G1 Climax 34: Week 2 Review
The second week is now in the books - how're we feeling so far?
First, let’s look at where things stand after Week 2’s matches on the leaderboards:
Who has been the biggest revelation of the tournament so far? Who has overperformed your expectations?
Ryan: As discussed in the Forbidden Door III post-show recap, it felt like New Japan had some room at the top of their card to be filled by whoever would grab it. This tournament has had a bunch of folks rising to the occasion, which we hadn’t seen in the main event scene before.
Marlowe: This answer may seem counterintuitive for a veteran wrestler, but I am calling back to my Forbidden Door comments and saying, David Finlay. I have been rooting for Finlay to break out and be a star, and I will concede it is probably just my blind fandom that the leader of the Bullet Club HAS to be great, but for the most part, he hasn’t lived up to my (admittedly high) expectations. He is 3-2 in the tournament with a compelling win over consistent top performer Takeshita. He also looked good in his two losses and sits in the tie at the top of B Block. He has Boltin, ELP, Goto, and Cobb to go, and I can easily see him coming out with three wins.
A more traditional answer to this question is that both first-time entrants look great. Takeshita looks like the man of the tournament, and Yuyu Uemura has consistently delivered great in-ring storytelling and athletic performances.
Ryan: I have liked Finlay, especially when his matches aren’t too interference-ridden. I’ll be going with Great-O-Khan for my pick. I liked that he wanted to wrestle in the style of others, to beat them on their home turf. Even if he wasn’t always the winner, I think he’s been successful in showing his range.
Last week, we examined the undefeated streaks of Zack Sabre Jr., Yuya Uemura, and EVIL—and now only one streak remains…
Ryan: EVERYTHING. IS. EVIL.
Marlowe: I can’t believe I am writing this, but I think I am rooting for EVIL. What can I say? I love a streak. At this point, I genuinely root for him every night to see how far this can go. He is facing Great-O-Khan, ZSJ, and Shingo this week, so I do not see this continuing. If he does- I am buying EVIL merch, I guess…
That being said, while the streak was the story of week 1, the story going into next week has to be the madness at the top of B Block. We have a 6(!) way tie! I predict we end the week with a traffic jam still atop the block.
RuSyxx: I expected EVIL to be booked strongly, as that’s par for the course in NJPW tournaments, but 5-0 was not in my cards. Will he lose to Great-O-Khan? I support it. It would be a remarkable upset as EVIL and ZSJ race to be the block leader with four matches left. It’s a shame that EVIL’s match with Gabe Kidd is the only one worth revisiting, as the King of Darkness lives up to his promise of having the worst matches.
What match are you most looking forward to in Week 3?
Marlowe: The next few nights have a lot of bangers. I have ZSJ and EVIL circled as potential streak-enders. Every Takeshita match feels like a must-watch right now, so I am also looking forward to his night ten face-off with Goto.
RuSyxx: I want to see Yota start rampaging through the rest of his block to alleviate my fears about his results in this tournament. In all seriousness, every B Block-focused show is a must-watch for whoever Konosuke Takeshita is up against. He hasn’t had a bad match in the tournament, and I don’t see that changing. Also, Jake Lee’s current record leaves me very curious about how he finishes this year, but even more so, how his match with Gabe will go. He is part of War Dogs, and it’s clear NJPW loves Gabe, which means that match will be all the wilder.
Ryan: While the streak match of ZSJ vs. EVIL and Tsuji vs. HENARE for the power offense will be interesting, I’m going with Gabe Kidd vs. Jake Lee for the storyline. Lee seems to be finally finding his footing with the arena crowds, and the War Dogs dynamics will be interesting to see play out.
How do you feel about your tournament winner predictions after two weeks?
Ryan: “Zack Sabre Jr.”
“I'm still feeling good about this one. He’s undefeated but has a tougher week ahead of him with Jake Lee, Shota Umino, and Shingo Takagi. If he gets past these three, I think he’s home free to the #1 seed in Block A.”
If he beats EVIL this week, I think it’s home-free for my lad!
Mike: “As much as I want it to be ZSJ, I think this is Shota Umino’s year.”
“Yeah, it’s not looking great for Umino, who’s started with only one win in his first three matches. Given how he's been booked to start the tournament, I think I’m leaning more towards Yota Tsuji, but I think there’s still plenty of time left for either ZSJ or Shooter to get a huge string of wins.”
I STILL BELIEVE IN UMINO VS TSUJI SUPREMACY.
Marlowe: “I am with Mike here. I would love for it to be the summer of ZSJ, but I am taking Shota.”
“I can’t say I feel good about this pick right now. Shota is sitting at 2 points and has felt largely irrelevant through week 1. A statement win against ZSJ on night nine could turn that all around and get us back on track.”
Shota has significantly improved this week, sitting tied for third place with Kidd. He has a winnable week against SANADA and Naito. I can see him easily winning both, but I expect a Naito run at some point, which could start this week very well. Despite the improved position, this still doesn’t feel like his year. He hasn’t been the night's focus thus far and does not seem to have much heat behind him; I think I picked poorly.
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.”
”I AM NOT FLINCHING TSUJIMANIA IS COMING!”
RuSyxx: Yota’s record as of this writing has left me nervous about Gedo’s plans, but B Block is still pretty open, and a massive win streak could give it to him. He feels like the clear choice in my mind, and I think beating Yuya, Take, and Finlay in the finals will be a big part of building momentum before he finishes it.
Shota’s G1 has been rough, and I think while he’ll win a G1 in the future, having him win one while still recovering from a severe back injury doesn’t feel like the right call. If anyone from A Block takes it, it should be Zack.
Either way, I still think it’s the year of the GENE Blast.