the numbers in the grueling 20 man tournament which will take place between July 6th and August 12th.
With the winner going on to face the incumbent IWGP Heavyweight Champion on the grand stage of Wrestle Kingdom 14 at the Tokyo Dome next year, the stakes have always been high, and NJPW had to pull off something incredible to replace the marquee names they had lost. And boy did they deliver.
With a few (very) surprising announcements at Dominion 6.9, NJPW on June 16th announced what could possibly be the most decked line-up for the tournament in recent history. Now with both blocks being announced and the tournament currently underway we are looking at a month of exciting bouts, unique never before seen matchups and world-class wrestling that will have you jumping out of your seats!
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While the tournament features some of NJPW's regular talent such as current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, eight-time former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, current IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito and British in-ring tactician Zack Sabre Jr. who never fail to deliver quality matches during the tournament; here's looking at six promising competitors who could potentially win the tournament this year.
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#6 Shingo Takagi
'The Dragon' Shingo Takagi was one of the first competitors who announced his decision to compete in this year's G1, after dominating the Junior Heavyweight division with a massive unbeaten streak over the last odd year or so. He has already delivered what could possibly be THE match of the year in the finals of the Best of Super Juniors Tournament this year and is expected to set the G1 on fire with his hard-hitting style. And it is about time The Dragon entered the lair of the heavyweights and proved his mettle against the likes of Okada and Tanahashi.
This is Shingo's first G1 Climax tournament and being one of the most decorated wrestlers in the history of the Dragon Gate Promotion, and in Japan, you can surely expect him to have a great event this year. In Block B he's up against his LIJ faction leader Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Jeff Cobb and the mercurial Jon Moxley. Get ready to expect some hard-hitting fights - strong style.
#5 Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi is the performer who keeps on delivering, year after year, match after match. And now that he has finally signed a permanent contract with NJPW, we could finally see him in the main event scene more often. With the departure of Kenny Omega, there are very few wrestlers on the roster who can go toe to toe with the excellent Okada and produce match after match of pure wrestling brilliance. Ibushi is the name that tops that list.
Taking nothing away from the likes of Tanahashi and Naito, but Ibushi brings a whole different aspect of the game to life. Not only is he a hard-hitting strong style exhibitionist, but he is also pretty skilled off the ropes and in the air, which makes him an all-around athlete in the ring. While he does lack a bit of personality though but makes up for it in the ring and in NJPW, that's what matters. In the A block, Ibushi is notably up against Will Ospreay, incumbent champion Kazuchika Okada and the returning KENTA. We're honestly in for a treat.
4. Jay White
Firstly, I was originally never a big fan of Jay White. Ever since he came back from an excursion, White has tried very hard to sell the 'Switchblade' character. Possibly his clean-cut looks outsold the conniving personality he was trying so hard to sell.
All throughout that last year, NJPW put him through very strong storylines and built him up as the apex heel of the company and the new leader of the Bullet Club, essentially replacing Omega. But he was never really convincing in that role - that is until the G1 Supercard this year. White tore down the house with Okada in a match that truly established him as not only a master technician in the ring but also as the top gaijin in NJPW. And he has only grown stronger since (not to mention his new badass look adds tons to his heelish persona).
White is one of the favourites to win this year and in the B block is expected to put in a strong performance. His matches with Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Jeff Cobb and 'Death Rider' Jon Moxley will be the ones to watch out for.
#3 KENTA
In 2014, KENTA was one of the top heavyweight stars in the world, with so much potential to rise higher in the ranks of the wrestling world. He had made his mark in Pro Wrestling Noah and had decided to fulfil a life long dream by signing with the WWE.
But things only went downhill from there, due to no fault of his own though. His hard-hitting strong style of wrestling was one that wasn't very popular in the WWE (outside of NXT) and the promotion is known for under-utilizing its Japanese stars.
So five years later, after several injuries and a really disappointing run with the promotion, KENTA returned to Japan, announcing his intention to compete in the G1. And who else, but the veteran Katsuyori Shibata, unveiled NJPW's latest signing, signing off on KENTA's much-awaited return to his strong style roots. And boy are we excited!
KENTA has always deserved to be the main event player, and while he's been out of the spotlight for the last few years, this here is the best opportunity to make a solid well-deserved comeback. He's been placed in the A block, which will result in face-offs with Champion Okada, veteran Hiroshi Tanahashi, Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi, ensuring us some very interesting matches.
#2 Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay in 2019 is essentially the boy who became a man. Ospreay has always been one of the best high-flyers in the world, with critics always comparing him to the versatile Ricochet, but all that changed at the Wrestle Kingdom 13 PPV, when he challenged Kota Ibushi for the Never Openweight title.
Ospreay displayed a ruthless aggressive side that no one really expected and managed to outfight (and possibly knock out) one of the best strong style wrestlers in the world. Since then Ospreay has delivered match after match of pure wrestling entertainment which has some critics claiming him to be the best wrestler in the world (much to the chagrin of a certain Universal Champion). And they might just be correct, Ospreay has just gone from strength to strength, evolving his fighting style from high flyer to an interesting combination of aerial and strong style.
And just like the analogy made at the beginning of this section, Ospreay has decided to be the first incumbent Junior Heavyweight champion to compete in the G1. In the A Block Ospreay faces CHAOS faction leader Kazuchika Okada, veteran Hiroshi Tanahashi, on-off rival Kota Ibushi and the returning KENTA, match-ups which are set to deliver some great wrestling.
#1 Jon Moxley
This same time last year, no one in the world would have had the wildest thought of Jon Moxley competing in the G1, And yet here we are one of the biggest (ex)stars from the WWE, competing in one the premier wrestling tournaments of the world. And, let's face it, Moxley is more of a global wrestling star than anyone on the NJPW roster (not to take away anything from the current talent). '
Him participating in the tournament is great for NJPW and the wrestling world as well. So many more people are going to tune in to watch what is deservedly some of the best wrestling in the world. having said that Moxley is no token participant. He has already won the IWGP US title from Juice Robinson in his first match with the promotion and has been on fire ever since leaving the WWE.
Another case of unused potential (not that he wasn't put in the spotlight, just that it was not in the right direction) Moxley has loads to offer. The king of the deathmatch Moxley has already showcased his violent and brutal style of wrestling, much to our enjoyment.
Moxley has so much to offer to both NJPW and AEW, and while his commitments with AEW might be a hindrance in him winning this tournament, there is a benefit in having a star of his stature and at the Tokyo Dome main event.
In the B Block Moxley faces some really hard hitting opponents such as Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Shingo Takagi, as well the charismatic Tetsuya Naito and the continually improving Jay White, all-in-all providing us with some really great match-ups, and the promise of some really exciting wrestling in the coming months.
Who do you think is the favourite to win the G1 Climax? Let us know in the comments below.
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