September 21, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Stacked NJPW G-1, more

New Japan officially announced its G-1 lineups which will likely contain many if not most of the best matches of 2020.

What’s notable is that every show, except for the finals, will consist of six singles matches, which would be five tournament matches from one of th two blocks, and a singles opener involving a match up with Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji and Gabriel Kidd.

There will be no tag matches to build up the next card. The key is the shows will be shorter, but with the idea of not cutting back on match time in the tournament. All arenas will be sold to half capacity, so it is almost a lock that every show will sell out.

The A block championship will be determined on the 10/16 show at Sumo Hall in Tokyo and the B block title on 10/17 in the same arena. While the match order is set for the shows from the opener on 9/19 through 10/14, the match order on the 10/16 and 10/17 shows will be determined based on the standings.

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Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.