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G1 Season is upon us, and night 1 — the opening night for the G1 Climax 34 — has happened, and I’m shocked, in awe, and head scratching mostly. In the review above, I go over all matches except for one, but I question the decisions of New Japan Pro Wrestling and even talk about the AEW+TonyKhan’s influence.
The writing is clearly on the wall. Tony Khan doesn’t want any of his guys to ever lose to New Japan Pro Wrestling guys. Now, this might change as we go further into the tournament, but honest, it’s probably not. It’ll change if any of my industry friends see this, hear me out, and things change. But I’m not holding my breath for that.
The G1 Climax tournament is supposed to build new stars, new stories, and feuds. I’m all for that combination. However, with the random winnings and losses, nothing makes sense at this very moment.
The Smart G1 Climax 34 match:
Gabe Kidd vs EVIL
We all know that EVIL and House of Torture always interfere and cause a lot of shenanigans. This match however was clean. It was taken to the outside, a fight among the Japanese fans, as that is now Gabe Kidd’s calling card. But EVIL knows about fighting on the outside so well. The smart segment in this match was the ref bump situation. In normal House of Torture matches, the baby face is extremely naive to the obvious ref bump and then all the shenanigans start. In this match we had little to no shenanigans until Gabe Kidd had thrown the ref out of the ring in his bit of rage and Dick Togo came in to choke Gabe Kidd and EVIL did Everything Is Evil to pick up the victory. That ending fell flat but the execution of being a smart match was good.
The Worst G1 Climax 34 match:
Callum Newman vs Shota Umino
My constructive criticism of this match was and is nothing personal. I do not personally know of the two men in real life. My criticism is with the match, the moves, and Callum Newman always going for a fast high spot rather than working his opponent and telling a story and slowing down. Shota went along with it when I know, based on previous matches, Shota can have a good match with someone.
There was a sloppy segment and sequence where NO ONE could get a grip on someone and was slipping off each other? It felt like two rookies just starting wrestling school. Harsh, I know, but NJPW has a decent, good, and great tiers to show off your craft and these are professional wrestlers. NJPW isn’t the monthly indies like on US and UK soils.
It was revealed that Shota Umino suffered a back/hip injury, and he took some time to recover. Apparently, he is 100%. In kayfabe, it would have been a smart storytelling beat if Callum worked on Shota Umino and won with a tap out from Shota. But Callum wants that 15 min viral video and pop from the audience. I legit said and wrote down: The gimmick of the face pace is going to lose its appeal for Callum Newman. Both Shota and Callum need (new) transformative/upgradable gimmicks. Get out of the shadows of their “mentors.”
Callum Newman’s mentor: Will Ospreay. Will Ospreay dubbed Callum Newman “The Prince of Pace” and that’s not a gimmick. That’s a thing. But it’s not a character nor a gimmick just because he’s fast. If anything, take up the mantle of The Flash. I question very simply: Who is Callum Newman. What are his motivations? His story. Maybe, just maybe, using your real name isn’t a way to get over with the crowd. Characters are essential. You can turn your real name into a character. Just do things you as a person wouldn’t do if you can’t be creative to create a character, a story, a lore, and become the full package of a pro wrestler.
Shota Umino’s mentor: Jon Moxley. Ew.
I give my analysis of this match, and it was the worst for the opening night. And wrestling fans hype up the two without realizing that they are still green, young in their skill areas.
AEW+TonyKhan’s Influence in the G1 Climax 34:
Yota Tsuji vs Konosuke Takeshita
Tony Khan doesn’t know how to lose and allow his guys to lose. Tony Khan doesn’t know how play fair. Yota Tsuji just had a documentary done with him by the NJPW production crew. We follow Tsuji’s life outside of wrestling such visiting his high school, talking about American Football, meeting his mother, his friend, and him talking about his motivations and aspirations in pro wrestling. This video was released before the G1 Climax 34 tournament.
Konosuke Takeshita (again, nothing personal) represents AEW more than DDT Pro at this point. Konosuke should have had some NJPW matches in Japan before the tournament so if he did win against Tsuji my push back wouldn’t be so strong. Tsuji is part of the Reiwa Musketeers. That’s basically the next generation to usher in a new NJPW. Tsuji did the Dojo System, graduated, and went on to excursion in the UK and Mexico. Tsuji came back a new wrestler — a man. He challenged Sanada, a former IWGP Champion, and took Sanada to the limit and everyone thought that Tsuji was going to dethrone Sanada. He almost did. Look at this beautiful picture below of what could have been.
Tsuji has put in the work for New Japan Pro Wrestling and is the perfect choice to not only push him as young talent within the company but allow him to win more than losing. Losing to someone that was handpicked by Tony Khan and if reports didn’t get out about Tony Khan giving Jon Moxley a participation trophy in that of the IWGP Championship as a check off the bucket list, then maybe fans — or just me — would think that Tony Khan’s influence is now within the G1. Tsuji is that guy. Konosuke Takeshita didn’t do a thing — yet — in NJPW. This is a similar situation with Jon Moxley. Moxley saying that he’s been chasing the IWGP Championship for five years yet didn’t put in that commitment with NJPW. Like true commitment of at least staying out in Japan and wrestling for all the tours to be established and make his words true.
Tony Khan doesn’t know how to lose. Tsuji was cheated because of Tony Khan’s influence and New Japan Pro Wrestling doesn’t know how to say no to TK.
G1 Climax 34 night 1 - 7.20.24 - standings
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Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Squared Circle Podcast. We hope you enjoyed our deep dive into NJPW G1 Climax 34, exploring the smart and not-so-smart booking decisions, the unpredictable wins and losses, and the influence of AEW and Tony Khan on the tournament. If you have any thoughts or opinions on this topic, we'd love to hear from you. It's okay if you don't agree; we're here to spark conversations and share different perspectives.
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NJPW G1 Climax 34 (night 1): The Smart, The Worst, Unpredictable Wins/Losses, & AEW+TK Influence