The line up for Japan’s premier heavyweight tournement was announced today… As usual the top names are all there, Tenzan, Nagata, Chono and Nishimura… The young lions are also there in Tanahashi, Shibata, Nakamura and Blue Wolf and a Junior as well in Koji Kanemoto… The Makai’s are represented by Shibata and Murakami and the outside threat comes from Tenryu, Sasaki, Suzuki and Takayama… Will Tenzan and Nagata win there second G-1? Or will the outside threat rule the tournement for the first time in its history? Or will one of the younger generation take the mantle of G-1 winner and No.1 contender to the IWGP Title?
The full line up is as follows….
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
2. Yuji Nagata
3. Osamu Nishimura
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi
5. Shinsuke Nakamura
6. Koji Kanemoto (confirmed by Weekly Gong)
7. Blue Wolf
8. Tadao Yasuda
9. Masahiro Chono
10. Manabu Nakanishi
11. Kazunari Murakami
12. Katsuyori Shibata
13. Genichiro Tenryu
14. Kensuke Sasaki
15. Yoshihiro Takayama
16. Minoru Suzuki