NJPW G1 Climax 30: Every Participant's Chance Of Winning Ranked From Worst To Best
20 wrestlers searching for tournament greatness - but who is most likely to win?
G1 season is almost here! After a truly turbulent year so far, it's comforting to know that the G1 is back and hopefully better than ever. NJPW's definitive annual tournament is viewed by many fans as the best wrestling in the world, with immaculate talents clashing in five star battles, emotional narratives being driven forward with every show and new stars being cemented by classic performances. It's a wonderful one month event and something we could all use at this point of time.
Last year's G1 had only a few potential winners, with Tetsuya Naito, Jay White and eventual victor Kota Ibushi being predicted as the man who would win the tournament. This year is more up in the air, with an incredible amount of potential winners to challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito in the Tokyo Dome next January. Like in previous years, there are 20 participants and some are far more likely than others to come out on top.
While most of the matches are guaranteed to be fantastic, nobody is guaranteed to win just yet. No matter who takes the trophy this year, the G1 will be another success for NJPW and we are all lucky to have it right now.
20. Yujiro Takahashi
The Tokyo Pimp is a beloved undercard member of Bullet Club and has recently had more singles action than he’s had in years due to the pandemic. In the last few months, he’s been feuding with Okada and working with him frequently, as well as getting a lengthy contest with Hirooki Goto in the New Japan Cup.
Unfortunately for die hard fans of Yujiro, his likelihood of pulling out an upset and challenging his former tag team partner Naito at the Tokyo Dome is unlikely considering his status on the card. Just a few weeks ago, Yujiro failed to overcome the odds in a handicap match where his side had the advantage and that’s not the type of momentum you want going into a G1 victory.
Like with many of the roster, he fits into the G1 brackets as a way to cause upsets and considering his stable, getting cheap wins over bigger stars using interference is guaranteed to happen at least once or twice.
Don’t be shocked if he pins Okada or someone similarly important, but him losing is the most certain bet you can make across this tournament. It would be quite something if it did happen though!