Making it to the finals of the G1 and winning would be the most ideal scenario for Umino.
Block action in the 2023 NJPW G1 Glimax tournament kicks off on July 15th. There are four blocks with eight wrestlers in each of them.
Among those in the A block are IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA, Kaito Kiyomiya, Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino. NJPW1972.com released an interview with Umino to promote his appearance in the G1 and during their chat, he was asked about his ties to AEW’s Blackpool Combat Club.
Shota stated that he is not in B.C.C. but his what he and Jon Moxley have is deeper than babyface/heel fan opinion.
He’s (Jon Moxley) doing some incredible things in AEW right now, love or hate them. There were a lot of people asking me these few weeks if I was part of Blackpool Combat Club, and the answer is that I’m not. I said it all in my backstage comments in Osaka, but me and Mox, it’s something that’s deeper than a babyface and heel fan opinion.
When asked what would be the most ideal scenario for him when it comes to the G1, Shota stated that he wants to face Kazuchika Okada in the finals.
I think Okada’s making a run to the final, and for me to meet him there and win would be the best story for me.
In late June, New Japan pushed out the announcement that they are formally dubbing Umino, Ren Narita and Yota Tsuji as the ‘Reiwa Three Musketeers’. Umino expressed that he thinks it’ll be a while before he’s at the top and in a position where he can carry the company.
If you think back to the Rainmaker Shock, who was there right at the top opposite Okada? Tanahashi and that was about it. But right now, Okada is there, and Tanahashi is still there. So is Naito, so is SANADA, Ishii, Takagi, Ospreay, Finlay, Zack. There’s a lot of hurdles to overcome wherever you look.
I managed to beat Zack in the New Japan Cup, but then there was David Finlay right after him, and he managed to make it to the finals instead of me. So if I’m completely honest, it’s feels like it’ll be some time yet before I can be right at the very front line, right at the top and carrying the company.
Night one of the G1 is going to feature a singles match between Narita and Umino. That match is fourth on the card and Umino said having the label of being a mid-carder is not a good one. He feels that for years to come, a match between himself and Narita has to be a marquee bout and if there was any acknowledgment of them being the future, they would’ve been in the main event.
So to me, my only problem with this match is that it’s on fourth. If there was any acknowledgement we’re the future around here, they would put us on last. If they didn’t have the guts for that, they should have put us first.
To have that judgment of, well those guys are mid-carders sucks. Umino versus Narita has to be a big drawing match for the next 10, 20 years in my opinion. But I guess it’s down to both of us to make the company regret not putting this as the main event.
The G1 Climax wraps up on August 13th in Ryogoku.
