Predicting All 20 NJPW G1 Climax 2018 Entrants
Better Than The Best?
The release of tickets and a full schedule for New Japan Pro Wrestling's 28th-annual G1 Climax has ramped excitement back up to a fever pitch just a week removed from the company rocking the world with the greatest match in the history of the industry headlining the greatest wrestling pay-per-view of all time.
It's a fine time to be a fan, with the two-blocked round robin tournament traditionally providing some (more) of the best clashes of the year and - since 2012 - a guaranteed Wrestle Kingdom IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot for the winner the following year. It's also an opportunity for protected entities to suffer loss without damage to their character or general positioning on the totem pole. The endurance factor of the gruelling month-long event allows for shocks that aren't necessarily upsets, but unique results that veer from the ordinarily-steadfast star-making process the company adheres to.
Brand new Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho will almost definitely be an omission from the event despite securing his the prize against last year's winner Tetsuya Naito last Saturday. The vast series of clashes would dilute his incredible renewed vim with the organisation, and the 47-year-old's frame wouldn't exactly benefit from the intense physical work-out the G1 provides.
His absence opens up one of the 20 all-important slots, but who will step in where the 'Alpha' dare not?
20. Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega is the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 'Best Bout Machine' and to many and most the best wrestler in the world.
He doesn't just save his supremacy for spotlight supercards either. His G1 form has been utterly sublime, winning his debut Climax in 2016 before losing a scintilating final to Tetusya Naito the following year. Between those blockbusters, he's amassed a litany of illuminating efforts against a laundry list of legends.
Rightfully so too, more peak performances will be mandatory. Kenny (as per his Golden Elite mantra) wants to "Change The World". The G1 will be his first and most high profile opportunity to do just that.