2003
August is the biggest month of the touring year for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This month hosts the annual, prestigious G1 Climax, a tournament of many nicknames - "midsummer festival", "battle of New Japan's strongest", "pinnacle of the heavyweight community" - no matter what you want to call it, it translate to BIG and IMPORTANT. It only gets larger than this on the Dome shows, and the G1 Climax is the only series that can generate the same sort of anticipation and hype as the Dome events. To fully understand the importance of this concept, you have to go back to the very start. The tournament was created to determine New Japan's strongest wrestler. One could argue that the IWGP Heavyweight Title does that, but the G1 gives wrestlers no time to rest up between big matches, they have to face five other top fighters on almost successive days, and if they qualify for the final stage, have to then win two more matches to win the entire thing. That's seven matches to win the G1 Climax, even more if decision matches are necessary.
It all began in August, 1991, when only New Japan's elite natives and foreigners squared off, separated into two blocks of four. In Block A were Tatsumi Fujinami, Keiji Muto, Big Van Vader, and Scott Norton. In Block B were Riki Choshu, Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono, and Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow. The big story of the first G1 was Riki Choshu failing to win even one match in his block, finishing on bottom with zero points. His former rival and reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Tatsumi Fujinami, fared better, but still missed out on the final. Indeed, three of New Japan's young upstarts - Hashimoto, Muto, and Chono - advanced before the veteran natives and strong foreigners. Because they drew in the group stage, Chono and Hashimoto were forced to fight a decision match on final day, Chono winning in close to 16 minutes. After this, he had to face Muto in the final. Even after such an exhausting battle earlier on, Chono gave it everything he had, as did Muto, and the result was a match that shaped a new era, and to this day is considered by many as the greatest match in New Japan history. Chono powerbombed Muto in almost half an hour to win the first ever G1 Climax, and a match of such quality and significance gave the tournament massive credibility in it's first year, and made it a regular fixture on the New Japan calendar. Following their epic final, Muto and Chono were joined by Hashimoto in the ring, and the three stood side by side, and hollared Antonio Inoki's famous "1-2-3-DA!" call. Officially, a new generation was born, the era of the "3 Musketeers". Chono said this day was the start of a new time for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and how right he was.
Many G1s followed, upholding the standard expected from Japan's leading wrestling company. Chono made it two in a row the following year, beating WCW's "Ravishing" Rick Rude in another half hour blockbuster. 1993 saw a big uprising for Hiroshi Hase, who upset both Hashimoto and Chono, before succumbing to Fujinami in another great final. 1994 is when Chono truly established himself as "Mr. August" or "Mr. G1", winning his third G1 in just the fourth year of the tournament! Chono bested young upstart, Power Warrior (Kensuke Sasaki), in the final, but the real story was Chono's ongoing transformation. He threw down his trophy and certificate after the match, and his transition to the legendary heel icon was unfolding. 1995 saw Muto win his first G1, beating Hashimoto in yet another gripping final. 1996 was the year of Riki Choshu, who blasted his way back into IWGP Heavyweight Title contendership with a victory over Chono in the final. Chono, by this time a complete bad boy, was denied his fourth G1, and Choshu would go on to challenge Hashimoto for the title at the Tokyo Dome on 1/4/97. 1997 was the first time since the G1's creation that a brand new star was created directly from the tournament. After Chono's victory in the first year, only established names would capture it until now. In 1997 though, Kensuke Sasaki's star rose, when he won his first G1 Climax with a victory over Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the final. This was the beginning of a huge year for Kensuke, in which he would win the IWGP Heavyweight Title for the first time and eventually make the "3 Musketeers" into the "Big 4". 1998 again saw an established wrestler win it, but this one had special meaning. It was the culmination of Shinya Hashimoto's amazing success in that decade, as he captured the one prize that had eluded him, the G1 Climax, when he beat Kazuo Yamazaki in the final of what many believed to be the best overall tournament since 1991.
The "third generation" uprising began in 1999, when Manabu Nakanishi defeated Hashimoto in his final group stage bout, and Muto in the final, all on one show, to win his first G1. This would boost the former amaresu sensation up the card, and he went on to challenge Muto for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in October at the Tokyo Dome. 2000 saw a new approach to the G1 Climax, and a relatively unsuccessful one compared to other years. Instead of the traditional two block format when undertaking the round-robin system, a "World Cup" style four block system was implemented. This meant that many veterans, plus some junior heavyweights and young prospects, were given entry, but in the end the tournament lacked the same epic aura as others, and the new idea was put to rest that year. Regardless, the tournament did see some interesting matches and situations, with the Block A struggle between Yuji Nagata and Takashi Iizuka, which resulted in two matches between them (group stage and decision), captivating fans and winning awards. It was the year of Kensuke though, and he became the first man holding the IWGP Heavyweight Title to also win the G1 when he beat 1999 winner, Nakanishi, to form a monopoly of New Japan's singles prizes. Backstage, a tearful Kensuke hugged his mentor and reigning site foreman of New Japan at the time, Choshu, and all was perfect for New Japan's "complete champion". 2001 saw many changes in New Japan, with the company moving in a new direction, but it produced one of the best G1 tournaments in history. Osamu Nishimura's performances were one of the main highlights, as he began to break out for the first time since returning from cancer treatment the year before. However, it was Yuji Nagata's time to step up, and he did so, with successive victories over Fujinami, Chono, and Triple Crown Champion, Muto, elevating him to main event level for the first time in his career. This would plant the seeds for the Nagata era, leading to his record-breaking IWGP Heavyweight Title reign in 2002 and 2003. Last year's G1 saw quite a surprise, when Mr. G1 himself, Chono, shocking many by capturing his fourth tournament. He defended the honour of the company against threatening outsider, Yoshihiro Takayama, beating the big man in another memorable final. Following his win, the entire New Japan army united against Takayama, Kazuyuki Fujita, and other foreign enemies, with Chono, Nagata, Tenzan, and Nakanishi standing on separate turnbuckles and saluting the molten crowd.
It's now August, 2003, and time for the G1 tradition to continue. Each year, the tournament creates an unmatchable sense of importance, grandeur, and is the absolute highest single tour in professional wrestling for quality heavyweight singles matches. The importance of the G1 Climax cannot be overstated, no other tournament in professional wrestling comes close to it! The 2003 G1 Climax has the potential to be the best in history, and that is no exaggeration. In addition to the typically stellar home-based lineup, with every front line member and many of the top young prospects involved, two major outsiders, Takayama and NOAH's Jun Akiyama, will be involved. This is one of the most difficult to predict installments in G1 history. Just who will win this thing? It's time to take a look at the entrants, to assess their recent form and chances.
Block A is a "pure pro wrestling" themed group. With the exception of Nakanishi, the wrestlers in this block have shunned the popularity and influence of vale tudo in pro wrestling, and even Nakanishi utilizes an old school wrestling style. While the inclusion of NOAH's Jun Akiyama will no doubt create some intense situations, at heart this appears to be a more no nonsense group than Block B that will focus on great, traditional wrestling matches. The name power and range of styles in Block A is quite remarkable too, and this could result in one of the greatest set of matches in G1 history if the full potential is realized.
- Masahiro Chono (13th participation, 1991, 1992, 1994 & 2002 winner)
Chono laid down the foundations for what the G1 Climax has become, and any G1 without him would mean a piece of the puzzle was missing. He has been in all thirteen installments, winning four of them. His win last time was very unexpected, in a year when people named Nagata, Tenzan, or Nakanishi as the probable champion. But as good as those three are, I don't think anyone could have pulled off such a passionate, emotional final against the invading outsider (Takayama) like Chono did. It was truly a great performance by Chono, who defended New Japan to the death and kept the tradition of no outsider winning the G1 Climax alive. Chono's odds to win this year's tournament have to be lower than last time, for one big reason. Since April, he has been wrestling with a mangled knee that requires surgery, but he has been holding it off. Even in May, when he faced Kenta Kobashi at the Tokyo Dome, he was dragging the knee along with him, and it was virtually useless. He has had chance to rest it a little, but a blown out knee isn't going to miraculously heal, and that is one of the things that may hamper his chances. Additionally, the amazing talent field of Block A isn't going to help his cause, with Nishimura, Tanahashi, and Akiyama especially destined to target the injury. You can never rule Chono out though, and with the Cage Death Match against Takayama following the G1 (possibly with Takayama's IWGP Heavyweight Title on the line), he will want to use this tournament for momentum.
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan (9th participation)
Tenzan has become the G1 Climax's new generation Shinya Hashimoto, only without the long-term singles success that Hashimoto had prior to finally winning his first G1 in 1998. Tenzan has come so close on many occasions, his best opportunity being the 1997 installment, when he lost to Kensuke Sasaki in the final. He beat Kensuke last year in the G1, and it got him into the semi final, but he found himself still unable to exceed his mentor, Chono, falling to him. Tenzan has been tipped to win the G1 for years, and each year people say "NOW is his time!". Is 2003 truly his time? He suffered a major slump in form in June, losing an IWGP Heavyweight Title challenge against Takayama, then with Chono, dropping the IWGP Tag Team Title days later to Yoshie & Tanahashi. He regained some form on the summer tour, before leaving for an overseas expedition to Calgary for practice. Tenzan returned to Japan yesterday, and revealed that he had spent four hours per day in Canada training hard, and claims he has been "born again" both physically and mentally. He has added some pounds, conditioned himself better, and is promising to debut a new strangle titled the Anaconda Vice, that he insists will exceed the Buffalo sleeper. With his confidence and hunger, Tenzan has to be considered a strong favourite to take it all this year. Also, his desperation may drive him beyond his limits, and at last, Tenzan could ascend to the top tier, if he can just convert his massive tag team success to singles competition.
- Manabu Nakanishi (7th participation, 1999 winner)
Nakanishi is a very late addition to the tournament, having been given Kazunari Murakami's spot days ago. Murakami himself was a replacement for the injured Ken Shamrock, so this spot has been messed around with a lot. The addition of Nakanishi ensures that New Japan's entire front line is in the G1. Nakanishi won the G1 in 1999, then made the final in 2000, so is no stranger to success in this tournament. Last year he was upset in a semi finalist decision match by then-tag partner, Nishimura, so missed out on three successive spots in the finals. This year, it's anyone's guess how Nakanishi fares. A handicap against him, like Chono, may be a knee injury he picked up in his K-1 fight against TOA. It isn't nearly as serious as Chono's, but probably vunerable to attack. Nakanishi hasn't wrestled since his crushing K-1 loss to TOA, but he doesn't seem too disspirited by it. He has clearly separated kickboxing and pro wrestling in his mind, and wants to use whatever knowledge he obtained in his vale tudo fights so far and add it to his proven pro wrestling approach. Nakanishi's success in this year's G1 is one of the most difficult to pick, due to his lack of competition since K-1. Key matches for him will be against another former amaresu star, Akiyama, and of course against his eternal rival, Tenzan.
- Osamu Nishimura (5th participation)
Nishimura has been one of the main highlights of the last two G1s. In 2001, he began to break out as one of New Japan's most unique superstars, and won the hearts of many fans with spirited performances, even in losing. He was nicknamed "Mr. Marathon" during that G1, because of his long, grueling matches against Muto, Chono, Tenzan, Kojima, and Liger. 2002 was a continuation of 2001 for him, the same approach, spirit, and popularity, but better results. He made the semi finals by upsetting Nakanishi in a decision match, and headlined Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan in an amazing match against Yoshihiro Takayama, that almost blew the roof off of the building. Last year he was one step short, this year he will want to take that final step. Along with Tenzan, he is the only notable heavyweight of the "third generation" yet to win a major singles prize. So like Tenzan, his hunger and determination for what eludes him may drive him to a tournament win. Again like Tenzan, he has taken the time to travel overseas and prepare himself for the tournament. Tenzan chose Canada, while Nishimura chose the pyramids of Egypt to cleanse his mind and body. Nishimura is not about winning and losing though, he's all about skill, effort, and of course, the belief of Muga (meaning "selflessness"). Again, all of his matches should be a treat to watch - win, lose, or draw. Never, EVER, rule out Nishimura as a threat though, he can cradle anybody at any time, no matter what their rank in the wrestling world.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi (2nd participation)
Along with Nakamura, Tanahashi has become the most recognizable young prospect in Japanese wrestling, and 2003 has been a major breakout year for him. In March and April, he won his self-proposed G2 U-30 Climax, which earned him an early spot in this year's G1. Then in June, he and Yoshie captured the IWGP Tag Team Title from Chono & Tenzan at Tokyo Nippon Budokan. Tanahashi has really made big strides this year, moving up the card and slowly but surely shredding much of his young lion image to become an emerging superstar in New Japan. This is his second G1 Climax, and his first was a huge success, with victories over both Kensuke Sasaki and Shiro Koshinaka last year. Tanahashi is surely going to win a G1 one of these years, will it be this year? The obvious thing working against him is the cast of older, more experienced, and more accomplished veterans in the very elite Block A. So, this may not be the year for his victory, but one or two big wins may result in a rewarding experience for one of New Japan's great young hopes.
- Jun Akiyama (1st participation)
Akiyama is one of two big name outsiders to enter the tournament. He has been one of NOAH's aces since the company formation, and now looks to utilize his talent on the highest stage for heavyweights, the G1 Climax. Akiyama is one of the favourites to reach the final stages, but whether he has the killer instinct to take the whole thing and go on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title remains to be seen. One thing working against him is his recent loss to Nagata, which was quick and brutally to the point for Akiyama. Akiyama has already said he wants to shed the humiliation of that loss in the most direct way - by beating Nagata either in the semi finals or the final itself. There is a big chance the two could meet, so don't rule that out. Akiyama will add another dimension to the G1, bringing the novelty and diversity of an outsider to New Japan. One match to look out for, which may be the sleeper hit of the tournament, is Akiyama vs. Tanahashi. Akiyama has been praising Tanahashi for months as the best young heavyweight out there, and their match could be something special.
Block B will focus less on pure wrestling than Block A and more on the "hot fighting" boom that has swept New Japan. This approach has created some of the most intense, gritty matches in recent history, with Nagata being the very best at it. His match with Yasuda from April was a fitting example of how a match doesn't have to be "pure" in nature to be epic. Nagata, Takayama, Nakamura, Yasuda, and Shibata all utilize styles strongly influenced by either the old UWF(i) and/or PRIDE. Yoshie is the only member of Block B who hasn't been influenced by the vale tudo boom, but has had high quality matches with Nagata and Takayama before and is capable of switching to the "hot fighting" style.
- Yuji Nagata (5th participation, 2001 winner)
Nagata is one of the most blessed and gifted wrestlers on the planet, and has been in very good form lately. After beating Jun Akiyama in 6 1/2 minutes on a recent NOAH show, Nagata said he now wants to obtain "two Gs" - the G1 Climax and Kenta Kobashi's GHC Heavyweight Title. Before challenging Kobashi, assuming that match is set up as most expect it to be, he has the G1 to worry about. Nagata won the 2001 installment in brilliant fashion, and boosted himself up to main event level. After the late 2001/early 2002 slump, with those much documented losses to Cro Cop, Akiyama, and Yasuda, Nagata clawed his way back to the top and became the most successful IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history. He lost the belt to Takayama in May, but in a way it has helped him, as it allowed him to explore more options, including his invasion of NOAH, which has been very successful for him so far. Nagata's chances of winning the G1 are naturally high; he's better than ever, in good form, and free of injuries. Of course, the most anticipated match of his campaign will be when he meets Takayama for the third time in singles action, and where he gets chance to avenge his IWGP Heavyweight Title loss.
- Yoshihiro Takayama (2nd participation)
Takayama is perhaps the biggest pro wrestling success story of the new millenium so far. His trips into PRIDE made him a cult icon, and gained him immense popularity, because of the amazing fighting spirit he displayed against Kazuyuki Fujita and Don Frye. Like in PRIDE, he wasn't the most successful pro wrestler results-wise, but his performances won him great fanfare. In 2003 though, his win-loss record has improved massively, and he's now one of the top dogs in that regard, labelled the "ace of the Japanese professional wrestling mat" by media in Japan now. He holds both the IWGP and NWF Heavyweight belts, and has been making two defenses per tour recently. Indeed, Takayama is one of the most imposing outside threats to New Japan ever, and enters the 2003 G1 Climax almost unbeatable, so any loss he might suffer will be big news. As the 2-crown king, Takayama has to be considered all but a lock to make at least the semi final round, and a strong candidate to make the final and possibly even win the whole thing, which would solidify his status even more.
- Yutaka Yoshie (3rd participation)
Yoshie struggled for results in his first two G1s, managing two victories in 2000 and just one in 2002. Since then though, he has really stepped up in many ways, and has become a very popular enforcer figure in New Japan, a threat to any wrestler. As an IWGP Tag Team Champion, he has something to justify his entry above names like Iizuka, Makabe, and Blue Wolf, and could quietly challenge for second place, especially if he can obtain wins over Nakamura and Shibata, both of whom he is senior to in New Japan. Yoshie seems to be targetting Takayama as his main scalp in this year's G1, promising a big surprise when they meet. This stems from Yoshie's fierce loyalty to New Japan and disdain for outsiders, so Yoshie beating Takayama could be one of the upsets of the tournament. Yoshie's chances of winning the G1 are slim at best, but look out for possibly one or two big wins.
- Shinsuke Nakamura (1st participation)
Nakamura enters the G1 in his first year as a professional wrestler, just like Kenzo Suzuki did in 2000. Unlike Kenzo though, Nakamura cannot be ruled out as a threat to the others in his block. Certainly, victories over Yoshie, Yasuda, and Shibata are not out of reach; he submitted Yasuda in just his second pro wrestling match at the Tokyo Dome in January, and has already submitted one of Yoshie and Shibata's seniors, Iizuka. Nakamura's match with Nagata will be one of the most anticipated of the tournament, as the two have formed a mentor/disciple type bond, and a tag team recently, yet have never squared off in singles action. Also, in a rematch from June, Nakamura will fight Takayama, aiming for revenge after his failed NWF Heavyweight Title challenge. He is one of the most remarkable rookies in wrestling history, and if he can make the semi final round or even finish third in his block, that would be a great early accomplishment for the "supernova".
- Tadao Yasuda (7th participation)
Yasuda is one of two Makai Club representatives in the G1 Climax, and despite his disassociation from New Japan over the last couple of years, has not missed any of the last seven tournaments. Yasuda enters this year's G1 with a question mark over his head. He has failed to find any sort of consistency this year, with direct losses to Nagata, Tenzan, Takayama, Nakamura, and Nishimura in different match types. As the leader of the Makai Club, he will be expected to finish at least above Shibata by Makai president, Kantaro Hoshino, or could finally be ousted as leader of the group. From a technical perspective, Yasuda is the only weak spot of the entire tournament, but if his match with Nagata is anything like their April blockbuster, he could be in one of the tournament's better matches. Yasuda proved last year that you can't really predict anything about his win-loss record, as last year he lost to lesser ranked members of his block, yet defeated both Nagata (by countout) and Nakanishi (by pinfall). Perhaps the easiest thing to predict about Yasuda's campaign this year is that at least one of his matches will finish in a DQ or countout result.
- Katsuyori Shibata (1st participation)
With Ken Shamrock now sidelined due to injury, Shibata is the sole Inoki recommended entrant into the G1. He was revealed as "X" a while ago, and will compete in his first G1 Climax this August. It's been quite the year for Shibata, because before his injury in 2002, he was an emerging, but mid-level junior heavyweight, and here he is now as one of New Japan's top heavyweight prospects, with a countout victory over Nagata in June to his name. Although he has shown himself to be a very talented all-rounder, Shibata has been utilizing a Murakami-esque brawling style lately, to show the new side of him. Though he has a K-1 fight coming up in the near future, positive results in the G1 could be vital to his near future success in New Japan, and if he finishes above or directly beats Yasuda, may be in a position to take over the Makai Club as leader. Like Nakamura and Yoshie, Shibata can't be ruled out as a threat, because all it takes is one or two upset or inconclusive (countout, DQ, no contest) losses for Nagata and Takayama to allow for a surprise semi finalist from Block B.
Last year's G1 was decorated by some entertaining undercard matches, particularly trios bouts involving wrestlers from New Japan, Osaka Pro, and KAGEKI. This year, both Josh Barnett and Enson Inoue will be involved in undercard feature offerings. A chain of singles matches have been set up for Josh; he will face Masayuki Naruse (8/10), Masahito Kakihara (8/11), El Samurai (8/12), and Blue Wolf (8/14) on successive conventions. Then, at Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan on 8/15, he and Koji Kanemoto face Naruse and Pancrase Mission's Minoru Suzuki in a special tag match. Josh, along with Enson, will work in so far unannounced matches on both the 8/16 and 8/17 Ryogoku Kokugikan shows too. Hopefully, some junior heavyweight matches will also be added to undercards, to give shows that added diversity that last year's tour had. Also, if Iizuka, Makabe, and Blue Wolf are on shows, that will also boost them.
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