Assuming the G1 is still four blocks with 32 total competitors, there are at the very least six open slots for either non-NJPW wrestlers or junior heavyweight wrestlers to enter. After opening the tournament wide to fit in the numerous first-time entrants, there are currently 26 NJPW heavyweights available from last year (plus Uemura), which leaves a huge number of spots.
That could be potentially be expanded even further, with SANADA’s health status still not known and his possible absence from the tournament. Also, Hikuleo and El Phantasmo’s status with the company is speculative, with Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa already gone and both Hikuleo and ELP talking about their contract status a lot leading up to their Wrestle Kingdom match. (Of the two, Hikuleo seems to me most likely to leave because of the connection to his family and his relatively easy insertion into the lucrative Bloodline story, but it’s all just speculative.)
To me, this suggests four things.
1. There are going to be more marginal wrestlers in the tournament. We’ve already seen that with Best of the Super Juniors, with Fujita in this year and Kevin Knight entering last year. Those tournaments have been successful at building up a profile for their young and developing talents, so we could see Callum Newman enter, or put in some graduated Young Lions who aren’t fully acclimated to the roster, such as Oleg Bolten and/or Oiwa.
2. There is a much higher likelihood of outside talent coming in. Before, I would have assumed Jake Lee would be the only Noah or otherwise non-signed Japanese wrestler going in, but with this many spots, they could have multiple. Kaito could possibly come back, but if he’s GHC champion, I don’t think they’d put him in, though HAYATA is the National champion and they put him in. Also, there could potentially be a CMLL heavyweight in addition to an AEW/ROH entrant, since that was expanded in World Tag League.
3. There’s a better chance for junior heavyweights to get in now. Not only do they need to make up the numbers and probably don’t want to stuff it all with green or outsider talent, the company needs to build up its stars and sell tickets. Hiromu has already been wrestling heavyweights for championships. Desperado can also be counted among the company’s top 10 wrestlers but hasn’t gotten the same opportunity to spread his wings. TJP has also stated he wants to be “openweight,” so if that’s a direction the company wants to take, here’s the chance.
4. 32 slots is too many for the G1. Every year, the question wasn’t “who can they get in,” it was “who makes the cut.” If you need to put Yujiro Takahashi in a tournament not to move tickets but because you need warm bodies, that is a problem.
by IAmAnnoyed_
