New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy have made their predictions for Night 3 of the tournament, which takes place this Monday July 16th.
(You can check out the Predictions for Night 2 here)
Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 3 of the G1 tournament. Here are the bouts:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White
Togi Makabe vs Minoru Suzuki
Michael Elgin vs Hangman Page
Kazuchika Okada vs Bad Luck Fale
YOSHI-HASHI vs EVIL
Ian Carey – My predictions for the second night of A Block action are as follows:
- Jay White beats Tanahashi – this way he’ll have 2 straight wins in a main event and he avenges his loss to him at the Tokyo Dome last year
- Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe
- Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page – I think Elgin will lose a lot later in the tournament because he’s selling an arm injury
- Bad Luck Fale beats Okada – This is my underdog pick, then everyone will comment on how poorly he’s (Okada) doing and he’ll come back to win the block in dramatic fashion
- EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI
Jake Jeremy – I actually agree with your Fale assessment, but I can see Okada actually losing quite a few matches and NOT winning the block. One of the biggest grievances that I’ve seen surrounding Okada is that he doesn’t emote enough, if he is seen to have more of a personality and “human” in this post IWGP title run then when he finally gets the belt back it’ll mean that much more. Anyway here’s my predictions:
- Jay White beats Hiroshi Tanahashi – I’m still seeing Jay White win A Block
- Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe – This’ll get Suzuki’s tournament started after the loss to Tanahashi
- Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page
- Bad Luck Fale beats Kazuchika Okada
- EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI
Ian Carey – I just know NJPW has a lot invested in the guy (Okada). I think he wins G1 and beats Omega in the Tokyo Dome. I think Okada defends the title against Jay White early next year unless they’ve decided Naito and Omega are just more popular and they should be the top two guys…which might be the case, plus with all the international expansion talk things might change up fairly dramatically
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?????14?????https://t.co/OPjEJIoCYq#njpw #g128 pic.twitter.com/cbaDvMhPwT— ?????????????? (@njpw1972) July 15, 2018
