The G1 Report Card
Welcome to The G1 Report Card, a detailed analysis of the performances of each of the competitors in the 32nd G1 Climax. Having written numerous reports for POST about individual cards and joined John Pollock for several podcasts to discuss them in their immediate aftermath over the course of the tournament, I’ve found myself wanting to look for the connective tissues which form the overarching arcs and paths forged the wrestlers within the G1 over its whole duration, not just on a day-by-day basis. But rather than an overarching proclamation concerning the tournament’s overall rhythm, global reception, or quality, I wanted to get into close detail with each of its 28 competitors and try to create snapshots of their individual performances and stories within the G1 while they were still fresh in the wrestling world’s collective mind.
A few comments about the information presented after the general summaries and contextualizing of each wrestler’s G1 performance:
Grade: The very subjective grades I’m assigning to each wrestler are meant to combine their in-ring performance with the manner in which they were booked in the tournament separate from their own actual actions. The strength of a wrestler’s position, not just in terms of literal wins and losses but of their rise or fall within the general world of New Japan, as well as their options and possible directions coming out of the tournament, are also significant factors here. Wrestlers are listed in descending order according to grade. Again, these are wholly subjective grades that ultimately come down to one person’s thoughts, feelings, and arguments about the G1, and are not worth getting angry about.
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: While I’m taking each wrestler’s entire performance into account in terms of the grades, including the semi-final and final matches, I’m not including those matches in the calculation of their average Cagematch rating, simply due to the time and extra attention given to those matches. I want the Cagematch numbers to represent the day-to-day grind of the G1; it’s one thing to shine in a main event opposite an established star with a good amount of time to work with and the whole wrestling world hoping you’ll have a great match, while it’s a whole other thing to be able to work some unexpected magic against a lesser-known wrestler halfway through the fourteenth card of the grueling tournament schedule. Also, I’m purely using Cagematch data this year as Grappl is still bouncing back from some tech issues and is still accruing plenty of G1 ratings as I write this. As folks may be aware, Cagematch users tend to be a bit more generous than Grappl users in their ratings, so scale your own interpretations accordingly.
Notable Matches: By “Notable Matches” I’m not necessarily talking about the “objectively” best from the perspective of pure work rate; if that’s what you’re looking for, in addition to numerous resources like Cagematch and Grappl, John Pollock and I ran through some of our top matches of the tournament yesterday, and each of mine and Mark Buckeldee’s show reports flags recommended matches, free of spoilers. Instead, these are the matches that mattered most to the wrestler in question’s overall story, win or lose. While there’s often a corresponding overlap with matches I enjoyed, several matches which break the mold of common understandings of what makes a match great are included (take a look at Zack Sabre Jr.’s notable matches, for instance), and plenty of matches which were thoroughly entertaining in the moment but which didn’t ultimately serve the larger flow of the tournament in a significant way aren’t included. Also, just because a match was notable for one of its participants doesn’t necessarily make it notable for their opponent!
With all that being said, let’s dig into the work and paths of the 28 men who made up this year’s G1 field…
Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay, like Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada before him, is having one of those Wrestler Of The Year runs which is so strong that those of us watching it in the moment fall prey to two common errors: taking the sheer quality of the wrestler’s work for granted by comparing it to their own extant work rather than the larger field, and being so flummoxed by the volume of incredible matches that the wrestler keeps delivering that we lose sight of just how recently some of them have happened. On the call of the G1’s main event, Chris Charlton pointed out that Ospreay had had twenty-five singles matches heading into that one. Those matches include an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match with Kazuchika Okada, the RevPro match with Michael Oku which set the internet on fire at the end of January, a barn-storming NJPW slugfest with Jon Moxley in Chicago, a star-making performance with wunderkind Nick Wayne, and a match which many argue stole the first AEW/NJPW crossover show with Orange Cassidy of all people. And guess what? I don’t think I thought about a single one of those contests while watching Ospreay’s G1 matches, because they were that damned good in the moment. Hell, after winning a jaw-dropping semi-final match against Tetsuya Naito, Ospreay himself had to remind us that in the midst of that run he’d nearly died from a kidney infection. Guess that slipped our minds, too.
Also, somewhere along the way in the G1, Ospreay turned face. When? How? I’m not sure that I could tell you. Sure, there were heartfelt and passionate promos talking about real-life struggles and his dedication to wrestling, and the sympathy drawn from the BULLET CLUB’s piledriving of Ospreay onto concrete, setting up his neck as a target for the remainder of the tournament, but those only elements seemed to underscore latent threads within the matches themselves. And whether those were sprints of the sort commonly associated with the outbreak of Ospreay’s career, like those he had with El Phantasmo or David Finlay, or more drawn out ones like his defeats of YOSHI-HASHI and Tetsuya Naito, in which Ospreay measured his opponents, looking for the right opening for the Hidden Blade, the passion and precision in his work shines through. It literally feels as though it’s impossible for Will Ospreay to have a bad match right now, and it’s difficult to root against someone like that within the context of the G1 and its own reputation for excellence. Even with the sack of potatoes that is Yujiro Takahashi tied to his ankles, Ospreay managed to have a decent match on night seven, carrying the Tokyo Pimp to just his fourth singles match to receive a 3.75 or better from Dave Meltzer, and the first such match since 2014.
Despite losing to Okada in the tournament final and to Shingo Takagi in their latest clash in two of the year’s best matches, let alone the G1’s (see each of his opponents’ sections for more thoughts on those matches), Ospreay ultimately feels elevated coming out of the tournament, possibly above the level he was at when he held the World Championship last year before it was vacated amidst pandemic and illness confusion. Even if you view New Japan passing on Ospreay as the tournament winner as being symptomatic of an overly conservative approach to its main event booking (a complaint I’m already beginning to see online less than 24 hours after Okada’s win), Ospreay’s work speaks for itself. And whether it’s in the form of an IWGP US Heavyweight title defense against Finlay, or even a dream match with Kenny Omega, as hinted at in the BULLET CLUB homages in the tournament final, you know it will speak volumes. The year’s only two-thirds through, after all.
Grade: A+
G1 Block Record: 4-2
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.94
Notable Matches: vs. El Phantasmo (Night 1), vs. David Finlay (Night 10), vs. Shingo Takagi (Night 12),
Shingo Takagi
Like Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi sets out to put on the most thrilling pro wrestling match he is physically capable of, each and every time he enters a ring. Unlike Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi’s position within the New Japan hierarchy has proven to be very flexible, having moved from a still somewhat puzzling introduction as a junior heavyweight to IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in what must be some sort of record time. Takagi hasn’t been in the main event picture all year since losing that title to Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, but that had absolutely no bearing on the energy he poured into his feud with Taichi, nor did it hamper his stellar performance in the G1, in which he and Ospreay were involved in the more meta competition for the tournament’s best in-ring performance as well as their kayfabe competition for the D Block.
For all of his hard-hitting and impossibly fast and crisp work and fiery spirit, if you look under the hood of Shingo’s G1 you’ll see that he was in the position of building up competitors commonly well beneath his position within the company. Shingo guided YOSHI-HASHI to the match of his career, crafting a story of coming to respect the underdog’s Karma finisher, so close in formulation to his own Last Of The Dragons, and having to resort to more desperate measures in order to avoid defeat, and similarly helping the upstart David Finlay to a hard-fought win. Going toe-to-toe with the typically underhanded El Phantasmo, with whom a future program’s been set up, before ultimately losing to the just-turned heavyweight, was typical of the position Shingo currently occupies within the NJPW hierarchy. But ultimately, Shingo’s lasting legacy in this G1 will be the latest in his incredible sequence of matches with Ospreay, seemingly the only other wrestler in New Japan, and quite possibly the world, who exists on the same level as Shingo right now. The pair seem to be able to read each other’s thoughts, countering and reversing on instinct while still laying everything in with incredible impact. Whenever they cross swords again, it won’t be soon enough.
Grade: A
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.48
Notable Matches: vs. YOSHI-HASHI (Night 4), vs. Ospreay (Night 12), vs. El Phantasmo (Night 18), vs. Naito (Night 19), vs. Okada (Night 20).
Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada spent much of this G1 in a decidedly reactive role, an odd place in which to find the defining protagonist of the last ten years of New Japan Pro Wrestling. While most had him pegged to moonwalk his way to Block victory (and then some), the unique make-up of the other Block A competitors attracted far more attention than the Rainmaker himself, and the immediate questions of how the pecking order amongst monsters like Lance Archer, JONAH, Jeff Cobb (and sure, Bad Luck Fale as well), and how wild card newcomer Tom Lawlor would fare took priority over any particular trends in the Rainmaker’s path to glory. Further complicating things were the practicalities of Okada’s battles with the big men. In short, Okada’s block matches were on average eight minutes shorter this year than last year’s, forcing him into a very different match pace and structure than the six-time world champ is accustomed to in main events.
For all of these disruptions to the tournament structure and style Okada is well-accustomed to at this point, though, Okada rolled with the punches and delivered everything that could be expected of him and more even while out of his comfort zone. His matches with Lawlor, in which he had to endure a grimy submission specialist of the sort he rarely meets, and with Archer, in which he was manhandled by a sadistic giant, had him giving a large amount to his opponents despite not relying on New Japan house style finishing sequences. Those matches which were more in his wheelhouse, like his rematch with last year’s primary G1 obstacle Jeff Cobb, and a besting of unlikely Block winner Tama Tonga, might not have been the best of the tournament, but certainly measured up to Okada’s high standards. Sitting at the top of his G1 resume, though, is his shocking defeat at the hands of JONAH (which gave the tournament one of its most affecting finishes) and his just-completed victory over Will Ospreay to win the tournament. The best match (thus far) of their already fantastic series, it proved to be my favorite match of the tournament (not something that’s guaranteed to most or even a majority of G1 finals) and will undoubtedly be in all serious Match Of The Year conversations. The announcement that Okada will not be defending the G1 briefcase but evidently is challenging Tetsuya Naito to a stakes-free match felt like an odd note for the Rainmaker’s G1 victory to close with, but that’s a small quibble after such a performance, in which Okada wrested the spotlight back after sharing it with much of the A Block.
Grade: A
G1 Block Record: 5-1
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.15
Notable Matches: vs. Cobb (Night 1), vs. JONAH (Night 13), vs. Archer (Night 18), vs. Ospreay (Night 20).
Tetsuya Naito
Many folks (myself included) had their initial senses that Tetsuya Naito would win the entire G1 buoyed by his initial losing streak in the tournament; smelling classic Gedo booking, the story of the aging Ingobernable having to painfully staggering his way back to the tournament final on what little is left of his knees seemed like Pro Wrestling 101. That he was able to win the C Block with a flash pin of Zack Sabre Jr., the man who’d sent him to the Injured List last year after just one G1 match, causing him to forfeit the rest of the tournament, was just the cherry on top of a straightforward story of a veteran struggling for one last main event in the Tokyo Dome. That Naito’s path to redemption was ultimately cut short by Will Ospreay in the semi-finals didn’t stop it from being the most direct and dominant story of the Block matches, especially in the early going when the machinations of the four Block system (which were making Steiner Math seem like child’s play by the end) made it very difficult to make out the paths and stories of nearly any wrestler other than Naito himself.
Naito paced himself in the ring in this year’s tournament, knowing when and where to turn it on and when to let his laconic charisma do the heavy lifting, and frankly, it’s that sort of ability that separates wrestlers who can transition to later phases in their career from those who simply hang their boots up. Whether Naito wants to carry on into his New Japan dotage is an open question, but for this year at least he kept his Marathon Man reputation in place, with the longest average Block match time (nearly 19 minutes, even including the Sabre match) in the tournament, and putting on clinics with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, and KENTA before going on to a brutally elegant battle with Ospreay in the semi-finals. It’s a match that was every bit as nail-biting as his wars of mutually assured destruction with Kota Ibushi, elegantly fit into the longer form story Ospreay was building in the final days of the tournament and has a legitimate case for being just as great a match as any Naito has ever had with Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, or Hiroshi Tanahashi. Seemingly being offered an exhibition match by Okada after the tournament’s end (giving us mind-boggling fourth singles match between two of the company’s biggest draws this year alone), it’s obvious that Naito’s role in New Japan’s main event scene isn’t changing in the short term, but if this story of G1 determination but ultimate defeat turns out to be his last, it was a hell of a good one.
Grade: A
G1 Block Record: 4-2
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.41
Notable Matches: vs. Goto (Night 3), vs. Tanahashi (Night 5), vs. Sabre (Night 18), vs. Ospreay (Night 19).
Tomohiro Ishii
The man who has a solid case for being the greatest bell-to-bell G1 performer of all time is not quite what he once was. It’s not a case of an immediate or drastic decline, and as someone whose love for New Japan was cemented by Tomohiro Ishii matches it pains me to say it, but as I tried to statistically demonstrate last year, the Stone Pitbull can’t be counted on to steal the show each and every night. Make no mistake, though: the 46-year-old still put together one of the best bell-to-bell resumes of the tournament this year (as indicated by his average match rating). Of course, Ishii was fighting for pride for the majority of the G1 after being eliminated from contention in a customarily speedy fashion. He paired excellently with Jay White, showing that he still has incredible reserves of speed for someone his age, and lent real credibility to Chase Owens in a solid affair. Ishii’s in-ring matches didn’t develop much connective tissue in and of themselves (a match with Lance Archer was hinted at on Night 19), but throughout the tournament, the English commentary (along with sources like Voices Of Wrestling) was rife with scuttlebutt about this possibly being Ishii’s last G1 (couched within the kayfabe explanation of his G1 win-loss record by Kelly). As Ishii left the ring after gutting out a win against SANADA on the last night of Block competition, it was impossible to not have dozens of memories of Ishii’s classics of G1s past come to mind. If this was indeed his last G1, no small part of the tournament’s reputation as the best in professional wrestling is due to that man’s efforts.
Grade: A-
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.71
Notable Matches: vs. White (Night 4), vs. Owens (Night 13), vs. SANADA (Night 18).
Jay White
World champions are always in a tricky position in the G1. Essentially no one expects them to win the tournament outright, yet they’re expected to retain their luster as nominally the company’s best wrestler (at least in kayfabe) while sowing the seeds for future matches above and beyond one with the eventual tournament winner. Few performers are able to communicate the heelish cognitive dissonance of truly believing that you are the best while also fleeing in cowardice the way Jay White does, making him something of an ideal IWGP World Heavyweight Champion during the G1 (see the BULLET CLUB politicking which dominated his match with Chase Owens). The long-term story of Tama Tonga getting a measure of revenge upon White for kicking him out of BULLET CLUB and costing him the B Block was anticipated by many, but I don’t know how many anticipated that it’d be Tama himself taking that Block. In any event, the story of White’s braggadocios winning streak until the last night of the Block came to a satisfying conclusion, and White had some damn fine matches along the way…so long as you enjoy his intentionally divisive stalling and countering driven style, that is. White and New Japan remain committed to the champ’s matches staying within a certain register to keep him secure in his heel role, and the near-constant verbal baiting of the crowd and his opponents is part and parcel of this. I can perhaps understand why the clash of bizarre offensive styles in White’s match with O-Khan or the greasy reversals in his match with SANADA might not be to everyone’s tastes, but if you’re not naturally excited by the rapid-fire counters and sequences which were dotted through his excellent match with Ishii, I’d suggest learning to love it or at least live with it, because this tournament showed that as long as he’s at the head of BULLET CLUB, White isn’t changing for anyone.
Grade: A-
G1 Block Record: 5-1
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.53
Notable Matches: vs. SANADA (Night 1), vs. Ishii (Night 4), vs. Tama Tonga (Night 18).
Zack Sabre Jr.
Kept perpetually at the edge of the main event mix and ready to be Johnny-on-the-spot when called upon (such as he was this year with the New Japan Cup), Zack Sabre Jr. might be New Japan’s ultimate utility player. As a single or as half of Dangerous Tekkers he can mix it up with the biggest names in the industry or prompt up-and-comers to get out of their comfort zone and grow. As was seen with his disarmingly friendly build towards his decisive C Block match with Naito (and his post-loss meltdown), this is as much a product of his unique storytelling in and out of the ring as much as of his sui generis approach to submissions…even if I suspect his rivals often have so sense as to where the story is ultimately going. From a grimy, sadistic contest with KENTA early on to his flash pin outwitting of EVIL which spared the wrestling world at least ten minutes of House of Torture torture, there was no opponent, no angle, no larger story the Windy Man couldn’t contort himself to fit in this G1.
Grade: A-
G1 Block Record: 4-2
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.99 (N.B.: Unlike any other competitor, Sabre had two matches that fell below Cagematch’s five-minute threshold for ratings, making this an average of only his other four matches.)
Notable Matches: vs. KENTA (Night 2), vs. EVIL (Night 15), vs. Naito (Night 18).
JONAH
The booking of JONAH was an atavistic throwback to the sudden and dramatic rise of past foreign monsters in both Japan and North America. New Japan, perhaps still stinging from the Brock Lesnar debacle, has shied away from such storytelling of late, but everything about JONAH’s arrival in Japan (well, everything after an awkward first match count-out to Yano) came together swiftly and effectively to establish the TMDK beast as the dominant kaiju of the A Block. A “two rhinos clashing” mirror match with Cobb featured exactly the sort of big manpower spots the A Block promised on paper, and set the stage for a statement-making defeat of the face of New Japan (and ultimate G1 winner) Okada. Even if you’ve seen it, go back and -listen- to the final moments of this match. The typically compliant clap crowd begins to rumble, then howl and roar in the final sequence as they realize that Okada is doomed to succumb to the instantly established Torpedo Splash finisher. It’s a combination of shock, excitement, horror, and disbelief, but it is exactly the sort of reaction upon which the business of professional wrestling is founded. JONAH’s future in NJPW or elsewhere might be unknown (and he made a point of acknowledging his presumed stateside suitors), but New Japan does not hand out clean victories over Okada like candy. Regardless of where he goes from here, JONAH’s G1 was a masterclass in short-term booking. (N.B.: A special mention should also be made of JONAH’s TMDK second, Bad Dude Tito, who was a welcome and fresh presence on the multi-mans.)
Grade: B+
G1 Block Record: 4-2
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.11
Notable Matches: vs. Cobb (Night 11), vs. Okada (Night 13).
Tama Tonga
After taking the most important win of his career against Okada in last year’s G1, the questions for Tama Tonga in this year’s tournament were how his refreshed face incarnation would be received over its first run of singles matches, and whether the Good Good Guy could further climb New Japan’s singles ladder. Answers in the positive to both were given loud and clear. While not the best bell-to-bell performer of the tournament, crowds applauded the noble and contrite former BULLET CLUB original as he walked the straight and narrow to victory after victory, with his one Block defeat at Ishii’s hands ironically being one of his best singles matches to date. Something of a surprise Block winner, Tama’s odds of besting Okada in the semi-finals were slim to none, but he looked comfortable and credible in the limelight of such a high-profile match, and more importantly got revenge upon Jay White for ousting him from his former faction, setting up a World title opportunity in the near future. Despite his impressive win record, Tama’s G1 hinged upon character development, and he passed that (likely more taxing) challenge.
Grade: B+
G1 Block Record: 5-1
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.68
Notable Matches: vs. Ishii (Night 7), vs. White (Night 18), vs. Okada (Night 19).
Tom Lawlor
Not unlike Gulliver, the Filthy One left the Lilliputian, TV-studio-sized world of New Japan STRONG where he had ruled over lesser talents for two years for the distant shores of a new land of Brobdingnagian arenas and stadiums, finding himself dwarfed by an A Block full of giants. Thankfully, Tom Lawlor had more than his MMA technique at his disposal, and his combination of grappling, comedy, and guile made him one of the most refreshing first-time additions to the G1 in years. From a Shadow Of The Colossus-styled tactical take-down of Cobb to a gutsy match with Okada (which will hopefully be being wound back) to eke out the highest-rated Fale match of the tournament (by both Cagematch and Dave Meltzer’s ratings), Lawlor left his mark on the G1, and that’s not even getting into his incredibly impassioned promos…or Sister Act…or the Boy George stuff… (N.B.: Like Bad Dude Tito, Lawlor’s Team Filthy running buddy Royce Isaacs deserves some recognition.)
Grade: B+
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.24
Notable Matches: vs. Okada (Night 15), vs. Cobb (Night 17).
Hiroshi Tanahashi
The Ace was firmly in gatekeeper mode in this tournament, and while that might not make for the most exciting of future prospects for the Man Of Talent, he put those talents to use in helping to establish one new talent (it was Aaron Henare earning the “surprise” win over the living legend this year, after Chase Owens did the same in the previous tournament) and having some solidly entertaining matches with familiar faces. Naito and ZSJ had surprisingly congenial matches with Tana, now clearly in the autumn of his New Japan career, and he had a gutsy fight with Hirooki Goto, bloodying his face even in defeat for one of the tourney’s most impressive images. But while a cartoonishly broad match with EVIL earned plaudits from some, for me Tana’s whole tournament ultimately hinged upon a rematch with Wrestle Kingdom opponent KENTA. Having tearfully (and no doubt sincerely) apologized for the injuries incurred to KENTA, Tana headed to the executioner’s block with his head up, and suffered KENTA’s vengeance nobly. Tanahashi might not be stealing the show every night any more, but he remains an integral part of it.
Grade: B
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.55
Notable Matches: vs. Naito (Night 5), vs. Sabre Jr. (Night 8), vs. Goto (Night 15), vs. KENTA (Night 17).
Lance Archer
“Change of scenery guys” are a regularly discussed phenomenon in traditional sports, and doubly so in pro wrestling. Lance Archer is a prime example of the philosophy of shuffling workers in and out of regions which was treated as gospel in the territory days, returning to his old stomping (and spitting) grounds of New Japan after more than two years in AEW. Exuding a real sense of menace, Archer felt refreshed and rejuvenated here, reminding Japanese audiences of the subtle and versatile additions to his traditional big man foundation one could start to see at the end of his previous NJPW run. While occasionally limited by the practicalities of working with some of his fellow monsters, Archer had as much charismatic presence as anyone else in his block, and even something as subtle as his ability to walk the line between character work and traditional sports analysis on the English commentary shows his mastery of that craft. Character and in-ring work all came together in the final block match of the tournament, in which the Murderhawk Monster had a great main event with Okada. After his match on yesterday’s undercard, Archer thanked the crowd and indicated he’d be returning to Japan soon. Whether he returns to AEW immediately, comes back to Japan for a spell in the near future, or accrues some frequent flyer miles splitting his time between continents, Archer finished his G1 a more imposing and sinister presence than he was before.
Grade: B
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.11
Notable Matches: vs. Okada (Night 18).
El Phantasmo
(N.B.: I’ll admit to an extra degree of subjective bias here; as a Vancouverite who watched Phantasmo cut his teeth in local independent shows for years, I’ve been rooting for him to succeed abroad since he gambled on himself and headed to RevPro back in 2017.) The list of former junior heavyweights who transitioned over to the G1 in the past decade is an impressive one: Prince Devitt, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Shingo Takagi. The story of Phantasmo’s first G1 began with him effectively standing astride the junior/heavyweight divide in his excellent renewing of hostilities with Ospreay, having to stick and move with him and later established heavyweight opponents. That all changed with a dramatic and clean win over that heaviest hitting of former juniors, Shingo Takagi, on the last night of block competition. A program with a former World Heavyweight champ represents a massive move up the card for the Headbanga, who’s quietly honed his in-ring in the shadow of his more overt comedy (which was on full display in an odd match with Robinson) in order to be able to hang with one of the best pro wrestlers on the planet.
Grade: B
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.23
Notable Matches: vs. Ospreay (Night 1), vs. Shingo (Night 18).
David Finlay
Compared to the likes of Juice Robinson, Great-O-Khan, and Aaron Henare whose tournaments didn’t do a great deal to elevate them, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who feels as exponentially larger a player in New Japan after this tournament than David Finlay. Injury after injury and a lack of clear direction (apart from the fun enough FinJuice tag team) have kept the fourth-generation fighter on the sidelines for years, but after a dud of a match with Yujiro, Finlay went on a tear, not only defeating his former partner Robinson but also tournament MVPs Shingo, and Ospreay, the latter match likely being a lightning sprint which was likely the best singles outing of his career. Even when his winning streak died off, the quality of Finlay’s matches didn’t. A challenge of Ospreay for the US Heavyweight title and possibly a continuation of hostilities with Juice should ensure that this push-up the card sticks.
Grade: B
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.97
Notable Matches: vs. Robinson (Night 6), vs. Ospreay (Night 10).
YOSHI-HASHI
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more staunch YOSHI-HASHI critic than myself a couple of years ago. For years his “lovable loser” persona irritated me to no end, simply because I didn’t see anything lovable about someone so clearly sub-par in terms of actual in-ring work and who, quite frankly, did not belong in his first three G1s. Sometime in the early days of his trio work in 2020, I realized that, if I was being honest with myself, he was improving, even if I wasn’t of the camp ready to suddenly praise him to the skies. This G1 was the first time I actively found myself enjoying his matches and thinking that the underdog narrative actually suited him. No match better exemplified this than his valiant match with Shingo, in which you could see the former World Heavyweight champ have to change tactics as YOSHI-HASHI’s offense (as well as his well-established “heart”) earned his respect. It’s definitely the best YOSHI-HASHI singles match I’ve ever seen, and while it was not in the most illustrious of company, his overall performance in the tournament indicates that that standard is rising. Better late than never.
Grade: B-
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.12
Notable Matches: vs. Shingo Takagi (Night 4), vs. Will Ospreay (Night 16), vs. David Finlay (Night 17).
Hirooki Goto
We should all know what to expect from Goto in G1s at this point: rock solid work throughout which helps to establish a newcomer or two’s bona fides, plus a couple of excellent matches which remind us of why Goto has hovered at the door of main event greatness in New Japan for so long (albeit without ever going through it). This year’s tournament delivered precisely that (Goto put Henare in a positive light and had enjoyable fights with Sabre and Tanahashi), and while the story of his son’s wish for Goto to win the G1 and become World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom gave the Fierce Warrior a noble reason to fight bravely, the sheer implausibility of that wish actually coming true only threw into relief just how intractable Goto’s position within the promotion is.
Grade: C+
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 7.32
Notable Matches: vs. Aaron Henare (Night 7), vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Night 12), vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (Night 15).
Jeff Cobb
Returning to the G1 after a tremendous showing in last year’s tournament, the United Empire heavy was placed in a far less enviable position this year. As a familiar face within the monster A Block, Cobb was relied upon to lend credibility to newcomer JONAH and to refresh the New Japan audience as to what the returning Lance Archer was all about. The former was accomplished ably, with the mirroring of the two giants being a key part of JONAH’s success in the tournament, and Cobb’s rematch with Okada from last year’s effective G1 semi-final and chemistry with Lawlor also paid off well for audiences. Cobb’s own luster may have been somewhat tarnished by his slide down the standings this year (not to mention a woeful match in which Cobb was unable to do much of anything with Fale), and there aren’t any major feuds immediately lined up for the former Olympian, but whether stateside or in Japan it shouldn’t take long for his superhuman abilities to reassert themselves.
Grade: C+
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.74
Notable Matches: vs. Kazuchika Okada (Night 1), vs. JONAH (Night 11), vs. Tom Lawlor (Night 17).
KENTA
The KENTA who arrived in New Japan just over three years ago and swiftly aligned himself with BULLET CLUB is not the legendary KENTA of NOAH fame. Luckily, KENTA knows this and has transitioned to a character-driven approach to wrestling which plays to his limitations. Even taking that into account, though, KENTA returned to action after a ghastly set of injuries suffered in a ladder match with Tanahashi likely unable to maintain the sort of pace and intensity he might have liked. While playing a smarmy and conniving heel (not to mention a self-promoting one, what with all of the plugging his new book received in this tournament) for most of the tournament, KENTA knew how to turn the heat up when it mattered most. He may not have had an especially notable G1 when averaged to the mean but by bookending his tournament with a game of wits against Zack Sabre Jr. (a match I feel I may have initially overlooked and will be returning to shortly) and a calculated plan of revenge on Tanahashi which snuffed out the Ace’s last hopes for the block, he made the most of what he has left.
Grade: C
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.93
Notable Matches: vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Night 2), vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (Night 17).
SANADA
I gave up on my hopes for SANADA finally putting it all together and becoming a legitimate main eventer after a tailor-made blood feud with EVIL resulted in a formulaic and very professional pro wrestling match at Wrestle Kingdom 15. Now, I’m just happy to get the odd match that links his natural (if sometimes unpolished) athletic talent with a little bit of fire, as he did with Ospreay earlier this year at Dominion. SANADA stayed the course in this G1, with a solid match with Ishii and a reversal and counter-focused match with White, but not much else of note. The difference in style between those two matches shows that SANADA’s still capable of rising to a variety of occasions, but as the rest of his tournament shows, is more likely to turn in yeoman’s work.
Grade: C
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.79
Notable Matches: vs. Jay White (Night 1), vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Night 18).
Aaron Henare
Injuries and lockdown have stymied the development of the Henare, who was in an odd “not quite a Young Lion, not quite full Hontai” spot previous to those delays. Now a fully-fledged member of the United Empire, I expected him to have to eat a number of losses in his first G1 but continue his elevation. While it’s impossible to overstate the value that a win over Hiroshi Tanahashi still holds within New Japan, Henare’s G1 was the definition of a mixed bag. He looked great in his match with the Ace and I thought that his strike-driven style and no-nonsense signature moves were a solid fit with the hard-hitting vet Goto, but apart from those two matches very little stood out. He’ll likely be spending the next few months in the purgatory that is the World Tag League, and if nothing else New Japan is a promotion happy to offer the seasoning Henare still needs on his slow (but now steadier) rise.
Grade: C
G1 Block Record: 1-5
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.52
Notable Matches: vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (Night 1), vs. Hirooki Goto (Night 7).
Chase Owens
The Platonic ideal of “a good hand”, I expect that like Yano, most dedicated New Japan viewers have come around to at least an understanding of Owens’ value to tours like the G1, if not an active appreciation for his work. A soft worker with solid pacing and natural heel instincts, Owens generally rises to the level of his opponent and serves to make them look as polished and as impressive as they can be. Apart from an excellent match with Ishii in which Owens took his most high-profile win since his somewhat shocking victory over Tanahashi in last year’s tournament, Owens didn’t have any bell-to-bell classics this year, but again, that’s not his function, and a tournament with as many wrestlers as this depends upon at least a couple of workers of Owens’ cast.
Grade: C
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.16
Notable Matches: vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Night 13).
Juice Robinson
Almost no one in this year’s G1 was booked as puzzlingly as the newly rechristened “Rock Hard” Juice Robinson. After a legitimately unexpected return within BULLET CLUB and being thrust right into the G1 spotlight with a win over Shingo, Juice petered out over the tournament with a loss to Yujiro and a divisive match against El Phantasmo. While a 2-4 record doesn’t necessarily speak to a wrestler’s credibility coming out of the G1 (just ask Ishii), Juice was presented as a petulant whiner constantly struggling to stay afloat. He had solid matches with Ospreay and former partner Finlay, but throughout felt like someone just on the verge of needing to turn heel or face or otherwise reinvent themselves in order to gain an advantage, not someone still ostensibly riding high after just such a reinvention. He could very well be staying in the US Heavyweight Championship mix despite his loss to Ospreay on Night 18 (his thieving of the belt being the main talking point of his G1), but he’s the rare person who feels as though they’ve been diminished by G1 booking.
Grade: C-
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.74
Notable Matches: vs. Shingo Takagi (Night 2), vs. David Finlay (Night 6), vs. Will Ospreay (Night 18).
Taichi
The Taichi story which emerged over last year’s G1, that of a tortured soul fighting as much with the ghosts of his All Japan mentors as with his in-ring opponents, gave the normally smarmy Holy Emperor some real substance, which carried over to his tag work with ZSJ as Dangerous Tekkers. No such threads were to be found for Taichi this year, who spent most of this tournament in cruise control, with pec-popping pantomime, sumo stances, and some questionable involvement from Miho Abe taking up too much space. What was he fighting for? Twitch subs. Things started promisingly with a corker of a win against Ishii on Night 2, but it was more or less all downhill from there, with precious little for the Holy Emperor to build upon in the months ahead.
Grade: C-
G1 Block Record: 1-5
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.89
Notable Matches: vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Night 2).
Toru Yano
The class clown’s purpose within the G1 felt a bit diminished within the scheduling of this four-block format. Given that some competitors went six or seven days between matches, of what real value is the “night off” a match with Yano has traditionally served? While Yano’s matches with Lawlor and Archer earned some chuckles from me, much of his shtick wears thin over the course of an entire G1 (as compared to his showing up on an RoH or RevPro show once in a blue moon). The reversion to his more serious Great Bash Heel incarnation in his match with CHAOS boss Okada was an interesting enough palate cleanser, but little more than that.
Grade: C-
G1 Block Record: 1-5
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 5.99
Notable Matches: None.
Great-O-Khan
While there’s no question as to the long-term hopes for the United Empire’s mouthpiece, O-Khan’s G1 was a reminder of just how long the long-term is in New Japan. Like plenty of earlier prospects and acquisitions who seemed well-positioned for a hot G1 run, Gedo clearly thinks O-Khan needs more seasoning before pulling the trigger, booking him to a 2-4 record which included a loss to non-contender Chase Owens. O-Khan didn’t exactly cover himself in glory in the ring, either. Apart from solid enough matches with the likes of Ishii and White, his idiosyncratic offense didn’t seize the spotlight this year and there aren’t any notable feuds or stories for him emerging out of the tournament, apart from a presumable resumption of World Tag League duties. O-Khan will undoubtedly have a great G1 sometime in his future, but I’d hedge my bets even next year.
Grade: D
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 6.34
Notable Matches: vs. Jay White (Night 11).
EVIL
EVIL and the rest of the House of Torture have mercifully been downcycled since last year’s G1, where the faction’s rote interference spots stretched the already thin credibility of NJPW’s refs to the snapping point. While still a factor in essentially all of EVIL’s matches this year, the interference was notably toned down. While this made EVIL’s matches somewhat easier to watch, it also paradoxically gave him nothing to work with. Apart from playing last-minute foil to both Tanahashi and Goto (the former in an excessively overbooked shmozz), I’m at a loss to recall anything of note from EVIL’s other matches, save for spots that could have been photocopied from any of his other formulaic matches. Last year proved that House of Torture EVIL didn’t work as a main event heel, and this year’s tournament showed that the character doesn’t have much traction as a mid-card heel, either, so up-card or down-card, what’s the point? Here’s hoping the House of Torture has folded up shop by the 33rd G1.
Grade: D
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 5.7
Notable Matches: vs. Tanahashi (Night 11).
Yujiro Takahashi
There’s not really anything to be said about Yujiro’s performance this year that hasn’t already been said about his clogging up of the 2020 and 2021 tournaments. After a blessed four-year layoff, for the third consecutive G1, we had to endure match after match from a performer who would struggle to stand out on the most backwoods of North American indie shows, let alone the world’s most prestigious pro wrestling tournament. Even the brief tease of a mini-feud with El Phantasmo for the affections of Pieter ended up going nowhere this year. Being handed a 50/50 record solely for the purpose of keeping the seven-way D Block tie a possibility until the last minute and working to a slow and sluggish pace even by his own low standards, Yujiro remains the most damning argument against New Japan’s otherwise commendable culture of job security.
Grade: F
G1 Block Record: 3-3
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 5.34
Notable Matches: None.
Bad Luck Fale
A two-year absence from the tournament didn’t make the heart grow fonder for the Rogue General, who was simply not in the physical shape needed to credibly compete in the G1 this year. While in past tournaments the former Underboss’ penchant for getting himself disqualified and seeming to just not actually care about the tournament attracted ire, this year it was evident that even when he was giving it his all in matches with JONAH and Lawlor, the big man could no longer keep up with the standard expected in New Japan singles matches.
Grade: F
G1 Block Record: 2-4
Average Block Match Cagematch Rating: 4.24
Notable Matches: None.
…And on that note, that’s a wrap on my writing about the G1 for this year. I want to thank John Pollock for being willing to indulge me in this (likely overwrought) exercise, and for allowing me to share further thoughts about the tournament in my reports and on POST’s G1 podcasts. I’d also like to give a shout-out to my partner in written G1 reportage, Mark Buckeldee, who’s putting down his virtual pencil as far as this tournament is concerned.
