10 LIVE Observations From NJPW's G1 Special In USA
4. Not Enough Naito?
With New Japan's incredibly deep roster, only certain stars can be the focus of a particular show or set of shows. For G1 Special in USA, NJPW decided to focus on the war between Bullet Club and the rest of the roster. That turned out to be a great move, as fans responded very well to Kenny Omega.
Unfortunately, it meant that another top star got a bit shortchanged.
Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito was possibly the second-most popular star on the shows after Omega, but you wouldn't know it from his booking. He was eliminated from the U.S. Title tournament in the first round by Tomohiro Ishii on Saturday, and on Sunday, he was part of a 10-man tag match with the rest of his unit. In the tag, it seemed like Naito wasn't involved in much of the action.
Naito taking a back seat is part and parcel of putting Bullet Club front and center, but massive LIJ fans might have found themselves a little disappointed by the leader's failure to make an impact.