Backstage Rumor on Original Pre-COVID-19 Booking Plans for G1 Climax 30 Tournament

– Speaking on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared some details on this year’s original booking plans for the G1 Climax 30 tournament for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). According to Meltzer, this year’s tournament was designed to be a major showing for Will Ospreay.

According to Meltzer, the original booking plan was to give Ospreay a strong showing in the tournament ahead of making him one of the top six stars in NJPW. Meltzer stated, “Ospreay was going to do really well in the G1 this year in the original booking. It was actually geared to be his movement — this G1 was actually geared to be his step to the — that big step up to where — I don’t want to say Big Four, but maybe Big Six.”

Per Meltzer, other wrestlers expected to do well in the tournament are EVIL and Kazuchika Okada. NJPW has not yet confirmed Ospreay as competing in this year’s G1 Climax, and the tournament is slated to begin on September 19. That means international wrestlers, such as Ospreay, who would have to travel to Japan and meet the two-week quarantine requirement basically have to have left for Japan by this week.