G1 Climax 29: 5 Matches You Need To Watch

The block line-ups have been revealed for this year’s NJPW G1 Climax tournament, which kicks off this Saturday in Dallas. All participants will face other wrestlers inside their own block at least once, so with the combatants confirmed, we can start figuring out which matches are going to be worth checking in for. The G1 Climax can always be a bit of a slog: sometimes it’s worth having an idea of which tournament matches are going to be ticking your boxes, so you don’t get too burnt out on watching copious amounts of fantastic wrestling.

New Japan has a plethora of talent at their disposal, so seeing the sheer amount of potential hype matches in store for us over the next few weeks, it’s hard to say that it’s not a good time to be a wrestling fan. We’re going to count down our top 5 matches that you need to watch on New Japan World once they drop.

Make sure you leave your own recommendations in the comments below.

 

5. Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr

Both Brits have been competing at a whole new level over the past year. With Ospreay’s recent successes in the BOSJ finals and subsequent IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship defence against Dragon Lee, ‘The Aerial Assassin’ is coming into this tournament as one of the favourite dark horses to win the whole thing. Suzuki Gun’s submission specialist has been side-lined slightly as of late, holding down the fort at partner-organisation Revolution Pro Wrestling as their British World Heavyweight Champion.

Ospreay and ZSJ have had a storied history that have run almost parallel to one another; growing up on the BritWres scene and helping reignite the genre as being some of the most exciting professional wrestling on the planet. It’s about time the two had a collision in NJPW, a company they have both thrived in since making the transition overseas.

Seeing these two finally share the same block in the G1 is the stuff of dreams. Both young superstars are certified draws for the Japanese promotion and will undoubtedly set the world alight in their G1 tournament match. If you’ve never had the chance to watch some British wrestling at its best, then make sure you tune in to this one.

 

4. Jeff Cobb vs Tomohiro Ishii

Did someone say hoss off?

Ishii and Cobb have become synonymous with hard-hitting wrestling. Both giants in the ring, these two are set up to have one hell of a fight in the G1 Climax. Cobb is NJPW’s current Openweight Champion, coming into his first G1 tournament with a lot to prove in the B block. Ishii on the other hand is a veteran of these tournaments, and I suspect he’ll have a good run this year too.

Personally I’m really looking forward to seeing these two guys clobber one another for 20 minutes. What’s better than watching two behemoths duke it out in a ring where the shoot style is encouraged? This should be Cobb’s breakout tournament — if he wasn’t on your radar already, then he will be after this match.

 

3. Jon Moxley vs Jay White

The IWGP United States Champion is quickly becoming one of the most talked about wrestlers on the NJPW roster. Moxley, who recently debuted in a match with fellow B block participant Juice Robinson, confirmed his entry into this year’s G1 at NJPW’s Dominion event. Seeing the block shape-up to be one of the most varied line-ups we’ve had in a few years, it should make for some really intriguing matches for Moxley, one of which will be against the former IWGP World Champion, ‘Switchblade’ Jay White.

Jay White has had a fall from grace over the past couple of months. Losing his world title to Kazuchika Okada in Madison Square Garden, he now seeks his rematch clause by winning the G1 Climax. ‘Switchblade’ needs a couple of big wins to put him back on the level he was, a match with Moxley would be a great start for him to start clawing back his reputation.

Jon Moxley is naturally going to be one of the most talked about guys in the tournament. Putting the IWGP United States Champ in a potential show-stealing match with ‘Switchblade’ is a step in the right direction for both wrestlers. Seeing what Moxley was willing to do in his debut match, I can’t wait to see what White is going to bring out in him.

 

2. KENTA vs Kota Ibushi

Is Ibushi even alive after that match he had with Tetsuya Naito? These two have indeed matched up in the past, but have spent several years honing their individual crafts to become two of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in a Japanese promotion. KENTA is of course making his triumphant return to the land of the rising sun in this year’s G1 Climax, having not had his debut match yet, a titanic match between him and ‘The Golden Star’ would be a fantastic start.

Much like Moxley, KENTA is going to quickly rise up the ranks of the NJPW roster. Giving him some hard-hitting wrestling marathons in his comeback run would be a rub for the budding star. KENTA should certainly be given a few big wins in this year’s tournament, but I think for now, he just needs to shake off the ring-rust and get used to the physically demanding nature that New Japan matches have. Just putting him in a phenomenal match with Kota Ibushi would start KENTA’s career off with a bang, and would set the bar for the rest of the A block.

For me, Ibushi is one of the favourites heading into the tournament, and I’m still waiting on his elevation into the main events. I think this is his year, despite coming off of a loss to Naito at Dominion. At this point, him beating KENTA would not only benefit his singles career, but would allow KENTA to be seen competing at the high standard that Ibushi sets in all of his matches. This is the ideal pairing for KENTA’s first series of matches, just you wait.

 

1. Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay

Bringing it back to ‘The Aerial Assassin’, Ospreay has so much potential to capitalise on this year. Going into the tournament while riding a huge wave of momentum, Ospreay is going to be putting on some his best work against the likes of Sanada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and of course, fellow CHAOS member, Kazuchika Okada. Okada and Ospreay have teased another confrontation since their last bout in 2018. Not having had the chance to mix it up again in the ring, the G1 is the perfect place for these two to put on yet another instant classic.

It’s hard for Okada to get a bad match out of anyone, even with the bigger, more lumbering wrestlers like Bad Luck Fale and Lance Archer. Putting him in the ring with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champ, who is currently firing on all cylinders could only lead to absolute gold. This is Ospreay’s moment to prove to the world that he is wrestling on a whole different level, and could even bring him out of the Jr. Heavyweight division and finally into the main event scene.

The chemistry that’s already been displayed between these two only goes as a testament to how great this match is going to be. If you’ve not checked out their first encounter, then I urge you to track it down, it was some of the best wrestling you’ll see out of NJPW.

Make sure you don’t sleep on this one. Ospreay and Okada are both going to wow audiences from across the globe in not just this match, but all of their A block contests. It wouldn’t shock me if we see one of these two in the finals of the G1 this year.