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NJPW things before G1 Climax 2019 starts


Archibald

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2 hours ago, Archibald said:

Suzuki is booked against Okada for the rest of the tour. Are they going to do "champ is injured" for G1? Because it looked like Suzuki was about to snap and cripple Okada for good.

I think you’re probably right. Granted they’ve basically done that recently—with the same players—but Okada is too god-tier otherwise and Suzuki should react to the G1 snub.

Anyway, this lineup is great, but as a nerd who has been watching their entire relevant careers, I’d have enjoyed Kojima and Makabe getting a gold watch run. 

Edited by Beech27
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Oh my God. That is just about as good of a lineup as they could've done and will be the first time I'm hyped for NJPW this year. Taichi was the name I looked for first. The pop in the video shows where he is at even if he'll end with probably only 2 or 3 wins. A Block is fucking ridiculous. I don't even understand. It's cool that KENTA is in there too. Absolutely the right call on Suzuki. His body can't handle it. Last year doing his 30th anniversary match with Okada in the rain and the followup in the tournament was a fitting end to his run at the top. This should be the start of him fighting the transition and Zack inexorably taking the top spot in the faction (never change the name). 

I was down on last year's tournament from the block announcements and we all knew it wouldn't be able to live up to the highest of high standards the previous two or three tournaments set. It over achieved but still wasn't there. With this lineup, we could be looking at the best month of pro wrestling ever. Hyperbole be damned. KENTA vs. Ibushi. Taichi vs Moxley and Taichi vs. Yano. ZSJ in the block with his best rivals: SANADA and Ibushi. Is this the year they start to pull the trigger on SANADA? I cannot wait. 

Edited by Oyaji
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1 hour ago, Oyaji said:

 Is this the year they start to pull the trigger on SANADA? I cannot wait. 

After that NJ Cup and Dontaku performances you have to wonder whats next for him. And at Dominion Evil was rolled up, not Sanada. So it figures that they have not given up on him after Dontaku tour. So what he can actually do in A block?

He can beat Zack, but him having a title match for RevPro's title sounds unlikely. If I'm not mistaken Sanada has never challenged for any of the lower tier titles, only for heavyweight title 2 times. Last year they deliberately put him in block with champs and had him lose to all of them.

He has beaten Tanahashi, Ibushi, ZSJ and Evil before so beating them again does not do much for him. Like sure, a big win, but nothing ground breaking. Nobody cares about him beating Fale and Archer. Him losing to Ospreay would probably be considered an upset by Japanese audience. So.. KENTA? Is that enough to push him forward?

Obvious elephant in the room is that he is in the same block as Okada. Is he going to get another L? Is he beating him and then getting another L at KoPW? Is he screwing Okada out of G finals?

Or am I over-thinking this and getting 6-3 record will be good enough?

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Making the finals would be a step forward. Although his loss to Naito last year was just sorta fine, losing to Naito in the finals might be better and it would certainly be bigger. He could just win too, I suppose. Part of me thinks Moxley will make the finals, because you’re only going to have him this year, so you might as well. And if that’s true, you want him to lose in the finals to someone who would really benefit. SANADA would fit that role. 

Mostly I like how wide open this all seems. Neither block winners nor the finals are at all clear to me; but beyond that, there will be a lot of “could go either way” matches. (Ultimately though, I think Naito takes it, defends the shot and his belt, and becomes double champ. Revenge in every step.)

Edited by Beech27
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33 minutes ago, Archibald said:

Obvious elephant in the room is that he is in the same block as Okada. Is he going to get another L? Is he beating him and then getting another L at KoPW? Is he screwing Okada out of G finals?

You're right in that is his big white whale. He should absolutely be the one to cost Okada a spot in the finals. Ibushi should also beat Tanahashi. As they phase out Tanahashi, they should start to phase in SANADA if he's going to be that guy up there with Okada, Naito, Ibushi, and White (who I still don't think is quite backing up his push - I wasn't a fan of the February Tanahashi match despite it serving its purpose).

Had they put KENTA in block B, I would've thought he or Moxley would serve as this year's Akiyama to put over the home talent in the final. As is, it'll be interesting to see where they slot him in now that he's in there with most of the big boys. Should be telling as to whether or not they are thinking long term with him. This is a fascinating tournament.

We're also getting a rematch of Ibushi and Ospreay: Kota's Revenge. It'll probably get more time than the 18 they got at the Dome and it'll be a feature match. I always think this is the year they start to really get behind Ibushi but now that he's signed on full time, there are no more excuses. This should be his year and he should have to beat Tanahashi at the end to get into the final. If they're not going to go with him, then they could easily go with Ibushi vs. Omega as the main event of the other night, though politics may be iffy (60 minutes, baybeee!).

Edited by Oyaji
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I dunno how mych of the pop for SANADA was for him or because him and EVIL are in the same block (EVIL who traditionally gets a huge pop was right after Ibushi in annoucement so the crowd was still coming down from him). With EVIL rejecting the fist bump, I kind of wonder if he is the one that might get the G1 push as a future Okada defense. This group is so hard to pick, there's at least 6 potential group winners and if Naito is winning (my prediction), 3 of them make perfect sense (Ibushi/EVIL/SANADA). 

Really excited for group B too, especially the variety of matches Moxley can have. Also a lot of fresh opponents for Jay White too, Naito v White has me super interested. Surprised by the pop for Goto considering the non-pop he has has in recent announcements. Taichi in is a huge plus for me as well, hope he can pick up a few good wins. 

I don't think I've been this excited for a G1 in ages. Sucks there is no G1 farewell runs for Kojima, Suzuki or Makabe but there is absolutely no room for them. 

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How many times have they run Ibushi/Naito recently? I would find it difficult to think that they'd do it again for one of their biggest matches of the year. The top of the card is pretty stale right now. I feel like Moxley is a lock for the final when you look at the distribution of top stars and the fact that this will likely be a one off for a big international star.

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I don't feel like Mox is a lock, he's the 3rd most likely winner after Naito and White.  Naito has his story which can carry to the Dome, and White is pushed that hard (I think he deserves his push , but there might be others like Ospreay who could carry the banner just as well if not better)

 

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Two big, protected matches, in the slots that are often quasi-spoilers.

And Dallas gets Okada/Tana, which is really smart, since it probably won't draw in Japan anymore but fits as a bucket list item for American fans; and KENTA/Ibushi, who both have very high profiles in the States.

Edited by Beech27
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Schedule I've copied from f4wonline.com

Here's the full list of tournament matches:

July 6 (A Block, Dallas, Texas) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA
  • SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer

July 13 (B Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) --

  • Jon Moxley vs. Taichi
  • Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson

July 14 (A Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) --

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer
  • Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Will Ospreay vs. SANADA

July 15 (B Block, Sapporo) --

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Toru Yano

July 18 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) --

  • Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
  • EVIL vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • KENTA vs. Lance Archer

July 19 (B Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) --

  • Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Jay White vs. Toru Yano
  • Juice Robinson vs. Jeff Cobb

July 20 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • KENTA vs. EVIL
  • Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bad Luck Fale

July 24 (B Block, Hiroshima) --

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi
  • Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano

July 27 (A Block, Nagoya) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
  • Will Ospreay vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Lance Archer

July 28 (B Block, Nagoya) --

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano
  • Jay White vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson

July 30 (A Block, Takamatsu) --

  • KENTA vs. SANADA
  • Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 1 (B Block, Fukuoka) --

  • Jay White vs. Taichi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Toru Yano
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb

August 3 (A Block, Osaka) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Will Ospreay vs. EVIL
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 4 (B Block, Osaka) --

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jay White
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Juice Robinson vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano

August 7 (A Block, Hamamatsu) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
  • Will Ospreay vs. KENTA
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • SANADA vs. Lance Archer

August 8 (B Block, Yokohama) --

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Toru Yano vs. Taichi
  • Jay White vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jon Moxley vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb

August 10 (A Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) --

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay
  • SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • EVIL vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

August 11 (B Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) --

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White
  • Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi

August 12 (Budokan Hall, Tokyo) --

  • A Block winner vs. B Block winner in the G1 finals

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I picked White vs. Ibushi for last year's final. Seeming as the final block matches are practically spoilers at this point, I may have been a year early. Here's hoping it's Moxley and not White. 

Also, with ticket sales struggling for the Dallas show (that's still a thing right?) and the company bringing in a white hot former wwe champion, of course you don't feature him in a singles match because of block order. ?‍♂️ This company has never quite gotten their US expansion right. 

Edited by Oyaji
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