Opinion

Abe’s New Japan G1 Climax Watch Guide (Part 1)

Published

7 years ago

July 28, 2018

Two weekends ago, pro wrestling’s biggest and most critically-acclaimed tournament, the G1 Climax, kicked off. The G1 is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual summer tournament that decides who will headline Wrestle Kingdom in January. The pool is comprised of twenty of NJPW’s best which usually leads to the most exciting matches you’ll see all year. You can watch them by signing up over at njpwworld.com. I assure you it’s worth the subscription.

I’ll give you a quick run-down if you are new to the product. Wrestle Kingdom is their biggest show of the year so this is like the Royal Rumble except it lasts a month. The talent pool is divided into two separate blocks of 10 competitors each. It’s a round robin style tournament so each wrestler will have at least 9 matches (one match against every man in their block). A win is 2 points, a loss is 0 points, and each man is awarded 1 point in the event of a 30 minute time-limit draw. The competitor with the most points in the A Block and B Block will face each other on August 12 to determine the winner. If you want the an in-depth analysis of every night of G1 action, check out the articles by The Chairshot’s Andrew Balaz and Mathew Sarpraicone.

I understand that it’s A LOT of wrestling. The most hardcore fans will struggle to find time for even half the matches. The purpose of this guide is to give you the most efficient viewing experience possible. Every week of the tournament I’ll be listing the matches I think every fan would enjoy. I’ve decided to categorize them by Storytelling Matches, Character Matches, and Quality Matches. Storytelling matches are matches that incorporate a current or past angle into a match, Character matches will help you become invested in certain wrestlers, and Quality matches are all of the above. These are essentially the best the product can give you, in my opinion. This first part will cover Night 1 (7/14) through Night 8 (7/26).

Storytelling Matches

Hangman Page v. Bad Luck Fale (N1, 7/14)
Jay White v. Kazuchika Okada (N1, 7/14)
Kazuchika Okada v. Bad Luck Fale (N3, 7/16)
Jay White v. Hiroshi Tanahashi (N3, 7/16)
Hirooki Goto v. Kenny Omega (N4, 7/19)
Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Bad Luck Fale (N5, 7/20)
Tama Tonga v. Kenny Omega (N6, 7/21)
Tama Tonga v. Tetsuya Naito (N8, 7/26)
Juice Robinson v. Kenny Omega (N8, 7/26)

You may notice the frequency of the Bullet Club on this list. If you are unaware, that’s because the BC underwent a transformation in San Francisco when the Tongan sect of the faction turned on the rest of the group, forming The Firing Squad. Since most of the BC was bordering as a babyface faction in recent memory, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Bad Luck Fale decided to split and go back to their roots. They’ve essentially hijacked the G1 tournament. They’ll make a statement at all costs, especially against their former Bullet Club stablemates. I honestly got chills when Hangman was walking down the aisle to confront Fale for the first time. Speaking of making a statement, Tama made sure to take a shot at Roman Reigns and their Twitter beef before his match against Naito which was fantastic. Something similar is happening in CHAOS. When Jay White joined as the only heel in the faction back in January, he promised that he would face Okada one day and claim CHAOS as his own. After his quest for dominance, he met Tanahashi in a Wrestle Kingdom rematch. To top it off, we got to see a rematch of the 2016 G1 Finals when Kenny Omega and Hirooki Goto squared off as two different men this time around. Most recently, Kenny and Juice had their rematch of last year’s meeting where Juice shocked the world. This time, both men had lingering injuries to worry about.

Character Matches

Minoru Suzuki v. Hiroshi Tanahashi (N1, 7/14)
Toru Yano v. Tomohiro Ishii (N2, 7/15)
Minoru Suzuki v. YOSHI-HASHI (N5, 7/20)
Toru Yano v. Kota Ibushi (N6, 7/21)
Juice Robinson v. Tetsuya Naito (N6, 7/21)
YOSHI-HASHI v. Michael Elgin (N7, 7/22)
Bad Luck Fale v. EVIL (N7, 7/22)

Toru Yano is going to be plastered all over my watch guides. Few leave me more entertained when he steps between the ropes. He’s the type of comedic relief perfect for these long tournaments when every match needs a change of pace. Many of you know Suzuki is the ultimate sadist so his matches against fan favorite Tanahashi, and ultimate underdog, Yoshi-Hashi were the perfect complements to his style. Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero were really emphasizing Yoshi-Hashi’s lack of success in his bout with Elgin so it was really easy to get invested and root for him in that one. Juice and Naito were originally going to be on my list of quality matches but the heel work and fighting spirit displayed in the match was too good to overlook. EVIL brought Bad Luck Fale and the rest of the Bullet Club over to this part of the watch list because he was doing a really good job at handling the numbers disadvantage. LIJ are technically supposed to be heels most of the time but it was refreshing to see EVIL work as the clear babyface in his matchup against Fale.

Quality Matches

Zack Sabre Jr. v. Kota Ibushi (N2, 7/15)
Tetsuta Naito v. Kenny Omega (N2, 7/15)
Zack Sabre Jr. v. Toru Yano (N4, 7/19)
Kota Ibushi v. Juice Robinson (N4, 7/19)
Zack Sabre Jr. v. SANADA (N6, 7/21)
Hirooki Goto v. Tomohiro Ishii (N6, 7/21)
SANADA v. Kota Ibushi (N8, 7/26)

Zack Sabre Jr. keeps coming up for a reason. ZSJ is truly at the top of his game. He has a very distinct in-ring style yet makes it new and interesting with every one of his opponents. He would have been a sneaky favorite of mine to make a run if he didn’t win the NJ Cup earlier this year. Kota and Juice also continue to stand out in each of their matches just as I expected. We were treated to the rematch of last year’s finals early as Kenny and Naito put together a hot one. Both guys are accustomed to lengthy main event style matches but the 30 minute limit forced them to go all-out from the get-go. Goto vs. Ishii and Sanada vs. Kota Ibushi were probably my two favorite matches of the tournament so far. Those are just four guys that are masters in the art of wrestling and always know how to create a main-event level match.

Standings As of 7/26

A Block

Jay White (6 points)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (6 points)
EVIL (6 points)
Kazuchika Okada (4 points)
Togi Makabe (4 points)
Michael Elgin (4 points)
Minoru Suzuki (4 points)
Hangman Page (2 points)
Bad Luck Fale (2 points)
YOSHI-HASHI (2 points)

B Block

Kenny Omega (8 points)
Tetsuya Naito (6 points)
SANADA (6 points)
Kota Ibushi (4 points)
Zack Sabre Jr. (4 points)
Tomohiro Ishii (4 points)
Hirooki Goto (4 points)
Tama Tonga (2 points)
Toru Yano (2 points)
Juice Robinson (0 points)

What’s great about the G1 is that even the guys staring down 2 points or less have still put together great matches. A lot of them have a decent shot to get on a roll too. For example, I didn’t expect Okada, Suzuki, Fale, and Tama to be stuck at 2 points after three matches. I also don’t think many expected Jay White to get off to a 3-0 start. Juice Robinson is the US Heavyweight Champion and has started 0-4 so it looks like they’re going to continue the rhetoric that he’s a “streaky” fighter. Tama and Fale have taken multiple DQ losses which are rare so I see them shaking things up and coming back strong, especially since they’re at the center of the freshest storyline. I understand that their main objective is to make a statement but I think the best way to do that is to win against the best competition. It’s working for Jay White so far. Okada is poised to go on a furious tear. He’s the clear favorite in his block and already got some of his toughest tasks out of the way.

It was announced this week that Kenny Omega has been wrestling with a fractured heel. He confirmed it in this week’s episode of Being the Elite and said he plans to finish the tournament regardless. I watched his match against Juice Robinson with this in mind and it was incredible how much pressure he continued to put on it. Omega said it hurts to walk but I never would have guessed by watching that match. If the pain becomes unbearable, it’ll be interesting to see what NJPW decides to do moving forward. Pulling him from the tournament or compensating by building a story around the injury are the first things that come to mind. Removing him from the tournament while he’s still undefeated would protect him in more ways than one.

I also wanted to mention how much I’ve loved the commentary team of Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero. You can tell they have paragraphs of notes for each match. They’ve kept a tab of the total match time for each competitor so they can reference their long-term durability for the rest of the G1. They also like to detail all the significant past meetings of the men in each match, especially if they were G1 matches. During Hiroshi Tanahashi’s match against Hangman Page, they explained that Tana has a poor record against first-time G1 opponents. Way back on Night 1 Kevin Kelly made a comment about how the ring sounded different after a slam so a board might have gotten knocked loose from a suplex earlier in the match. He elaborated that this was significant because it could make any future contact with the mat potentially more dangerous. These are things I never would have thought about. It’s amazing what a little more insight can do to elevate the prestige of the tournament as a whole.

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Related Topics:Bullet Club Featured Featured Big G1 Climax Hiroshi Tanahashi Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega NJPW

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1