G1 Climax 2008 will be badass! (Aka, Tanahashi returns early, and Kawada in NJPW)

[What Would Kevin Do?]

Stolen from puroresufan.com

Fourteen men will comprise the 2008 G1 Climax, and all but two of them are known after today. The big news is that Hiroshi Tanahashi returns much earlier than originally expected from injury, taking part in the tournament alongside mainstays Tenzan, Nagata, Nakanishi, Nakamura, Bernard, and Makabe. Yano is given the nod over Iizuka due to his big rise and ongoing IWGP Tag Team Title reign, while Hirooki Goto will get to experience his first G1. After his 2-crown achievement, Super Jr. winner Wataru Inoue also enters his first G1. No Chono or Koshinaka this year. FOUR outsiders will take part this year, the big and shocking news being the return of Toshiaki Kawada to New Japan, the freelancer back for his second G1 after reaching the semi finals of the 2005 version. And DRADITION's Yutaka Yoshie, who has started interacting with New Japan wrestlers again as part of the NJ/DRADITION working agreement, is also back in town. Two more outsiders are set to enter, with ZERO1-MAX likely to occupy at least one spot, and there is always the possibility of Keiji Muto, depending on whether they want him in or want the tournament to create a new challenger for him. - Hiroshi Tanahashi - Hiroyoshi Tenzan - Yuji Nagata - Manabu Nakanishi - Shinsuke Nakamura - Hirooki Goto - Giant Bernard - Togi Makabe - Toru Yano - Wataru Inoue - Toshiaki Kawada (freelancer) - Yutaka Yoshie (DRADITION) - Outsider TBA - Outsider TBA