NJPW G1 Climax 29 profiles: EVIL, SANADA

We’re taking a closer look at each competitor before heading into New Japan’s annual double round-robin tournament, the G1 Climax, that begins on July 6 live from Dallas at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific on AXS TV.

EVIL

The devious purple-clad one has been teasing a split from Los Ingobernables de Japon over the past few weeks. He’s notably been bowing out of the usual LIJ pre-match pow-wow on a few Kizuna Road shows.

The timing of this angle points to the idea that EVIL will be exhibiting a new attitude during the tournament, a possible way of getting him over as a credible singles wrestler rather than being stuck with the LIJ label forever. With Hiromu Takahashi on his way back to the Los Ingos fold sooner than later, this summer may be the best time for EVIL to take his career the next level.

EVIL’s matches of substance of late have been tag bouts with LIJ cohort SANADA, particularly with their on-again off-again rivals Guerillas of Destiny for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles, but more casual NJPW fans may know him for his bout with Chris Jericho last October where he had what was arguably his most important singles match ever.

That sentiment could be be shaken up this summer, though, as EVIL’s G1 key match will be against his own stablemate and aforementioned tag team partner, SANADA.

SANADA

SANADA’s career trajectory mirrors EVIL’s in some ways, though his path follows a different and much windier path. His time in NJPW has mostly been spent as a tag team wrestler, though in tournaments like the G1 and the New Japan Cup he has a capacity to have killer breakout matches, and this year very much proves that: SANADA’s Cup run a few months back was quite possibly his most notable career run, with him making it all the way to the finals before Okada won once again.

The finals this year were held near SANADA’s hometown in Niigata prefecture and the crowd was, to put it mildly, all for SANADA. He slightly altered his ring gear for the match and from then on, and now looks more like a quiet, blonde space pirate warrior instead of, well, whatever he was going for previously. SANADA’s rematch with Okada at Wrestling Dontaku 2019 was shortly after his Cup final match, and though he lost, he never lost the affection of the crowd.

After a few years, SANADA is finally finding his footing in NJPW. This year or the next might where he fully breaks out and wins an important title in the company, and it could easily begin with a handful of stellar matches and/or upset wins on any of the heavy hitters within the A Block.