NJPW (Discussion)

[Frank Olson]

I saw some people saying that Flip had an embarrassing performance against BUSHI, but I dunno, I thought the match was fine, if unremarkable.

I had high hopes for Ishimori/ACH but it too was fine and unremarkable. The opening stretch where they were continuously countering and reversing each other to establish their familiarity with each other was well done, but the match never really got out of first gear.

Ospreay/Tiger Mask was pretty great, and maybe my favorite match in the A Block so far. It was structured really intelligently around Ospreay's neck injury to make it look like Tiger might have actually had a chance, and it felt far more competitive than I would've expected a match between these two to be. There was a sequence where they each simultaneously did a spin kick followed by a roundhouse kick that I thought was really cool too. The live crowd was really invested, so the early winning streak for Tiger Mask and the strong push for Ospreay as a dominant champion both seem to be paying off.

I'm baffled by YOH/Kanemaru being the main event of this show, especially given that Ospreay's victory in the previous match made it mathematically impossible for either man in this match to win the A Block. That made it tough for me to care about this match, which is a shame because it was very well worked outside of the sloppy cradle at the very end. Kanemaru was very good here, as he finally picked up the pace and really only did the bare minimum of his tedious heel antics. But YOH was clearly the star of the match, and this was probably one of his better BOSJ performances as well.

Sabin/Desperado was a fun brawl. I think that Desperado setting the pace early by immediately beating down Sabin on the apron during his entrance was a smart move to get the crowd on the side of the unfamiliar gaijin. I do kind of feel like I've had my fill of people getting thrown into the crowd seating during this tournament, but it was well done here.

Taguchi/Scurll was an endless slog. I like comedy matches and think that they deserve more respect, but this just kept going and going with very minimal wrestling.

Hiromu/SHO was pretty much the match you would expect those two to have together, which is to say that it was really fast paced and exciting. I'd say that was Match of the Night.

KUSHIDA/Dragon Lee was a strong main event with some cool spots and a nice competitive feel. I believe this was a first-time ever matchup, so I hope that they get to wrestle again some day on a non-single cam show.

[Frank Olson]

Today's show was excellent and certainly among the strongest New Japan shows of the year so far. If it had had a true Match of the Year-level match I'd say that it would be worthy of being in the Show of the Year discussion, but even without one it was still a thoroughly entertaining show. This is one that's worth watching with the English commentary too. I mostly just turned that feed on in this case because I needed help figuring out the scenarios that various wrestlers needed to make the finals and I knew that Kevin Kelly would've done his homework, but we also got the added bonus of Chase Owens being the guest color commentator.

Some of Chase's best Bobby Heenan-style Dad jokes:

"When Tiger Hattori began ref'ing the Dead Sea was still just sick”
“You know why El Desperado always wears that mask? Because he tried to join an Ugly Contest and they told him 'no professionals allowed'”
“Flip Gordon's not my favorite wrestler, he's my second-favorite...everyone else is tied for first”
“Someone once blew in Flip's ear and he said 'thanks for the refill'”
“If I was going to take my own life I'd climb to the top of Ospreay's ego and jump down to his IQ level”

ACH/Tiger Mask got the show off to a hot start with a fun contest between two of the standouts from the A Block. Both men were mathematically eliminated but they did a good job of giving the match a story by depicting ACH as a long-time fan of his older competitor. They both seemed really motivated to have a good match despite this one technically not meaning anything, and the closing stretch was really great.

Kanemaru and BUSHI were my two least favorite performers overall in this year's tournament, but they had a surprisingly energetic and compelling match against each other, playing off of the ongoing rivalry between the Suzukigun junior and the LIJ juniors. The ending of the match with the dueling whiskey spitting and mist spots was a great callback to the Jr Tag Title match from the Anniversary Show.

Taguchi/Sabin was some really high-level wrestling brought down by the match really having no hook to it, which I suppose is emblematic of Sabin's entire tour. It was still really good but probably my least favorite thing on the show due to its meaninglessness.

Desperado/Dragon Lee was really wild as expected. Dragon's no-selling of the beating that Desperado gave to his legs early on was not ideal, but it was such an energetic and out of control match that I didn't mind too much.

At this point of the show Honma came out and announced that he's returning to action later this month. Not sure why they did this on this show and not on the higher-profile Finals show, but it's cool that Honma is ready to come back. I really don't see how they're going to possibly narrow down the G1 to just 20 people this year, but it will be very interesting to see who does or doesn't make the cut.

Ospreay/Flip was a great match that I think even exceeded the terrific match they had in ROH last fall. It was so fast-paced that I was shocked when the timekeeper mentioned that 15 minutes has passed. Easily Flip's best performance of the tour and another great one for Ospreay.

Ishimori/YOH was really good but couldn't live up to the excitement of the previous match, at least until it got to its awesome closing stretch. Ospreay being at ringside for most of the match to cheer on YOH was a great touch too.

SHO/Scurll was yet another very good match on this show. I'm surprised that SHO only finished with 6 points, but he was presented as such a star throughout the tournament that I guess his win-loss record doesn't mean much.

Hiromu/KUSHIDA was a strong main event but perhaps my least favorite that these two have had against each other. I actually thought it was cool that the match started with that endless Collar-Elbow tieup spot, just because it was so unexpected, but then the match never went on to reach that fever pitch that we know these two are capable of. It was still really good wrestling, and probably the second-best thing on the show behind Ospreay/Flip, but not quite the barnburner I was hoping for.

Ishimori vs. Hiromu should be an outstanding finals match. I didn't think they'd give that match away so soon (seems like something that could be the Jr Title match at the Tokyo Dome) but it's the freshest and most exciting match that I think they could've put in this spot.

[frankpellow]

Hiromu/KUSHIDA was a strong main event but perhaps my least favorite that these two have had against each other.

I actually loved this match more than i can remember loving any of their previous matches. I think this worked better for me as a self contained match where as the earlier ones (which i loved as well) were more about spectacle and drama.

It was great to have the return of the English commentary as i've grown to rely on that a lot for the small details of storytelling (like ACH's continued selling of his chopping hand)

[Kirk D]

It was a good show and the English commentary helped to understand the block rankings. Does everybody watch the BOSJ with a sheet and a pen? Can't they put a table before the match and show one with the result after each match? I really lost sight during the tour and at some point stopped watching.

[mlev76]

First full NJPW show I've watched in a while and it was a good pick since the show was very good. Flip/Ospreay was MOTN with Ishimori/Yoh and Kushida/Hiromu not too far behind. Really pulling for Hiromu as even with the new gimmick, I don't care very much for Ishimori.

Chase Owens is a fantastic color guy btw. Would love to hear more of him on these shows and maybe some US indies as well. He's got the role down pat.

[OptionZero]

Surprised no one's commented on this yet, but the BOTSJ 25 Finals show was fun:

- Wierd Tanahashi/Henare tag team against Scurll and Yujiro lead to an angle that involved . . . Rey Mysterio (who wasn't there). Strange six man tag for Dominion set up (liger/tanahashi/rey vs Cody/Scurll/Hangman), but i am certain it sets up a cow Palace match or matches

- Ospreay/Okada continues to be one of the best tag teams around. Their match with Kota/Chase was simply awesome, albeit too short. The tease of Ospreay v Kota and Okada v Kota . . . oh man GIVE ME THOSE MATCHES! Ospreay/Kota would be a perfect "special singles match" for Cow Palace t hat doesn't require a belt

- main event Hiromu/Ishimori. I gave it 5 stars. It had everything - brawling, high flying, striking, subs . . . both dudes just laid it all on the line. This was Ishimori unleashed - i saw many flashes throughout the tourney but this dude was just unhinged in this match. The athleticism and skill is world class. Definite MOTY contender

[Bloodbuzz Bunk]

Ishimori v Hiromu was bonkers as hell. That hurricanrana down the steps is an amazing spot that might be underrated or forgotten since it happened so early in the match. I loved it and was surprised by the result. I agree with OptionZero, it’s a five star match and will definitely be in my MOTY list.

Dominion looks to be a really great card. No giant Never 6 man gauntlet to drag the first part of the show down. We got a couple of feud building 2 on 2 tags, a Jr tag title match, a decent 6 man tag that gains intrigue because of Mysterio’s debut, and the rest of the card which we already knew. It’s a great great card.

[mrjoshdude]

So with the Best of the Super Juniors done and Dominion less than a week away, it means that we've got G1 participants and blocks to be announced relatively soon too. Maybe at Dominion itself or maybe a week or two after. Either way, we'll probably know our participants within the next couple of weeks or so. I thought I'd give my predictions for who gets in this year and would be interested to see other people's guesses.

This year feels particularly tough to predict, it feels like New Japan keeps raising everyone's stock without dropping anybody else's. It makes it hard to cut guys like David Finlay who feel like they deserve a chance but at the end of the day there's only so much room. I think they could have done with raising the number of guys in the tournament this year similar to 2014. The G1 can make a career as seen by guys like Ishii and Honma so it sucks to have to not include people who might be next in that line. I'm gonna list everyone below I think is worth mentioning, then I'll give my predicted 20 participants:

Definite (14) - Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Kenny Omega, Hirooki Goto, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, EVIL, SANADA, Juice Robinson, Zack Sabre, Jr.

I feel pretty confident saying all these guys are definites, you never really know with Ibushi but with his prominence this year I'd be shocked if he wasn't in. Juice has moved up to the point where I'd say he's a lock too. And while Elgin has certainly been de-emphasised this year, I think he's still definitely gonna be in.

Likely (6) - Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma

So I think if there's any year that Makabe, Yano, or Fale get the cut then it'll be this year. Fale has been more focused on his dojo as of late and Makabe feels like he's starting to move into that Tenzan/Nakanishi category too. Yano probably wouldn't be missed this year although I still think all three of these are probably gonna make it. Yano and Fale are great spoilers to top names and Makabe is a draw and seems to always make it in. Tama Tonga and YOSHI-HASHI haven't been super impressive as of late and I could totally see them sitting this one out although I still think they're likely. Honma obviously just returned and whether he's in the G1 or not really depends on his condition. If he's totally back to the way he was then he's probably in, otherwise I'd think not.

Possibly (8) - Taichi, Toa Henare, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Will Ospreay, David Finlay, Cody, Hangman Page

Henare and David Finlay probably aren't getting in but it would be nice. David has a better chance but neither of them are names I expect to see. Taichi I almost put in likely and would say he's probably most likely from this group. I feel like he's just right on the border of G1 level but I'm just not 100% certain where NJPW see him right now. Archer and DBS probably won't be in but you never know. They weren't in last year so that's probably a good indication. They've been relatively pushed so far this year though so it wouldn't be a huge shock if they got two spots even if they might not deserve them. Hangman Page has been surprisingly well pushed in NJPW recently so I think he's definitely a fringe candidate here, I'm of the opinion though that he only gets in if Cody doesn't. Speaking of which I think Cody with his importance to top storylines this year definitely stands a chance, honestly I think it will have more to do with whether or not Cody is willing to do it than if they actually want him. And my last pick here is Will Ospreay, I don't know why but I just feel it for some reason. We've had juniors enter the tournament before and with where the division stands right now then why not put a junior in the G1. Ospreay had a big main event earlier in the year against Okada too so that's a clear a sign that they see him at that top heavyweight level. I honestly don't know whether Will would be more or less likely to enter the G1 if he won or lost the belt to Hiromu at Dominion. Will could totally drop the belt to Hiromu and move up to the heavies permanently, or he could enter as a junior in the same way Devitt, Liger, and Ibushi have in the past.

Wildcard (6) - Kento Miyahara, Katsuyori Shibata, Daisuke Sekimoto, Dalton Castle, KUSHIDA, Hiromu Takahashi

Miyahara is the big guest everyone has wanted for a while and with increased relations with AJPW recently I think now is as good a time as ever. Maybe the fact that he's currently TC Champ makes this not doable but who knows, he could only drop one or two matches over the tour to set up some cool crossover title defenses back in All Japan. Sekimoto is a similar dream participant that I only put on this list because of his appearance at the most recent Lion's Gate show. I don't know if Sekimoto and Miyahara are already booked during the G1 period but assuming they're not I think they're probably the best guesses for guests this year. Dalton Castle is another but I think he'd only be in if both Cody and Page weren't and even then I'd think he'd be unlikely. KUSHIDA and Hiromu would be my picks for a junior to enter the tournament if Will wasn't going to, I'm pretty sure if they do it would be Will though. And lastly I've listed Shibata because who knows. He seems adamant he's going to wrestle again and for all we know he got cleared this past weekend. Probably not but like I say, who knows. Can you imagine them playing the block announcement video and then Shibata pops up, it'd be sick. Extremely unlikely though.

These are the guys I think have enough of a chance that they're worth mentioning. If I had to pick my 20 though it would probably be the 14 guys I listed as definite, plus Yano, Makabe, Fale, Cody, Taichi, and Ospreay. Probably YOSHI instead of Ospreay but I just feel Ospreay in the G1 this year for some reason. What does everyone else think?

[Tigerkinney]

- main event Hiromu/Ishimori. I gave it 5 stars. It had everything - brawling, high flying, striking, subs . . . both dudes just laid it all on the line. This was Ishimori unleashed - i saw many flashes throughout the tourney but this dude was just unhinged in this match. The athleticism and skill is world class. Definite MOTY contender

Was unable to watch the show at all yesterday, so had to wait until this evening (BST) to see the match....well worth the wait though Incredible match, as you said the match had everything, actually I'll add one more thing to that list- a molten hot crowd (no better atmosphere in wrestling than Korakuen when it's rocking). Think it has shot right to the top of my Match of the Year list.

[OptionZero]

I think Taichi and Yano will be in G1 in separate blocks as the "comedy-rest" guy for everyone else. It's sort of a necessary evil for a grueling tournament like this

There was chatter of Jeff Cobb being in the tourney but I believe he is booked in the United States for the DAY before the tournament starts . . . so i don't know how realistic it is he'll just fly over and jump in

Cody has ROH duties so I don't think he'll be able to take a month off.

Tama Tonga feels like a definite entry since he is a potential "bullet club leader"

man, i wish they'd just stick Will Ospreay in there and let him build the best Wrestler of the Year resume ever

[K. Hare]

I'm expecting the G1 entrants to be revealed during the K-Hall shows in mid-June. That's what they did last year, I don't see them changing that this year.

I'm not expecting any major surprises this year. There are only two guys definitely not in that were in last year. I don't see a guy like Makabe not having an announced last year in. While they could get rid of guys like Yano and Yoshi-Hashi, I don't see it.

With Page, Cody, White, Taichi, Honma, Finlay, Henare, KES all there and ready to go, a surprise entrant just feels unlikely.

[Ckkj14]

So with the Best of the Super Juniors done and Dominion less than a week away, it means that we've got G1 participants and blocks to be announced relatively soon too. Maybe at Dominion itself or maybe a week or two after. Either way, we'll probably know our participants within the next couple of weeks or so. I thought I'd give my predictions for who gets in this year and would be interested to see other people's guesses.

This year feels particularly tough to predict, it feels like New Japan keeps raising everyone's stock without dropping anybody else's. It makes it hard to cut guys like David Finlay who feel like they deserve a chance but at the end of the day there's only so much room. I think they could have done with raising the number of guys in the tournament this year similar to 2014. The G1 can make a career as seen by guys like Ishii and Honma so it sucks to have to not include people who might be next in that line. I'm gonna list everyone below I think is worth mentioning, then I'll give my predicted 20 participants:

Definite (14) - Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Kenny Omega, Hirooki Goto, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, EVIL, SANADA, Juice Robinson, Zack Sabre, Jr.

I feel pretty confident saying all these guys are definites, you never really know with Ibushi but with his prominence this year I'd be shocked if he wasn't in. Juice has moved up to the point where I'd say he's a lock too. And while Elgin has certainly been de-emphasised this year, I think he's still definitely gonna be in.

Likely (6) - Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma

So I think if there's any year that Makabe, Yano, or Fale get the cut then it'll be this year. Fale has been more focused on his dojo as of late and Makabe feels like he's starting to move into that Tenzan/Nakanishi category too. Yano probably wouldn't be missed this year although I still think all three of these are probably gonna make it. Yano and Fale are great spoilers to top names and Makabe is a draw and seems to always make it in. Tama Tonga and YOSHI-HASHI haven't been super impressive as of late and I could totally see them sitting this one out although I still think they're likely. Honma obviously just returned and whether he's in the G1 or not really depends on his condition. If he's totally back to the way he was then he's probably in, otherwise I'd think not.

Possibly (8) - Taichi, Toa Henare, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Will Ospreay, David Finlay, Cody, Hangman Page

Henare and David Finlay probably aren't getting in but it would be nice. David has a better chance but neither of them are names I expect to see. Taichi I almost put in likely and would say he's probably most likely from this group. I feel like he's just right on the border of G1 level but I'm just not 100% certain where NJPW see him right now. Archer and DBS probably won't be in but you never know. They weren't in last year so that's probably a good indication. They've been relatively pushed so far this year though so it wouldn't be a huge shock if they got two spots even if they might not deserve them. Hangman Page has been surprisingly well pushed in NJPW recently so I think he's definitely a fringe candidate here, I'm of the opinion though that he only gets in if Cody doesn't. Speaking of which I think Cody with his importance to top storylines this year definitely stands a chance, honestly I think it will have more to do with whether or not Cody is willing to do it than if they actually want him. And my last pick here is Will Ospreay, I don't know why but I just feel it for some reason. We've had juniors enter the tournament before and with where the division stands right now then why not put a junior in the G1. Ospreay had a big main event earlier in the year against Okada too so that's a clear a sign that they see him at that top heavyweight level. I honestly don't know whether Will would be more or less likely to enter the G1 if he won or lost the belt to Hiromu at Dominion. Will could totally drop the belt to Hiromu and move up to the heavies permanently, or he could enter as a junior in the same way Devitt, Liger, and Ibushi have in the past.

Wildcard (6) - Kento Miyahara, Katsuyori Shibata, Daisuke Sekimoto, Dalton Castle, KUSHIDA, Hiromu Takahashi

Miyahara is the big guest everyone has wanted for a while and with increased relations with AJPW recently I think now is as good a time as ever. Maybe the fact that he's currently TC Champ makes this not doable but who knows, he could only drop one or two matches over the tour to set up some cool crossover title defenses back in All Japan. Sekimoto is a similar dream participant that I only put on this list because of his appearance at the most recent Lion's Gate show. I don't know if Sekimoto and Miyahara are already booked during the G1 period but assuming they're not I think they're probably the best guesses for guests this year. Dalton Castle is another but I think he'd only be in if both Cody and Page weren't and even then I'd think he'd be unlikely. KUSHIDA and Hiromu would be my picks for a junior to enter the tournament if Will wasn't going to, I'm pretty sure if they do it would be Will though. And lastly I've listed Shibata because who knows. He seems adamant he's going to wrestle again and for all we know he got cleared this past weekend. Probably not but like I say, who knows. Can you imagine them playing the block announcement video and then Shibata pops up, it'd be sick. Extremely unlikely though.

These are the guys I think have enough of a chance that they're worth mentioning. If I had to pick my 20 though it would probably be the 14 guys I listed as definite, plus Yano, Makabe, Fale, Cody, Taichi, and Ospreay. Probably YOSHI instead of Ospreay but I just feel Ospreay in the G1 this year for some reason. What does everyone else think?

Brilliant post, loved reading this

[Ckkj14]

I honestly think Omega v Okada this weekend is the most I've ever looked forward to a match. I rarely pop for title changes anymore, can't remember the last time in wwe i cared about someone winning a title but this match will have me glued from the off and if Omega wins I will be genuinely buzzing.

[Bloodbuzz Bunk]

I honestly think Omega v Okada this weekend is the most I've ever looked forward to a match. I rarely pop for title changes anymore, can't remember the last time in wwe i cared about someone winning a title but this match will have me glued from the off and if Omega wins I will be genuinely buzzing.

ME TOO. I’m almost disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be this invested in something outside of my control much less a wrestling match. I didn’t even realize how much I was looking forward to it and honestly want Kenny to win it until today. I have such a nervous anticipatory squirm in my stomach that it feels shameful. Damn this company and these two guys are just the best at earning my interest and investment.

[packerman120]

I honestly think Omega v Okada this weekend is the most I've ever looked forward to a match. I rarely pop for title changes anymore, can't remember the last time in wwe i cared about someone winning a title but this match will have me glued from the off and if Omega wins I will be genuinely buzzing.

ME TOO. I’m almost disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be this invested in something outside of my control much less a wrestling match. I didn’t even realize how much I was looking forward to it and honestly want Kenny to win it until today. I have such a nervous anticipatory squirm in my stomach that it feels shameful. Damn this company and these two guys are just the best at earning my interest and investment.

Myself as well. This is probably the most I've ever been invested in wrestling. It's constantly crossing my mind, and whenever I think about Kenny winning I start getting emotional. Wrestling is the best.