NJPW G1 Climax 30: Every Participant's Chance Of Winning Ranked From Worst To Best
2. SANADA
For many people, it seemed inevitable that the Cold Skull of LIJ, SANADA, would win the New Japan Cup and challenge his leader Tetsuya Naito for the Heavyweight title. Since that didn't happen due to his former stablemate EVIL's heel turn, SANADA has a genuine shot of taking the victory and challenging his friend and mentor Naito at the Tokyo Dome.
This is strengthened by the fact that EVIL is working the final day of the G1 with SANADA, which seems like the perfect match to get SANADA a definitive path to the finals. In addition, his 2019 had him working consistently with the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight champion Okada in tournament finals and championship matches, which shows the bookers' faith in him as a potential top guy.
He isn't a perfect candidate since he doesn't have that proven draw as a singles star yet, but he's over, he has the history with Naito and after his 2019, it seems like fans are waiting for that definitive win of his to establish him as a top star in NJPW. It seems like it could be his time this year.