10 NJPW Stars Who NEED A Memorable G1 Climax Run

9. Kenny Omega

Tetsuya Naito Table
NJPW1972.com

Kenny Omega can withstand a maximum of two losses, you feel.

This is the sort of no-brainer booking with which Gedo has taken New Japan Pro Wrestling to hitherto unseen critical acclaim. The stars are left to their own devices to chance success; Gedo in turn leaves nothing to chance by carefully tiering and protecting those stars in an environment in which wins and losses don't merely matter. Wins and losses are critical.

In turn, it is critical that the integrity of the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion isn't used to support too many potential challengers. What's so perfect about Gedo's booking is that he is able to repeat the same, failsafe tricks by conditioning the audience to believe in them. Omega is now in a position and possesses the talent to resume Okada's balancing act of elevating opponents to his level before cleanly defeating them. We're so early into his reign that we can fully accept more than one loss - again, because the protection of the title is such that it burdens its holder under immense pressure.

Which of those matches Omega loses specifically is more up for debate.

Ingeniously - there's that word again - there are three viable applicants for a maximum of two roles, somehow creating unpredictability within the predictable...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!