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| KENTA's back. Tell a friend. Photo Credit: NJPW1972.com |
He's Back - KENTA, it's fair to say, may just be back to his Pro Wrestling NOAH form, at least to the people who watched him in NOAH. Regardless of your exposure level to the guy who was Hideo Itami for fiv or so years, it's good to see that fire back in his belly. Personally, saying he was never good in WWE is revisionism. At least before his first injury, when he had the promise of a major league feud with Kevin Owens ahead of him, he was motivated and was doing good work against opponents of all shapes and sizes. But seeing him vs. Kazuchika Okada just annoy him and hit every little niche of antagonism really brought out the satisfaction. KENTA really doesn't do a whole lot of "moves," but that's not really why people like him anyway. He hits hard, and when he finds a good groove, he works it until there's nothing left in that niche. In many ways, that match with Okada, more than the Hiroshi Tanahashi, Lance Archer, or even EVIL, was a statement that he wasn't just in New Japan Pro Wrestling to cash a paycheck or nurse an injured body.
Now, for as good as the match was (and it was good, but might have been excellent had it shaved maybe six minutes off), the bigger question is will New Japan really go all the way and have Okada win the block as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion? It would give him either the opportunity to pick his WrestleKingdom opponent if he won, or it would set up an automatic rematch for January 4, barring a title switch or a briefcase loss. The thing with New Japan is that sometimes, it's hard to predict what Gedo is thinking, not because he's a master strategist, but because it feels like he's flying by the seat of his pants at times. Still, while A-block is not a foregone conclusion, and while Okada has lost two or more matches in the G1 before, it's going to be interesting to see if they pull the trigger on him sailing into the final match.
The Holy Emperor and the Knife Pervert - In addition to KENTA and I guess *sigh* Bad Luck Fale, this year's G1 isn't really lacking in strong heel presences. Taichi's presence in the tournament was questioned by some, but that "some" consisted of just utter dorks and nerds who don't appreciate a dude who rips his pants off mid-match and lip-syncs operatic showtunes. Jay White, conversely, doesn't really have a gimmick that isn't "being in the Bullet Club," but that's enough for him. Both guys — Taichi with putting Miho Abe in harm's way, using outside weaponry, and pulling the ref in the way of his moves; and White basically cursing, stalling, and having Gedo or Chase Owens run interference — basically follow the best path for a non-outsider, non-Fale heel, which is "being a little shit." One could argue KENTA is one too. The best way to get a differing reaction out of a crowd that expects one thing is to give them something completely different. It helps that Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero show utter antipathy towards both. I wonder what they'll do the next B-block show when Taichi and White face off against each other?
The MVP Candidates Thus Far - So, I wrote about Jon Moxley's run last time, and well, he's kept pace. The Tetsuya Naito match was amazing, and the Shingo Takagi match may have been better. It's hard to say he's had the best slate of matches even in his block, because Takagi has been as hot, if not hotter. Since the first three matches, he lit the ring on fire not just with Moxley Night 8, but his Night 10 match against White was hard-hitting and also cathartic, given that in the moment, everyone hates the Knife Pervert. What about A-Block though? Despite lagging overall, it's not like that troupe hasn't been enjoyable. Will Ospreay, Sanada, and even Bad Luck Fale had enjoyable matches. However, A-block has had some good runs, like Lance Archer, Tanahashi, and Okada. But I feel like KENTA for reasons above is probably the best contender from that block. Of course, each competitor has four more matches left. And really, the Most Valuable Wrestler as named by a blog that has never won a damn award is probably on important to me and maybe a dozen of my most loyal readers. Still though, it's interesting to look at all the wrestlers and their entire slates.
Coming Up - There will be four shows between now and the next time one of these posts goes live, two shows per block. Of the two undefeated wrestlers, it feels like Okada is the one with a better chance to lose a match before next Monday. He has Lance Archer tomorrow night/morning, and Kota Ibushi on Saturday. While an Archer upset would be a bold piece of business, and even if he's a coward most of the year, Gedo can get saucy during the G1, I feel like it's Ibushi that's going to be the more likely upset bid. Moxley could lose to either Toru Yano or White. It actually would be fitting that Mox's debut undefeated streak would end at the hands of YTR in an incredibly disruptive yet entertaining fuck match. Maybe Moxley IS more likely to be knocked off his perch. Weird.
Anyway, as for matches to watch, a few have my attention. First is White vs. Taichi on Night 12, which for reasons stated above, is going to have perhaps the most interesting dynamic. For whom will the commentators pull? Will Abe and Gedo end up brawling on the outside of the ring? Will they just team up and beat the shit out of said commentators? The world will have to wait until Thursday. Another match on Thursday that looks really good is Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto. While everyone looked forward to and generally enjoyed Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb, it feels like Goto is more of a stylistic fit. So as not to spam with B-Block matches, the Archer/Zack Sabre, Jr. match from Night 13 will be intriguing in that Archer has excelled as a bully in this tournament, while ZSJ's bread and butter is catch-as-catch-can-style grappling. Which style will win out? Well, who's to say. Either way, the G1 has been an enjoyable tournament more than halfway through so far, and I expect a strong finish.
