We’re through the first ten matches of this year’s G1 Climax. While losing at the start doesn’t ruin your chances in this round robin tournament, a rough start can set you off on the wrong path. A few men will have to work extra hard after dropping their first match, but Tetsuya Naito might have the biggest mountain to climb after the end of his first match.
Tetsuya Naito Took Zack Sabre Jr. Into Deep Waters – And Drowned
Last year, the G1 Climax was the Tetsuya Naito show. Even though Kota Ibushi won and had the two best matches with Taichi & Minoru Suzuki – Naito broke the record for longest accumulated match time in the G1’s current format. Every time he stepped into the ring, he flirted with the time limit and went into deep waters. He’d try to do the same to start this year’s tournament when he faced off with Zack Sabre Jr.
ZSJ is of course the best submission wrestler in NJPW, if not the world. He’s a dangerous man to take into deep waters, and Naito knew this coming in. However, some vicious attacks on his knees including the final submission which forced him to tap out really did some potentially long lasting damage. He’d need to be helped to the back, with him really struggling to find his feet.
An Injury In The G1 All But Ruins Your Chances </h3
While it’s unlikely someone like Naito will pull out of the tournament, it is expected that he will not be 100% throughout. No one ever is by the end of the tournament, but an early injury can really mess you up. Just look at Hirooki Goto last year, where after starting off with a tough match with KENTA – his arm was in shambles.
It ended up giving him one of his worst G1’s ever. Goto was usually key in the final days, but was unable to really make any kind of impact. This could be the case for Naito this year. He won’t be looking to go past the twenty-five minute mark in every single match this time around, and will need a whole new gameplan.
Will Tetsuya Naito recover before his next match where he faces Tanga Loa? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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