Inside G128 is an in-depth look at the 20 participants of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s 2018 version of the G1 Climax tournament. The G1 is considered to be the most prestigious tournament in wrestling. Every individual in the field has their own unique story, as they prepare to make their claim as the best endurance wrestler in the world.
The G1 Climax is full of storylines, and while not as strong as ‘B Block’ on paper, ‘A Block’ has intrigue to it as well. Chaos member YOSHI-HASHI is an interesting figure despite not being a New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) headliner. Throughout his career, YOSHI-HASHI has shown the ability to compete with anyone on the roster — however, he often fails to close on opportunities to truly breakout.
With Yujiro Takahashi, David Finlay, and Chase Owens all beginning to stand out, this may be Yoshi-Hashi’s last chance to prove himself worthy of placement in the G1. Many have already written him off; expecting him to finish near the bottom of block competition. If that is the end result, it’s not likely YOSHI-HASHI will return to the G1 next year.
He has pulled off major upsets in the G1 during his two entries (2016 & 2017). In 2016 he was able to defeat Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH) [12:02], Evil [12:48], and Kenny Omega [12:16]. His victory over Omega was the biggest victory of his career; leading to him unsuccessfully challenging Omega for his Wrestle Kingdom IWGP Heavyweight Championship championship match at Destruction in Hiroshima on September 22, 2016.
In 2017, YOSHI-HASHI’s surprise G1 victory over Bad Luck Fale would haunt Fale; preventing him from advancing to the finals. Below is a list of YOSHI-HASHI’s G1 opponents, the date he wrestles them, and his G1 record against them:
Togi Makabe, July 14th, 0-1
Evil, July 16th, 1-0
Minoru Suzuki, July 20th, 0-0
Michael Elgin, July 22nd, 0-1
Kazuchika Okada, July 27th, 0-0
Hiroshi Tanahashi, July 30th, 0-1
Jay White, August 2nd, 0-0
Bad Luck Fale, August 5th, 1-0
Hangman Page, August 10th, 0-0
If YOSHI-HASHI is going to make a surprising run, he will need victories over Togi Makabe, Michael Elgin, and manage to upset Evil once more. Despite having the ability to finally make his mark, his 0-5 New Japan Cup record combined with his G1 struggles do not suggest “The Headhunter” will find glory in several weeks.
Along with never making it out of the opening round of the New Japan Cup, YOSHI-HASHI has compiled the following disappointing record during his two G1 entries:
5 Total Wins
13 Total Losses
27.8 Winning Percentage
It’s likely YOSHI-HASHI will again play the role of spoiler. Another victory over Bad Luck Fale could ruin Fale’s aspirations of advancing to the finals. His fellow Chaos stablemates of Jay White and Kazuchika Okada also have their eyes on hoisting the G1 trophy, imagine the turmoil within Chaos if Yoshi-Hashi were to upset either one.
Anything can happen in the G1, meaning that YOSHI-HASHI is going to show up with ‘fighting spirit’ and make life miserable for his opponents: win or lose.
