Ever since Chris Jericho took the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Tetsuya Naito in June, he has not appeared on New Japan Pro Wrestling programming.  He didn’t wrestle in the G1 Climax which is customary of the IC champion.  Jericho made that appearance at ALL IN where he attacked Kenny Omega, which was fun, but that was done more to promote his upcoming cruise. Jericho definitely deserves to hold the belt but I would have preferred for Naito to keep it if there’s no plans to forward the story.  WWE fans know what it’s like for a top guy to hold a top belt off of television so I think it’s best to find the next holder soon before the fans grow frustrated.

Jay White

As we saw in the G1, Jay White has a current obsession with taking out the top guys in the company.  He actually started off the tournament by pinning both Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi so management clearly thinks very highly of him.  Chris Jericho would be a great option for Jay White’s next conquest.  It would make a star out of one of the talented younger guys and make White’s character even more deranged than it is right now.

Kazuchika Okada

Okada ties in directly with Jay White.  Jay has vowed to dethrone Okada as the rightful leader of the CHAOS faction.  Chris Jericho’s last two feuds were with Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega, two of the top three guys in the company. Kazuchika Okada is that third guy.  So it all just meshes perfectly.  Okada can win the Intercontinental belt from Jericho until the IWGP Heavyweight Championship scene shifts a little.  That would leave Jay White to continue his pursuit of Okada.  Ideally, their ultimate meeting would occur at Wrestle Kingdom.  Not only would the winner get the belt and control of CHAOS, but a stipulation could be added where the loser has to leave the faction.

SANADA

He has become one of my favorite technical wrestlers after watching him in the last two G1 tournaments.  His technical style is quite refreshing since he has the appearance of a hardcore wrestler like Jimmy Havoc.  Sanada has yet to hold a singles belt in NJPW which is a shame.  Bad Luck Fale and Michael Elgin have both held the Intercontinental Title and Sanada’s ceiling is already higher than both guys.  He has all the makings of a star.  Kenny Omega even hinted that he would be a world champion after their G1 match.  Sanada also had a title shot for Okada’s heavyweight belt.  Nobody expected him to win but they don’t just hand those matches to anybody.  Unfortunately, I don’t see them giving him the belt any time soon.  Unless Naito is holding the world title, then the IC belt would give Sanada the appearance of the head guy in Los Ingobernables de Japon.

Tomohiro Ishii

All Ishii does is crank out 4 and 5 star matches.  You could say he produces quality matches at the same rate as Omega, Okada, Naito, and Tanahashi.  I see a lot of similarities to Cesaro.  They’re both world-class wrestlers, but they’re not flashy and don’t really cut promos.  Because of that, the guys in charge probably don’t feel that ring work has enough drawing power to hold the top belt in the company.  He is currently feuding with Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but I would be really surprised if Ishii comes out on top.  With all that being said, Tomohiro Ishii would make for the perfect candidate to hold the Intercontinental strap.  It’s the second most prestigious belt in the company, Ishii’s a true veteran, and he could be the true workhorse of the heavyweight division.