NJPW G1 Climax 2018: 10 Things You NEED To Know
7. The Baddest Man Alive
That Minoru Suzuki is a genuine 'Wrestler Of The Year' contender is borderline miraculous, given the contrived mess that was his 2017. Regardless, the 50-year-old remains the most terrifying man in the sport. Though his measurement reads 5'10", he's ten feet tall when he steps onto the stage, so strong is his presence, and the renowned shoot style sadist has a chance of contending in the G1 Climax.
Suzuki has held both the IWGP Intercontinental NEVER Openweight belts in 2018. Most recently, he felled Tomohiro Ishii to take RevPro's British Heavyweight Championship to go with their tag belts, ensuring that NJPW's UK territory now belongs to his Suzuki-Gun stable. On top of this, MiSu has worked streams of great matches throughout the year, including January's minimalist masterpiece against Hiroshi Tanahashi. He's currently outworking men half his age, and it's hard to imagine him lowering his standards for the biggest tournament of the year.
Victory is a long-shot for a freelancer like Suzuki, as it's unlikely NJPW will throw a non-contracted star in the Wrestle Kingdom main event, but nobody else will inspire such fear from their opponents.