A question about tournaments

By Scott Keith on 9 December 2024

Hey Scott, I'm hoping either yourself or someone else from the blog can answer this question because I've tried to figure it out myself and can't seem to figure it out.

I've been watching some New Japan lately and stumbled upon the 2016 G1. Okada was on fire in the tournament but lost three times: to Marufuji, to Bad Luck Fale, and to Ishii. Marufuji got a title shot two months later and Fale eventually got a shot the following year. But Ishii never got his, even though he had just as emphatic a win in the G1 as the other two.

So my question is, if the champion is supposed to be a favorite in the tournament and pinning him in the tournament is meant to lead to a title shot, why didn't Ishii in this case? Was it a case of lazy/inconsistent booking?

Wow that's a specific question. Might have just been some inconsistency on Gedo's part, which is weird because he's usually got stuff booked down to the minute.