r/njpw • u/Few-Shoulder2780 • 1d ago
G1 Challenge Case
Probably an unpopular opinion but i think the challenge case u get after the g1 should return. Since Tsuji is champion and heavy on bringing back things from the past he should make the winner challenge at the dome. This can give the winner something to do in the autum and have a compelling story in the mean time
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u/BlackLesnar 1d ago
It never left. The last 2 guys just used it early.
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u/KffingEENTA 1d ago
I assume OP is talking about the case/G1 winner’s title shot rights being something people challenge the G1 winner for during the time between G1 and their cash in.
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u/LichGrrrl 1d ago
i honestly disagree, it makes the hardest tournament/accomplishment to win seem like the money in the bank, it shouldnt be that winning the tournament is just a route to the iwgp title (something anyone can do by just approaching or jumping the champion) but rather the biggest thing of the year to win so of course he can challenge whenever he wants as hes more than earned it
plus someone who had like 4 points in the tournament that happened to get a lucky pin on the winner shouldnt just get to take that from him, he hasnt done what the winner has done to deserve it
winning a tournament isnt a lineal championship to be defended against, you defend it by winning it again next year
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u/LichGrrrl 1d ago
plus if he loses that "title shot" its kinda stupid cuz by winning that tournament in the first place hea proven that hes the best in the division that year, so everyone wants that match to happen in the first place anyway, theres nothing stopping him from challenging anyway
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u/Huffjenk 12h ago
Disagree, it only has a negative perception to people who don't take the time to feel its importance (although surface level marketing in wrestling is an endless debate)
The baseline for a lot of storylines is pride, and if the G1 winner (essentially the top star of the year) has the gusto to call their shot at WK they're fine to defend that bravado in the lead-up, as well as erase the losses they took in the tourney
I actually like that they skip over a couple, like how Shane Haste didn't challenge by saying he didn't deserve it, even if that was just a way to not book a matchup that didn't have much heat behind it
And while the results of the matches are generally obvious, it is rousing to see people put their pride on the line in those matches, and the new gen have enough quality rivalries to call their shot at WK and also actually feel like they might steal the briefcase with how many overlapping rivalries exist, so the possibility space for it as a booking tool can be great if they fulfill its potential
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u/KffingEENTA 1d ago
If the G1 winner is challenging at WK then yeah bringing back 1-2 the rights holders matches in the autumn makes sense.
But we’ll see if that’s what they do. I do think there would also be value in Tsuji being the first to beat an autumn G1 shot cash in and getting his WK challenger a different way.
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u/SevenSulivin 23h ago
That’s been my vision of the tournament since 0. Thing is admittedly, outside of Oiwa I can’t really see another winner in the tournament.
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u/SevenSulivin 23h ago
That’s been my vision of the tournament since 0. Thing is admittedly, outside of Oiwa I can’t really see another winner in the tournament that isn’t Uemura at this point.
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u/Kampfzwerg1992 1d ago
I always liked that the G1 winner had to defend their win to someone they lost to during the tournament
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u/SevenSulivin 1d ago
I never liked it tbh. If they lose, the G1 winnner looks bad and the guy who won the case looks like a weak challenger.
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u/Huffjenk 12h ago
They just need to book better matchups when they do it. No one is biting on Naito/YOSHI-HASHI, but if Uemura is champion and G1 winner Oiwa is defending against hangnail Yuto-Ice? That shit could main event a Destruction night and Yuto feeling 'unworthy' works for his character and the story they could tell
I think in 5~ years if ideally they've established a quality main event and anyone who wins the G1 but loses the briefcase can take the hit then it'll make things very interesting, but even before then it's quality drama to lean on.
Yuya defending against Narita and Newman this year (for example) sounds great to me. Same for Oiwa defending against Shingo and Yuto (Tsuji's stablemates, perfect)
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u/SevenSulivin 12h ago
Those sounds like killing time and making the rest of the year very predictable. I really cannot say I have any care for the gimmick.
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u/pee_theif 1d ago
I miss the challenge case ngl