"I really want to do a G1" – AEW's Bryan Danielson expresses desire to compete in top NJPW tournament
AEW star Bryan Danielson said while he doesn't necessarily have a "wrestling bucket list" at this stage of his career, he'd love to compete in the annual G1 Climax tournament for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
The annual tournament is a round-robin-style affair where wrestlers are split into two blocks. Each star then faces the other once, and the two-block victors meet in the finals to crown a winner who receives a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom.
Kenny Omega is wasting no time to get the win against Kazuchika Okada !
At NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 18 Bloc B match, 2017
@KennyOmegamanX
@rainmakerXokada https://t.co/5CMqas80e3
The tournament is one of the most grueling, intense, and physical events wrestlers can participate in during their careers. That's something right up Danielson's street, who expressed his desire to compete in the tournament on the latest episode of Throwing Down with Renee Paquette:
"I don’t have that [wrestling bucket list], but I really want to do a G1 for New Japan but, other than that, I don’t really in the sense of 'oh, I want to do this or I want to do that.' When I was forced to retire, what it really made me think is, 'I don’t want to take any of this for granted.'" [7:34-7:54]
The G1 is known for putting wrestlers on the map and allowing them to consistently showcase how good they are in the ring. Previous star-making performances include Rick Rude in 1992, Karl Anderson in 2012, and former winner Kenny Omega in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
What would a Bryan Danielson G1 match look like? We've already had a taste of that in AEW
The G1 is a time in NJPW's calendar where the wrestlers involved beat the color out of each other just to prove they're better, another reason why Danielson wants to compete in it.
AEW fans have already had a taste of what a Bryan Danielson G1 style match would look like when he took on Minoru Suzuki on the Buy-In pre-show to the October 15 edition of Rampage.
Minoru Suzuki destroys & collects Bryan Danielson’s Soul #aew #AEWRampage @cozysuperkick @FlyinBrianJr @JustinWhang https://t.co/oz1KKccFcd
The match was praised for its wince-inducing physicality and wonderful storytelling while simultaneously showcasing what The American Dragon can do with nothing holding him back.
Would you like to see Bryan Danielson in the G1 Climax this year? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Please credit Throwing Down w/Renee and Miesha and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.