WingedEagle Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Full schedule from VOW: http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2015/07/06/njpw-g1-climax-25-full-tournament-schedule/ How do people see this turning out? B Block looks set to come down to Okada vs. Nakamura on the final day. Nakamura either goes over or wins it with a draw and goes on to win the finals and set up a title match vs. Okada at WK 10, which feels like the biggest main event they could deliver for the show at this point. What about A Block? Styles vs. Nakamura would be a fresh match we haven't seen yet, but if he's not committed for 2016 then giving AJ that rub is unnecessary. It feels way too soon to rush Naito back to that level with his new heel character. Tanahashi is a safe bet and one they can probably count on to sell out Sumo Hall. Ibushi would be a great story getting his rematch after WK 9 going for the big win, but if he's not getting it here I don't know you want him taking another loss. If they have a plan to rebuild Ibushi and set up getting his win back over Nak in early '15 I can see him getting the call, but for now I'd put my money on Tanahashi after taking a backseat since February. What do you predict/want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 With the way the shows are set up this year giving the wrestlers more time between matches we won't be getting the killer show after show like we did last year since we'll be getting a steady diet of tags on these shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I'd rather they just did five matches a show and gave the off-guys time to rest rather than throwing them in meaningless tags. It adds filler to the show and doesn't even give the guys as much time off as they should have with this schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 They won't be in meaningless tags. It will be the Ligers,Komatsus , etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pol Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 When was the last time they did a Dome main event between two guys who met in the G1? I don't think they ever have while Gedo was booking, which maybe doesn't mean all that much since it's only been a few years. It's difficult to predict because both the Dome title shot and the title itself will be up for grabs in the months between the G1 and the Dome, so the G1 winner and the current champion are both not necessarily of any long-term consequence. That said I don't see Okada losing the title before the Dome given his story arc this year, and they've never actually had the G1 winner lose the shot since they introduced that gimmick. Setting all that aside, Nakamura does seem like the best pick to win it. I think the fact that they took the IC title off him is a tell, because putting Goto in a position where he's expected to draw houses makes no sense unless he's just a transitional champion because you have better things planned for Nakamura. Tanahashi seems like a strong possibility, with Ibushi as an outside pick in a similar role to Naito a few years ago. AJ and Okada seem unlikely. I'm not the biggest Okada fan but I actually really like the idea of an Okada win; the champion winning it hasn't been done in a long time and it would be a good way to cap off the 'Okada gets his mojo back' storyline. It would also lead to a feeling of unpredictability in the booking for a few months, which the promotion has sorely needed for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Kojima-Tanahashi was the G1 Final in 2010 and main evented Wrestle Kingdom in 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 With the way the stories were left back at the Dome in January, it really feels like they're going to find a way to run the same top two matches again - with Nak vs. Ibushi and Tanahashi vs. Okada. It's not necessarily what I want to see, but it fits the narrative. And it's pretty much sounds exactly like something they'd do, given how repetitive and "samey" the product has felt since... what? 2012 mostly. I think the injection of Styles is the most refreshing thing they've done since originally introducing Okada's "Rainmaker" gimmick, and even that had a feeling of repetition - because he basically just got the Heavyweight version of Devitt's Junior push and position anyway - right down to the Bullet Club shtick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I wonder if they'd have the balls to put Ibushi through again after the New Japan Cup. Showed he could draw a crowd with AJ and him graduating to the main event at the Dome would be a great thing. The other route I see them going is Nak winning and giving him a title win at the Dome. That being said, I want Honma in the final. I know people will say Ishii, but Honma in the final might be one of the most heated matches New Japan has had in quite some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stomperspc Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Tanahashi vs. Styles and Okada vs. Nakamura are the two big matches on the final round robin nights so it is probably safe to assume the blocks come down to those four. If I were booking, I would stay away from running fresh matches like Nakamura vs. Styles with no build up but New Japan seems less concerned about that. They didn't shy away from running Okada vs. Nakamura for the first time in two years (and since Okada became a top guy) with no notice at Osaka Dome last year. They are running the first Tanahashi/Ibushi singles match on the first night of a tournament in a 6,000-ish person building while I would have held off on that for a different show. So I think there is a distinct possibility they'll do Nakamura vs. Styles in the finals even though it would be giving away a first time match on no build. Nakamura-Okada could be positioned as a rubber match at the Dome if Nakamura beats Okada during the G-1 since they'll each have one singles win over the other in the past three years. That would leave Ibushi/Styles or Ibushi/Tanahashi as the second match from the top at the Dome. FWIW, Meltzer wrote this a few weeks ago in the Observer: Tickets were put on sale this weekend for all the G-1 Climax shows. Of the six straight shows in Tokyo from 8/9 to 8/16 (8/10 and 8/13 are off days), the 8/9, 8/11 and 8/12 shows at Korakuen Hall sold out instantly, as did the finals on 8/16 at Sumo Hall. 8/14 at Sumo Hall ticket sales are said to be weak. For 8/15 at Sumo Hall, after the first day of sales, they had sold out in four of the six price ranges. However, all the news isn't good. If true, selling out Sumo Hall on the final night is not a concern. I think even if were, Styles/Nakamura would have been big enough to get it done. As far as the five tournament matches per night, that does not bother me as long as they group them all after intermission every night. Depending on the start times, that is a good thing because I can sleep in a little later. If I watch a show later in the day, it is easier to get through five matches (and the non-tournament matches only if I have time) rather than eight tournament matches per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parties Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I really don't understand how after Dominion you'd get to anywhere besides a Nakamura G1 win leading to him vs. Okada at the Dome. If that's not what they're doing, then much of Dominion's booking made no sense. Same for the way the blocks are broken out. As for the other big names: If Goto proves as dead in the water as he looks, I could see AJ and Ibushi squaring off for the IC title sometime in the next six months. Or rudo Naito takes it off Goto, to infuse a second heel into the main event mix. The prevailing fear is that they're going to play it too safe, but it's just as bad to see them hitting the panic button and starting to change the belts too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pol Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Given how their Tokyo business has dropped lately it really does seem like a bad time to put the IC title on a B player like Goto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stomperspc Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I really don't understand how after Dominion you'd get to anywhere besides a Nakamura G1 win leading to him vs. Okada at the Dome. If that's not what they're doing, then much of Dominion's booking made no sense. Same for the way the blocks are broken out. As for the other big names: If Goto proves as dead in the water as he looks, I could see AJ and Ibushi squaring off for the IC title sometime in the next six months. Or rudo Naito takes it off Goto, to infuse a second heel into the main event mix. The prevailing fear is that they're going to play it too safe, but it's just as bad to see them hitting the panic button and starting to change the belts too often. That's what I am thinking. There doesn't appear to be any logical scenario where Okada loses the title before the Dome show. They aren't likely to payoff his chase and then immediately beat him again. Nakamura has two straight losses to Goto. That screams of "beating a guy who is about to get a big push" booking. He appears to be set up for a G-1 run and victory. In terms of the other alternatives, Styles/Okada has been done a bunch and has not been treated like a Dome level main event. Ibushi is a possibility but a long shot since there has been no indication they are about to give him a huge push. A Tanahashi match would in some ways payoff the story of Okada being crushed by last year's main event loss but would they really go to the well again with that one? Nakamura/Okada really seems like the safe bet. Also agree that it wouldn't be surprising to see Goto drop the IC title after the G-1 to Ibushi, Styles, or Tanahashi to set up a Dome semi-main involving one or two of those three guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Skinner Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I don't see any other scenario except Okada-Nakamura main eventing WK10, being the rubber match after last year's G1 Final and this year's showdown to determine the B Block (which I have Nak winning). I got Nak-Styles as the G1 Final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.