It’s hard to believe, but the G1 Climax 34 tournament is over. Until next year, folks!
Even harder to believe is the fact that New Japan Pro Wrestling got out of their own way and delivered the smartest possible final for their annual round-robin tournament extravaganza.
Brand New
On Sunday, it’ll be Yota Tsuji vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in the G1 finals with the winner moving on to Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4th of next year to wrestle for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The two G1 final championship virgins are competing for their first-ever crown and the match-up represents the theme of this year’s tournament overall — brand new.
And therein lies the brilliant nature of New Japan going with this final. A key outcome of the tournament this year — outside of great matches that it’s known for — was to present a fresh product to the deprived NJPW wrestling audience. Since the exodus of top talent like Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, and Will Ospreay, the promotion has been relying on mainstays like Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, and Evil, as well as crossover talent like Jon Moxley to carry the company banner.
Yes, those guys all have name value, but they’ve also been there, done that, and don’t have the same intrigue or story to captivate New Japan audiences like they once did. Worse, the up and coming talent like Tsuji and others were forced to take a back seat to that batch of slowing veterans at the top the card. The promotion was stuck.
This G1 tournament felt like an opportunity for a fresh start and New Japan seized it. Night in and night out, guys like Tsuji, David Finlay, Oleg Boltin, Konosuke Takeshita, Gabe Kidd, Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, and other budding prospects stole shows and delivered the strong matches every G1 needs. Sure, the mainstays were around, but they weren’t necessarily the focus and that was the key to this year’s success.
Stellar semifinal
In the tournament semifinal, Tsuji defeated Finlay and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shingo Takagi to reach the finals. All four men were striving for their first G1 tournament win. Ahhhh, fresh. The semi’s delivered from an in-ring perspective. Tsuji and Finlay have good chemistry together and that was on display during a match that revolved around a table spot. The Tsuji near falls hooked the crowd and yielded audible gasps of disbelief and gratitude.
The ZSJ vs. Takagi semi was equally as entertaining, but with a different psychology. The match was hard-hitting, but rested mainly on ZSJ’s quest to win the G1 tournament. Takagi put ZSJ over strong by not only tapping out, but also having his Last of the Dragon finisher kicked out of for the first time in a long time.
There were times throughout the 18 nights of action that I was worried for what the company might do. Evil and his House of Torture shenanigans grew old three years ago, yet there he was near the top of his block and looming around a shot at the final. Same thing with guys like Sanada and Naito. Both are talents I enjoy watching, but neither needed to be close to a G1 title this year. Shingo too. I know he hasn’t won a G1, but he’s synonymous with the old New Japan guard at this point and needed to be used to elevate a new star.
Smart
So, New Japan is in a better spot today than they were before the G1 began. They needed to use the tournament to showcase new stars and they did. Smart.
Yota Tsuji vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in the G1 Climax final represents that reality and signals a changing of the guard and a refocused book in New Japan. Regardless of who wins, a new face will be a part of the Tokyo Dome main event on January 4th. My money is is on Yota Tsuji. Tsuji and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito have history together and a story that pays off nicely if Tsuji beats him on the biggest stage possible. Plus, Tsuji is the new blood the company seems to want to get behind most. He’s already won the New Japan Cup and regularly gets strong responses from the audience. A logical next step is a major match at Wrestle Kingdom.
Here, take some credit
It’s been hard to watch New Japan throughout the last 18 months continue to go to the same well of talent for top spots and top matches. Even when it was clear that a fresh crop of stars was needed, the company stood pat, afraid or worried to showcase something new. They deserve credit for finally doing it here and doing it the right way on one of the biggest stages possible.
Tsuji and ZSJ … you nervous? It’s on you, gentleman.
Who do you think will win this year’s G1 Climax 34 tournament? Let us know in the comments!
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