G1 Climax 29: Breaking down potential winners from each block

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From July 6 to August 12, the most prestigious tournament in all pro wrestling will take place.

The winner of this tournament will receive a title match opportunity in NJPW’s biggest show, Wrestle Kingdom. The 29th edition of this tournament is the most opened it has ever been with many potential contenders to take the trophy home and main event Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Below are the blocks for the tournament.

Block A:

Archer
Evil
Fale
Ibushi (2018 Finalist)
KENTA
Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champion)
Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and winner of the BOSJ)
Sabre. Jr
SANADA
Tanahashi (2018 Winner of the G1 Climax)

Block B:

Jeff Cobb
Goto
Ishii (NEVER Openweight Champion)
Jon Moxley (IWGP US Champion)
Naito (IWGP IC Champion)
Juice Robinson
Taichi
Takagi
White
Yano

In Block A—

The odds of the winner coming from this Block are slim, since most editions of the tournament the winner comes from the block that does not feature the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Still it has many strong candidates to win the G1 Climax. The favorites of this block to win the G1 are:

Ibushi: He just signed a contract with NJPW and his odds of winning are better than ever.
Ospreay: The winner of the BOSJ is a favorite to win the G1 Climax. NJPW current top foreigner would make history by winning the BOSJ and the G1 in the same year.
KENTA: NJPW’s new signee KENTA has returned to Japan. Former NOAH wrestler will try to prove the world he has what it takes to be a top star in NJPW after a terrible run in WWE.
Okada: The odds are against the IWGP Heavyweight champion, as usual, in the G1 Climax but maybe Okada can change that.

In Block B—

The winner of this year’s G1 Climax is most likely to come from this block. Something interesting to consider is the fact that this is the block with he most champions in it, with 3. The favorites to win the G1 from this block are:

Moxley: Wrestling’s new hottest star will be wrestling for the first time in this tournament. The IWGP U.S. champion could be the thing NJPW needs to put the world’s eyes on the promotion once again and Moxley winning the G1 could be it.
Naito: The leader of LIJ wants to become the first IC and Heavyweight Champion of the promotion and winning the G1 would help him do that. Naito is not a stranger to winning the G1, he has won this tournament in 2 different occasions (2013 and 2017).
Takagi: The Dragon, after losing the finals of the BOSJ, will try to take home the G1 Climax and go to Wrestle Kingdom.
White: The former IWGP Champion and one of NJPW biggest foreigners will try to become the second foreigner to win the G1 Climax this year (Kenny Omega was the first one in 2016).

This year’s G1 Climax is really open for all participants the year as they fun for the most prestigious tournament in all wrestling.

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The Scrap’s Juan Carlos Reneo is from Spain, he writes about and loves professional wrestling. Make sure to follow him on Twitter (@ReneusMeister).

About Post Author

Juan Carlos Reneo

The Scrap's Juan Carlos Reneo is from Spain, he writes about and loves professional wrestling. Make sure to follow him on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/ReneusMeister">@ReneusMeister</a>).

juan.thescrap@gmail.com