The Royal Grumble is getting patriotic this week as we review WWE's "US Championship: A Legacy of Greatness" DVD! Join us as we fight for truth, justice, and the American belt.
We discuss Schrödinger's Cat and Pavlov's Dog (yes, really), Daryl and Dan ask "What Culture?" and Graeme loses his mind...
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This past Monday, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the participants for this years G1 Climax tournament. For those unfamiliar, the G1 is one of the biggest times of the year for NJPW, originally appearing in 1974 as the World League. The tournament changed names and formats several times before becoming the G1 we know today in 1991. The format of the tournament features 20 heavyweight’s, mostly from New Japan along with a few from other promotions, split into two blocks of 10, where they compete in a round robin tournament against each of the other competitors in their block. Winners of these matches gain 2 points, 1 point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The winners of each block go on to face each other in the final, with the victor gaining a future shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Since 2012, this has taken the form of a contract, much like WWE’s Money in the Bank, which can be won or lost like a championship. The contract guarantees the holder a title shot at the Tokyo Dome on the NJPW New Year show, Wrestle Kingdom, which is traditionally the biggest show of the year. A BLOCKHirooki Goto - 2008 Winner Bad Luck Fale Tama Tonga Sanada Naomichi Marufuji - Pro-Wrestling NOAH Hiroshi Tanahashi - 2007 & 2015 Winner Togi Makabe - 2009 Winner Satoshi Kojima - 2010 Winner Kazuchika Okada - 2012 & 2014 winner, Current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii This block contains some of the big hitters of the G1, 5 previous winners of the tournament, with 2 of those winning it twice, along with the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion. The match everyone will be looking towards is Okada vs. Tanahashi, meeting for the first time since their epic encounter back in January at Wrestle Kingdom 10. It will also be interesting to see both these men face off against former 3-Time GHC Heavyweight Champion Naomichi Marufuji. Another key in this block will be the competitor’s who defeat Okada during the round robin, The IWGP Hvt Championship is not on the line in these contests, but anyone who pins Okada will be in line for a shot at the championship, which will help fill the schedule from September through to Wrestle Kingdom. Another match to watch for will be Bad Luck Fale vs. Tama Tonga as two long serving Bullet Club members face off. How will the two handle this situation? B BLOCKYuji Nagata - 2001 Winner Katsuyori Shibata – Current NEVER Open weight Champion Tomoaki Honma Michael Elgin – Current IWGP Intercontinental Champion Toru Yano Yoshi-Hashi Kenny Omega Tetsuya Naito – 2013 Winner Evil Katsuhiko Nakajima – Pro Wrestling NOAH This block does contain 2 former winners, one of which is the man who only lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a few weeks ago. This block also contains some great first time match ups that people will no doubt be excited for. Katsuyori Shibata seems to be on the brink of the main event scene, and match ups here against the likes of Kenny Omega, Michael Elgin, Tetsuya Naito, as well as rematches with Yuji Nagata and Tomoaki Honma (who Shibata defends the NEVER Open weight Championship against this weekend) will all be ones to watch. Another must see will be the third encounter between Kenny Omega and Michael Elgin. The two just had the best ladder match of the weekend at Dominion (which was the day before Money in the Bank) and had another great encounter a month previous, this third match will probably steal the show. The main contender to watch out for is former IWGP champion Tetsuya Naito, who goes into the tournament as the favourite to win, but to do so he will have a lot of tough opposition, including fellow Los Ingobernables de Japon member EVIL, much like the conundrum for the Bullet Club in A Block, how will the two team mates handle this situation, and how will the different dynamic effect it, with Natio been the leader of Los Ingobernables. AJ Styles recently said that the G1 was the most gruelling thing he has been a part of, with 19 shows in less than a month all featuring headline quality matches, there is a good reason the final of the G1 has already sold out in advance.
We at the Royal Grumble will be covering the action, You can also watch the whole G1 (with English commentary on the opening night, and the final 3 nights courtesy of Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino) on NJPWWorld.com, and the sign up instructions can be found here. Also, leave a comment on our Facebook/Twitter (links in the bar to your right). and as always, listen to the Royal Grumble every Sunday, straight to your podcast listening app via the links in the bar on the right, and on iTunes. Dan |
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