Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

What if WWE had their own G1 Climax?


Woof

Recommended Posts

Bored at the office afternoon timekiller…

 

Imagine if you will that the WWE, in another effort to throw some first-run content up on the network, decided to rip off the G1 Climax tournament idea and booked two 10-man round robin blocks (one from Raw, one from SmackDown) for house shows, throwing the relevant matches on the network like New Japan does. Who makes the cut? Or if you're really ambitious, who beats who along the way? Also, what kind of WWE-ized name would they give it?

 

Eligible rosters as of today are:

 

RAW

Apollo Crews

Big Cass

Big Show

Bo Dallas

Braun Strowman

Bray Wyatt

Brock Lesnar

Cesaro

Curt Hawkins

Curtis Axel

Dash Wilder

Dean Ambrose

Elias Samson

Enzo Amore

Finn Balor

Goldust

Heath Slater

Jeff Hardy

Kalisto

Karl Anderson

Luke Gallows

Matt Hardy

The Miz

R-Truth

Rhyno

Roman Reigns

Samoa Joe

Scott Dawson

Seth Rollins

Sheamus

Titus O'Neil

 

SMACKDOWN

Aiden English

AJ Styles

Baron Corbin

Big E

Chad Gable

Chris Jericho

Dolph Ziggler

Epico Colon

Erick Rowan

Fandango

James Ellsworth

Jason Jordan

Jey Uso

Jimmy Uso

Jinder Mahal

John Cena

Kane

Kevin Owens

Kofi Kingston

Konnor

Luke Harper

Mike Kanellis

Mojo Rawley

Primo Colon

Randy Orton

Rusev

Sami Zayn

Samir Singh

Shinsuke Nakamura

Sin Car

Sunii Singh

Tye Dillinger

Viktor

Xavier Woods

Zack Ryder

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a G1 would be pretty great for WWE, as it would be an event that elevates midcard guys into major players. I don't have time to fill out an entire G1, but I know it would be the perfect format to get Sami Zayn over. An underdog babyface, gets a couple of surprise wins, until eventually everyone realizes he's in the running for the finals. He gets there puts on an epic match against a bonafide main event heel, but the heel gets a skin of the teeth win. The next six months could be Sami fighting for a rematch, but the heel keeps putting roadblocks in his way. Eventually Sami gets his rematch, for the world championship by now, and wins at Wrestlemania. He'd get over huge, but we all know WWE ain't about to do anything that makes that much sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a G1 would be pretty great for WWE, as it would be an event that elevates midcard guys into major players. I don't have time to fill out an entire G1, but I know it would be the perfect format to get Sami Zayn over. An underdog babyface, gets a couple of surprise wins, until eventually everyone realizes he's in the running for the finals. He gets there puts on an epic match against a bonafide main event heel, but the heel gets a skin of the teeth win. The next six months could be Sami fighting for a rematch, but the heel keeps putting roadblocks in his way. Eventually Sami gets his rematch, for the world championship by now, and wins at Wrestlemania. He'd get over huge, but we all know WWE ain't about to do anything that makes that much sense.

 

That WOULD be awesome, but I just sat down and figured out my version and yeah... my WWE booking goggles don't see that happening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My own picks, based on how I think the WWE would book it given the current state of things, not on who I think is necessarily worthy and/or would provide interesting matches…

 

RAW

 

Braun Strowman (15 pts)

Wins: Wyatt, Cesaro, Ambrose, Balor, Miz, Rollins, Sheamus

Losses: Joe

Draws: Reigns

 

Roman Reigns (13 pts)

Wins: Wyatt, Cesaro, Miz, Joe, Rollins, Sheamus

Losses: Ambrose, Balor

Draws: Strowman

 

Bray Wyatt (10 pts)

Wins: Cesaro, Ambrose, Miz, Joe, Sheamus

Losses: Braun, Balor, Reigns

 

Finn Balor (10 pts)

Wins: Wyatt, Ambrose, Miz, Reigns, Sheamus

Losses: Strowman, Cesaro, Joe, Rollins

 

Samoa Joe (10 pts)

Wins: Strowman, Cesaro, Balor, Miz, Rollins

Losses: Wyatt, Ambrose, Reigns, Sheamus

 

Seth Rollins (10 pts)

Wins: Wyatt, Cesaro, Balor, Miz, Sheamus

Losses: Strowman, Ambrose, Reigns, Joe

 

Dean Ambrose (8 pts)

Wins: Cesaro, Reigns, Joe, Rollins

Losses: Strowman, Wyatt, Balor, Miz, Sheamus

Sheamus (8 pts)

Wins: Cesaro, Ambrose, Miz, Joe

Losses: Strowman, Wyatt, Balor, Reigns, Rollins

 

The Miz (4 pts)

Wins: Cesaro, Ambrose

Losses: Strowman, Wyatt, Balor, Reigns, Joe, Rollins, Sheamus

 

Cesaro (2 pts)

Wins: Balor

Losses: Strowman, Wyatt, Ambrose, Miz, Reigns, Joe, Rollins, Sheamus

 

 

 

SMACKDOWN

 

Randy Orton (16 pts)

Wins: Styles, Corbin, Ziggler, Mahal, Owens, Harper, Zayn, Dillinger

Losses: Nakamura

 

AJ Styles (14 pts)

Wins: Corbin, Ziggler, Mahal, Owens, Harper, Zayn, Dillinger

Losses: Orton, Nakamura

 

Shinsuke Nakamura (14 pts)

Wins: Styles, Ziggler, Owens, Harper, Orton, Zayn, Dillinger

Losses: Corbin, Mahal

 

Jinder Mahal (12 pts)

Wins: Corbin, Ziggler, Harper, Zayn, Nakamura, Dillinger

Losses: Styles, Owens, Orton

 

Baron Corbin (10 pts)

Wins: Ziggler, Harper, Zayn, Nakamura, Dillinger

Losses: Styles, Mahal, Owens, Orton

 

Kevin Owens (8 pts)

Wins: Corbin, Mahal, Harper, Dillinger

Losses: Styles, Ziggler, Orton, Zayn, Nakamura

 

Dolph Ziggler (6 pts)

Wins: Owens, Harper, Dillinger

Losses: Styles, Corbin, Mahal, Orton, Zayn, Nakamura

 

Sami Zayn (6 pts)

Wins: Ziggler, Owens, Dillinger

Losses: Styles, Corbin, Mahal, Harper, Orton, Nakamura

 

Luke Harper (2 pts)

Wins: Zayn

Losses: Styles, Corbin, Ziggler, Mahal, Owens, Orton, Nakamura, Dillinger

 

Tye Dillinger (2 pts)

Wins: Harper

Losses: Styles, Corbin, Ziggler, Mahal, Owens, Orton, Zayn, Nakamura

 

 

Strowman then defeats Orton in the Raw vs SmackDown final, with the winner getting a title shot at SummerSlam. And I'd resurrect the Great American Bash name for the tournament as a whole, kicking off on the fourth of July and ending on Sunday the 30th with the final on whatever PPV du jour they come up with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Various sources have also said that Vince doesn't care much for the KOTR anymore, because it's difficult to promote or sell people on a tournament - where the matches are unknown and there are so many variables involved.

 

With the hours upon hours of content they produce these days, you'd think they would be all over anything that eats up some time though. A big tourney with a bunch of brackets would probably feel fresh and fun to follow with their current format.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always thought this was a great idea. Run it Sept-Oct, (possibly do the finals as Survivor Series) You could book it across all the shows and promote it as the only time the three touch with mixed brackets. You could write it with a unified writing team in advance and give rest of the writers a chance to recharge and plot out the rest of the year. I realize this has no basis with the current WWE works, but I always thought it could be a chance to break the year into manageable arcs, ie. RR to WM, WM to SS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Various sources have also said that Vince doesn't care much for the KOTR anymore, because it's difficult to promote or sell people on a tournament - where the matches are unknown and there are so many variables involved.

 

Indeed. That being said, with the Network, it's easier than ever to run such an event.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Except that their last KOTR on the Network felt like a total throwaway and completely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Might as well have been a random house show tossed up for the day.

 

To be fair, they *have* done much better with the CWC and the UK tourney since then, so the concept could absolutely be worth revisiting. The KOTR is still something I'll always tune in to see, even if it's only for a sense of nostalgia and the slight chance that something good comes out of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They really should do something like this. With SOOOOOO much tv time and SOOOO much talent, this would be a way to use their resources effectively.

 

I know it isn't going to happen, but I would far prefer this to the rumble as a way to determine a number one contender for Mania.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a G1 would be pretty great for WWE, as it would be an event that elevates midcard guys into major players. I don't have time to fill out an entire G1, but I know it would be the perfect format to get Sami Zayn over. An underdog babyface, gets a couple of surprise wins, until eventually everyone realizes he's in the running for the finals. He gets there puts on an epic match against a bonafide main event heel, but the heel gets a skin of the teeth win. The next six months could be Sami fighting for a rematch, but the heel keeps putting roadblocks in his way. Eventually Sami gets his rematch, for the world championship by now, and wins at Wrestlemania. He'd get over huge, but we all know WWE ain't about to do anything that makes that much sense.

 

It be great for WWE alough I feel they would probably do it to push Roman even further.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...