Every summer, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) hosts a tournament called the G1 Climax. It’s a round robin tournament where several wrestlers are broken into two groups, or blocks, and they’re awarded points. You get two points for a win, one point for a draw, and absolutely nothing for a loss. At the end, the two wrestlers with the most points in each block face each other for a chance to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which will be held by Kazuchika Okada until the end of time, because he deserves to.
So what if WWE did a similar tournament? What if, instead of the Royal Rumble, the WWE had a tournament like the G1 Climax? Instead of blocks, you could have the brands, and whoever won the whole thing got to main event WrestleMania? This is purely hypothetical, and I’m not saying get rid of the Rumble, but hear me out.
What If WWE Did a Tournament Like the G1 Climax?
The Raw Block
The best thing about the G1 Climax is all of the crazy match-ups you get that you wouldn’t see otherwise. For instance, this year, we’ll get to see Omega vs. Okada III! The title isn’t on the line, but the stakes have never been higher, can they possibly top KOvKO II?
On Raw, it would be no different. Sheamus and Cesaro are a tag team now, but with a shot at the title on the line? And who wouldn’t jump at the chance to see any two members of the Shield face off. Assuming Brock Lesnar isn’t the Universal Champion, he could run through the tournament as well.
The SmackDown Block
On SmackDown, the possibilities are even more plentiful. There are plenty of incredible match-ups. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. just about anyone sells itself, but John Cena and AJ Styles jump to the top of the list. And what about a rematch between Cena and Styles? The two have had a great rivalry over the last year and a half. And with the right stakes, who is to say Cena vs. Randy Orton wouldn’t be stellar?
The best thing about these tournaments though, is the ability to create a new star. Imagine someone like Sami Zayn or Tye Dillinger pulling off a great upset. They don’t even have to win the tournament, but what if Sami Zayn beat John Cena? What if Tyler Breeze beat Randy Orton? It levels the playing field and allows for great storytelling.
Is this going to happen? Likely not. The WWE have had great success with the Cruiserweight, and U.K. tournaments, and the Mae Young Classic is shaping up as well. A tournament with their established superstars? Could be a lot of fun, just saying.
