10 Wrestlers NJPW Should Consider For Next Year's G1 Tournament
2. Tomoaki Honma
Those who have started watching New Japan Pro Wrestling in the last year may be unfamiliar with Tomoaki Honma. That's understandable, as he's been out of action for over a year after suffering a career threatening injury in March of 2017. Now that he's back, there's two important things to know about him. One: he's Togi Makabe's longtime partner as part of Great Bash Heel. Two: HE HAS A DEMONIC VOICE RIPPED STRAIGHT FROM HELL!
He's also a very talented and charismatic wrestler. Before his injury, Honma was no stranger to G1 action. As a replacement for Kota Ibushi in 2014, Honma lost all of his matches in the tournament. That struggle, however, combined with his performances, made him an immensely popular performer. In addition to competing in the following two G1s, Honma also feuded with the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, earning a five star match in February of 2015. (And keep in mind, in 2015, it was actually kind of difficult to get five stars from Dave Meltzer, even in Japan)
While Tomoaki Honma will certainly not be the performer he once was thanks to his injury, his status as a fan favorite would make him a sentimental underdog story as he tries one more go at the G1 next year.