G1 Climax 34 Preview
It's nearly the most magical time of the NJPW calendar... let's take a peek at what to expect this year
Beginning on June 20th this year is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax tournament. The most crucial month-long span of the year for NJPW, the tournament is among the most esteemed ever. Although its format has varied over the years, this year’s rendition is a 2-block round robin, with ten wrestlers in each block. This means that every wrestler in Block A will face each other, and every wrestler in Block B will do the same. Each match can reward the winner with 2 points in their block, 1 point if the match goes to a draw, and 0 points for the losing participant. Each match this year will have a 30-minute time limit during the round-robin portion. After the block stage, the top 3 leaders of each block will make it to a playoff.
In recent years, the tournament winner has been rewarded with a contract that grants them an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome, and this year will be no different.
We are starting similarly to our Forbidden Door III recap. Who will have the breakout performance for this year’s tournament?
Marlowe: I think, to some degree, the answer here is dependent on how you define “breakout,” but I am going with Shota Umino. You could argue that Shota is already a major star, considering he headlined a PPV recently against one of the world’s top wrestlers, Jon Moxley, for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. But Shota is young, has never held a championship, and this is only his second G1. We will see if Shota can come out of A Block as a realistic contender to emerge victorious and become the ace he has claimed to be.
Mike: While I agree that Umino has a decent chance of winning it all, I think someone else might even break out bigger in this year’s tournament: Callum Newman. It has been made clear by now that New Japan is struggling at the top of the card, and the younger generation of tomorrow will have to step up sooner rather than later. Newman only made it to the G1 after qualifying for the final Block A spot, having to beat Yujiro Takahashi, KENTA, and YOSHI-HASHI along the way. The Prince of Pace has received some slight comparisons to the man who got him into wrestling, Will Ospreay. He has yet to have his chance to break out into his own, honestly, and I think the G1 will serve that exact purpose for him.
Ryan: Callum jumps out to me as a younger star with less spotlight on him than the Reiwa Musketeers, who could make a dark horse showing. HENARE & Boltin Oleg have also been having sneaky-good years so far, and although I don’t expect either to make deep runs, I think they’ll surprisingly impress folks.
RuSyxx: Callum has the chops to be the breakout star, but the newcomer the crowd rallies behind will be Boltin Oleg. I don’t think he’ll have any 5-star classics this G1, but I can see his encounters with Tsuji, HENARE, and Takeshita, among others, being standout moments for him this year. Throw in Cobb, and we could see Boltin become a legitimate standout in the division if he steps up to the plate the way I think he can.
Marquee Matchup: Yota Tsuji vs Konosuke Takeshita (G1 Climax Night 1, July 20 in Osaka)
For the first time, Konosuke Takeshita will step into a New Japan ring, which will be a part of the most prestigious tournament in professional wrestling. It will also be a first-time-ever matchup as Tsuji and Takeshita have never shared the ring before. Considering this match will be on the tournament's opening night, these younger generation leaders will want a standout match amongst the massive ten-match card. Looking at B Block, this is arguably both of these wrestlers’ biggest matches in the block stage.
Takeshita seems to be locked into AEW for the considerable future, and Yota Tsuji is making a clear case for being the best out of the Reiwa Three Musketeers. Even if this is the only time that this matchup ever happens, this should be an incredible display of the future of the business.
—Mike
As discussed in the FD3 recap, 2024 has raised some questions about a vacuum at the top of the card. Of the G1 veterans (5+ tournaments), who do you see rising to the occasion this year?
Mike: I have very much been under the belief that this is finally going to be the year of Zack Sabre Jr. After his historic match with Bryan Danielson and his MOTY contender against Hechicero, it has never been more apparent than now that he should be THE guy in NJPW. He is precisely what the main event scene has yet to improve lately. I’d also love to see Hirooki Goto get one more chance for glory in this year’s G1. He rose to the occasion earlier this year after David Finlay had to forfeit from the New Japan Cup in March, reaching the finals and putting on a phenomenal match with Yota Tsuji. With this being his 17th consecutive G1 appearance and nearing the tail end of his career at 45 years old, it would be amazing to see Goto step up to elevate the younger generation this year.
Ryan: Zack Sabre Jr. is my pick as well. I had his contest with Bryan Danielson as my Match of the Half Year as I found it as simply transcendent, and I expect him to continue the run he’s been on this year in the G1. ZSJ being given time during the post-Forbidden Door press conference is also likely a tip that perhaps this will finally be the time for them to push him as a main eventer. I’m also hoping Shingo Takagi gets ample focus, as I think he’s a solid hand to be moving at the top of the card right now.
RuSyxx: I agree with Mike on Goto; I would love to see one more real run from him near the top, even if it’s briefly to help fill the void. Despite his age, he can still put on a believable top-guy performance, and I think he’s the best case for someone from his generation to try to gatekeep the top of the card from our rising stars. Regarding who I think should get the strap and hold onto it, I believe Zack Sabre Jr. and Shingo Takagi are the best bets. Despite NJPW’s booking, they’re two guys who can always be taken seriously in a match and will deliver. Zack feels primed to be the top gaijin; it’s just a matter of whether Gedo will let him take the spot.
Marlowe: There is nothing to add here except agreement and that ZSJ feels like the man of the moment. He has a mid-2010’s Kenny Omega vibe where he seems to be everywhere, doing everything and putting on nothing but bangers. The momentum is clearly behind ZSJ right now.
The Reiwa Musketeers are all finally in the G1. Will any of the three emerge as ‘The Ace’?
Ryan: It feels like we’ve been on a march to get Shota Umino built up this year. From his rivalry with EVIL that morphed into a lovely series of matches with Jack Perry to Mox’s IWGP Heavyweight reign helping push Shota into the main event spotlight. He’s over everywhere he goes; I feel he’ll be the first of the newbies pushed hard in the G1.
RuSyxx: While I agree that Shota is popular, I think he’s still locked in a position of being the guy Will Ospreay and Mox have primed to be a top guy. I believe he has a respectable showing, but ultimately, it falls to Jake Lee, Sabre Jr., or even Yota Tsuji in the finals, who is my pick to win this G1. Yota has had a pretty great year despite a brief wet fart of a chapter of his feud with Uemura to kick it off. He got a pro-Naito crowd to cheer him on in a title match, and this could be a perfect time to set in motion a proper passing of the torch for Los Ingobernables if he wins.
Mike: Like Ryan said earlier, Umino seems most primed for success in that “ace” position. While I agree with the idea that Tsuji could finally have a massive moment with Naito dropping the belt to him at Wrestle Kingdom, I feel like it would be slight overkill as no wrestler has won the New Japan Cup and the G1 Climax in the same year. However, Yota is a generational talent that could break that barrier. I think the G1 would be the perfect time for Umino to get his time in the main event spot finally.
Marquee Matchup: Gabe Kidd vs Jake Lee (G1 Climax Night 11, August 6th in Tokyo)
Jake Lee has been an affiliate of the Bullet Club War Dogs since this April, after being brought in by leader David Finlay to assist in a fight against Los Ingobernables de Japon. Now, one might then be confused why I’m tapping Jake Lee vs. a fellow War Dog as a marquee matchup rather than the NOAH newcomer vs. LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito or (at this point) their ace Shingo Takagi.
Gabe Kidd has been the fieriest member of the War Dogs ever since their inception. Who can forget his violent clashes with Eddie Kingston or being on the front lines when outsider Jon Moxley held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Now, the Strong Openweight Champion finds himself in a tournament to determine the number one contender to that very World title, and he’ll be facing off against an outsider in the group stage.
Given the above tweet, one has to imagine the vicious hound Kidd won’t be pulling any punches and will be testing Lee to see if he fits in the War Dogs or if he’s just a pup who should return to NOAH.
—Ryan
This year, two guest wrestlers are Jake Lee from Pro Wrestling NOAH and Konosuke Takeshita from AEW/DDT. How do you think they will fare?
Ryan: I’ll take my beloved Cinnabon lover first. Takeshita has had a great year in the ring, including a MOTY candidate against Will Ospreay, plus notable bouts with Darby Allin in AEW, Chris Jericho in DDT, and the United Japan show. Maybe it’s due to me foremost watching AEW, but it feels like Takeshita could have a high-level showing, unlike what is usual with guest performers—perhaps even getting into the knockout stage?
Pontiff: JAKE LEE BAD!
RuSyxx: Jake Lee is an interesting question. Initially, I thought he would be in for a mediocre run like other NOAH guests. Now that he’s joined War Dogs and said goodbye to NOAH, I think he could be primed to be one of the top heel threats in the company. I don’t think he’ll win, but maybe make it out of the blocks. The real future implications that come from his run will be how his match with Gabe Kidd goes down. Now that they’re allies, this match determines a pecking order. If Jake does better than Finlay overall, that, too, could throw some wrenches. Of course, Takeshita will have the more enjoyable run of the two, and with how he was positioned at All Together, he will have a dominant run and likely be the main obstacle to Yota’s end of the G1.
Round Robin tournaments provide great opportunities to set up future title challenges. This year has champions galore involved, including singles champs Tetsuya Naito, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Jeff Cobb, and the current provisional KOPW Great-O-Khan all participating. How do you see the G1 setting up future challenges for the above?
Ryan: We mentioned it in the Newcomers discussion, but the G1 will set up one of the Reiwa Musketeers as a singles champion by Wrestle Kingdom. Umino & Tsuji feel primed and ready to hold a belt now - perhaps not the World Heavyweight title, but one of the secondary belts. Considering how over Shota is in America and Gabe Kidd holding the Strong belt, I could see that being a route NJPW takes.
RuSyxx: If we ignore Uemura holding the KOPW belt briefly, I agree with Ryan; I think the G1 primes the new generation to take the throne of at least one of the titles. Failing to win the tournament, I could see Yota aiming for Finlay’s Global Championship. However, given his global popularity, I feel that Shota is more up to that role. My bold thoughts are that Boltin will be put in a position to potentially challenge either HENARE or Jeff Cobb for one of their belts. Rising youth has been the theme for the past few months, and even if he fails in his pursuit, it will continue the trend well.
Pontiff: It feels like a chance to set up Tsuji against Finlay for the Global title. Although Tsuji is my pick to win the G1, if he doesn’t win, this feels like the logical match to make and a proper next step for Tsuji regarding his development. The global title desperately needs a reset, and Tsuji could make for an exciting champion with the potential to revitalize the belt. As for Naito, they are heading toward (unfortunately) setting up a re-match with Jake Lee with the World Heavyweight title on the line.
Marquee Matchup: SANADA vs Zack Sabre Jr. (G1 Climax Night 12, August 12 in Niigata)
In one of the final nights of block action before the playoffs begin, SANADA and Zack Sabre Jr. face off in their final league match in SANADA’s hometown. SANADA has defeated ZSJ every time they have faced off in the G1. While these signs would point to another SANADA win incoming, their last matchup was three years ago, and both men have changed plenty since then.
Zack Sabre Jr. has many believing he should finally get his main event spotlight once and for all with a G1 tournament win. SANADA was just IWGP World Heavyweight Champion as recently as this year, a feat he had not accomplished by the time the two had last faced off.
This match could go either way and considering its position in the schedule, it will likely be a deciding match for whoever makes it to the playoff rounds.
— Mike
We had all the Sicko Suplex Club contributors give their predictions for the knockout phase of the tournament. Without much further ado, here are the community results:
Block A
Tetsuya Naito
Zack Sabre Jr
Shota Umino
Block B
David Finlay
Yota Tsuji
Konosuke Takeshita
Semifinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Shota Umino // David Finlay vs. Yota Tsuji
Finals: Shota Umino vs. Yota Tsuji
Winner: Yota Tsuji
The obvious question now: who you got?
Ryan: Zack Sabre Jr.
Mike: As much as I want it to be ZSJ, I think this is Shota Umino’s year.
Marlowe: I am with Mike here. I would love for it to be the summer of ZSJ, but I am taking Shota.
Pontiff: To me, the match that feels most likely to be the main event of the Tokyo Dome is Naito vs Tsuji, so Tsuji is my pick here.