For the first time since announcing New Japan of America, NJPW has made the trip over the pond, rocking up in San Jose for some fun. It was a show packed with star power that featured a lot of tags backed-up by a couple of interesting title shots. How would it go? Well, now is the time to find out.
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Power Struggle is our last big stop before Wrestle Kingdom (no-one counts Tag League), and I expect to come out the back of this show with more of an idea of what to expect on January 4th and 5th. The big question? Is BUSHI challenging Will a sign that Hiromu is returning? Or is my heart going to be hurt once more?
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New Japan’s trip to the Hammerstein Ballroom led to an interesting old night for the Japanese company. Apparently, someone had called earlier in the day, cancelling the ambulance that is required to be on hand for wrestling shows. That led to a delay that stretched over an hour and whispers online about sabotage. Whether that was the case or not, New Japan needed to deliver a show worthy of the time the fans spent sitting around waiting for it to start.
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Our final night in the A Block is one of those weird G1 shows with five singles matches, only one of which means anything. This has all come down to the main event of Ibushi vs Okada, and it’s a pretty simple scenario too. If Ibushi wins, he goes through while any other result sends Okada to the final.
My must-see spoiler-free recommendations are Zack Sabre Jr vs KENTA, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi vs Kazuchika Okada.
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We’re onto the penultimate block shows and you can smell the end of the G1. A Block is the simpler of the two, as the only people left alive are Okada, Ibushi, KENTA and EVIL. Of them, Okada’s route to the final is the easiest. If he keeps winning, he’s there. Ibushi has to match Okada’s result on this show before beating him in Budokan. KENTA requires Okada to lose both his matches while Ibushi loses to ZSJ and, finally, EVIL needs to win out while Okada loses out and KENTA loses to Ospreay. I think that’s all right, but I’m sure I’ve missed something. Either way, we all know it is coming down to Ibushi vs Okada on the final night, so quite frankly, that was a bit of a waste of time.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations KENTA vs Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr and Kazuchika Okada vs EVIL.
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The G1’s final big stop before Budokan saw them stroll into Osaka for a couple of nights. These two shows will give us a huge indication of exactly where Gedo is going with this unpredictable tournament, and we start with SANADA getting a chance to pick up his first win over Kazuchika Okada.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are EVIL vs Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi vs Hiroshi Tanahashi and SANADA vs Kazuchika Okada.
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In a surprising twist, I caught a bit of the undercard on this show. Amazingly, it got me quite excited for Moxley vs Yano. It was easy to forget when he was filtered through the lens of Vince McMahon, but Mox is a funny guy, and there is every chance he and The Master Thief will create some magic. Anyway, that’s tomorrow’s show. Today we’re in the A Block and have plenty of fun to look forward to.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr, Kazuchika Okada vs Lance Archer, SANADA vs KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs EVIL.
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Let’s throw it out there, this G1 schedule is a bit too relaxed for my taste. I’m usually drowning in wrestling by this point, desperately trying to keep afloat. This year? It’s all been quite relaxing, as I’m even managing to keep on top of my Stardom reviews. Give me more!
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Kazuchika Okada vs KENTA.
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It’s the G1’s final night in Korakuen before they take a well earned break. I, for one, am looking forward to the time off. Mainly because I want to get some Stardom reviews up, but also because this wrestling is exhausting. It’s hard watching people be brilliant, so I hope all the talent appreciate the struggles I’ve been going through.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are KENTA vs EVIL, Kota Ibushi vs SANADA and Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay.
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After a short break, the G1 strolled back into Tokyo with an intrigue packed card. It will never cease to amaze me that I can wake up on a normal Thursday morning and watch Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay. How awesome is that? Why would you not watch wrestling? And if you do watch wrestling, why would you not watch New Japan? If you’re that person, get your fucking head examined.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are EVIL vs SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Zack Sabre Jr. and Will Ospreay vs Kota Ibushi.
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