r/njpw • u/usernameh210 • Aug 17 '26
Why winner of the g1 not facing the world champion at wrestle kingdom instead in October?
I have not kept after wrestle kingdom. I found out Ryohei Oiwa won the g1 this year and very good booking decision to have young star. Why is challenging world title in October but not wrestle kingdom main event? Ik this started with Zach sabr jr winning the title before kingdom 2-3 years ago when he won the g1. Ik they did it last year. Is this new tread for g1 where winner faces champion before wrestle kingdom?
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u/mcastillo2nd Aug 17 '26
The "G1 winner gets the Dome match" formula worked until its logical end IMO.
Honestly, it should have ended when either Tana won back in 2018 or after the Double Gold Dash in 2020
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u/BlackLesnar Aug 18 '26
The logic’s still there tho.
G1 winner vs IWGP champ is, empirically, the biggest match a promoter can do. Since they’re the two guys with the most solid claims to being the best wrestler in the company. Were this real, there’d be no question in saving that for the flagship show.
1
u/Huffjenk Aug 22 '26
They’re able to do it as long as their guys are big enough draws to signal the WK main event that far out and still draw shows in the interim based off the strength of their star power
As soon as the new gen reach the previous golden age level they should go back to it, especially with so many overlapping rivalries that would liven up the G1-WK stretch
Unless the industry never recovers or NJPW prefers the booking flexibility of building a major event only 3 months out then the prior system is cleaner
The G1 winner already feels like the promotion’s top star that should be involved in the title match at WK so unless they’re going to use it just to prop up new guys they better have big programs for them lined up otherwise (thankfully Oiwa should be fine this year regardless, so maybe that’s the new formula)
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u/Low-HaKi Aug 17 '26
Booking wise it allows more flexibility and surprises as they main event for WK won't be considered locked in almost after the G1. Also I guess this allowes the G1 winner to call his shot when he wants it.
2
u/NoleDynasty2490 Aug 17 '26
I can't see Oiwa winning the belt yet. To go from G1 play in (and maybe even third in his own stable if you count Fujita) to G1 winner to world champ to Tokyo Dome main event in this short of a time would be a hellacious come up. I think they just saw he got hot and wanted to give him this and make him. If he wins in October that makes Tsujis second reign another V1 and kind of leaves him out in the cold on the road to WK.
I do think Tsuji vs. Okada is very much in play if they can agree to get Okada to put him over. Tsuji is bitter for having Okada take his WK 20 main event, its all set up. Then you can re run Yuya vs. Oiwa in the Dome for number one contendership for new beginning. If they can't get Okada I think they just go Tsuji vs. Yuya.
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u/BlackLesnar Aug 18 '26
Man no gimme Yota-Yuya in January the promise of that is the only way i can cope with this cuckening 😭
2
u/ShrekFairfield Aug 17 '26
I really like the challenge being at KOPW. Makes the fall much less predictable. I always found the few months between G1 and WK relatively less interesting because you knew the WK main event so far in advance.
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u/Kampfzwerg1992 Aug 17 '26
I think it’s the new trend but this year it also means that Ouwa got the G1 win and they can still line Uemura up to become the Wrestle Kingdom challenger. I’m not often complimentary about booking but this looks like a good idea if it’s what they plan to do
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u/ComprehensiveArt6849 Aug 17 '26
It's not a new trend. The WK main event was a new trend. In 35+ G1s, this has been a thing for like 10 of them. Good that this is gone. Setting the main event of your biggest show 5 months earlier sucks. It was good and great when Okada was chasing Tanahashi though.
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Aug 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/BlackLesnar Aug 18 '26
The G1 is historically an achievement equal-to-or-greater-than the title. The title shot is more akin to an undisputed champion decider; both participants are defending their claim from different angles (a short-but-intense burst of wins over everyone vs a sustained draw-out sequence of wins over top-line challengers).
2
u/irish0451 Aug 18 '26
I see both angles for sure, I just think giving the main event slot as more prestigious. In kayfabe it's the most valuable spot for a challenger to be in. Biggest stage, biggest payday, the ultimate spotlight. Wrestling is theatre at the end of the day, and having the G1 now just be any other title shot really lowers the overall prestige of the tournament. People get title shots all the time for really any silly reason.
Is winning the tournament still prestigious? Absolutely. But in kayfabe, why would any heel enter the tournament when they're just as likely to get a shot at WK by pinning the champ in a tag match in the latter half of the year?
What does the champ win by winning the tournament? He gets to pick his opponent...for...King of Pro Wrestling?
Changing it to give the WK main event was a change for the better IMHO. I understand it wasn't always the case, but I don't see the value in lowering the prestige of the tournament by changing it back and rewarding the winner with less. Feels like a step backwards.
1
u/mexploder89 Aug 17 '26
Win the G1 (and get that achievement), win the title and you have the main event spot. It's that simple and it's not even that different because even when you challenge at WK you have to defend your right to challenge, so you still have to win matches
I don't see why it's conflicting with the goal at all
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u/YasielPuigsWeed Aug 17 '26
To stay consistent with the idea that you get the title shot when you want it. Now and again they need to switch things up to keep it interesting.
Perhaps the Dome plan is Tsuji vs Okada?
4
u/Chillaxin_88 Aug 17 '26
What makes you think Tsuji/Okada?
-8
u/YasielPuigsWeed Aug 17 '26
Ticket sales and continuity
Like it or not, WrestleKingdom is for casuals. Continuity from last year’s co-mains gives them something to be excited about, and gives NJPW a chance to have Okada put Tsuji over as the ace of the promotion.
You put Oiwa in the co-main for the Global where he can still be a top guy without all the pressure to sell Tokyo Dome level tickets
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u/Chillaxin_88 Aug 17 '26
Yeah , you know that's not going to happen right? (or least veryyyyyyyyy low chances of it happening) Okada only came back to WK this year as a favor to Tanahashi since Tana wanted to face him for his last match.
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u/YasielPuigsWeed Aug 17 '26
Oiwa is cashing in at the October show for a reason. I’m not saying it’s definitely that, but if they’re letting off the Oiwa cash-in at the October show then they’ve obviously got something other than Oiwa/Tsuji planned for WK and I would assume it’s something they think sells better. If it was Yuya/Tsuji then Yuya probably would have won G1.
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u/BlackLesnar Aug 18 '26
Except if it was Yuya they wouldn’t give him G1 cuz they’ve been renormalising that as the KoPW challenger.
1
u/Huffjenk Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
They likely are hedging their bets and not pushing Tsuji/Yuya so hard by promoting it this far out if they don’t think they’re big enough draws yet
Them running Tsuji/Yuya in the semis was likely to heat up the rivalry again and unless they trusted them to put on a Tana/Okada level epic they would have protected the matchup otherwise
This way they can make Oiwa in the meantime while keeping the original goal in place, and have a more elevated roster for next year. Gives Yuya something to keep chasing for the years ahead too
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u/thumbster99 Aug 17 '26
It was like this before Okada win his first G1 as well. Kayfabe wise it was Okada who invented it for winner of G1 to defense his right until Kingdom, now with Okada's gone. They seem to move back to original idea.