The G1 Climax has been confirmed!
Starting on July 19, 20 of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s best athletes will compete under a round robin style tournament to determine the next contender for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 20. However, it was notable that four spots had TBD - To Be Determined.
New Japan officials stated that a couple of play-in matches were scheduled to take place, with the winners officially joining the upcoming tournament and now the play-in matches have been set. For the A-Block, Callum Newman vs. Taichi is scheduled on June 23, and Ryohei Oiwa vs. Don Fale is confirmed for July 4.
Newman has only been in one G1 Climax so far. He became one of the youngest competitors to join the annual tournament at the age of 21. Though he had a good showing, Newman only ended up with 4 points in the entire tournament.
Taichi has taken part in five G1 Climax tournaments, though he’s never won any of them. Newman and Taichi are embroiled in a feud for the IWGP Tag Team titles; the latter is coming off a successful win with Tomohiro Ishii over Newman and Great-O-Khan for the prestigious belts at Dominion.
Ryochei could be entering the G1 Climax for the first time of his career. The 26-year-old has mainly competed in the tag team division throughout his four-year stint with New Japan so far.
For the B-Block, veteran Tomohiro Ishii will fight Drilla Moloney on June 23. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens is set for July 4th.
Don Fale, Tomohiro Ishii, Chase Owens, and YOSHI-HASHI are no strangers to the G1 Climax themselves. Neither man has won the annual event, but they are pros when it comes to the tournament and will surely use that knowledge if they can get into the G1 Climax.
Below is a message from the NJPW website:
Further details have also been revealed as to the schedule and tournament structure of the G1. Opening Weekend this year is on July 19 and 20 in Sapporo's Hokkai Kita-Yell, and will see ten match cards with both blocks competing in their first two matches!
From there, A and B will compete on alternate nights through to A Block finals in Gunma on August 10 and B Block finals in Hamamatsu August 13. The top point scorers in each block will advance to the semifinals, while second and third place finishers will advance to the playoff stage on August 14 in Korakuen. Second place in A Block will face third place in B, and vice versa, with the winners of those matches filling out the semifinal bracket. August 16 in Ariake Arena, the semifinal matches will determine the finals the very next night, and with it the winner of G1 Climax 35!
We’ll keep you updated on the match results and new entrants!
Monday, June 23 —
- A Block play-in match: Taichi vs. Callum Newman
- B Block play-in match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Drilla Moloney
Friday, July 4 —
- A Block play-in match: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Bad Luck Fale
- B Block play-in match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens