G1 Climax 35 Was a Disaster

I remember sitting down last year talking about G1 Climax 34 and talking about my excitement for it. I spoke on how it was the time to establish a new order with your new generation but should you want a year solid hands like ZSJ and Shingo were available. As is know last year ZSJ won the G1, the belt and the WrestleKingdom main event. This made it seem like this time the ace of a new generation would be crowned. However, for the first time since 2010 and Satoshi Kojima an ‘outsider’ (despite being a contract performer) in Konosuke Takeshita and people are not happy. First of all this isn’t a slight on Takeshita. You could argue he was the best wrestler in the tournament and one of the best in the world right now, this isn’t about him but what it means. 

Well, what it means is Gedo had a year to build up his new ace and new generation, fumbled it and decided a guy who lives in a America and only does the major shows was the pick. In my opinion this isn’t how it should’ve gone, I do think Tsuji was ready to win the tournament as was Uemura. This tournament needed to establish the top guy in New Japan going forward and that mean needed to be someone who is there day in and day out. What is this saying to your fans? Everyone they see there on the road to shows are lesser than the man who likely won’t appear until the next major show in Destruction (I mean Forbidden Door is next but I dunno how New Japan see that show). 

Maybe it’s a weird year. Tanahashi’s retirement match and Aaron seem to be the big draws this year (and you’d hope for your 1 million Yen tickets) so they don’t want to establish a new ace so if Takeshita does what he sets out to do and enter WrestleKingdom as champion what do we do? Shota pinned Takeshita in the G1 are we really going to try Shota again, he doesn’t feel over and isn’t main event ready. Maybe the world title match isn’t the main event and it’s Tanahashi retirement and whoever beats him there they think it’d be better. Maybe an early year retiring Tanahashi, New Japan Cup and World Title win for someone like Tsuji is set up. But you have to rely on that Tanahashi match establishing him as that ace and one to (in the eyes of the fans) bring the belt back. 

Was it so hard to have Tsuji win the G1? Like many I had him winning (funnily enough pinning Takeshita in the final) but I guess it was. My thoughts would be Tsuji wins G1 and belt at WrestleKingdom, Uemura pins Tanahashi and we have our 1A and 1B going forward and everything could be built around them. But nah, too difficult why actually push your talent.

Look the fact this new generation isn’t meeting expectations in the eyes of those booking lays with the booker in Gedo. You had Okada leave and not put anyone over. You had Naito leave and not put anyone over and then to scratch your head about why nobody is over well that’s on you. Every year we get further away from the golden era of booking for New Japan and maybe it’s time for a change. The attendances are down and nobody is being built up. Maybe in January things look different but to me Gedo is going out the same way Arsene Wenger did at Arsenal. At one point a revolution who changed their profession but the more time went on the more they got passed by new people and new ideas as resentment grew. Maybe it’s time to go, maybe New Japan needs a new name with the pencil but who? I don’t have the answer to that apart from it not being Dick Togo because he keeps trying to put the belt on EVIL and can he not.

The rest of this year for New Japan is interesting but not for excitement. There’s trepidation and negativity currently surrounding the product which isn’t what you want. You had the chance to establish your new generation in one month and chose not to. For that the issues that plague reception to New Japan will continue and it will take the Gedo of old the resolve them.