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.
Kota Ibushi
Since the Golden Star has finally signed full-time with New Japan, one would expect a monster run in this year’s G1. Last year saw Kota Ibushi make it to the tournament finals where he ate a loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi in one of the best pro wrestling matches of 2018.
Ibushi finished off last year with some momentum, defeating Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Openweight title in December before quickly dropping it to Will Ospreay at the Tokyo Dome in a barnburner of a match at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Despite blowing the roof off the Dome, Ibushi suffered a pretty serious concussion which put him out of action until mid-March, just in time to compete in this year’s New Japan Cup, where he took out Tetsuya Naito in the first round but fell to Zack Sabre, Jr. in the second.
Ibushi’s storyline vengeance came in the form of a quick run with the Intercontinental title until recently, but the title reigns aren’t what fans are talking about these days: His recent headlines are more concerned with his safety. At Dominion this past June, Ibushi took one of the most brutal head-drops seen in the Modern Era which spooked pundits and fans alike, and even soured some on the overall quality of the match.
The more time spent thinking about Ibushi’s 2019 trajectory, the more interesting the act becomes. Where does he go from here? If he’s booked favorably, does that mean he’s in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture come Wrestle Kingdom in January? Ibushi’s next chapter begins this Friday in Dallas against the debuting KENTA.
KENTA
It’s a shame to admit it, but the reality is this: KENTA has not made an impact in the world of pro wrestling ever since he signed with WWE. He moved to NXT from Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he became “Hideo Itami,” then ruined his shoulder and spent about a year out of action. By the time he came back, fickle fans had already moved on and his slow-burn into wrestling irrelevancy began. And it’s a shame, because when he was initially signed he was considered a top draw in Japan and an influential craftsmen to so many younger wrestlers throughout the world.
KENTA must impress this G1. Call it lofty expectations but there is no real way around it — If KENTA’s G1 run doesn’t surpass his three-year WWE stint, the perception of his legacy could be compromised. He’ll become pro wrestling’s rendition of Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, a devastating kickboxer wunderkind in Japan and pretty much a bust in the US.
Thankfully, KENTA’s opening match is with the aforementioned all-around wrestle-genius, Kota Ibushi. To many hardcore fans, this looks like it’ll be a shootboxing-infused aerial spectacle on paper, but when is the last time KENTA worked at such a high level inside the ring? The last time the man went over 20 minutes in recent memory was in his rather disappointing NOAH bout in 2018 against against Naomichi Marufuji.
Does he still have it? We’ll find out this Friday in Dallas.