9 Early Predictions For NJPW G1 Climax 2018

G127 is in the books - what can we expect from G128?

by John Bills
Kazuchika Okada G1 Climax 24
NJPW

It can't possibly be topped, can it? Once again the NJPW G1 Climax had impossible expectations to match, and once again the NJPW G1 Climax managed to exceed them. The majority of fans correctly predicted a tournament victory for Tetsuya Naito, but New Japan once again proved that the journey is every bit as important as the destination.

As soon as Naito hit Kenny Omega with the final Destino, thoughts turned to New Japan's future. Will Naito make it to the Dome with the contract intact? Will Kazuchika Okada get there with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in tow? What now for Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Minoru Suzuki, and the rest?

One of the reasons New Japan has exploded in popularity is the quality of its long-term booking. It is entirely probable that Gedo has an idea of the direction that next year's G1 will take. It takes a brave man to attempt to gaze into a future concocted by 'the Rainmaker', but let's give it a go nonetheless.

Surprise entrants, new stars and absent heroes - here are nine predictions for next year's G1 Climax.

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Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.