Written by Alex Marco (@generalreaction)
As a follow up to an article I wrote that gave a preview of the A Block of the 2019 G1 Climax it is time to take a look at the other side of this year’s tournament field; it’s time to give you a preview of the G1 Climax 29 - B Block. Like the A Block of this year’s G1 Climax, the B Block is made up of a star-studded collection of former tournament winners, former IWGP Heavyweight Champions, three current title holders in New Japan, and several tournament newcomers. A truly diverse mix of in-ring styles will fill out the B Block of the G1 Climax 29, and I’m currently hard-pressed when it comes to deciding who should be the favorite to win this block. That being said, and without further ado, here’s a look at the 10 wrestlers that will be competing in the B Block of the 2019 G1 Climax.
Tetsuya Naito
We kick off this discussion of the B Block with El Ingobernable himself, the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and an early favorite to win the entire tournament, Tetsuya Naito. Over the last 6 years, Naito has been the picture of consistency during his appearances in the G1 Climax tournament. Since 2013, Naito has earned at least 10 points during block competition in each of his G1 Climax appearances and has an 11-point average over that stretch. And in his last three G1 Climax appearances the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon has finished with at least 12 points at the end of block competition. 2019 has been a rather up and down year thus far for Naito. He began the year by defeating Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 13 to recapture the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in a match that I believe stole the show. Naito would go on to compete in the largest New Japan Cup field ever, but would be eliminated from the tournament in the first round after falling to Kota Ibushi. The Golden Star and El Ingobernable would clash for Naito’s IWGP Intercontinental Title in April at the G1 Supercard event held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with Naito once again falling to Ibushi. But Naito would not be separated from the IC Title for very long as he would win the title back from Ibushi at Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall in June. Now Naito enters the G1 Climax tournament as the reigning IWGP IC Champion, where he will look to move one step closer towards achieving his dream of becoming the first man to simultaneously hold the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Championship. To do so he will have to fight his way through the murder’s row that is the B Block, reach the tournament finals, and try to capture his second G1 Climax trophy in the last three years.
Jay White
Last year’s G1 Climax was certainly a coming out party for Switchblade Jay White. In the 2018 tournament, Jay White began his run through the A Block with shocking and jaw-dropping wins over both Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Although he would go on to finish third in the A Block, he earned an impressive 12 points in his first-ever G1 appearance. The New Zealand native would ride that wave of momentum into Wrestle Kingdom 13 where he would once again stun the wrestling world by defeating Okada for a second time in a match that lasted under 15 minutes. The high profile matches would continue for Jay White throughout the beginning of 2019 when he would challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at The New Beginning in Osaka event. The Switchblade capitalized on a wounded Tanahashi and left the audience in stunned silence when he caught the Ace of the Universe with a Blade Runner to capture his first IWGP Heavyweight Title. White’s reign would be short-lived however as he would drop the belt to Kazuchika Okada at the G1 Supercard in April 2019. White now enters the G1 Climax 29 on a quest to regain the title that he believes rightfully belongs to him. The Switchblade will have to contest with familiar foes such as Juice Robinson and Hirooki Goto in the B Block, while also having to compete in first-time matches against the likes of Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, and Jon Moxley. The sinister, calculating leader of the Bullet Club will have to make use of every trick in his maniacal playbook if he hopes to advance through the B Block this year.
Jon Moxley
If you had told me four years ago that a member of The Shield would one day compete in a New Japan ring I would have called you mad. But in 2019, we have witnessed just that. In a tournament filled with new-comers, reigning champions, and hardened veterans there may be no greater wildcard in the G1 Climax 29 than Jon Moxley. The man once known as Dean Ambrose during his time in WWE made his shocking debut on the final night of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where he brutalized Juice Robinson to capture the IWGP United States Championship. Now Moxley will enter into the G1 Climax tournament for the first time in his career, seeking to continue his unpredictable rampage through New Japan Pro Wrestling. When the B Block for this year’s tournament was first announced my mind immediately began to fill with a number of dream matches that I could not wait to see: Moxley vs. Naito, Moxley vs. Ishii, Moxley vs. White, Moxley vs. Takagi, and Moxley vs. Cobb. The Death Rider will bring his unique, aggressive, and violent into a B Block stacked with wrestlers locking to punch their ticket to Wrestle Kingdom 14. And it is safe to assume that, as the reigning IWGP United States Champion, Moxley will have an added target on his back, because anyone who defeats Moxley over the course of the G1 Climax will position themselves for a shot at the title Moxley holds. Moxley will begin his run in this year’s B Block with a lot of hype and expectations surrounding him, and you can bet that the Death Rider will not disappoint.
Shingo Takagi
Much like Will Ospreay in this year’s A Block, Shingo Takagi will enter into the G1 Climax as a wrestler who is part of New Japan’s Junior Heavyweight division. Since debuting last October Takagi has looked all but unstoppable during his time in New Japan. He and his Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate Bushi dominated the Jr. Heavyweight tag team division for several months, capturing the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13. After the duo lost the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight belts, The Dragon of LIJ would then set his sights on the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Shingo would go undefeated during block matches in the tournament and would face off against Will Ospreay in the tournament finals. That match would result in Shingo finally being pinned for the first time in New Japan since his debut, ending one of the most impressive streaks of success for a wrestler who had recently debuted as part of the New Japan roster. Takagi then asked to face wrestlers from the heavyweight division, as he believed the reason that Ospreay was able to defeat him was due to the fact that the Aerial Assassin had gained experience wrestling against stronger wrestlers over the past year. Shingo would earn an impressive win over Satoshi Kojima at Dominion in Osaka, and after the match he would officially declare his intent to compete in the G1 Climax 29. As one of the most decorated champions in the history of Dragon Gate, Shingo is considered by many to be a strong dark horse pick to finish at the top of this year’s B Block.
Tomohiro Ishii
The man who was widely considered to be the MVP of last year’s G1 Climax once again throws his hat into the ring (no pun intended) to try and capture the G1 Climax trophy. Over the past several years Tomohiro Ishii has had a laundry list of show-stealing matches during his appearances in the G1 Climax. Now in his 5th reign as the NEVER Openweight Champion the Stone Pitbull will look to bust some heads once again in this year’s tournament. During his last five G1 Climax appearances Ishii has recorded an average point total of 9.2 in the block stage of the tournament, while also playing spoiler to those who seemed poised to finish at the top of the block. Most recently, in last year’s G1 Climax tournament, Ishii was the first man to hang a loss on the then-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega. Many believe that hard-hitting war of a match left Omega’s body compromised, weakening the Best Bout Machine to the point where Omega would go on to lose multiple matches in the late stages of the B Block (leaving him with a 2nd place finish in the block). In what could potentially be the final G1 appearance for the 43-year-old brawler, Ishii will no doubt bring his “A” game as he attempts to reach the tournament finals for the first time in his storied career.
Juice Robinson
The flamboyant babyface of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Juice Robinson, will enter his 3rd consecutive G1 Climax tournament as part of the B Block. Robinson will look to improve upon a disappointing run during last year’s G1 where the then-reigning IWGP United States Champion finished with a surprising-low 6 points (2 points fewer than the total he had in his first G1 Climax in 2017). This year’s tournament will see a new side of Juice Robinson, a side that emerged on the final night of the Best of the Super Juniors when Robinson clashed with Jon Moxley. In the lead up to that match Juice cut off his trademark dreads and displayed a much more vicious side of himself as a way to show that he was more than just a smiling, happy-go-lucky competitor. But his confrontation with Moxley would result in a crushing defeat, and the now-former IWGP US Champion will look to bounce back by making an impact in the G1 Climax 29. Juice will have a tough road ahead of him as part of the hard-hitting B Block, and it goes without saying that he has mind focused on another encounter with Jon Moxley. This year’s G1 could very well be what elevates Juice to another level in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but the flamboyant one will have to dig deep to prove that he is capable of being a top-of-the-card performer.
Jeff Cobb
Jeff Cobb may very well be the strongest man in this year’s G1 Climax, and the Hawaiian powerhouse will look to make an impact in his tournament debut. Cobb is no stranger to New Japan Pro Wrestling, having competed as part of several different events for the promotion during 2018. Now a star of Ring of Honor, Cobb will make his return to singles competition New Japan for the first time since dropping the NEVER Openweight Championship to Taichi at Wrestling Dontaku back in May. Cobb will find himself across the ring from a few familiar foes in this year’s tournament; I for one can’t wait for him to once again clash against Hirooki Goto in the B Block. As is always the question when it comes to a strongman that enter the G1 Climax, it will be interesting to see how well Cobb’s body holds up during the grueling, month-long tour. It goes without saying that Jeff Cobb has the strength and technique to defeat anyone he steps into the ring with, including all of his opponents in this year’s B Block. But will be the deciding factor of where Cobb finishes at the end of block competition will be how well the former Olympic powerlifter has conditioned his body for the long haul. Don’t be surprised if Cobb has a solid showing in his G1 Climax debut, which could include one or two tournament-altering wins.
Hirooki Goto
A staple of the G1 Climax again find himself an entrant as the Fierce Warrior, Hirooki Goto, will make his 12th consecutive tournament appearance. In last year’s tournament Goto earned his lowest point total in nearly a decade, winning just three matches to finish with a total of 6 points. Tournaments have historically been a place where Hirooki Goto has shined during his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Not only is Goto a former winner of the G1 Climax, but he is also a multi-time winner of both the New Japan Cup and World Tag League. The Fierce Warrior of the Chaos faction will look to recapture his previous tournament form and will seek to reach the G1 Climax finals for the first time since 2016, where his Cinderella run was ended by tournament winner Kenny Omega. However, Goto’s primary goal in this year’s G1 Climax may not actually be to win the tournament. Instead, it appears that he is determined to make sure that Switchblade Jay White does not capture the G1 Climax trophy. Goto will look to avenge his loss to the leader of the Bullet Club that he suffered at the end of April during the Wrestling Hinokuni event when the two clash as part of this year’s B Block.
Taichi
Rounding out the crop of first-time competitors in this year’s G1 Climax, the Holy Emperor of Suzuki-Gun will look to use his underhanded tactics to wreak havoc in the B Block. Taichi comes into his first G1 Climax trying to recover from a hard-hitting loss to Tomohiro Ishii at Dominion in Osakal; a match that saw Taichi lose the NEVER Openweight Championship to the Stone Pitbull. Over the last year, Taichi has shown that he is more than just a wrestler that has to rely on heelish methods in order to win a match. His clashes with Hirooki Goto, Jeff Cobb, and Tomohiro Ishii have shown New Japan fans that Taichi is a capable wrestler and a dangerous striker. The masked maestro has added the devastating Stretch Plum submission hold to his arsenal, and will lock to use this new weapon to capture victories during his run through the B Block. Taichi will have his work cut out for him, however, as he will kick of his B Block matches against Jon Moxley on July 13th, 2019.
Toru Yano
Perhaps the least-likely man to win the G1 Climax 29, Toru Yano should still be seen as one of the most dangerous men in this year’s B Block. I say because Yano has become infamous for his ability to earn shocking, sneaky victories over his opponents during his long career in New Japan Pro Wrestling. The man known as the Sublime Master Thief has a high aptitude for misdirection and rule-breaking, and his unique style has enabled him to pull of shocking upsets during his past appearances in the G1 Climax. During last year’s G1 Climax Yano was the only wrestler among the field of 20 competitors to finish with an average match time of under 10 minutes (he had an average match time of 7 minutes and 24 seconds across his nine B Block matches), meaning that he is capable of capturing victories in the blink of an eye. His opponents will have to be constantly on their toes if they hope to avoid falling victim to a flash pin at the hands of the Sublime Master Thief .
I hope you’ve enjoyed my breakdown of all the competitors who will be a part of the B Block in the G1 Climax 29. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. And a big thank you to my friends at Turn Tweener Wrestling for giving me the opportunity to contribute content to their website. You can visit them online at https://turntweener.wixsite.com/turntweenerblog to read up on the latest news regarding the world of professional wrestling, and be sure to check them out on Facebook and YouTube as well! Until next time, take care and go watch some pro wrestling.