New Blood in the G1

New Blood in the G1

Ethan Brennan  7/20/2024

Cubs on the Hunt

“You’re like the father here,” Tanahashi smirks at Toru Yano, “which I guess makes me the mother.”    Beefy young lion Boltin Oleg glances from one to the other, stifles a laugh to nod hearty agreement.   The trio are celebrating their fresh victory to regain the NEVER Openweight six-man titles from Los Ingobernables de Japón on New Japan’s June 16th Soul show .  Mama Ace looks on proudly, reminding Oleg to go easy on the beers sitting in front of the trio for their championship celebration.  Oleg would go on to defeat both members of this “family tag team” in the wildcard tournament to determine the tenth and final member of the B block for this summer’s G1 Climax tournament 34.

Boltin Oleg is certainly a young prospect to watch, but the youngest competitor distinction in this year’s G1 belongs to the winner of the A block wildcard tournament, United Empire’s Callum Newman.  Newman is, in fact, tied for youngest competitor ever in a G1 tournament with La Sombra (Andrade “El Idolo” [Cien] Almas)’s 2011 appearance.  After defeating Yoshi-Hashi on July 5th to officially qualify for G1 34, Newman proclaimed he would represent the “shittest part of Essex [which is] the shittest part of England” to become “the biggest star the G1’s ever seen.”  A bold claim from “The Prince of Pace,” protégé of Essex’s own Will Ospreay, that will be certain to ruffle the feathers of the other nineteen combatants.

All Four One

The so-called Reiwa Musketeers, Ren Narita, Shota Umino, Yota Tsuji, with the addition of Yuya Uemura as the trio’s D’Artagnan, are certain to be a focus of this year’s tournament.  A common criticism of New Japan concerns the need for fresh, young faces in the main event scene.  These four seem primed to lead the next generation of top guys.  Their athleticism is undeniable,  and watching their respective characters’ growth over the last year has been a treat.  The four have paired off into two rivalries (Narita versus Umino and Tsuji versus Uemura) that have the potential to play out for years to come, echoing classic feuds and even featuring a hair vs hair stipulation at February’s New Beginning in Sapporo.  Narita, Umino, and Tsuji made their G1 debut’s in last year’s massive four-block tournament, while Uemura is set to compete for the first time after returning from excursion in October 2023. 

Ren Narita has shown a willingness to go to drastic lengths to step out of the shadow of his mentor, Katsuyori Shibata.  Fans responded with shock, horror, even disgust as Narita threw in his lot with EVIL’s House of Torture faction.  Unwilling to merely try to fill Shibata’s signature plain black boots, Narita has donned a hooded cloak and carries an infamous “reinforced push-up bar” to scramble the brains of opponents when the ref gets distracted by his spooky clique.  Narita’s creepy theme music and menacing grin are interesting additions to his arsenal of technical manoeuvres, which he has largely abandoned in favour of gangland tactics and cheap shots.  It remains to be seen if this will be the development that Narita needs, or if this will just be a Goth Shibata phase and stepping stone to something else; see Jack Perry’s sojourn with House of Torture to build up his heel chops leading to his AEW return.  Narita had a high-profile IWGP World Heavyweight title match against Jon Moxley at Wrestling Dontaku in May.  He fell short of victory despite copious shenanigans from his stablemates, but clearly his star is on the rise

Narita’s heel turn was cemented by his betrayal of then partner Shota Umino, a fan favourite, and protege of Jon Moxley.  Umino, the biological son of referee Red Shoes Unno, has alternately basked in, and suffered from comparisons to popular wrestlers of the previous generation.  As Narita has taken pains to step out of Shibata’s shadow, Umino dodges accusations that he is too similar to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito.  Nicknamed “Shooter” by his adoptive father Moxley, Umino rode a motorcycle (quite fast) to the ring at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom 18, where he teamed with NOAH’s Kaito Kiyomiya to take on House of Torture in a losing effort.  Though some say Umino has failed to forge a truly unique identity thus far, it has been undeniably fascinating to watch him assimilate influences and process them in real time.  Umino seemingly learned to dance from AEW’s Mercedes Moné.

Yota Tsuji is a big boy with dashing looks and a magnetic smile.  The trademark smile as he enters an arena goads the viewer to root for him before the first lock-up.  His imposing physique and American football background make his Gene Blaster (yes) finisher more than just another spear.  With a star-making performance in the New Japan Cup, culminating in Tsuji facing his faction-leader Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight title at Sakura Genesis in April, this young upstart is clearly having a breakout year.  Though he doesn’t name Naito as a mentor, claiming he joined Los Ingobernables de Japón because of the freedom it would allow him in developing his style, Naito still has wisdom to impart, besting Tsuji to retain the title.  Tsuji tasted gold with fellow LIJ members Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi in June, but they lost the NEVER Openweight Six-Man titles back to Tanahashi, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg after only a week.  After losing an exhibition match to Uemura at the Tokyo Dome in January, Tsuji got the win back in spectacular fashion, claiming Uemura’s hair in February.  The chemistry between these two is fantastic, so even though the feud has been blown off for now, do not be surprised if the next time these two face off in the Tokyo Dome it’s in the main event.  Tsuji’s ambition knows no bounds: he famously mocked Kazuchika Okada while holding the scalp of felled foe Uemura, telling the departing legend, “I’m disappointed in you.”  Though Okada’s now signed with AEW, the two companies’ working relationship does not preclude development of the brief, yet tantalising encounter.

Yuya Uemura has had quite a run since returning from excursion.  After two years in TNA/Impact Wrestling where he teamed with the likes of veteran Tommy Dreamer and fan-favourite Joe Hendry , Uemura came back to be the fifth guy in Just Five Guys.  As the youngest member of New Japan’s youngest stable, Uemura has a lot to prove.  He claimed the King of Pro Wrestling title from Great-O-Khan in a two out of three falls match in April.  Khan would later regain the provisional title, but Uemura has tasted singles gold, the first of the Reiwa four to do so.  Uemura has a background in Greco-Roman wrestling.  August 10 will see Uemura lock it up with dojo classmate and rival Yota Tsuji once again, with tournament points on the line.

Be for real, Dog

The Bullet Club War Dogs faction has a single representative in each block of this year’s G1.  While leader David Finlay is holding down B Block, irate Englander Gabe Kidd will be competing in the A Block.  Kidd debuted in last years tournament, but failed to rack up enough points to qualify for semifinal competition.  With a chip on his shoulder the size of the London Eye, Kidd will be looking to make a name for himself in the tournament.  Kidd has had a rollercoaster of a year so far.  He came up short in a brutal NEVER Openweight title match at Wrestling Dontaku, in which he could be heard screaming, “Show me Tokon motherfucker!” at champion Shingo Takagi.  The two are scheduled for a rematch July 29th for A Block competition, sure to be a highlight of that evening’s card.  Just a week after the loss at Dontaku, Kidd endured an intense no-rope last man standing match to capture the Strong Openweight Title from Eddie Kingston in California.  Kidd will be a force to be reckoned with, if he can get out of his own way.  In both of the high-profile title matches he competed in this year, Kidd’s emotions got the better of him, arguably costing him the match with Takagi.  Nevertheless, Kidd has been on a tear since the premature retirement of his former tag team partner Alex Coughlin, following an injury in the Dog Pound cage match in Osaka earlier this year.

Another dog in the hunt this summer is “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita, representing both AEW and DDT.  Though the AEW-New Japan relationship is well established, it is uncommon for a DDT logo to appear on NJPW programming.  Takeshita is certainly an exciting prospect, making waves in AEW last year leading up to his official signing with the company.  A crowd pleaser until he attacked Kenny Omega to become a founding member of the Don Callis Family, Takeshita’s hard-hitting style makes him a serious threat.  The G1 competitors are about to find out what many of Callis’s foes already know: Takeshita’s Powerdrive Knee can be deadly.  At 6’2” and 231 pounds, Takeshita is one of the largest wrestlers in this year’s heavyweight tournament.  A good match for Yota Tsuji, the two are set for competition on the opening night, July 20th.  This is Takeshita’s first appearance in the G1, though he is a multi-time champion in DDT.

Honourable Mention

Though not exactly fresh blood, Zack Sabre Jr. does seem willing and able to be a credible contender for top Gaijin, in the mould of Styles, Omega, Jay White, or Ospreay.  Big wins over AEW regulars Bryan Danielson and Orange Cassidy have raised his profile this year.  After the dissolution of Suzuki-Gun in 2022, Sabre has gone on to lead TMDK.  Considered by many to be the world’s greatest technical wrestler, Sabre has been vocal about his championship ambitions.

The G1 Climax Tournament has been a star-making affair for the past thirty-four years.  With New Japan poised to launch a new generation of top talent, the G1 is sure to be a factor in that process.  The round-robin style of the tournament showcases so much of what the roster, veterans and young lions alike, have to offer.  The qualifying tournaments elevating two of the company’s youngest stars is no accident.  President Hiroshi Tanahashi passing the torch to protégé Boltin Oleg in the process shows the direction that New Japan is headed.  With Mama Ace at the wheel, Antonio Inoki’s legacy is in good hands.  The most prestigious tournament in pro wrestling has always catapulted young talent to certified main eventers, and this year will be no different.

*Update 7/23/2024: since this writing Jake Lee has joined the Bullet Club War Dogs, giving them two representatives in the A Block