Opinion

Running the G1 Climax and Best of Super Juniors Simultaneously ?

Prior to the Tuesday press conference; Val explores Hiromu’s idea of a joint G1 Best of Super Junior tournament!

Published

5 years ago

June 8, 2020

There have been a handful of discussions regarding New Japan Pro Wrestling since the pandemic. Most of which, surrounding when and how the company would return to hold events, will be addressed next Tuesday during a press conference. However, today we will be looking at Hiromu Takahashi’s suggestion regarding both the next G1 Climax and the for now postponed / cancelled Best Of Super Juniors tournaments.

In order to remind everyone about what it is that Hiromu suggested, the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion talked about holding the Best Of Super Juniors tournament at the same time as the next G1 Climax, meaning both tournaments would take place in between September and October. As soon as this rather interesting suggestion fell into the fans’ hears or upon their eyes, excitement peaked and you could find a really good amount of people raving about the idea, myself included at first. The purpose of this piece you are now reading is to break things down, discussing what makes this idea a good one or a bad one, how can it be done properly and if this something New Japan should do.
Ready ? Well then, let’s get started !

Taking the pandemic related influence on whether or not the G1 will be able to occur during the scheduled time frame out of the window, let’s focus on the wrestling aspect of this whole G1 x BOSJ idea Hiromu dropped on us all.

First things first, let’s look at how both tournaments are organized. Usually, how New Japan does things with their tournaments is, they keep the undercard to build up the matches scheduled for the following show, while the scheduled tournament matches take the latter half of the card. Bringing up this first point is important, as in regards to holding both tournaments at the same time, some people have suggested New Japan holds shows filled with tournament matches alone. While this is something which could potentially work for the last block matches in each tourney, for the entire tournaments it is hardly sustainable. Not only do you break away from what has been one of New Japan’s habits in terms of how they build their shows, but you take the risk of exhausting the audience mid-way through both tournaments. Following a month long tournament like Best Of Super Juniors or the G1 is already quite a ride, and no shows are 100% filled with tournament matches.

Then, how do you not take the risk of exhausting the audience ? How do you pace the tournaments better ? Well, the only solution I can think of is to make both tournaments last a bit longer, while keeping the usual New Japan format with the undercard serving its original purpose, and with four to five tournament matches depending on how exactly you set things up. For example, do you mix the BOSJ and G1 matches on the same card ? Or do you keep them separate, thus having one G1 show, followed by a BOSJ show the next day and scheduling both like that ?

Keeping the exhaustion factor in my mind, as much for the audience as it would be a factor for New Japan’s staff, I’m not entirely sure holding shows every day, with occasional pauses, for two different tournaments is the wise idea here, so let’s keep this piece going with the other idea I just brought up.

Let’s now say New Japan holds, in the most literal way possible, both the G1 and BOSJ at the same time by having both G1 and BOSJ matches on their shows. How do you go with that ? Obviously, the undercard would have to serve a doubled purpose, but this hurdle is not the hardest to overcome. The real hurdle here would be New Japan’s habit of putting the Junior Heavyweights below the Heavyweights on cards featuring big matches from both divisions. Rare, if not non-existent, have been the occurrences of the Junior Heavyweight title main eventing a show where one of the top Heavyweight titles was also featured on the same card. This title only sees the main event when it is the only singles belt to be defended. Now, given that in our little scenario here, the Best Of Super Juniors tournament is going on, the logical thing would be that the bigger Junior Heavyweight matches actually end up main eventing a good amount of tournament shows. To do that, New Japan would have to schedule them alongside some of the minor Heavyweight matches, and vice-versa when to comes to Heavyweight matches being the main event, though here it wouldn’t matter as much due to New Japan’s inherent logic.

However, one other question suddenly arises. What about the tournament finals ? Surely, both are more than worthy to main event their own show, and even New Japan probably wouldn’t want to diminish their Junior tournament by having its final occur as the “semi-main” to the G1 final. The solution here would then be to have two final nights, one dedicated to the BOSJ final, and the other to the G1’s.

Now, while all this planning sounds rather nice and not impossible to pull off on paper, would rescheduling both tournaments in such a way be the right move ? After all, taking the usual New Japan calendar, World Tag League, which you have to wonder if you’d keep running in such a situation, is supposed to start the following month, and then, Wrestle Kingdom 15 would be at the horizon. All of which leads me to wonder about yet another alternative. Maybe, instead of ending the year with the usual Tag Leagues, holding the G1 at the scheduled time while holding the BOSJ as the “winter tournament” during most of November and December, may be even wiser than mixing both tournaments into the “Autumn one-two punch”. That way, both tournament winners get to make their challenge at the Tokyo Dome, which by the way would be a first time ever for the BOSJ winner, thus making Wrestle Kingdom 15 an even bigger deal than it already is in essence.

While there would still be things to discuss around this topic, this is where this piece will end. Do you think Hiromu’s idea is achievable, and how ? Would you rather see the 27th edition of BOSJ being held on its own, possibly in between the now still scheduled G1 and next Wrestle Kingdom ?

Until then, let’s all wait until next Tuesday to hopefully get answers. Make sure to leave your thoughts !

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TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Related Topics:Best Of Super Juniors 27 Featured Featured Big G1 Climax Hiromu Takahashi New Japan Pro Wrestling 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

2 weeks 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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SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

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SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month 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