Ren Narita, defeated by Gabe, moves on
I never expected to be updating this in just one day...
Yesterday I wrote, 'I want to see the moment Ren Narita elevates his status,' and today, I saw it at Korakuen Hall.
As it turned out, that moment did not arrive. Ren Narita lost to Gabe Kidd and missed out on advancing from the B Block.
While the excitement has yet to fade, I want to take a moment on my way home to cool down, reflect, and think about Narita's G1 performance and the second half of the year ahead.
1. Looking back at the G1 CLIMAX, as the Devil General
Speaking of what made Narita different this year, Dick Togo, who had been with EVIL until last year, accompanied Narita this year. Ren Narita entered the G1 as the 'Devil General,' entrusted with the role of the young leader of HOUSE OF TORTURE.
I'd like to look back at the entire G1 at some point, but the influx of new talent was particularly noticeable. Against wrestlers who were establishing their own styles through the grueling series of singles matches—such as first-timers like Wolf Airon and OSKAR, Yuya Uemura, who is establishing arm-targeting as his weapon, and Drilla Moloney in his second year since moving to heavyweight—Narita stood tall as a wrestler who had already perfected his style last year, using heel moves and joint locks.
If last year's G1 was his 'summer of perfecting his fighting style,' this year could be called his 'summer of consistency.'
2. Regarding the match against Gabe
Since I was looking forward to this match and saw it with my own eyes at the venue, I'll touch on it.
In a word, it was 'reckless.'
I felt it when watching their bloody cage match, but these two must truly trust each other. As it turned out, neither of them would remain for the semifinals and beyond. That's exactly why they did whatever they wanted. The two of them ran all over Korakuen Hall, using chairs, umbrellas, and tables, and the 'in-the-know' Korakuen fans were incredibly hyped.
There wasn't a shred of the 'emotional resonance' I wrote about yesterday.
I suspect the two of them will be like this the next time they fight, too. It's a kind of boyish innocence, like saying, 'Let's go crazy,' and the other replying, 'Sure.' Even if this were their last singles match by chance, there was an atmosphere as if they had decided, 'Let's do this this time,' before heading out.
In that sense, perhaps their relationship could be called emotional after all.
3. Ren Narita in the second half of the year
The opponents Narita defeated in the league were Wolf Airon, Zack Sabre Jr., Yuya Uemura, and Callum Newman.
If we follow the standard flow of challenging for a belt after beating a champion, it would be for Wolf Airon's NEVER title again. But four singles matches in one year is simply too many.
Since he lost to HENARE, the NEVER 6-Man Tag route doesn't connect, and since he lost to Gabe, the GLOBAL route doesn't connect either. It's possible that the overall schedule shifted slightly due to Shota Umino's absence.
One thing that catches my attention is that he beat Callum Newman. I think there's a possibility that a full-scale rivalry between HOUSE OF TORTURE and UNITED EMPIRE could begin from here.
Alternatively, H.O.T. might go all-in on the second half of the year by hyping up the 'Roppongi Showdown' between SHO and champion YOH.
In any case, the hints should be hidden in the matches scheduled for the two-day event at Ryogoku this weekend.
Summary
Ren Narita's summer has ended. But in professional wrestling, there is autumn and there is winter.
As the leader of a heel faction, he will likely be entrusted with important work for the remainder of this year as well.
He didn't stand in the ring for the semifinals, but the story of the wrestler Ren Narita continues.