Omega vs. Cody made official for NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco, title matches set for Kizuna Road

New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced our first brace of matches for the G1 Special in San Francisco at the beginning of July, so let’s list ‘em out and then get to the analysis, shall we?

G1 Special in San Francisco (July 7, 8PM Eastern / 5PM Pacific)

• Chaos (Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito)
• Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (c) (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
• “Switchblade” Jay White (c) vs. Juice Robinson (IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship)
• Cody Rhodes vs. Kenny Omega (c) (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)

Kenny Omega will have less than a month to kick back and enjoy his victory over Kazuchika Okada at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo Hall, because for the second year in a row Cody Rhodes will get an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW’s summer outing in the United States.

The last time they met, at Supercard of Honor XII, Cody picked up the win thanks to the inadvertent assistance of the Young Bucks, but now that the Jackson brothers stand with Omega as the Golden Elite, the grandson of a plumber will likely have to find another way to victory if he wants to hold New Japan’s greatest prize.

Speaking of the Young Bucks, they have a somewhat rare immediate rematch between against Los Ingobernables de Japon for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. The layoff should be good for Matt’s ailing back and Nick’s bum leg, but what was injured once can be injured again, and LIJ aren’t exactly known for going easy on folks, so that should be another really good high-drama Young Bucks match.

Plus White defends against Robinson, and after Omega essentially called Naito out in his post-victory promo, the Stardust Genius will have a chance to beat the record-breaking Rainmaker in tag team action to begin making his case for a title shot.

But that’s not all New Japan has for us today, folks! The Kizuna Road tour fills the time between Dominion and the G1 Climax as always, and each of the three shows at Korakuen Hall from June 17-19 have big meaningful main events for us.

June 17 will feature Hirooki Goto getting his rematch against new NEVER Openweight Champion Michael Elgin, June 18 sees Hiromu Takahashi defend his newly-won IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against El Desperado, and June 19 is Junji “Super Strong Machine” Hirata’s retirement show, featuring a dynamite ten-man between all of LIJ on one side and a very special team of Super Strong Machines (Ace, Buffalo, Don, Justice, and No. 69) on the other that should be just swell.

That’s not all that’s going down at Kizuna Road, however-- Jeff Cobb make his return to New Japan for the duration of the tour, and all the details of the G1 Climax, from who’s in it to the main event of each show will be revealed at those Korakuen Hall shows.

There you have it, folks

Kenny vs. Cody II, and you don’t even have to wake up at butt o’clock for it! Excited for the G1 Special, Cagesiders?