10 Things I Learned From The 2016 NJPW G1 Climax
Another month of upsets and barnstormers is done. What can we take from this year's G1 Climax?
Going into the New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Climax 26, there were many claiming that it was going to be one of the most predictable in recent memory. It was Tetsuya Naito’s to lose after all, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and arguably the hottest act in the company was surely going to be holding aloft the flag for the 2nd time in four years, albeit in a much healthier state now than back in 2013.
As for who he would face in the final, many expected it to be Hiroshi Tanahashi. There was an outside chance it could be current IWGP Heavyweight Champion and ace of New Japan Kazuchika Okada. Whether it was Okada or Tanahashi, it was going to come down to the last night of the blocks before this was decided.
What we go instead was arguably the most unpredictable G1 Climax in recent memory. Going into the last night of A Block an astounding five men were still in with a chance of making the finals. It took a MOTYC ending in a draw to ensure that the least likely of those five made it. The B Block looked a little simpler despite only four men being in with a shout of the finals, but somehow two men managed to top the MOTYC and give us a final that no one expected.
Another G1 is in the bag and NJPW fans can breathe for a little while. So what did we learn this year?
10. A New Generation Of Stars Are Here
The 2016 G1 Climax was the most unpredictable yet. The first night saw both Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada come up short against tough but beatable opponents, the former tapping out to SANADA and the latter being simply outclassed by Naomichi Marufuji. The shocks continued on night two, as YOSHI-HASHI pinned Kenny Omega and Tomoaki Honma pinned NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata.
Throughout the entire tournament, the lower mid card of New Japan Pro Wrestling had performance and results that have truly put them on the map. It is clear to all now that SANADA is destined to be the face of the company, and his wins over Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii were surprising only because they weren’t.
YOSHI-HASHI finally put together a series of performances the likes of which we knew he was capable of. EVIL defeated both Shibata and the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and the future is very bright for the King of Darkness.
Finally, Tama Tonga managed to win the crowd back over despite a slow start and the memory of his G.O.D run. The son of Haku even picked up a shocking win against Tanahashi, and rounded off his tournament with a pinfall victory over stablemate Bad Luck Fale.
The future is very bright for New Japan Pro Wrestling.