5 Biggest Surprises Of The NJPW G1 29 Tournament So Far

3. Juice Robinson ‘Lost His Smile’

In a turn of events not dissimilar to Shawn Michaels’ lost lust for the limelight in February ‘97, a new demeanor has taken over Juice following his loss to Jon Moxley at Ryogoku Kokugikan Hall. The former champ’s trademark flamboyant strut has completely disappeared in the last month, as the NJPW dojo product looks inward in search of an edge.

Tomohiro Ishii chops Juice Robinson at G1 29
njpw1972.com

Victories over Goto, Yano and Shingo Takagi still put Juice in the thick of the race for the G1 winner's briefcase in spite of Sunday's loss (versus tournament standout Tomohiro Ishii), but Juice might have to rediscover his charismatic form in order to get the audience back in his corner and find his confidence for the rest of G1 29.

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Thom Fain is a journalist with more than a thousand bylines across the web. He's written for 155+ publications from local to international, covering topics like politics and sports. Thom enjoys the athletic spectacle of NJPW, and the excellence of its Japanese tradition.