You ever scroll through YouTube and something pops up on your algorithm that you’ve never seen before?
The other day, I was looking for some videos to watch, and I came upon a video titled “Every Summerslam if the G1 Climax Winner faced the WWE Champion” from a channel called Apron Bump.
The title captured my attention right away, so I clicked on the video to watch it. I got maybe five minutes in before having to stop because the guy in the video speaks in such an obnoxious, annoying fashion that I didn’t want to listen anymore.
The idea intrigued me enough that I decided to blatantly steal the idea and write about it in a column.
It’s a simple premise… imagine a world where WWE and New Japan are working together, and the winner of New Japan’s annual G1 Climax tournament earns themselves a match against the reigning and defending WWF/WWE Champion at WWE’s SummerSlam event. SummerSlam and the G1 Climax tournament take place at around the same time every year, so it’s a somewhat logical connection.
Before I get started, I have to point out that the timeline of some of these pairings wouldn’t work. In most years, the G1 Climax tournament comes to an end anywhere from one to three weeks before SummerSlam happens. However, there are a handful of years that have SummerSlam taking place on the exact same day as the G1 Climax finals, and a couple other years where SummerSlam actually took place before the G1 Climax tournament even started.
This is all make believe, anyway, so for the sake of this exercise, just pretend that every year sees the G1 Climax tournament coming to an end in that one-to-three week window ahead of SummerSlam.
Also, the G1 Climax tournament technically goes back to 1974 under different names, but I’m going to be starting with 1991, which was the first year that the G1 Climax name was used, and the fourth year that SummerSlam was in existence.
We’re just having fun here. Let’s take a look at what every year’s match would be if the G1 Climax winner went on to face the WWF/WWE Champion at SummerSlam.
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan vs G1 Climax Winner Masahiro Chono (1991): I love this matchup, simply based on the nWo connection that would come five years later. Of course, Hogan’s heel turn to form the nWo would change the game completely, but Chono would join the group later on in 1996, and he would be the leader of the nWo Japan faction in New Japan, as well.
Of course, Hogan in 1991 was still relatively young (38 at the time of SummerSlam), and that means that his body hadn’t completely broken down yet. Chono, on the other hand, was only 27 at the time, and smack dab in the physical prime of his career. He was still able to handle the Puroresu style before injuries would eventually destroy his in-ring skills.
If… IF… Hogan could be motivated to work more of the style he used in Japan when working out there, this could’ve been a blast. That’s a big “if,” though, of course. Hogan definitely had his fair share of fun performances in Japan, but he didn’t exactly have a ton of great in-ring performances in WWF matches during that time period.
WWF Champion Randy Savage vs G1 Climax Winner Masahiro Chono (1992): Another battle between future nWo stablemates! This one is a much more intriguing option than Hogan vs Chono. With that one, you had to hope Hogan would play ball, so to speak. You never had that concern with Macho Man. He was going to give you 100%, night in and night out, no matter who his opponent was.
What I would’ve looked forward to most here would be the crowd reaction. Don’t forget… 1992 was the year that SummerSlam took place at the old Wembley Stadium in London. Putting an American wrestler against a Japanese wrestler in London, especially back before the days of the internet, could’ve led to a very interesting reaction. Of course, it probably would’ve motivated Savage and Chono to up their games a bit more, in an attempt to win the crowd over.
If we’re going to keep it all the way honest with each other, I think I’d even have Chono come out victorious here. In this exercise, these aren’t matches where the WWF Title is on the line… but even in a full fledged fantasy booking scenario, can you imagine New Japan wanting to be in this type of working relationship where their representative loses to the WWF/WWE representative 36 consecutive years and counting? You’re going to have to find some opportunities for some New Japan wins, and come on… it wasn’t happening against Hulk Hogan in 1991.
WWF Champion Yokozuna vs G1 Climax Winner Tatsumi Fujinami (1993): Well, well, well… now things are getting very interesting. On one side of the ring, you have the 500+ pound WWF Champion, and on the other side of the ring, you have one of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever exist, trained by all-time greats such as Karl Gotch and Antonio Inoki.
On paper, you might think this match would be pretty ugly, but I’m not 100% sure about that. Don’t forget that Yoko’s best matches were against Bret Hart, who is the exact same size as Fujinami, and brings the same in-ring style that blends the technical and submission worlds together.
Do I think this would be a five-star classic? No, of course not, but I think it has the potential to be a lot better than you would think at first glance.
WWF Champion Bret Hart vs G1 Climax Winner Masahiro Chono (1994): Speaking of Bret Hart… the Hitman is here. This continues the “big man, small man, big man” streak for the WWF. With Bret Hart involved, you know the exact level of quality that you’re going to get. He’s the “Excellence Of Execution” for a reason, after all.
This would’ve been a blast for me, as these two would’ve gone out there and worked quite the “snug” match in front of what would be an appreciative crowd in Chicago.
WWF Champion Diesel vs G1 Climax Winner Keiji Muto (1995): Well, I guess they can’t all be winners, can they? This match would be asking a ton out of Muto (best known to American crowds as The Great Muta from his time with WCW in 1989 and 1990). This was before Muto’s body began to break down on him, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than greatness out of him at this stage, but 1995 Diesel was a different type of wrestler altogether.
By this point in his career, Kevin Nash had shown he was more than capable of participating in a really good, entertaining match when he was motivated enough to do so. The problem is that he was seemingly only motivated when he was wrestling his friends. If he had a match involving Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, or Sean Waltman, you were going to get something good. Everyone else wasn’t going to get a fully motivated Nash, with the exception of Bret Hart, who was able to get some really good matches out of him. Unless I’m missing some information and Keiji Muto is actually a member of the Kliq, this match is going to have the odds stacked against it.
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels vs G1 Climax Winner Riki Choshu (1996): This is more like it. 1996 Shawn Michaels was the underdog that was going to bump like a pinball for opponents, and although Choshu wasn’t the largest man alive (listed at 6’0″ and 265 pounds), he was always looking to use his amateur wrestling background to throw people around, and he was damn sure looking to remove their heads from their shoulders with his Lariat.
Just as an added bit of fun, Choshu was given the Sasori-gatame as his finisher by Karl Gotch, who trained him and who invented the move. Sasori-gatame translates to “scorpion hold.” You might know it better as the Scorpion Deathlock, but probably even better as the Sharpshooter. The idea of Shawn Michaels having to face one of the first people to ever use the Sharpshooter, while being in the middle of his real-life issues with Bret Hart, makes me smile.
WWF Champion The Undertaker vs G1 Climax Winner Kensuke Sasaki (1997): Here’s where the first real “catch” comes in. This was the first year when SummerSlam took place on the same day as the finals of the G1 Climax tournament. 1997 was also the year that Taker held the WWF Title at SummerSlam, but he dropped the title to Bret Hart that night. In my scenario, the G1 Climax tournament is moved up, which means that Bret doesn’t get his title shot at SummerSlam (oh, no, Bret is getting screwed again!).
The idea of this match really intrigues me. Both Taker and Sasaki are notorious throughout the pro wrestling industry, known as two of the toughest men to ever step foot in a wrestling ring. Taker has never been afraid of a little physicality, and Sasaki was someone who had probably gotten into two fist fights by the time he sat down to have breakfast every morning. These guys are going to beat the hell out of each other, and I’d be all for it.
If you want to get crazy, how about Taker losing this match? Outside of the real-life loss to Bret Hart at the real-life SummerSlam that year, the only people that Taker was losing to around this time were larger guys and/or brawlers. While Sasaki doesn’t have the height of someone like Sycho Sid or the weight of someone like Vader, his ability to bring the fight to opponents has me looking in his direction for the win here.
WWF Champion Steve Austin vs G1 Climax Winner Shinya Hashimoto (1998): Here’s another pairing that features two tough badasses that aren’t afraid to dish out punishment and receive it in return.
There’s a lot to love about this one. Austin, of course, is one of the greatest draws of all-time, and this was right in the beginning of the “Austin Era” that began earlier that year. Hashimoto, on the other hand, was perhaps the biggest draw in all of puroresu at the time, in what may have been the biggest and best time for the sport in Japan. Throw in the aforementioned desire that both men had to be as physical as possible… then sprinkle in the match taking place at Madison Square Garden, where a lot of the “smart fans” would know and appreciate Hashimoto to begin with… and you have the makings of something special.
What’s especially fun about this one is that it’s the first match I’ve listed that happened (albeit not in a singles capacity) in real life before the fantasy scenario took place. In 1995, while he was still “Stunning” Steve Austin in WCW, Austin went on an excursion in Japan with a handful of other WCW talents. During the tour, he had three different tag matches that saw Hashimoto on the opposite side of the ring. Not only that, but the first of those three tag matches is a fun part of pro wrestling history. During that match… Austin teaming up with Arn Anderson to face Hashimoto and Manabu Nakanishi… Austin would tear his triceps. He finished the NJPW tour, but while he was out of action recovering from surgery to fix his injury, Eric Bischoff would infamously fire him via a letter sent to Austin by FedEx. This sent Austin to ECW, where he cut those legendary anti-WCW promos that got him noticed by the WWF, which sent him to work for Vince McMahon… and then he literally helped to change the wrestling business forever.
WWF Champion Steve Austin vs G1 Climax Winner Manabu Nakanishi (1999): Another “catch” happens here. At SummerSlam 1999, Mankind won the WWF Championship, but for this exercise, it would mean the Triple Threat Match between Austin, Mankind, and Triple H doesn’t happen, and Austin would represent the WWF in this crossover match.
This match would’ve been something different than the previous year’s Austin match. While I wouldn’t say Nakanishi (perhaps better known to American fans for his time in WCW as Kurasawa in 1995 and 1996) is a bad wrestler, but he’s nowhere near on the same level as any of the New Japan names I’ve listed to this point. He had a good power game that would benefit him here, even though he was roughly the same size as Austin. That’s about it, though.
This is the first match of anything I’ve listed that actually took place in singles form before the fantasy scenario. During the same tour of Japan that I mentioned in the 1998 entry, Austin and Nakanishi squared off in singles competition twice. I’ve watched a ton of wrestling in my life, but I can honestly say that I have yet to see either of those matches. Sorry.
WWF Champion The Rock vs G1 Climax Winner Kensuke Sasaki (2000): See, now this is completely different than the previous Kensuke Sasaki match on this list. Whether you like The Rock or not, you can’t say that he is well-known as a “tough guy” in the business. With The Undertaker, you know he would have no problem going toe-to-toe with Sasaki on the physicality scale, but can you say the same about The Rock and Sasaki?
While I don’t think Rock would be as willing to get into a slugfest as Taker would, I think that would tell a better story in the ring. Let’s not forget just how insanely popular Rock was in 2000. When “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was put on the shelf with his neck injury, people were concerned about the WWF not being able to handle his absence. Not only did the WWF’s numbers not get hurt by Austin’s absence, they actually went up almost all the way across the board. That level of popularity is going to work well when Sasaki is beating Rock left and right, but Rock doesn’t quit, and he continues digging deep to fight back through the onslaught. That’s going to make the SummerSlam crowd go crazy.
WWF Champion Steve Austin vs G1 Climax Winner Yuji Nagata (2001): Just like that, we’re back to the Tough Guy vs Tough Guy bout. Yuji Nagata is not only one of the top New Japan workers of the last 30-something years, but he’s someone that branched out to the world of MMA in the early 2000s. Yes, his MMA record is 0-2, but his two losses were against Mirko Cro Cop and Fedor Emelianenko, two of the most terrifying men in the sport’s history.
This would definitely become something messy and physical, and it would get there pretty quickly. You’re not going to hear a complaint out of me.
Like the previous two entries involving Steve Austin, we saw these two cross paths on that tour of Japan that Austin was involved with in 1995. No one-on-one bouts, but they were on opposite sides of two tag matches… both with Arn Anderson as Austin’s partner, with one match seeing Manabu Nakanishi as Nagata’s partner and one with Takayuki Iizaka as Nagata’s partner.
WWE Champion The Rock vs G1 Climax Winner Masahiro Chono (2002): Here’s another one where I needed to do a little finagling, as 2002 was the year that saw Brock Lesnar win the WWE Title, but this exercise means he has to wait a little while longer to get that title shot. Brock’s rise was inevitable, though. If it didn’t happen at SummerSlam 2002, it would’ve happened very soon thereafter.
I think this matchup is a lot friendlier for The Rock than the Kensuke Sasaki match from two years earlier. Not that Masa Chono can’t be a physical bully, but he was more of a technical wrestler in the first half of his career. By 2002, though, his in-ring skills had really declined after a serious neck injury. He was more focused on using his charisma to push his heel “Yakuza” type character, preferring to do basic brawling and submissions. That works well to what Rock wants to do, and what he was used to doing with opponents in WWE at this stage.
WWE Champion Kurt Angle vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2003): Well, Kurt Angle is involved, so you know the type of quality we’re getting from the WWE side of things here. By this point in his career, Kurt was someone who could clearly work well against any opponent of any size, any style, and any situation. Of course, he brings his Olympic accolades, but that won’t intimidate his opponent here. Tenzan has competed in the ring with several Olympians during his career, including the likes of Brad Rheingans, Tamon Honda, Riki Choshu, Frank Andersson, and more. Even with Kurt being the “final boss” of Olympians-turned-Pro-Wrestlers, Tenzan isn’t going to let that get to him.
Tenzan was someone that was perhaps better known as a tag team wrestler, actually in the running for being one of the best “tag guys” of all-time, finding tremendous success with multiple partners. Tag or solo, though, he was someone that was looking to bright the fight to his opponents. I suppose you could say the same for everyone who was wrestling in Japan back in those days, though.
WWE Champion JBL vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2004): It’s the same guy representing New Japan in back-to-back years, but WWE’s representative here is about as different as can be from the year before. JBL is looking for a fight, and doesn’t want to waste time on silly things like holds.
That, of course, plays right in to what Tenzan is looking to do, which means we have ourselves yet another slobberknocker with this matchup. It’s probably not something that is going to win a bunch of awards at the end of the year, but in a pinch, it’s something that could provide entertainment to the fans in attendance in Toronto that night.
Let’s give Tenzan the win, too. JBL was a character that wasn’t going to be destroyed by taking a loss in a spot like this, so he could recover quickly.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Masahiro Chono (2005): This one could be very interesting. If either man was at a different stage in their careers, this could be a classic. In the summer of 2005, though, it could go either way.
Cena already had the proverbial rocket ship attached to him, but even his biggest fans and supporters (I’m raising my hand) would tell you that his in-ring skills hadn’t quite formed to what they would become later on. Chono, on the other hand, was still ticking, but major injuries had already started to take their toll on his body and the way he worked by this point.
If we could get early-90s Chono against mid-2010s Cena, that would be something special. With this matchup, both men would be looking to use their tremendous amounts of charisma more than anything else. This wouldn’t be enough to knock Hulk Hogan vs Shawn Michaels out of the SummerSlam 2005 main event spot.
WWE Champion Edge vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2006): Not that it should’ve been too much of a surprise, considering all the hell he went through with the Ladder and TLC bouts through the years, but by this point in time, Edge had proven himself to be someone that was willing to go to great lengths to achieve the goals he set out for himself. I have no doubt that he’d do the same against someone with the style of Tenzan.
We’d miss the fun story of John Cena challenging for the WWE Title in his “hometown” of Boston here, but hey, them’s the breaks sometimes.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroshi Tanahashi (2007): This one is hilarious to me because there are comparisons all over Christen Harper’s internet that say John Cena is WWE’s Hiroshi Tanahashi, and that Hiroshi Tanahashi is New Japan’s John Cena. They were born five months apart, made their in-ring debuts one month apart, had their retirement matches three weeks apart, and are among the most decorated champions in their promotion’s histories.
This is still relatively early on in Cena’s stay at the top, and even earlier on in Tanahashi’s stay at the top. They would have a lot to prove against each other, and I think that it would help to make this match a ton of fun. They’re both masters at getting crowds to care about every little thing they do, and that would be on full display here.
WWE Champion Triple H vs G1 Climax Winner Hirooki Goto (2008): We went from two of the loudest, most over-the-top characters to two wrestlers who, while being all-time greats, have had stretches of their careers where fans accused them of being “boring.” I guess it’s fitting that SummerSlam 2008 took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is a city with a lot of its own style, but is also a place that many people view as “boring.”
From a technical standpoint, this could be a great match. Like I said, both Triple H and Goto are all-time greats in their respective promotions, even if they didn’t need a bunch of flash and the ol’ razzle dazzle to reach those heights. Don’t get me wrong… I would be excited to watch the match, and I have no doubt that it would be great, but I can understand that it wouldn’t be for everyone.
WWE Champion Randy Orton vs G1 Climax Winner Togi Makabe (2009): While he isn’t the exact same type of wrestler, if there’s a comparison I can make for Togi Makabe… someone to let you understand about him if you’re unfamiliar… it would be Mick Foley. An absolute wild man who is looking to brawl, looking to fight, and looking to hurt his opponent, even if he has to hurt himself in the process to do so. Bruiser Brody may also be a great comparison, too.
By the summer of 2009, we had already seen Randy Orton make a transformation in his career. Ironically enough, it was Mick Foley that was largely responsible for that transformation. Remember that it was Foley who took Orton to the limit in 2004, making WWE fans see Orton as more than just some soft, pretty boy, and he became someone who could show his toughness in the ring. Five years later, and he’s going to need that toughness all over again to survive the “Unchained Gorilla” here.
WWE Champion Sheamus vs G1 Climax Winner Satoshi Kojima (2010): This is an interesting pairing to me, because I do see some similarities to the way their careers have played out. Kojima (if you get the reference, say it in CM Punk’s voice as he does an impression of Homicide… Kojima… Kojima… Lariat…) won just about every accolade there was in New Japan, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Even with that said, you’d be hard pressed to find a time when Kojima was largely viewed as THEE guy. That’s not a knock on him, just the same way it isn’t a knock on Sheamus that he wasn’t really viewed as THEE guy in WWE when guys like John Cena, Batista, Daniel Bryan, Triple H, The Undertaker, and many more were around.
These two aren’t going to have something that is pretty and full of glitz and glamour. They’re gritty, and they’re looking for something physical. Both men would be more than happy to oblige the other in having a fight here in front of the Staples Center crowd in Los Angeles.
I think this would be another good instance for a New Japan victory. You have to find the right times for them in this exercise, and there are too many years where it doesn’t make sense for the WWE representative to lose. This isn’t one of those times.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Shinsuke Nakamura (2011): This one has the potential to get confusing. 2011, of course, was the year that CM Punk won the WWE Title at Money In The Bank, and then “left the company,” which allowed for Rey Mysterio to win a tournament to become the new WWE Champion, only for Rey to drop the title to Cena in the same episode of Raw. Cena would drop the title to Punk at SummerSlam, but again, this exercise means that Punk has to wait just a bit longer to get his shot.
My God, the charisma is off the charts here. It wouldn’t just be charisma that carries this to something special, though. By this point, Cena had already begun tweaking the way he wrestled, especially against talents that were top-tier in the ring, and in 2011, Nakamura was just that… top-tier in the ring. He was on fire at the time.
With Cena trying to use more of an international/independent style in matches, depending on who he was working with, I think he’d be ready to bust out some offense that fans had never seen him use. Of all the matches I’ve already listed, this one ranks right up there at the top as my one of my favorites to think about.
Do you want to get crazy? Let’s get crazy. I’d have Nakamura pick up the win here. He was on such a crazy wave back then, and Cena had moved to a different phase of his career by this point. He was still winning a lot, but he didn’t need to be presented as “Super Cena” as much as in years past. I think it would tell a good story if he lost here, especially as he tried to look like someone who could “hang” with The Rock, during their year-long build to their match at WrestleMania 28. With The Rock on his mind, and with everything involving CM Punk that he was dealing with at the time, I think it’s a fair assumption that a match against someone from New Japan may not get 100% of his attention and focus, opening the door for Nakamura to get the win.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs G1 Climax Winner Kazuchika Okada (2012): Well, let’s keep the streak going, because this, too, is now right up there as a match I’m enjoying the thought of. This was right at the start of Okada’s rise to stardom in New Japan. Six months before this, he had just won the IWGP Heavyweight Title for the first time, and that was only a few months after his disastrous run in TNA came to an end. He looked like a bonafide superstar-in-the-making in 2012, and being placed in a match with CM Punk in that era would’ve been a good way to showcase how much of a superstar he was and could be.
Los Angeles continues to be the host of SummerSlam in 2012, and those fans are going to love the showmanship of the “unknown” Japanese talent. He’s someone that could’ve fit in with WWE, even without the ability to cut weekly 20-minute promos in English. Fit in, but under the vision (or lack thereof) of Vince McMahon, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve great heights, so this probably would’ve been the high point of anything he did involving WWE. Either way, I can dream, can’t I?
Give me another New Japan victory here, too. Okada in 2012 had so much momentum built up, and was already on a “future GOAT” trajectory. He had too much going for him at the time, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to stop that.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Tetsuya Naito (2013): Another switch here, as 2013 was the year Cena dropped the WWE Title to Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam, only for Bryan to lose the title to Randy Orton minutes later when Triple H laid Bryan out, allowing for Orton to cash in his Money In The Bank shot. This exercise means Daniel Bryan doesn’t get his shot at SummerSlam, so Cena is the WWE representative again. On the bright side, that also means I get to avoid one of the times I was the angriest I’ve ever been as a wrestling fan, so that works for me on a personal level.
Naito is someone that, no matter if he’s a face or a heel, has mastered the art of getting live crowds to care about him. Not just caring about his moves, but his facial expressions, the little things he does in the ring… the entire package. That pairs well with a worker like Cena, who has made approximately $29 trillion dollars as a pro wrestler because of the way he was able to draw emotions out of live crowds all over the world. This match could be a blast.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Kazuchika Okada (2014): We get another switch here, with Brock Lesnar, who won the title at SummerSlam 2014, having to wait a bit longer for his title shot. Someone else will have to tell him, though, because I don’t want to be the one responsible for pissing him off.
Oh, this is it for me. When it comes to pro wrestling “dream matches,” this is up there as one of my biggest choices. It is pretty well documented that both men are on the short list of my all-time favorite wrestlers, and Okada is on an even shorter list of my picks for the all-time best wrestlers to ever live. Not only would I have been excited to see this match, I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to see it live, and I would’ve made the six-hour drive to the Staples Center and been in the building for it.
Give me a victory for Okada. Cena had officially entered the “gonna have fun and doesn’t have to win all the time” phase of his career by this point. A loss here does absolutely nothing to hurt him or derail anything he had built up for himself. What it does do, however, is build Okada up in the eyes of WWE fans, as he would’ve beaten CM Punk and John Cena in the span of two calendar years. Even those who had never watched New Japan before would’ve taken notice of that.
WWE Champion Seth Rollins vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroshi Tanahashi (2015): It’s crazy to watch the wrestling business change as we continue performing this exercise. When we started, both the WWF and New Japan were parading around larger wrestlers more often than not, and wrestlers who were looking to fight and brawl a lot. Now, we’ve reached the era where a lot (not all, obviously) of the wrestlers you’re seeing here are smaller, faster, and more athletic.
Tanahashi was already well into his run as the “ace” of New Japan by SummerSlam 2015. He was already a seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion by then, which was the most reigns in that title’s long, storied history. Night in and night out, he was having great matches with opponents up and down the card.
That sure sounds like something Seth Rollins was looking to do, doesn’t it? The first SummerSlam of four consecutive years to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York would be in for quite the treat here.
WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs G1 Climax Winner Kenny Omega (2016): A little over three years before AEW gave us Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega at All Out 2019, we get them having a match in a different type of spotlight, while both men were in an entirely different phase of their careers. This isn’t the time for lame ass tribalism, debating on whether or not Dean Ambrose was better than Jon Moxley, and so on.
The previous year’s match would’ve been fantastic, but this match, held in front of that smart crowd in Brooklyn, would’ve been something that had a ton of buzz on its own. This was the year before Omega broke Dave Meltzer’s star rating scale with four matches to get a score of 5.75 Stars or higher, but by summer 2016, Kenny was already starting to turn heads and collect “best wrestler in the world” talk. In fact, a week before SummerSlam 2016 took place, Kenny would earn his very first five-star rating from Meltzer after a match against Tetsuya Naito in the very G1 Climax tournament that earned him his spot here.
If you don’t think that kind of attention on his opponent would drive Mr. Ambrose to bring his absolute best in this match, you probably aren’t paying close enough attention.
Like Kazuchika Okada in 2012, the amount of hype and overall buzz that Kenny Omega had around him at this stage of his career was incredible. I’d build on that momentum and have him pick up the win here. It’s not going to hurt Ambrose to lose.
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs G1 Climax Winner Tetsuya Naito (2017): Well… they can’t all be winners. I’ve been clear in the past that, while I’ve never viewed Jinder Mahal as a terrible in-ring performer, it’s hard not to see him as the worst WWWF/WWF/WWE Champion of all-time. His title victory made no sense then, and it continues to make no sense now, almost a full decade later. There isn’t a chance in hell this could’ve been the main event of SummerSlam, so for WWE’s sake, it’s good that this was the SummerSlam that saw Brock Lesnar defend the Universal Title against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe in a Fatal Four-Way.
I have no doubt Jinder and Naito could deliver something more than passable, but it would’ve fit right in on a card that ended up delivering a bunch of “average-to-above-average” matches. Like I said, they can’t all be winners.
Naito wins. Next.
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs G1 Climax Winner Hiroshi Tanahashi (2018): Here we have a pairing that has had a good amount of time spent in the ring together. AJ and Tanahashi had six singles matches against each other, including one back in 2006 at TNA’s Final Resolution pay-per-view. While that TNA match was only decent, at best, they would bounce back with some great matches in New Japan, culminating in a classic bout during the 2015 G1 Climax tournament that was one of the year’s best matches anywhere on the planet.
With a couple extra years of experience, especially with AJ being able to add to his skillset with a couple years of working the “WWE style” against a different batch of opponents, this has all the makings of another Match Of The Year classic in front of those wild Brooklyn fans.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs G1 Climax Winner Kota Ibushi (2019): This is a match I didn’t know I needed until typing this entry out. Of course, this was when Kofi had set the wrestling world on fire with KofiMania. Ibushi, on the other hand, was right in the middle of his transition from the Junior Heavyweight division in New Japan, where he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title three times (and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles with Kenny Omega once), and moving up to the Heavyweight division. Four months before SummerSlam 2019, Ibushi won the IWGP Intercontinental Title for the first time, and although his reign didn’t last long, it signaled that the company was moving him up the card to bigger and better things. Winning the G1 Climax tournament was the latest proof of that.
Both Kofi and Kota are looking to use their elite speed and athleticism to win matches, and that’s going to be a fun change of pace from a lot of what WWE was presenting at the time, with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Goldberg, Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and more being on prominent display then.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs G1 Climax Winner Kota Ibushi (2020): Back-to-back Kota Ibushi matches, but the two matches couldn’t feature more different opponents. 2019 saw Kota wrestle someone who could match his speed and athletic ability. Now, we get to 2020, and Kota is wrestling someone who is looking to leave him in a bloody heap in the middle of the ring.
Drew is listed as being six inches taller and 70 pounds heavier than Kota, but one look at both men will tell you those numbers might be underselling things a bit. A lot of Drew’s best work comes against smaller, faster opponents, where he can work an even more aggressive, vicious style.
The only downside to this, of course, was that it took place during the COVID pandemic, which means that the show happened at the “WWE ThunderDome” in front of zero in-person fans. They could’ve had the best match to ever happen in pro wrestling, but with no in-person fans to be there and react to it, would that have really mattered?
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs G1 Climax Winner Kazuchika Okada (2021): Well, damn. During his insane rise to the top of the puroresu world, Okada has worked with so many different types of wrestlers. He’s never faced anyone like Bobby Lashley, though, especially back in the summer of 2021. The combination of size, strength, speed, athleticism, explosiveness, and amateur wrestling background that Lashley brings to the table is damn near second-to-none.
I have faith in both men and what they can do in a wrestling ring. With that said, I’d have no idea what to expect out of a match like this. Does the size and strength advantage take control for Lashley, or does the wrestling machine that is Okada control things? I don’t know, but I would’ve loved to find out.
I’m going to give Okada yet another victory in this series, making him 3-0 in his appearances on WWE cards. Hell, at this point, you’d have to think WWE would be trying to sign him to a contract.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns vs G1 Climax Winner Kazuchika Okada (2022): Ooh, shit. WWE has Roman, who is in the middle of his legendary run at the top of the company, squaring off against Okada, who had been at the top of the New Japan scene for a full decade by this point. One company says their guy is the greatest of all-time. The other company says the same thing.
I wish this could’ve taken place in a bigger and better “wrestling city” than Nashville, Tennessee, though. If you had something like this in Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Toronto, and so on, that would be so much better. When that’s the only “complaint” I have, I guess things are going really well, so we’ll go from there.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns vs G1 Climax Winner Tetsuya Naito (2023): Roman’s run on top continues here, putting him in back-to-back “WWE Champion vs NJPW G1 Climax Winner” contests. In Okada, Roman was facing someone who had dominated the main event scene in New Japan for so long, but was creeping up on the end of his time with the promotion. Naito is in a very similar spot here after being in or around the New Japan main event scene for so long.
The main difference between 2022 Kazuchika Okada and 2023 Tetsuya Naito is the mileage they’ve put on their bodies. Naito is five-and-a-half years older than Okada, and he also features a much, much longer injury history than Okada does. His body has really worn down through the years, and he isn’t the same in-ring performer that he once was. He can still “go” in the ring, but unfortunately for some of you, I think this match would have to be a lot more methodical and slower-paced, which would’ve been right up Roman’s alley for this time period, anyway.
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs G1 Climax Winner Zack Sabre Jr. (2024): In a different time and a different era, these two have already shared a pro wrestling ring together. In 2016, they faced off at an EVOLVE show, and a little under five months later, at the very beginning of 2017, they had another match at a What Culture Pro Wrestling event. Like I said, though, that was a different time and a different era. The 2016 and 2017 versions of Cody and ZSJ are wildly different than the 2024 versions of them. I’ve never seen their EVOLVE match, but their WCPW match was average, and nothing more. However, if I got to see them work again in 2024, I’d think the match would be a lot better.
Cody had really learned how to control crowds by that point, which is why he made such an effortless jump to becoming the top guy in WWE He’d be able to “lead” this match in that regard, which opens the door for ZSJ to “lead” the match with actual workrate, since he’s the better technical wrestler. Give them 15-20 minutes, let them both shine in the areas they excel at, and you’re going to end up with something really good.
WWE Champion John Cena vs G1 Climax Winner Konosuke Takeshita (2025): Another switch here, with Cody Rhodes having to wait for his title shot a bit longer instead of winning the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. That actually makes this pairing an interesting one. If you remember, the storyline between Cena and Cody that led up to SummerSlam 2025 saw Cena end the experiment of him being a heel by turning face again, much to the happiness of the WWE Universe, because Cody lit a fire under him and made him see the problems with what he was doing. With Cody out of the picture in this scenario, does Cena even turn face again, or does that have to wait until some point after SummerSlam? Unless you really change everything to accommodate this fantasy scenario, Cody would still be the King Of The Ring winner, so he’d still have a title shot coming his way. Would the face turn for Cena take place in the build for Clash In Paris four weeks later? These… these are the questions.
As for this match itself… it’s John Cena and Konosuke Takeshita. Come on now. While 2025 John Cena was obviously not quite on the same level that he was when he was, say, younger than someone who was pushing 50 years old, he was clearly still capable of having very good, if not great, matches with people up and down the card.
Takeshita, on the other hand, has continued to prove that he is someone who will rise to the occasion in “big match” scenarios. Facing John Cena at SummerSlam, in front of what was more than 60,000 people, is about as big a “big match” scenario as there can be, so Takeshita would step up like he’d never stepped up before.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs G1 Climax Winner Ryohei Oiwa (2026): When you look at the 2026 that Ryohei Oiwa has had, you notice some things right away. First and foremost, you notice just how many tags, six-man tags, eight-man tags, and so on that New Japan has on every show. Oiwa won a singles match on July 6th to qualify for the G1 Climax tournament. Before July 6th, the last singles match he worked was on March 14th. Outside of his 12 singles matches during the G1 Climax, he has a total of three singles matches in 2026, and two of those took place during the New Japan Cup, which is another singles tournament that the company runs. I wouldn’t say his G1 Climax win came out of nowhere, but if it wasn’t nowhere, it was the suburb next to nowhere.
Don’t get me wrong… he has “future IWGP Heavyweight Champion” written all over him. For winning the tournament, he gets an IWGP Heavyweight Title shot at NJPW’s King Of Pro Wrestling show next month, so it could be happening very soon.
For this exercise, though, he earns himself a shot against CM Punk at SummerSlam. This is precisely the kind of matchup that Punk is actively searching to have at this stage of his career. Oiwa’s mix of technical prowess and strength is going to be a fun thing for Punk to work with.
I like doing columns like this, because they give me things to think about, instead of simply focusing on something happening in the here and now. I have some ideas for future editions of something like this, including some more things that I can steal from the Apron Bump channel. What are your thoughts on this? Let’s pretend this was a real thing for a bit. Which of these matchups sound the best to you? At the same time, which of them sound the worst? As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), or on Bluesky (@aaronhyden.bsky.social), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, let’s switch things over to my Weekly Power Rankings before closing it out with the list of songs I was listening to as I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
Roman Reigns vs Penta: An absolutely fantastic television match with a rabid crowd. Part of me is actually surprised we didn’t get a surprise title change here. As I’ve said a million times before, WWE is in the “moments” business, and it would be hard to deliver on a bigger “moment” than Penta beating Roman Reigns in Mexico City to become the brand new World Heavyweight Champion. As it is, I think Penta has proven that he deserves to be a main event player in WWE, and his time may very well be coming.
Chad Gable vs Dragon Lee: Another absolutely fantastic television match in front of a rabid crowd. Gable’s Intercontinental Title reign has been so, so good. Dragon Lee has also been great recently, and the rumor that he or may not be on his way out the door makes me sad. I’d like to see him stick around WWE, to be honest.
Mexico City: I’ve said this before, but I don’t think WWE needs to be running too many shows in the United States anymore. Anytime they go outside of this country, the crowds are incredible, and Mexico City was the latest example of that. Every show they did in Mexico City turned out to be great, and you have to think a pay-per-view is in the city’s future because of that. They’ve earned it.
Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Darby Allin & Steven Borden vs FTR, Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight: I’ve been thinking about it and thinking about it, but I think I need to write a column about Steven Borden. I’ll get started on it as soon as I get this column posted, and we’ll see if I can get all of my thoughts out in a week, or if it’ll take a bit more work.
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens: We know what these two are capable of when they face each other. What I will continue to focus on, though, is KO’s record in World Title matches over the last decade or so. He dropped the Universal Title to Goldberg nine-and-a-half years ago, and in those nine-and-a-half years, KO is now 0-14 in World Title matches on television or pay-per-view. What are we even doing here? Live crowds are still behind him, but my goodness, how many times are we going to that well?
Chris Jericho vs Nick Wayne: Nick Wayne gets some big-time buzz after his performance against Bandido at RoH Death Before Dishonor last month, so of course Jericho has to attach himself to the new hot topic and give him nothing by beating him and being involved in a feud that nobody wants to see. Sigh.
“Hangman” Adam Page, Bandido & Brody King vs Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly: You know the rules… it’s a Trios match in AEW, so it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be entertaining, and it’s going to feature a ton of action.
Will Ospreay, Andrade El Idolo & Francesco Akira vs Jon Moxley, Pac & Gabe Kidd: You know the rules… it’s a Trios match in AEW, so it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be entertaining, and it’s going to feature a ton of action.
Sean Legacy & Dorian Van Dux vs Cutler James & Osiris Griffin: All four of these guys are really fun to watch, but I want to give love to Dorian Van Dux. He has become one of my favorites in all of NXT, and has done so in a really short amount of time. His blend of power and athleticism is sick, and it makes him stand out in NXT. With a little more time and effort, he’s someone who could be the NXT Champion in 2027.
El Grande Americano & Stephanie Vaquer vs Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan: While not an earth shattering match, it was plenty fun, and that Mexico City crowd strikes again.
Randy Orton vs Rey Fenix vs Trick Williams: Gotta love a Money In The Bank qualifying match where everyone involved not only had a case to win, but also deserved to win.
This Week’s Playlist: “RHYNO” by Travis Scott… “LITE” by BigXThaPlug & Belly Gang Kushington… “A Good Day” by Anderson .Paak & Cordae… “I Love You Out Loud” by Larissa Lambert… “Do It To Me” by Larissa Lambert… “Machine” by Architects… “Hypoxia” by Cenobia… “Goin’ Crazy” by Natalie… “Energy” by Natalie & Baby Bash… “Here We Go Again!” by Portrait… “I Want You” by CeeLo Green… “Barely Breathing” by Duncan Sheik… “Lick Shots” by Missy Elliott… “I Don’t Wanna Dance” by Eddy Grant… “As The World Falls Down” by David Bowie… “Burning Down The House” by Talking Heads… “Rock The Casbah” by The Clash… “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure… “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd… “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison… “Turn The Lights Back On” by Billy Joel… “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode… “Walk Of Life” by Dire Straits… “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears… “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears
