411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling NJPW Edition: Was Kenny Omega The Right G1 Winner?

Welcome back to the latest edition of 411 Fact or Fiction, NJPW Edition! Today we’re talking NJPW and the G1 Tournament. Battling today are 411’s Arnold Furious and Sean Garmer!

1. Kenny Omega winning this year’s G1 Climax was the right call.

Arnold Furious: FACT – Before the tournament started everyone was convinced that Naito was winning, or Okada was winning, or God forbid old crippled wreck Tanahashi was winning (before anyone takes the comments section, this is sarcasm, Tanahashi is great). Pre-tournament people were criticizing the booking before the tournament even started and any of the booking had kicked in! They didn’t credit NJPW with attempting to add to the pantheon of main event talent they had. Everyone seemed to think Omega was leaving and that his sole purpose in the tournament was to lose to Naito on the last night. Well, guess what? You were all wrong, myself included. New Japan went a different route and used the G1 to create a new main event star who the crowd bought into immediately. I didn’t see it coming at all but it was 100% the right decision.

Sean Garmer: FACT – I know there are a ton of Tetsuya Naito fans out there, especially in Tokyo, but the number one thing New Japan Pro-Wrestling needed to do after losing three top stars was to start building new ones. Naito is in that territory now where he’s already over and as long as Gedo keeps him that way in the booking, Naito will keep getting the reactions he gets, selling the merchandise he does, and the fans will continue chanting his name for quite a while. Ever since New Year Dash, where Omega pinned Nakamura and then went on to New Beginning and beat Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, this was destined to be a year for “The Cleaner.” He went on to have a great series with Michael Elgin over that title, while also impressing with the Young Bucks for those NEVER six man belts. Suddenly, he found himself without championships close to G1 and with Naito and Okada facing off several times so close together, we really should have seen the Omega win coming. But you know what the best part of this whole thing was? It’s that we didn’t. Pretty much everyone, myself included, went and did their pickems and had Naito, Tanahashi, Okada, Elgin, Marufuji, you even had the crazies that picked Shibata, but very few picked Kenny Omega. Oh, “he’s too goofy,” “he cares more about doing stuff with New Day,” “he’s going to WWE, they won’t pick him.” All the while, we forget that Kenny Omega isn’t your typical Gajin. The man came up in DDT and main evented there. He did some goofy stuff as a Junior, but he still had the damn good feud with KUSHIDA and established his character for New Japan in the lower ranks. Then as a heavyweight he turned it on to another level. Yeah sure, Japan has been littered with Gajins that could wrestle. However, you haven’t had one like Kenny Omega that not only lives in Japan, but he speaks the language, he loves the culture, the ladies love him, he sells merchandise, and he’s beloved in the west as well. He’s also very hateable as well and he knows when to be goofy and went to turn it down. This is what his G1 was about. He got more serious as it went along until those last two matches with Naito and Goto, where he just brought it and was super serious at the same time. Then he got to be himself again after the matches were over. Now he has the briefcase, he’s made the Bullet Club into an important faction again, and New Japan are on their way to solidifying Omega into being a star for the promotion. Will he beat Okada at the dome? I don’t know if I can go that far, but hell, I wouldn’t say the company would be wrong if they did have him be IWGP Heavyweight Champion at the end of the night.

2. You are over the Toru Yano matches in the G1, and hope he is excluded next year.

Arnold Furious: FACT – The issue with Yano is that he’s generally used as an off day for the guys. So they can work eight tough matches and have one they don’t have to work so hard during. Which would be fine if there was a guy doing the same thing in the other Block and there never is. It’s unfair to the guys in the other Block and it’s an affront to the hard work of everyone else in the tournament. I like Yano and I dig his gimmick but it wears thin over the course of a tournament and if you’re billing G1 as the greatest wrestling tournament in the world then you don’t need Yano. Much like Gallows and Takahashi were welcome in their absence this year. The field was consistently strong this year, with the specific exception of Yano. He’s become an anachronism in this tournament. Modern tournaments feature awesome guys in every match. He’s dragging the average down and his matches are mostly skippable.

Sean Garmer: FICTION – Yeah, the Yano matches in general aren’t very good, but I’d still rather have him than Yujiro in the G1. Depending on where Yano’s G1 match is placed on the card, his match can be a nice palette cleanser or a calm before the storm. I also spent every day or at least every other day reviewing the G1 shows, much like Larry, Arnold, and Kevin did for 411. I get where his matches can be annoying to people that just wanna see “good shit,” especially when it comes in the middle of the G1 matches for that night. However, I think he provides something that other people don’t. The crowd seems to enjoy his comedy and I enjoy him too. Some of his matches can actually be fun. Sure, when he’s facing guys like Honma or guys that aren’t doing a whole lot, they can be boring. But New Japan could do much worse than Toru Yano.

3. NJPW completely ruined the Hiroyoshi Tenzan angle with his poor booking in the G1.

Arnold Furious: FICTION – I would have had this as a ‘fact’ for most of the tournament until I saw where the booking was going. The emotion, when Tenzan lost in his final Block match and finished dead last, was so moving it brought a tear to my eye. Pre-tournament Tenzan was a sentimental favorite and he turned back the years on the first night but after that it became clear he was too old to be in the tournament. Which is why he wasn’t originally booked in it. NJPW knew best but Tenzan thought he deserved another shot. His performances, while memorable for their heat and sympathy, were simply not good enough to merit that spot. There was a great line in Voices of Wrestling’s review of Tenzan’s last match where they said “nobody beats the hourglass”. That’s a perfect way to describe the situation. Tenzan is unfortunately done at this level and although he tried his best he couldn’t live up to the spot. For me the booking was perfect. Although at times I moaned and complained that Tenzan should have been alive in the tournament to make his later losses feel more important ultimately I was sadder to see Tenzan end up rock bottom of the block. Would I have been that emotional if he’s narrowly failed to win the Block? No. It was crushing to see him that badly beaten. Kojima cried, I cried. Wrestling is great.

Sean Garmer: FACT – I wouldn’t say “completely ruined.” Could Tenzan have won more and been involved at the end? Sure he could have. However, I think we forget that Gedo does like to book the G1 like a sporting event. Tenzan was only going to break down the further he got into the G1. So, as he got further along, he was going to start losing because he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the younger guys or guys that have more endurance than he does. The issue is, to have all the guys you had involved at the end, you had to have people lose more. Maybe they could have done Makabe’s G1 a little different and Gedo could have given Tonga less points, or just totally kill Fale, but then it wouldn’t have been the same G1. Gedo likes to use Fale as a monster in the G1 and he always gets around 10 to 12 points. As much as the West doesn’t seem to like Makabe, he is still a big draw for New Japan. They wanted to book him strong at first to make his losses later a bigger deal and so he’s not doing the same story as Tanahashi. Tonga getting more points was so that they could try to establish him as a singles guy, much like what Gedo did with YOSHI-HASHI in the B Block. Also, Fale and Tonga doing good to great in the G1 points wise, goes along with trying to make Bullet Club a bigger deal again. Not to mention, what Kenny Omega did in winning the whole thing. So, Tenzan didn’t have the heartbreaking story to finish his final G1, but it would have also taken some steam out of what happened to Naito and Goto. Everyone that was still in contention on the final night had a purpose and I wouldn’t change a thing.

4. This is the perfect year to have the G1 winner lose the briefcase en route to WrestleKingdom.

Arnold Furious: FICTION – Had Goto won, I would have said ‘fact’ without any hesitation. Goto choking, even when he’s won big, is perfect Goto. However with Omega having won the tournament I’m all in on Omega being the headline act at Wrestle Kingdom. I know a few people were a little upset that Naito did all the great work that he did this year and has been removed from the main event scene ahead of the biggest show of the year but that doesn’t mean he’s finished as a main event. Naito will be back. He’s proved he can be champion. He’s proved he doesn’t care if he’s champion too. Naito has become a draw being Naito. He doesn’t need the title to tell a story so he’s likely to find himself in a high profile match at Wrestle Kingdom. If Naito beats Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom I’m sure all the people who are complaining about him not winning G1 will be fine with that.

Sean Garmer: FICTION – If Hirooki Goto had won the G1 Climax 26, then yes I would agree with the question because it would go along with his story. There’s no one that does the comeback story better than Gedo. He could actually get the crowd to care about Goto in his story to finally triumph after this ultimate setback of losing the briefcase. Goto would certainly not be Damien Sandow. Kenny Omega SHOULD NOT lose the briefcase. You are trying to firmly establish him as a star and him defending against YOSHI-HASHI, getting revenge on Michael Elgin, and beating the crazy Shibata to make it to Wrestle Kingdom would be wonderful for him. Shibata would be the only one that I could really see defeating him. I’d hate to see that, because Shibata deserves his own G1 story. They have kept Shibata and Okada separate for the most part all these years in singles matches, but still, he’s such on the cusp of being a big guy for them that I think they can certainly wait one more year with him. Omega had an excellent G1 match wise and if you are going to have him win the whole thing, you need to go through with it. Depending on who you read, he’s either a free agent after this year or signed until 2018. Either way, you should probably take the let’s do something with him right now approach. Shibata has gone through too much in his past to leave New Japan again. He will be there. Omega may not after 2018. Capitalize on him, while you can. Even if they don’t have him win the belt at WK, he has so many friends in WWE right now, barring a big injury, WWE will always have their eye on him. Don’t worry about others and take care of yourself. I do think someone will lose the briefcase one of these days, but unless they have a story like Goto’s, it probably needs to be someone like Okada or Tanahashi that could take the loss and it not hurt them too much.

5. Tomohiro Ishii was the clear cut MVP of the G1 Climax.

Arnold Furious: FACT – It was touch and go at times. If you’re talking about big matches and big performances it’s really tough to judge because everyone had a moment to shine. Elgin had a load of great matches in this tournament. Naito was really good. I thought Marufuji was outstanding. However for consistency there’s no one like Ishii in these tournaments. Last year I thought he was the MVP. He is again this year. You have to look at his matches with Okada and Tanahashi, the two biggest stars in the tournament. Both the Ishii matches were out of this world. No one else had matches that great against the two top guys. I also rated some of Ishii’s tags very highly on the undercards. The tag with Marufuji vs. Makabe & Juice Robinson was the best undercard tag on the entire tour. Most of his tags were over *** and down to his work rate in them. Even the worst matches he had during G1 were pretty good. I don’t see anyone else with that level of consistency. Even the top tier, hard workers in this tournament like Marufuji and Elgin who were above everyone else. Ishii cares about every match and gives 100% every time out. He was magnificent in this tournament, as he was last year, as he will be next year if he’s not injured.

Sean Garmer: FACT – Clearly, Tomohiro Ishii was the MVP of the G1, he’s arguably been underrated for years, and deserves to be in the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Year category as well. As Larry would say, “Tomohiro Ishii shits out four star matches.” The dude started this G1 on fire and he ended the G1 matches on fire. He never stopped in-between either. Night after night, Tomohiro Ishii delivered. There are other guys in the conversation certainly. Naomichi Marufuji was the Michael Elgin of 2016. I read G1 previews with people bashing the guy for being in the tournament. Then what does he do? He goes out and silences everyone. Marufuji didn’t just go out there and chop and kick people’s heads off, he did the little things to help make matches very good to great as well. Hiroshi Tanahashi is absolutely amazing. The man is at 50 or 60% and still goes out and has performances like he did. Michael Elgin was absolutely wonderful and also delivered every single night pretty much. He would be my No. 2 for sure. Tetsuya Naito was nothing but consistent. He had a plan for every match and he stuck to it. Sometimes it cost him and in the final B Block match it absolutely burned him. But the guy was absolutely solid. I could go on, YOSHI-HASHI brought it, It took Okada a little bit, but when that man decides to turn it on, he amazes every time. EVIL was solid, even Bad Luck Fale was better than he normally is. I almost forgot Katsuhiko Nakajima debuting in the G1 and not only had the awesome match with Elgin, but he was very good the other nights too. But it should be Ishii at the top for everybody.

6. Both Naomichi Marufuji and Katsuhiko Nakajima should be brought back for next year’s G1.

Arnold Furious: FACT – Both of them performed extremely highly throughout the tournament. Nakajima was a level below but his work in the tag during the final night was perhaps the best heel work of the entire tournament. If he’s coming back, which he should be to work with Shibata, you’re looking at one of the hottest properties in wrestling over the next six months. If he keeps that momentum he will not only be back at next year’s G1, he could be in contention to win it. Part of me would rather Marufuji and Nakajima were kept away from the tournament for a couple of years to make their appearances mean more but generally G1 delivers on the in-ring and if they don’t have the likes of Nakamura and Styles around they need a strong field. This year was good, next year could be even better. I’m particularly interested to see how the junior/heavyweight divide plays out over the next year. Will KUSHIDA be in the G1? Could Will Ospreay be in the G1? Once you open that door the possibilities are endless. Could other NOAH talent come in? Might we see Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Minoru Suzuki, HARASHIMA, Shingo Takagi or Kento Miyahara involved? Who knows? That’s the beauty of running a tournament that every top guy wants to be in.

Sean Garmer: FACT – Depending on how long they do this NOAH vs. NJPW stuff, I could certainly see them back. It wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of them didn’t join New Japan permanently either, or perhaps they agree to some kind of talent exchange to have both of them around more. They both were vital parts of their blocks and brought fresh matchups and great wrestling to the G1. I have no problem seeing them again.

7. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being shit and 10 being amazing, what would you rate the 2016 G1 Climax Tournament and why?

Arnold Furious: 9 out of 10 – I’ve heard complaints that this years G1 hasn’t lived up to the past 2-3 years and I get that because at the top end, before the last three days, it wasn’t hitting MOTYC level on the same consistent basis. However I’ve watched everything from the G1 over the past three years and for overall consistency this may be the best of the lot. Not just for tournament matches but for undercard tags and the overall excellence of the shows. It’s been a fantastic viewing experience. There were a few nights I could probably have skipped and not missed much but the tournament as a whole was wonderful. Most people have their Christmas in December. I have it between late July and mid August where I open up a series of gifts from the Land of the Rising Sun. Long may it continue.

Sean Garmer: 9 out of 10 – The G1 last year certainly didn’t give us four borderline five star matches, with two matches that I’ve seen almost everyone give five starts outright. You had one, which was the Final match between Tanahashi and Nakamura. Sure, last year and certainly the years past have had higher ceilings, but you still had guys in there like Doc Gallows, Yujiro, an unmotivated Tenzan and Fale, plus Toru Yano. This G1 had a much higher floor. Aside from Yano’s matches, you had maybe a handful of matches that were not at least three stars or better. You also had the story with Tanahashi, Naito going from the expected winner to losing in the upset at the end. Goto getting in by the stroke of luck and then losing in the final. Kenny Omega’s rise to stardom. YOSHI-HASHI and Tama Tonga proving they belong. You had stories in the other G1’s as well, but to say this wasn’t at least a very good G1 would be simply idiotic, especially with how the tournament closed. Perhaps the new format they started last year drags a bit and there’s no one forcing you to watch the undercard either. I chose to do Larry’s direction with my audio reviews and I was so much less exhausted this year, than I was last year when I wrote and did a podcast for each show, including the undercard matches. I very much enjoyed this G1 and it was great in my eyes.