{"id":21012,"date":"2018-06-28T15:45:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=21012"},"modified":"2018-07-12T19:58:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-12T23:58:20","slug":"inside-g128-is-juice-robinson-about-to-get-loose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/06\/28\/inside-g128-is-juice-robinson-about-to-get-loose\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside G128: Is Juice Robinson About To Get Loose?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside G128 is an in-depth look at the 20 participants of New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

“The Flamboyant” Juice Robinson<\/strong> may come across like the fictional love child of Prince and Britney Spears, but that’s part of why he has gained a significant following among New Japan Pro Wrestling<\/strong> (NJPW) fans. Juice made his G1 Climax debut in 2017, after working his way up from Young Lion status to a full-time roster member.<\/p>\n

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Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since February 2017 Juice has earned four singles championship matches, which nearly mirrors Sting<\/strong>‘s rise to stardom in World Championship Wrestling<\/strong> (WCW). While being unsuccessful each time, Juice has impressed with his ‘fighting spirit’ and limitless heart. The show, championship, and champion:<\/p>\n

New Beginning In Sapporo (Feb. 2017), Never Openweight Championship, Hirooki Goto [14:41]<\/strong>
\nWrestling Toyonokuni (April 2017), IWGP Intercontinental Championship, Tetsuya Naito [26:42]<\/strong>
\nDestruction In Kobe (Sep. 2017), IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, Kenny Omega [32:55]<\/strong>
\nRoad To Wrestling Dontaku (April 2018), Never Openweight Championship, Hirooki Goto [26:36]<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 7th at the G1 Special in San Francisco<\/em>, Juice Robinson has another opportunity to capture the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship when he challenges Jay White<\/strong>. A championship victory in the United States could catapult Robinson to an impressive G1 showing.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/JJWilliamsWON\/status\/1008757732005109761<\/p>\n

Last year, Juice scored the biggest victory of his career when he pinned Kenny Omega<\/strong> [15:36], which lead to him receiving his first opportunity at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. This year, Juice’s journey in the G1 will be the biggest under the radar storyline throughout the tournament. He is on the cusp of breaking out and becoming one of the pillars of NJPW; a strong G1 could see him fulfill his potential earlier than anyone expected.<\/p>\n

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Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Below is a list of Juice’s G1 opponents, the date he wrestles them, and his G1 record against them:<\/p>\n

Tama Tonga, July 15th, 0-1
\nKota Ibushi, July 19th, 0-0
\nTetsuya Naito, July 21st, 0-0
\nKenny Omega, July 26th, 1-0
\nToru Yano, July 28th, 1-0
\nSanada, August 1st, 0-1
\nZack Sabre Jr., August 4th, 0-0
\nTomohiro Ishii, August 8th, 0-0
\nHirooki Goto, August 11th, 0-0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His encounters with Tama Tonga<\/strong>, Sanada<\/strong>, and Zack Sabre Jr<\/strong>. (ZSJ) are matches to watch. Each is close to stepping up to the next level, especially ZSJ who went through a tumultuous path to win the New Japan Cup earlier in the year. Of note, ZSJ defeated Robinson on day one of the G1 Special last year in the first round of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship tournament [10:04].<\/p>\n

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Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Juice’s July 26th match against Omega will be intriguing after Robinson was able to upset the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion last year. Juice was able to compile the following record at last year’s G1, his first entry into the tournament:<\/p>\n

4 Total Wins
\n5 Total Losses
\n44.4 Winning Percentage<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While Juice is far from the favorite to win the ‘B Block’ and reach the finals he could very well be the breakout star of the tournament this year. It would not be surprising to see Juice finish with eight (four wins) or ten (five wins) when block action comes to an end.<\/p>\n

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Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do not be surprised if Juice does pick up a victory over one of the ‘B Block’ favorites whether that be Kota Ibushi<\/strong>, Tetsuya Naito<\/strong>, or IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega. This could be the G1 where Juice takes a leap forward and puts himself into position to become an NJPW headliner.<\/p>\n

Catch Up On The Inside G128 Series:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Part 1: Can Tetsuya Naito Go Back To Back?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 2: Who Can Stop Kenny Omega?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 3: Will YOSHI-HASHI Finally Break Out?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 4: Is Juice Robinson About To Get Loose?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 5: Will Michael Elgin Find Redemption?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 6: The Curious Case of Tomohiro Ishii<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 7: Is The Hangman Ready To Take A Big Step?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 8: Does Makabe Have One Last Run Left?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 9:\u00a0Decorated Goto Looks To Add Another G1 Trophy<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 10:\u00a0Will The Cold Skull Heat Up In Time?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 11:\u00a0Good Luck For Bad Luck Fale<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 12: Does The Ace Have Something To Prove?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 13: Yano Is Going To Spoil Someone’s G1<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 14:\u00a0Oh The Web Tama Tonga Has Begun To Weave<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 15: Will G128 Be EVIL?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 16: The King Is Coming For His Throne<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 17: Just Tap Out!<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 18: Is Kota Ibushi Prepared To Soar?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 19: Will The G1 Breathe With The Switchblade?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 20:\u00a0Can Okada Bring Rain A Third Time In The G1?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inside G128 is an in-depth look at the 20 participants of New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2048,"featured_media":21027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,13,14],"tags":[1187,946,2869,2928,181,625,386,170,385,188,619,588,1033,781,172,2940],"class_list":["post-21012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-njpw","tag-g1","tag-g1-climax","tag-g1-climax-28","tag-inside-g128","tag-jay-white","tag-juice-robinson","tag-kenny-omega","tag-kota-ibushi","tag-new-japan-pro-wrestling","tag-njpw","tag-sanada","tag-sting","tag-tama-tonga","tag-tetsuya-naito","tag-zack-sabre-jr","tag-zsj"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2048"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}