G1 Climax 30 Wrapup

Johnny Legacy's Deep Thoughts

G1 Climax 30 Wrapup

The greatest time on the wrestling calendar has come and gone again. While this wasn't what many would consider to be an all time great G1 it was still fantastic, and considering the circumstances surrounding it I'm sure we're all glad it happened at all. Let's take a look wrestler by wrestler how they did, and how my predictions ended up.

A Block

1. Kota Ibushi (14 points, projected 12-14)- What can you say except dominance? Ibushi scored 14 points for the second straight year (a very rare feat in itself), became the first man ever to make the finals in three straight G1s, and became the first person since Tenzan in '03-'04 to win back to back G1s. He is now the modern King of the G1. And the match quality followed the results. From another great match with Okada on the opening night to his late tournament masterpieces with Suzuki and Taichi, and looking at instant reaction while the final with SANADA was very divisive, I loved it. Can Ibushi do what he failed to do last year and turn this win into IWGP Heavyweight gold in the Tokyo Dome? I have a hard time believing they gave him a second straight tournament just to lose again.

 

2. Jay White (12 points, projected 10-14)- The Switchblade avoided his slow start from a year ago by taking down both Okada and Ibushi early in the tournament, giving him a massive early tiebreaker edge and eventually letting him control his own destiny going into the final night. Unfortunately for him, Ishii had other ideas and White just missed the final. He did hit 12 points for the 3rd straight G1, proving that he will continue to be a force year in and year out, and should eventually finish off a tournament win one day. In the immediate future, it appears all is not well within Bullet Club again. You invite a snake in (Gedo), eventually you're going to be bit....

 

3. Will Ospreay (12 points, projected 8-12)- Looking at it objectively, Ospreay had a great tournament, hitting 12 points and, while not quite looking like 2019 wrestler of the year Ospreay, still had a slew of great matches. But all that is secondary to what happened on A Block's last night: Ospreay getting help from Great O-Khan and Bea Priestley to defeat and turn on Okada, leave CHAOS, and announce he's forming his own faction. New Japan's stables have been on the stagnant side recently, it's a good time for things to be mixed up again, and no matter how you feel about him after some of the real life allegations that have come out, Ospreay is a great choice to coalesce a new group around.

 

4. Kazuchika Okada (12 points, projected 12-14)- One of the biggest stories of the tournament was Okada leaving his best weapon, the Rainmaker, on the bench and instead closing out matches with his new cobra clutch submission hold, the Money Clip. While an interesting story, whether Okada was bored and needed a new challenge or just didn't trust the Rainmaker anymore, it also came with an across the board downgrade of the quality of his matches. He still managed to pull out a classic against Shingo, and from a kayfabe perspective still won with the Clip, as befits one of the all time greats. But being on the receiving end of Ospreay's betrayal ended up being his biggest story. A non-title showdown in the Tokyo Dome between these two seems inevitable, continuing to keep Okada out of the title picture until after Wrestle Kingdom at the earliest.

 

5. Taichi (8 points, projected 6-8)- Two years ago I wasn't just a Taichi doubter, I was a Taichi hater. I groaned every time he walked down the entrance ramp, unless it was a big show and he at least had possibly the most beautiful woman in Japan Miho Abe with him. Two G1s later, I'll never be a fan, but I am a believer. Taichi had a really good tournament, starting 3-0 before struggling down the stretch, and leaving most of the shortcuts at home and bringing Dangerous T more often than not. He capped it off in one of the most unique matches any of us have ever seen, his magnificent kickfest with Ibushi. I think he's got his ticket punched as a mid-block runner in G1s for the forseeable future.

 

6. Tomorhiro Ishii (8 points, projected 8-10)- Big Tom had a rough start, opening the tournament 0-3. But looking at his remaining schedule, I knew that meant he would have at least one major upset at the end of the tournament. And that he did, taking out Jay White the final A Block night to keep him out of the final. Beyond that, it was a typical Ishii tournament, with a middle block finish and some great matches along the way. His match with Ospreay was a particular standout for me.

 

7. Shingo Takagi (8 points, projected 8-10)- I thought there was an outside chance Shingo might get a breakout run. That didn't happen, but he did prove time and again there's few people on the roster that you can count on more to deliver in big match situations. He main evented two nights, losing a classic to Okada, but also handing Ibushi one of his two losses. He also got to revisit the 2019 match of the year with Ospreay, and continue his stiff fests with Ishii and Suzuki. Shingo is definitely a guy that needs to be looked at for an IC title run once the top belts are separated again. And I'm putting this prediction down right here for all to see: before he's done, Shingo will win a G1.

 

8. Jeff Cobb (8 points, projected 6-8)- Cobb acquitted himself well in his second G1, showing improvement over last year and even getting a big signature win over Jay White. While I've never doubted his athletic ability, I still don't see top guy potential in him. If he stays with New Japan full time, he should become a staple of the NEVER Openweight division, a belt he's already had a short run with. Given his, er, lack of charisma, he's also a guy that needs to hook up with a faction (Ospreay's replacement in CHAOS? Go dark and join Ospreay's new faction?).

 

9. Minoru Suzuki (6 points, projected 6-10)- The King started out with 6 points in his first four matches, giving fans like myself a bit of hope he might have a really good tournament. Alas it was not to be, as he dropped all his matches after that. Still, the things this guy does in the ring at age 52 are absolutely mind blowing and I hope he never, ever retires. There's going to be a long line of challengers for his NEVER Openweight title, but it appears that Shingo is at the front of the line.

 

10. Yujiro Takahashi (2 points, projected 2-6)- Yujiro finally got a win over Cobb in his last match to avoid becoming the first wrestler since Honma in 2014 to go winless, and instead settled for the lowest point total since New Japan Dads Nagata and Kojima each got 2 in their final G1 in 2017. He managed to create drama in most of his matches, and his shenanigans filled match with White seems to be the catalyst for much of the current drama within Bullet Club.

 

B Block

 

1. SANADA (12 points, projected 8-10)- From my preview: "SANADA's been in 4 G1s. He's scored 8 points every time. There's not much reason to expect anything different this year. He could get a decent run, but I'm not banking on it". Whoops. SANADA had his breakthrough tournament, scoring 12 and beating both Naito and EVIL to make it to the final on tiebreakers. Even though he came up short against Ibushi, it was another step forward for the man who always seems on the cusp of hitting the upper echelon. Like Shingo and ZSJ, he would greatly benefit from an IC title run to follow up on this. When it comes to next year's G1, he won't be an afterthought. And he's got history on his side to eventually winning one. In the last decade the only wrestlers to make a G1 final and not win one at some point are Jay White, who also will win one soon, and Karl Anderson, who was a shock block winner back in 2012.

 

2. EVIL (12 points, projected 10-12)- After a slow 1-2 start that included getting Yano'd, EVIL got a win over Bullet Club stablemate KENTA to get his momentum back and controlled his destiny going into the final night. Like his BC teammate (rival?) White, he faltered at the end, losing out to former LIJ teammate and longtime tag partner SANADA. He did claim another victory over Naito, and looks to be next in line for another shot at the double gold at Power Struggle, where I hope the Naito/EVIL story will be put to bed for a while. If Bullet Club is about to explode, it could well happen that night.

 

3. Tatsuya Naito (12 points, projected 12-14)- Naito got the usual reigning champion run most expected, lots of points but just missing out on the final. Like Ibushi, the match quality equaled the match results. Naito was on fire the whole tournament, putting on 4+ star matches with nearly everyone: his early match of the tournament contender with Tanahashi on night 2, another great match with ZSJ, memorable bouts with Juice and HASHI, and even cutting lose and matching Yano step for step in comedy. His issues with Bullet Club are far from over after losses to both EVIL and KENTA. With Okada firmly ensconced in the midcard for the time being, Naito is getting his first true run as New Japan's unquestioned top star, and from the outside looking in he appears to be loving every minute of it. I'd be shocked beyond belief if he didn't walk into the Tokyo Dome with both belts intact. After that, time will tell.

 

4. KENTA (10 points, projected 10-14)- I predicted KENTA to be the top BC man in B Block, not EVIL. Whoops. Instead, he sat at a disappointing 4 points after 6 matches, putting him almost fully out of the running early. He did recover to win his last 3 matches, including beating Naito on the final night, but it was too little too late. Having him carry a briefcase for a US title shot is a good placeholder until New Japan can finally get Jon Moxley back in for a show, and he has no shortage of challengers lining up for it. He also needs a new one after cracking the current one open over Tanahashi's head. But what's most interesting is he's the quiet man on the side in the feud that seems to be starting to bubble over between White and EVIL. Watch him when those cracks lead to earthquakes.

 

5. Zack Sabre Jr (10 points, projected 12-14)- Another miss. I thought ZSJ had a great shot to win the block and take another step forward. Instead, it was SANADA, and ZSJ's G1 high point continues to be the quiet 12 he scored in 2018, the same year he won the New Japan Cup and temporarily established himself as possibly the best tournament wrestler in the company. This year, he won all the matches he should have won, but lost to everyone equal or above him except EVIL. Somewhere he lost his swagger and needs to find a way to get it back. He's going to continue to hold the tag belts down with Taichi until Wrestle Kingdom at the earliest. ZSJ is the last of the trio that I'd book the IC title around once it gets on its own again.

 

6. Hirooki Goto (8 points, projected 6-10)- Another year, another middle of the road performance from Goto, both in results and match quality. His biggest highlight was out-Yanoing Yano to score the quickest win in G1 history, 18 seconds. He continues to inch toward New Japan Dad status.

 

7. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8 points, projected 8-12)- Speaking of inching toward New Japan Dad status, there's The Ace. Quality wise, Tanahashi had a fine G1, looking like the Tana of old at points and showing he can still go just fine. Results wise, it's clear his time is coming to an end. The run with the tag titles was fun, but with tag partner Ibushi winning another G1 and off to defend and eventually cash in the briefcase again, Tana is left drifting without much direction. Where he ends up on the Tokyo Dome cards will be something to watch carefully. A two night show means there should at least be a special singles match in there for him somewhere. Tanahashi vs Suzuki on the big stage one last time perhaps?

 

8. Juice Robinson (8 points, projected 6-10)- Juice's G1 streakiness continued, with 4 straight losses after a 3-1 start, concluding with another final night win. You have a feeling that this was a bit of a reintroduction and warm up run for him, to be followed by defending the World Tag League championship with David Finlay, and possibly another run at the US belt.

 

9. Toru Yano (6 points, projected 6-8)- Our favorite sublime master thief started 3-0 and gave us hope that, like last year, he might be able to stay in contention deep into the tournament. Sadly, 6 straight losses ended any chance of that. Fortunately he's still got that shiny new KOPW trophy, which gives him a chance to have classic Yano shenanigans singles matches outside the normal G1 calendar. Proposal: Yano defends that trophy on every televised show of the Power Struggle tour (and keeps it).

 

10. YOSHI-HASHI (4 points, projected 4-6)- HASHI does what HASHI does. He showed a lot of fire, a lot of spirit, and still lost a lot of matches. Some things never change. I'd prefer if he was left out of next year's tournament.

Until next year!