New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 3:
Michael Elgin b. Hangman Page – Elgin took the win via pinfall with the Elgin Bomb
EVIL b. YOSHI-HASHI – EVIL took the pinfall win after hitting his namesake move
Togi Makabe b. Minoru Suzuki – Makabe took somewhat of a shock pinfall win with the King Kong Knee Drop
Bad Luck Fale b. Kazuchika Okada – Fale also took a shock win by pinfall with Bad Luck Fall after Tama Tonga interfered and hit a Gun Stun on Okada
“Switchblade” Jay White b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – White took the pinfall win after hitting the Blade Runner. This came after a ref bump and a chair to Tanahashi’s face. White cut a promo after the match celebrating his wins over Okada and Tanahashi.
Here are the current tournament standings:
Block A
Jay White – 4 Points (2-0-0)
Michael Elgin – 4 Points (2-0-0)
Togi Makabe – 4 Points -2-0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Hangman Page – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Evil – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Bad Luck Fale – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Minoru Suzuki – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Yoshi-Hashi – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Block B
Kenny Omega – 2 Points (1-0-0)
Tama Tonga – 2 Points (1-0-0)
Tomohiro Ishii – 2 Points (1-0-0)
Kota Ibushi – 2 Points (1-0-0)
Hirooki Goto 2 Points (1-0-0)
Tetsuya Naito – 0 Points (0-1-0)
Zack Sabre Jr. – 0 Points (0-1-0)
Sanada – 0 Points (0-1-0)
You can find the results for Night 1 here and Night 2 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out how they fared with Night 3’s predictions right here.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 2:
B Block Results
Tomohiro Ishii b. Toru Yano – Ishii took the win via a low blow into La Casita
Tama Tonga b. Juice Robinson – Tonga took the pinfall win after reversing the Pulp Friction into a Gun Stun
Hirooki Goto b. SANADA – Goto won by pinfall after hitting the GTR
Kota Ibushi b. Zack Sabre, Jr. – Ibushi won via pinfall after hitting the Kamigoye
Kenny Omega b. Tetsuya Naito – Omega won via pinfall after hitting the One-Winged Angel
You can find the results for Night 1 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out Night 3’s predictions right here.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 3 of the G1 tournament. Here are the bouts:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White
Togi Makabe vs Minoru Suzuki
Michael Elgin vs Hangman Page
Kazuchika Okada vs Bad Luck Fale
YOSHI-HASHI vs EVIL
Ian Carey – My predictions for the second night of A Block action are as follows:
Jay White beats Tanahashi – this way he’ll have 2 straight wins in a main event and he avenges his loss to him at the Tokyo Dome last year
Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page – I think Elgin will lose a lot later in the tournament because he’s selling an arm injury
Bad Luck Fale beats Okada – This is my underdog pick, then everyone will comment on how poorly he’s (Okada) doing and he’ll come back to win the block in dramatic fashion
EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI
Jake Jeremy – I actually agree with your Fale assessment, but I can see Okada actually losing quite a few matches and NOT winning the block. One of the biggest grievances that I’ve seen surrounding Okada is that he doesn’t emote enough, if he is seen to have more of a personality and “human” in this post IWGP title run then when he finally gets the belt back it’ll mean that much more. Anyway here’s my predictions:
Jay White beats Hiroshi Tanahashi – I’m still seeing Jay White win A Block
Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe – This’ll get Suzuki’s tournament started after the loss to Tanahashi
Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page
Bad Luck Fale beats Kazuchika Okada
EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI
Ian Carey – I just know NJPW has a lot invested in the guy (Okada). I think he wins G1 and beats Omega in the Tokyo Dome. I think Okada defends the title against Jay White early next year unless they’ve decided Naito and Omega are just more popular and they should be the top two guys…which might be the case, plus with all the international expansion talk things might change up fairly dramatically
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Ian Carey – So we have night 2 in the B Block – Omega vs Naito in the main event
so this is interesting because hints have been dropped by both sides that an LIJ vs Bullet Club feud is coming
Jake Jeremy – Wouldn’t they want to do a Firing Squad vs Elite feud first?
Ian Carey – Omega making that comment about how the Japanese wrestlers don’t go to the gym as much as the others on the roster. That was all to build to an eventual rivalry
they are doing that first but this will come after
it could be a year from now, it could be longer, but eventually
Jake Jeremy – So who wins? Can Omega really lose this quick?
Ian Carey – Kevin Kelly was mentioning on commentary how Evil and Naito got upset at that. I think Omega wins but enough Naito is somehow kept strong/I think Naito is winning the block though and I imagine Omega is going to drop matches to Tama Tonga and Kota Ibushi
Jake Jeremy – So you have an Okada vs Naito final?
Ian Carey – Exactly, i know Okada’s on a losing streak but i think he turns it up and comes back to win the block
Jake Jeremy – Ok so the matches are:
Juice Robinson vs Tama Tonga
Hirooki Goto vs SANADA
Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano
Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr
Ian Carey – Speaking of Tama Tonga; I have him beating Juice which may set up a US title match down the line except I also figure Tonga is going to beat Omega and get a heavyweight title shot…anyway here’s my predictions for Night 2:
Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson
SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
Toru Yano beats Tomohiro Ishii
Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi
Jake Jeremy – I’m seeing Tama taking the win as well. I know that Juice is the new US Champion but Firing Squad are the ‘in thing’ right now
Ian Carey – How Zack Sabre Jr does this tournament should be interesting, they’ve sort of established this year that he can beat anyone…he used a Michinoku Driver in his tag match today for the win (Night 1)
Jake Jeremy – Zack Sabre Jr won the PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16, he’s won wXw 16 Carat Gold and he’s won PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles I think?
Ian Carey – He won the New Japan Cup and beat Okada a couple of weeks ago…In other words, he’s glad he didn’t sign on to be a part of 205 live
Jake Jeremy – Of course, I forgot about the cup! So here’s my predictions for Night 2
Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson (I think this might be via DQ)
SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
Tomohiro Ishii beats Toru Yano
Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi
Jake Jeremy – I think that the only difference we have is Yano!
Ian Carey – B Block is going to be more fun to follow I think
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 1:
Non Tournament Bouts:
Hirooki Goto & Jado b. Ren Narita & Toa Henare
SHO & Tomohiro Ishii b. Toru Yano & YOH
Guerrillas of Destiny Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. David Finlay & Juice Robinson
TAKA Michinoku & Zack Sabre, Jr. b. Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito b. Chase Owens & Kenny Omega
Togi Makabe b. YOSHI-HASHI – Makabe took the pinfall win after hitting the King Kong Knee Drop
Hangman Page b. Bad Luck Fale – Page won the match via disqualification after the Guerrillas of Destiny interfered. The Golden Lovers later made the save
Michael Elgin b. EVIL – Elgin won via pinfall with the Elgin Bomb
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Minoru Suzuki – Tanahashi won via pinfall after hitting the High Fly Flow
“Switchblade” Jay White b. Kazuchika Okada – White took the shock win via pinfall after hitting the Blade Runner after a ref bump and a low blow. After the match he cut a promo claiming that CHAOS was “his” stable.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy made their predictions for Night 1 of the tournament, which takes place this Saturday, July 14th.
Here are their thoughts:
Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 1 of the G1 Climax, we’ve got some sleeper matches in here but let’s talk winners and losers, here’s the full card:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki
Togi Makabe vs YOSHI-HASHI
Michael Elgin vs EVIL
Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
Bad Luck Fale vs Hangman Page
Ian Carey – Definitely not going to win is Yoshi-Hashi. My Prediction to win it all is Kazuchika Okada as I really feel he is going to face Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome next year. I think that he’ll face Tetsuya Naito in the finals.
Jake Jeremy: Wow really? I don’t think that Okada is winning, I’ve got Kota Ibushi down as my favourite to face Kenny at Wrestle Kingdom.
Ian Carey – I mean I don’t know but to me Okada seems like the safest pick. I’d love to see Kota win but I feel Okada is a stronger possibility. I also think that Tama Tonga beats Omega in the round-robin and gets the title shot in Long Beach on September 30th
Jake Jeremy – That makes sense for Tama to win with the Firing Squad building momentum, but hey Kenny could win the G1.
Ian Carey – It’s a really important tournament for Tama Tonga. This is where he becomes a main event guy. Ok so my predictions for Night 1 are:
Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page – Which is really the first Elite vs Firing Squad match and the Firing Squad need to build more momentum
Kazuchika Okada beats Jay White – Although I could easily see them giving White a win here since he just lost to Juice
Togi Makabe beats Yoshi-Hashi – in a match I won’t watch
EVIL beats Michael Elgin – again, a match I probably won’t watch
Jake Jeremy – Here’s my predictions for Night 1:
Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page – I completely agree, this is the first Bullet Club ‘Civil War’ bout and I see Fale getting the win
Jay White beats Kazuchika Okada – Night 1 of the G1 tends to have a shock or two so I’m guessing that White gets the win here. He might even get damn close to winning the block
Yoshi-Hashi beats Togi Makabe – I will watch this match because I hate myself. I’m going for YOSHI-HASHI because why the hell not?
Michael Elgin beats EVIL – I’m going Elgin because EVIL isn’t going anywhere in this tournament sadly.
Ian Carey – But if Okada is going to go all the way a win here seems important. Though, as you said, he might not be going all the way
Jake Jeremy – I really don’t see Okada doing it, I think he might even be put in the IC Title picture to rebuild it but that’s not highly likely though
Ian Carey – Did you know Okada has had 10 matches that Meltzer has ranked as 5 stars or better?
Jake Jeremy – That doesn’t shock me, 4.5 is average at best anyway according to Omega.
Ian Carey – Tanahashi vs Suzuki is a tough one to call. I think I’m going to take Suzuki though. I feel like a possible route they go is Suzuki injuring one of Tanahashi’s limbs or something which gives Tanahashi an excuse to lose a bunch of matches this summer
Jake Jeremy – Has anyone ever been ‘taken out’ of a G1? Could Minoru just straight out destroy Tanahashi so that he can’t compete in later bouts?
Ian Carey – I don’t know if they’ve ever planned it but wrestlers have had to pull out
they just lose all their remaining matches by default. Alex Shelley had to do it once in the BOSJ
Jake Jeremy – Maybe that’s Suzuki’s strategy…injure everyone and have a shorter run to the final
Ian Carey – Ah ok, so on the final night of A Block its Tanahashi vs Okada. That leads me to believe it could be the two of them in the running on the last day cause nobody else has a big match
Jake Jeremy – Maybe they could go to a Draw like last time?
Ian Carey – In the A Block it has to be Okada coming out…I take it back, I now think Tanahashi beats Suzuki on the first night
Jake Jeremy – I’m going with Minoru
Ian Carey – Somebody will go to a dramatic draw this tournament. Could be Omega and Ibushi on the last day. I find it hard to pick against Minoru Suzuki, possibly because I’m worried he’ll find out…but i think A Block will just be the Tanahashi vs Okada show.
So here’s the full predictions:
Ian Carey
Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page
Kazuchika Okada beats Jay White
Togi Makabe beats Yoshi-Hashi
EVIL beats Michael Elgin
Hiroshi Tanahashi beats Minoru Suzuki
Jake Jeremy
Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page
Jay White beats Kazuchika Okada
Yoshi-Hashi beats Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin beats EVIL
Minoru Suzuki beats Hiroshi Tanahashi
What are your predictions for Night 1? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Here are the tournament bouts announced for Night 1 were A Block takes the spotlight:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki
Togi Makabe vs YOSHI-HASHI
Michael Elgin vs EVIL
Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
Bad Luck Fale vs Hangman Page
The real headline grabbing bout for Night 1 appears to be between CHAOS stablemates Kazuchika Okada and Jay White.
Jay White is one of the more intriguing elements of this year’s G1 tournament, the ‘Switchblade’ recently lost his IWGP United States Championship to Juice Robinson and this has lead many to believe that he might actually win A Block. New Japan are clearly excited about the talented New Zealander’s prospects and a win here against Okada is certainly not out of the question. Okada himself is now in arguably the strangest position of his recent NJPW career, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion isn’t currently considered a favourite to win the G1 and it will be interesting to see his path between now and January 4th…could he be in line for a bout against the likes of Chris Jericho?
Who is your favourite for the G1? Let us know in the comments.
Golden Lovers teammates, Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega, will face each other in the round-robin of this year’s G1 tournament. The two will meet on Saturday, August 11th, 2018, the final night of the round-robin. The match will take place inside the same venue as their last match did, the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.
The last time Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi met, Ibushi was banned from performing in the famed Nippon Budokan again. Ibushi delivered a moonsault from the balcony, causing the venue to state he was not allowed to wrestle there anymore. The venue has since lifted his ban, however.
Author, Chris Charlton, provided a translation of Ibushi’s comments:
Kota Ibushi vs Kenny Omega – August 11th, 2018 – Nippon Budokan – Tokyo, Japan
“I hate it. Hate that I have to face (Kenny Omega). It’s like ‘the time has finally come’. To have Kenny last, that’s a really dangerous scenario. The finals are the very next night, remember. But we have to do it. I don’t have all the time in the world, so we have to do this.”
Ibushi also spoke about his feelings regarding the rest of the B Block this year.
“It’s the more athletic group I think,” Ibushi said. “It’ll be a more athletic, physical style in these matches. People that stand out, of course, Kenny, Naito, SANADA. He’s interesting. I haven’t wrestled him before. I think there’s something about him he hasn’t shown. I want to get that out of him.”
Tetsuya Naito recently spoke to Tokyo Sports on the upcoming G1 Climax Tournament. Naito is one of the stars who will be taking part in the annual spectacular to determine a number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.
Naito usually has some rather interesting points when talking to the Tokyo Sports publication in Japan and he appears to have outdone himself once again…he stated that “there’s a whole bunch of guys absolutely nobody would give a chance of winning to. Can you really call this “grade one?” If it was horse racing’s G-1, you’d have prelims to get in. Right now, you have Taichi bitching about YOSHI-HASHI getting in, because he’s out. Well, fine, let’s have that mean something. Put those two in a qualifying match. And at any rate, having 20 some entrants is too many.”
Do you agree with the leader of Los Ingobernables? Are you looking forward to the G1 tournament? Let us know in the comments.
*Credit to Chris Charlton @reasonjp for the translations
Naito on #g128 ‘there’s a whole bunch of guys absolutely nobody would give a chance of winning to. Can you really call this “grade one?” If it was horse racing’s G-1, you’d have prelims to get in.’ https://t.co/ffaplKir1J
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recently spoke to Tokyo Sports in Japan on a variety of topics including his involvement in the upcoming G1 Climax Tournament.
Due to the ‘block’ structure of the round robin tournament the IWGP Champion will be facing his longtime friend and ‘Golden Lovers’ tag team partner Kota Ibushi. When asked how he felt about facing the ‘Golden Star’ Omega gave the following response:
“Honestly I don’t like it. Six Years ago after the Budokan match, we had an agreement. ‘If we do this again, one of us might die. If it isn’t a bigger match than this, let’s never wrestle a singles match again.’ If it was the G1 final, or the Tokyo Dome main event, that level. But the group selection is random, you can’t help that...”
Omega went on to say; “I don’t want there to be an injury and I don’t want to hurt him. But I am the Champion, and I don’t want to lose in that situation. In all honestly, he’s on a level that he could be a legitimate challenger whether he wins the G1 or not but he wants to earn his spot, that’s the type of guy he is. So he’s going to come at me with all he has.”
New Japan’s G1 Climax Tournament begins on Saturday July 14th and will be available to view on NJPWWorld.com
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the dates for their annual G1 Climax tournament, the 2018 iteration will be taking place from Saturday July 14th to Sunday August 12th. NJPW released the following statement on their NJPW1972.com English language site regarding the dates, arenas and tag line for the 28th G1 Climax:
The G1 Climax is the most physically and emotionally demanding month for the creme de la creme of professional wrestling. Its eventual victor has to have the will to outlast and overcome the best competition in the world night in and night out, a sentiment that is captured by this year’s tagline:
G1 Climax 28: Be A Survivor!
This year, the G1 Climax starts in Tokyo’s Ota Ward in the Ota General Gymnasium on Saturday July 14 and Sunday July 15. Then, it’s up north to Hokkaido Monday July 16 and Hokkai Kita Yell.
We then go back to Tokyo for three nights in Korakuen from Thursday July 19 through to Saturday the 21st, before a first for the G1 Climax in Hachioji’s Esforta Arena on Sunday July 22.
Osaka always sees some of the most explosive moments in the G1, and now there’s double the excitement as we rock Edion arena in Osaka for two nights August 4th and 5th. Finally, for the first time in G1 history, and the first time in 14 years for New Japan, we head to the Nippon Budokan for three nights from Friday August 10 to Sunday August 12.
Here are the full dates for the tournament, the shows that will be aired on NJPWWorld.com have not yet been confirmed:
Saturday July 14 • Tokyo • Ota General Gymnasium (opening day)
Sunday July 15 • Tokyo • Ota General Gymnasium
Monday July 16 • Hokkaido • Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kita Yell
Thursday July 19 • Tokyo • Korakuen Hall
Friday July 20 • Tokyo • Korakuen Hall
Saturday July 21 • Tokyo • Korakuen Hall
Sunday July 22 • Tokyo • Hachioji Esforta Arena
Thursday July 26 • Niigata • Aore Nagaoka
Friday July 27 • Shizuoka • Act City Hamamatsu
Saturday July 28 • Aichi • Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Monday July 30 • Kagawa • Takamatsu City General Gymnasium Arena 1
Wednesday August 1 • Kagoshima • Kagoshima Arena
Thursday August 2 • Fukuoka • Fukuoka Public Gymnasium
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega have had arguably one of the greatest trilogies in wrestling history this year, and now their third match from this year’s G1 Climax tournament will be aired on AXS TV this Friday night.
As always commentary will be provided by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett, if you have not yet seen this bout then I urge you to check this out on Friday night.
G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito took part in a press conference for New Japan recently and he made some ‘proposals’ on the format of the G1 and how he feels that the tournament could be changed for the better. The following comes from New Japan’s English language site NJPW1972.com:
‘I said as much in the ring last night, but I’m honestly grateful for all the fans for the atmosphere they all created in Ryogoku. But that’s not limited to the last match yesterday. This G1 I was able to put on amazing matches in front of amazing audiences every night. I think this was the best G1 Climax of all time.
But I have one… proposal? Or maybe a problem as winner. Something I want to happen if possible, as it relates to next year.
I want there to be a more sound selection criteria for anyone who enters the G1.
On August 11 and 12, the final group matches. There were five group matches on each night, but on the 11th, Tanahashi v Naito was the only match that decided the block. On the 12th, only Kenny and Okada. So out of 10 matches, 8 were meaningless.
That’s an issue with league matches, it can’t be helped to an extent. But it’s on the company to ensure that the fans are excited, kept on the edge of their seats until the very end, is it not? You have to raise questions over whether the choices made were the right ones, or whether 20 wrestlers was really the right number.
Recently the G1 Climax has been made up of 19 cards. Wrestlers in two blocks of ten. Nine group matches each and a final. That’s the framework that’s been laid out. It’s only after that that the company decides who goes in. “Ah, he sucks but we need to fill the blocks up so he gets in.” That’s how I felt it was this year. It should be a case of finding the absolute best of the best and only then deciding how many shows there needs to be.
Anyway, that’s just an idea, as this year’s winner to make the tournament better for all concerned. I know the company never really listens to me. If you just bear in mind that ol’ Naito had that suggestion for ya, I’d appreciate it.
So then.. this contract. This appears every year, doesn’t it? I knew I’d be getting one of these, but I didn’t know until right now that you’d go as far as to lay it out in front of me. A part of me suspected that they’d say “Naito won, so let’s nix it this year.” I gotta say, it’s kinda surprising to have this actually in front of my eyes. If I can have it, I’ll take it. But what I do with it? I think you know the answer. Of course- tranquilo- asssen na yo. That’s about it.”
NJPW’s G1 CLIMAX tournament takes over AXS TV’s Friday nights for the next three months as the network presents 12 all-new, hour-long episodes showcasing top matches from the tournament on the award-winning series New Japan Pro Wrestling beginning this Friday, Aug. 18 at 8pm.
The 12 hours of tournament action are the most coverage of the annual G1 CLIMAX in AXS TV’s history and will be presented by legendary wrestling broadcaster Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett.
AXS TV PRESENTS MORE G1 CLIMAX COVERAGE THAN EVER BEFORE WITH 12 NEW EPISODES OF ‘NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’ SHOWCASING THE TOURNAMENT FRIDAYS AT 8pE BEGINNING AUG. 18
LOS ANGELES – Aug. 16, 2017 – NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’s biggest tournament—the G1 CLIMAX—takes over AXS TV’s Friday nights for the next three months as the network presents 12 all-new, hour-long episodes showcasing top matches from the tournament on the award-winning series NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING beginning this Friday, Aug. 18 at 8pE. The 12 hours of tournament action are the most coverage of the annual G1 CLIMAX in AXS TV’s history and will be presented by legendary wrestling broadcaster Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett.
Now in its 27th year, the G1 CLIMAX tournament is like no other televised event in wrestling, pitting 20 of NJPW’s top competitors against each other in a grueling, month-long series of matches spread across 19 separate events. For the round-robin tournament, the wrestlers are separated into two blocks (A & B), where they compete for the highest score (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw). The winners of each block then face off in the finals for the tournament championship and a right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on NJPW’s biggest stage, Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome Jan. 4.
Each of AXS TV’s first eight episodes will feature two of the best matches from an A or B Block event, along with highlights from other matches at the event, kicking off Aug. 18 with Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito.
The line-ups for the first eight episodes of AXS TV’s G1 Climax 27 coverage are as follows (subject to change):
Aug. 18 – A Block – Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Aug. 25 – B Block – Minoru Suzuki vs. Kenny Omega, SANADA vs. EVIL
Sept. 1 – A Block – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
Sept. 8 – B Block – Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga
Sept. 15 – A Block – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi, Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
Sept. 22 – B Block – Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL, Juice Robinson vs. Kenny Omega
Sept. 29 – A Block – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito
Oct. 6 – B Block – Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki, Michael Elgin vs. EVIL
The line-ups for the final four episodes of AXS TV’s coverage will be announced at a later date.
Tetsuya Naito has won the 2017 G1 Climax Tournament! The leader of Los Ingobernables defeated Kenny Omega in an absolutely incredible match to earn himself a spot in the main event of next year’s Wrestle Kingdom (providing he retains the briefcase over the next few months…).
If you have never checked out New Japan and you are looking for a true ‘alternative’ to WWE then check out njpwworld.com now, with the recent inclusion of an English language site and the ability to use PayPal the company has never been easier to access.
Did you catch the G1 Final? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
‘The Wrestler’ Katsuyori Shibata made his emotional return to NJPW at today’s G1 Climax finals. He appeared halfway through the show to greet the crowd and stated “I’m alive! That’s all!” Shibata suffered from a subdural hematoma during his last bout with Kazuchika Okada earlier this year and it was reported that we would likely never enter the squared circle to compete again.
Shibata was visibly moved by the crowd’s response to his return, check the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.
It’s Night 3 in the G1 Climax tournament and the second round of matches in A Block. What have we got in store tonight?
Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI – Los Ingobernables vs CHAOS in this one. Naito will want to build on the momentum of beating Ibushi from night 1 and YOSHI-HASHI will certainly want to get his first tick in the win column after falling to legend Yuji Nagata on the first night of action. I’m expecting a Naito victory here and his record to creep up to 4 points.
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Surely this will be main event? If you remember back to the WWE Cruiserweight Classic this was the final that most wanted but due to contractual differences we never got the bout. Well…..it’s finally here, arguably one of the finest technical wrestlers in the world versus a man that is still set for superstardom on the world stage. I really can’t get a gauge on who will win this match, it is still early in the tournament and it really could go either way, I’m predicting a Sabre Jr victory following on from his shock win against Tanahashi on night 1.
Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto – There are two matches tonight that will appease fans of Strong Style…this is the first. Nagata will want to build upon his victory against YOSHI-HASHI on night 1 and Goto will also be looking to get his second win after his hard fought bout against Tomohiro Ishii. I’m going with last year’s finalist Goto for this match.
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii – This is one of the matches that got me into New Japan in the first place. In a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 9 Togi Makabe will be taking on longtime rival Tomohiro Ishii. This will be Strong Style personified and I expect that Tomohiro will get the victory, this is not one to be missed.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale – This is the first match I have previewed where, on paper, the styles clash and I’m not expecting a blow away match. Fale has certainly improved during his time in New Japan and Tanahashi is a bona fide legend however I’m expecting a slow paced affair with Fale getting the victory following the Grenade.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax tournament began this week with some incredible A Block action, including standout performances from Zack Sabre Jr and Kota Ibushi.
The B Block of the tournament begins tomorrow and will feature the following bouts:
Minoru Suzuki vs. Kenny Omega – The leaders of Suzuki-Gun and Bullet Club/The Elite will face off in what will likely be the main event of the show. Kenny Omega will be looking to get his tournament off to a flying start after his win at last year’s G1. Minoru Suzuki is a legend in the Japanese scene and will be a unique test for Kenny stylistically. I’m going with Suzuki for this one as New Japan like to throw in the odd upset early on it the tournament.
SANADA vs. EVIL – Los Ingobernables collide! These two members of arguably New Japan’s most popular faction will look to start their tournaments with a win, I’m expecting an EVIL victory here.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano – The IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will start this year’s G1 with a match against comedy figure Toru Yano. Yano has been a mainstay for years in the G1 and is sometimes a welcome break from the intense nature of the hard hitting tournament. I’m expecting an Okada win but would not be shocked if New Japan go for the upset.
Michael Elgin vs. Tama Tonga – Michael Elgin has gone from strength to strength in New Japan over the past year. His performances against the likes of Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi has seen him become a firm favourite in the eyes of the New Japan faithful, I am definitely expecting him to take the win here.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Juice Robinson – Juice Robinson is another man who has been impressive over the last calendar year. His transition to the Japanese scene from NXT has been fluid and his popularity is higher now than it ever has been, I am fully expecting him to get the win over a game Kojima.
7/20 at Korakuen Hall! A rare battle between New Japan’s baddest leaders! Kenny Omega v. Minoru Suzuki! https://t.co/zULepT1A61
Arguably the biggest annual tournament in pro wrestling is set to begin on July 17th. New Japan’s G1 Climax is a round robin tournament held over the course of a month. The tournament has been in existence since 1974 in various forms and this is the 27th iteration.
Previous winners of the tournament include Antonio Inoki, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Shinsuke Nakamura, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and last year’s winner Kenny Omega.
The winner of the tournament is granted a briefcase, this briefcase contains a contract for an IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match at the January Tokyo Dome/Wrestle Kingdom event next year.
New Japan has announced that the first day of the tournament will be available to watch for FREE on NJPWworld.com. This opening event includes Tanahashi vs Zack Sabre Jr and Kota Ibushi vs Tetsuya Naito.
Keep an eye on SEScoops for full coverage of the prestigious tournament as it unfolds.
New Japan have announced that 14 events will feature an English commentary stream alongside their main Japanese broadcast in 2017. This is a big step in securing a more global reach for the NJPW World service.
The team for these events has not yet been revealed however it is expected that Ring Of Honor play by play commentator Kevin Kelly will again be in the booth for these shows.
The lineup is as follows:
New Beginning in Sapporo – February 5th
New Beginning in Osaka – February 11th
’45th Anniversary Event’ – March 6th
New Japan Cup Finals – March 20th
Sakura Genesis (Invasion Attack) – 9th April
Wrestling Dontaku – 3rd May
Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 3rd June
Dominion – 11th June
G1 Climax US Specials – 1st/2nd July
G1 Climax Opener – 17th July
G1 Climax Finals – 11th/13th August
DISCUSSION: Are you more likely to watch these events with the English language stream? Let us know in the comments section below.
Here are the results for Day 17 of the G1 Climax tournament:
Jay & Mark Briscoe b. Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – The Briscoes win when Mark hits a diving elbow drop on Captain New Japan inside 4 minutes
Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakaishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & David Finlay – Liger took the win with a ground cobra twist
Katsuyori Shibata, Michael Elgin, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA b. Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Atsushi Kotoge – Kojima took the win with a Lariat on Kotoge
Kenny Omega, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page b. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI & Jay Lethal – Page took the win for Bullet Club following a Rite of Passage on BUSHI
Tama Tonga b. Bad Luck Fale – Tonga teased twice that he would take the fall so that Fale would have a chance to get to the final, he took the win with the Gun Stun
Hirooki Goto b. Naomichi Marufuji – Goto took the win with the GTR to keep himself alive in the tournament, he just needed a draw or a double DQ/double count out from Okada/Tanahashi
Tanahashi and Okada went to a 30 minute time limit draw, this is a match that you have to go out of your way to see as it is easily one of the greatest matches in G1 tournament history. Due to the result Goto wins A block and advances to the final on Sunday.
Here are the results from Day 16 of the G1 Climax Tournament:
Rysuke Taguchi b. David Finlay – Taguchi takes the win after hitting the Dodon
Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga & Bad Luck Fale b. Juice Robinson, Manabu Nakanishi & Satoshi Kojima – Tonga hits the Gun Stun to take the win for his team
SANADA & BUSHI b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Captain New Japan – SANADA hits the Skull End to take the win for his team
Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Gedo & Naomichi Marufuji b. Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Togi Makabe & Hiroshi Tanahashi – Goto secures the win for his team after hitting the GTR on Jushin Thunder Liger
Kenny Omega b. Katsuhiko Nakajima – Omega hits the One Winged Angel to take his scorecard up to 5-3, Nakajima is now on 4-4
EVIL b. Toru Yano – EVIL takes the pinfall win to move up to 3-5, Yano is now 4-4
Tetsuya Naito b. YOSHI-HASHI – Naito takes the win with the Destino in what is possibly YOSHI-HASHI’s best match to date. Naito is now on 6-2 and YOSHI-HASHI is 3-5
Katsuyori Shibata b. Yuji Nagata – Shibata took the referee stoppage win with Nagata in a sleeper hold, Shibata is now 5-3
Michael Elgin b. Tomoaki Honma – Elgin takes his 5th win of the tournament while handing Honma his 6th loss, Elgin is 5-3, Honma is 2-6
The final three G1 Climax events take place over this weekend and New Japan World will have an English commentary stream available as an alternative option.
These events will see a three man booth of Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino and Special Guest Rocky Romero.
— ROCKY ROMERO?? ?? ?? ??“Chico El Luchador” (@azucarRoc) August 11, 2016
New Japan have also announced that the New Japan World service is now available on a monthly subscription to Paypal users, the service was previously only available to credit card holders, more information can be found through the following tweets:
Here are the results for Day 15 of the G1 Climax tournament:
Katsuhiko Nakajima b. David Finlay – Nakajima pinned Finlay after hitting the Brainbuster
Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi b. Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan – Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice on Captain New Japan to secure the win for his team
Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & BUSHI b. Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo – BUSHI took the win after hitting the MX on Gedo
Katsuyori Shibata, Michael Elgin, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson b. Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – KUSHIDA made Tiger Mask tap out with the Hoverboard Lock
Here are the results for Day 13 of the G1 Climax tournament:
Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan – Tiger Mask takes the win for his team with a reverse double armbar on Captain New Japan
Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & BUSHI b. Satoshi Kojima, KUSHIDA & Juice Robinson – EVIL took the win after pinning Juice Robinson
Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi b. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi – Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice on Nakanishi for the win
Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Gedo & Katsuhiko Nakajima b. Michael Elgin, Katsuyori Shibata, Tomoaki Honma & David Finlay – Nakajima hit the Penalty Kick on Finlay to take the pinfall victory for his team
Tama Tonga b. SANADA – Tonga hits the Gun Stun on SANADA to take his scorecard up to 3-4, SANADA is now at 2-5
Bad Luck Fale b. Togi Makabe – Fale hits the Grenade on Makabe to take his 4th win of the tournament
Hirooki Goto b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan – Goto officially ends Tenzan’s last ever G1 tournament, this was a fantastic back and forth match that you need to go out of your way and see
Kazuchika Okada b. Tomohiro Ishii – Ishii hits the Brainbuster to take the win in what could be the Match of the Tournament, if not the MOTY
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Naomichi Marufuji – Tanahashi hits the High Fly Flow to take his scorecard up to 4-3, Marufuji is now also on 4-3
Here are the results from Day 14 of the G1 Climax Tournament:
KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Captain New Japan – Liger beats Finlay to take the win for his team
Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto b. SANADA & BUSHI – Goto hits the GTR on BUSHI to take the win
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Juice Robinson b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi – Makabe hits the King Kong Knee Drop on Nakanishi to take the pinfall victory
Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi b. Kazuchika Okada, Gedo & Naomichi Marufuji – Takanishi hits the Pimp Juice on Gedo for the win