NJPW G1 Climax 2018: 10 Things You NEED To Know
6. King Kenny
Finally established as king of the mountain, Kenny Omega enters the G1 Climax riding several ongoing storylines, and will leave it with even more threads to tie together.
'The Best Bout Machine's' complicated relationship with Kota Ibushi will take a turn when they go one-on-one on the tournament's penultimate show. As Bullet Club's apparent leader, he has fresh business with the rebelling Tama Tonga after what happened in San Francisco. As IWGP Heavyweight Champion, he'll have a huge target on his back, as anyone who defeats him in the G1 will likely bag themselves a title shot afterwards. Finally, as perhaps the best wrestler on the planet right now, he sits at the heart of a block stacked with some of the company's finest. The possibilities for great matches are almost endless.
The G1 is pivotal in plotting the IWGP Champion's next few months - not just because it establishes who he'll face at Wrestle Kingdom, but what he'll be doing between 12 August and 4 January. If Kenny wins it himself, he'll have the right to name his own WK opponent. NJPW hasn't been done this since 2000, but it'd be a great way assert Omega as the promotion's undisputed alpha, having unseated the franchise player in June.