NJPW G1 Climax Card

Hi guys,

After a solid few months of shows, including the amazing Dominion show and that Kenny/Okada match, we've got the NJPW G1 Climax starting on the 14th July. For people like me who haven't watched it before, the G1 Climax is basically a big tournament where competitors compete in two blocks in various matches. After the of the first set of matches, the winner from each block goes on to compete in one last match for a IWGP Heavyweight title defence - simple, right?

I've watched odd matches from previous years, but after releasing more information, by god NJPW have knocked it out of the park with the competitors and matches they've booked choice. Here are all the competitors for this year's tournament in their blocks, and the first of the match ups!

I mean can this get any more exciting - they literally have the best of the best from the roster and are putting them in matches we could have only dreamed about seeing. Obviously these are only the matches for the first day of each block but there are some beauties throughout which are making me pee with excitement *not literally*.

I mean obviously Kenny Omega v Kota Ibushi (11 Aug) is going to be one of those matches that everyone wants to see since it'll be the first match they have since the reuniting of the Golden Lovers. It's going to be fast pace, high flying and full of emotion and story-telling, so I am definitely keeping my eyes open for this. Apart from this obvious choice, all of the matches with Jay White excites me *because Jay is Bae* like the one with Hangman Page (30 July) and especially the one against Okada. I mean we all saw the press conference when Jay joined Chaos and he sent out the warning message to the Rainmaker that he was looking forward to a match with Okada, title or no title. The Switchblade is such a good heel at the moment and I'm always drawn into his matches so any match he has always excites me, and these G1 matches are no exception. We've also got the match up of Zack Sabre Jr and Kota Ibushi (15 July) which most of us wanted to see during the WWE CWC but didn't get. With the mix of Ibushi's high flying and Sabre Jr's technical prowess, it's going to be a wrestling masterpiece and I know it'll be a match that a lot of people are excited for, especially with all of Sabre Jr's momentum at the moment.

I'm also excited to see the matches with wrestlers from the same faction and there's definitely no shortage of them. We've seen the build up of tension from Los Ingobernables de Japon members Naito and SANADA, so I'm excited to see where that goes as both members are exciting to watch. And then we have the Bullet Club, I mean what can I say about them? There's been tension for months between Cody and Kenny, but also the OG BC, the Elite and the new members. So, as well as Fale v Hangman (14 July), the match up I'm interested to see is Kenny Omega v Tama Tonga (21 July): the leader of BC and the uncrowned leader and GOD member. There's been talk for months that Tama Tonga should be the BC leader and maybe that's a storyline that's going to creep up on us. We've seen this match up before in the G1 but I think it's got more substance and meaning this time. I love Kenny but I also see Tama Tonga's potential to be a leader... it'll be a match that could lead to major changes and storylines in the future!

So, where do I stand with how it's going to go and who I think's going to win - these aren't predictions because I know I'll probably be wrong. I've been looking at the last few winners and that, along with my love for this wrestler, means that I think Jay White is probably going to win - or I hope he does. Mainly because, after his excursion, he had a massive push with his WK match with Tanahashi to winning the US title of THE Kenny Omega. BUT, I have high hopes for the likes of Kenny Omega (who has the matter of pride after not doing so well last year), Tama Tonga, the Ace Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi - it's anyone's game!

So, what does everyone think's going to happen? I mean, no matter who wins, it's an amazing tournament and the cards are better than I could've ever imagined - WWE, eat your heart out!

Until Next Time

Bye!