[Spoilers] G1 34 Night Sixteen(8/14) Results– end of regular Block competition

29 comments

1. Goto had a good run, but I think these are the right three names. I’d love a Tsuji-ZSJ final

2. Goto Dream is dead…..again

3. I’m guessing we are going to either a ZSJ/Tsuji or a Takagi/Tsuji final.

   I don’t think they would put a outsider like Take in the final, or a title holder like GoK or Finlay but who knows

4. So Tsuji Vs Takagi final?

5. With A Block, gotta think it’s gonna be ZSJ making it to the finals. Shingo or GOK making it would be cool but neither have felt “built up” to be a Finalist, imo.

   B block seems a bit harder to call. Tsuji would seem a good pick to represent the “new gen” guys, but I could also see Gedo wanting to put Finlay in the Final, to really show that he’s *the* top heel of the company.

   Personally, I’d like ZSJ vs Tsuji in the Final but wouldn’t be opposed to the more unlikely ZSJ/Takeshita Final (Takeshita would be the first “outsider” since Jun Akiyama in ’03 to make it to the G1 Final in that scenario). Tsuji/Shingo would also be a really dope Final, although might as well rename the company to LIJ at that point lol.

6. I feel whoever gets out of A block takes the whole thing.

   Heart says ZSJ. Brain says Takagi.

7. It’s Gotover bros.

   ZSJ vs Tsuji final?

8. I think the 3 with the biggest chance to win out of the six are Tsuji, Zack and Shingo.

   Take isn’t a njpw wrestler, Finlay and Gok are champions (plus Gok going from jobber to g1 winner immediately would be a huge push)

   Tsuji would be the clear favourite for me being part of the new gen and being Lij, but he already won the nj Cup and lost to Naito earlier this year.

   Shingo getting a establishing run makes sense, he can still very much go and is over with crowd.
   He could be built as the current force the new gen needs to overcome lifting the role from Naito and his Knees.

   Zack is very popular among western njpw fans and decently popular among Japanese Njpw fans, a G1 to reward his loyalty wouldn’t feel out of the realm of possibility.
   Also to be extremely cruel they could have Shota take the title shot from Zack rewarding him with a huge tournament win but giving the wk spot to a young Japanese guy.

   Really not sure where this goes but I’m very intrigued with most options.

9. The Goto loss kinda reminds me of how I felt anytime I thought Shibata was gonna win a G1 and didn’t. That hope would come every year. “This is the one! I know it!”.

10. This ZSJ vs Tsuji finals gonna go crazy

11. I don’t think Takeshita has a shot at it, but would be very cool and he’s like the exact type of dude they could use as a full time champion imo

12. The Zacky Big Tekkers glorious win in the Tokyo Dome will move me to tears

13. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have GOK upset Shingo and then go on to lose to ZSJ.

    I see four different outcomes on who will be in the finals.

    ZSJ vs Tsuji

    ZSJ vs Takeshita

    Shingo vs Takeshita

    Shingo vs Finlay

14. TAKE SWEEP RRRAAGGGHHHHH

15. My original pick is looking better and better. It’s Tsuji’s tournament to lose.

16. My Goto not winning hurt my soul

17. Goto fandom feels like a fun Sisyphus Simulation

18. I want Zack to take it home but I don’t see New Japan passing up Naito vs. Tsuji on Jan 4th as a torch passing situation.

    Having said that, does Naito make it all the way to Wrestle Kingdom as champion? Who would they have beat Naito that Zack could challenge in a Tokyo Dome main event? Evil, O’Khan, Shingo, and Zack were the ones that beat him in the block. Do they have Evil beat him later in the year and have Zack challenge him at Wrestle Kingdom? ZSJ does seem to be the one guy House of Torture can’t get anything over on and he gave Evil his most embarrassing loss of the G1.

19. The best case scenario is a ZSJ vs Tsuji final with Zack going over

    The worst-case scenario that is actually possible is a Shingo vs. Finlay final with Shingo going over because God, what a boring result. Doesn’t help that it would be an all LIJ two 40+ year old men on the WK main event.

20. Goto Bros I’m gonna walk into traffic

21. I think Tsuji should at least be in the final. NJPW needs to make the younger generation a bigger deal so there’s no point in putting Finlay there, he’s probably not staying for that long and is pushed at the level where he needs to be. No point in having Takeshita in the final either because he’s an outsider. (and it would mean Tsuji would be 0-2 against him)

    My favorite option for the final would be O-Khan vs Tsuji. The most popular and successful guy of the new generation, one of the guys that NJPW tried to present as a part of the “Reiwa 3 Musketeers” against O-Khan who has been put aside by the management at times when it came to present the new generation of homegrown stars even though he’s more or less from the same dojo class as Shota and Ren. I think there’s a cool story here and it’d be a great way to put over the new gen.

    With that said, O-Khan making it to the playoffs is already more than I expected, I could see him beat Shingo and I think he should because there’s no point for O-Khan to be 0-5 against Shingo when a guy like Callum managed to beat him on his first try. But I can’t see O-Khan beat Zack. So I expect Zack vs Tsuji as the final. Which is my second favorite option and probably the more realistic option. I’d say Zack is the favorite to win right now, him and Naito have a well established rivalry, they can’t have a bad match with each other and Zack’s style is pretty easy on the body so it seems to be the perfect WK main event for Naito. I’d like to see Tsuji established as the number 1 guy in LIJ though, and making him the first guy to win the NJC and the G1 in the same year would be a great way to put him over.

22. I doubt anyone but Zack is coming out of A block but I also doubt a non-Japanese wrestler winning the tournament. My boy Tsuji going 2 for 2 in major tournaments this year

23. The REAL “new ACE” of NJPW Yota Tsuji made it to the play-offs of G1 Climax 34 and AEW is going to get GENE BLASTED by him!

24. Am I the only person that still just doesn’t see Tsuji as anywhere near the finished article.

    I don’t think he is as complete as Yuya, he is ahead of Narita and about on par with Shota right now.

    His match pacing always seems to lose the crowd, he would much better as a 10 minute killer but if they are putting the rocket on him they will want longer main events than 10 minutes.

25. I’ll be so done if they don’t give us ZSJ vs Shingo as the semi final. I’m more excited for that then the final.

26. You would think it has to be Tsuji. Finlay or Take obviously aren’t main eventing the Dome. GOK isn’t. I love Shingo to death but what would be the point..he’s in his 40s, he’s had his run, I mean I wouldn’t hate it, but I highly doubt it. I know everyone loves ZSJ but him vs. Naito as the Jan 4 main event makes no sense to me. They’ve run that match 4 million times, and ZSJ just beat him in the block. At the end of the day, ZSJ isn’t homegrown, he ain’t Bullet Club when Bullet Club was Bullet Club, and his style/presentation is very niche. He’s not a guy that’s gonna move the needle for US business in any big way.

    Eventually you have to pull the trigger on one the youngins and see what you’ve got. He’s not perfect, but Tsuji is by far the most ready in marketability and overness. It’s time.

27. Thanks for posting these. We appreciate you.
    GO ZSJ!!!

28. I do not believe Tsuji is winning the G1. Only 3x in G1 history has a block runner up won the G1.

    * 2003 and 2004: Hiroyoshi Tenzan won the G1 after coming 2nd in his blocks
    * 2007: Hiroshi Tanahashi won the G1 after coming 2nd in his block

    Majority of times, the block winner takes the G1. And Tsuji didn’t even come 2nd, he placed 3rd. So I really feel it’s either ZSJ or Finlay taking it. Stil praying for an upset TAKESHITA

29. Delighted and surprised Takeshita is through to the knockouts, thought they’d want an all NJPW line up.

    Really enjoyed the block matches as someone who’s been a somewhat lapsed fan the last few years. Guys like Uemura, Oleg, Tsuji and Gabe Kidd really stood out.

    Really enjoyed Cobb & O-Khans tournaments too, Jake Lee also looks promising, things are looking up