SouthernWorldwide.com – The highly anticipated G1 Climax 36, one of the most prestigious professional wrestling tournaments globally, commenced its first day in Chicago on Saturday.
This significant event, hosted at the NOW Arena, features a roster of top-tier talent from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The ultimate victor of the tournament will earn a coveted opportunity to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom in January.
The G1 Climax spans a demanding four weeks, with wrestlers divided into two competitive blocks: Block A and Block B. Points are awarded for each match, with a win granting two points, a draw earning one point, and a loss or no contest resulting in zero points. Double count-outs and double disqualifications are officially recognized as draws.
Block A’s formidable lineup includes last year’s champion Konosuke Takeshita, alongside Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Jake Lee, Sanada, Great-O-Khan, Yuto-Ice, and Ryohei Oiwa.
Block B features Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, Drilla Maloney, Zack Sabre Jr., Callum Newman, Ren Narita, Gabe Kidd, Henare, Aaron Wolf, and Oskar.
“This tournament, as I’ve said, ultimately creates legends. It’s the most famous tournament,” explained Rocky Romero, a prominent figure in NJPW. “We’ve had individuals like Masahiro Chono and Scott Norton participate. Even Steve Austin, I believe, has been in it. So, the names that truly resonate have been part of this tournament since its inception in ’91.”
Among the esteemed past participants is Jon Moxley, who joined the G1 Climax in 2019 following his departure from WWE.
Romero recounted his experience reaching out to Moxley when he became a free agent, attempting to recruit him for the tournament despite its rigorous physical demands.
“There’s a well-known story about when Jon Moxley left WWE. He had sort of reached out and said, ‘You know, I’d love to do New Japan.’ And the first idea that came up, given the timing, was, ‘Well, Mox, would you want to do the G1?’ There was some hesitation, and he was like, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ You know, that’s like the first thing coming out of WWE,” Romero recalled. “Here is a 30-day tour. First time to wrestle in New Japan and then to be thrown right to the wolves, so to speak.”
“We hung up, and he’s like, ‘Let me think about it.’ You know, we had that conversation, and I would say 30 seconds later, a minute later, I think he looked over to Renee (Paquette), his wife, and was like, ‘They want me to do the G1.’ She’s like, ‘Well, what’s the problem?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah. I need to do the G1. This is crazy.’ Yeah, I don’t think he ever expected it. So, he called me back immediately and was like, ‘I’m in.’ And then, you know, it ended up being one of the coolest things for Mox to leave WWE and then go straight into the G1, which was pretty crazy. I mean, like I said, it’s the stuff that makes legends.”
This high standard set by New Japan Pro-Wrestling is precisely why the G1 Climax is held in such high esteem within the professional wrestling community.
Romero identified Yota Tsuji and Konosuke Takeshita as the likely frontrunners heading into the tournament. He also highlighted Zack Sabre Jr. and Aaron Wolf as potential champions.
“You never know. Like Yota Tsuji is definitely top dog, I think, this year. Then, you have Konosuke Takeshita as well, who not only won last year but has truly been one of the best wrestlers on the planet for the last couple of years. He really showed what he’s all about last year by not only winning the tournament but also becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion,” he stated. “I think Takeshita or Tsuji, which also happens to be the main event of Chicago on Saturday.”
“Then you have players like Zack Sabre Jr., who at any moment could win anything. He’s one of the best tournament wrestlers of all time. Everybody always talks about (Kazuchika) Okada, but I feel like Zack Sabre is up there in tournaments. You just never know. But I think the most interesting person probably going into this is Aaron Wolf. He’s an Olympic gold medalist judoka. It’s really his first really, really big challenge on this type of scale. So, I think a lot of eyes are going to be on Aaron Wolf.”
Callum Newman is another wrestler to keep a close eye on during the competition.
The 23-year-old Englishman leads the United Empire faction. He has already made a significant impact in New Japan earlier this year by capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
“Look, I don’t think anybody was expecting that Callum Newman, at his age, 23 years old or whatever it is, to win the IWGP championship earlier this year,” Romero commented. “Now he lost it, you know, back to Yota Tsuji, but he is a guy that I think the world has a lot of stock in, New Japan has a lot of stock in, that he’s going to be a major player. I think he’s got some big shoes to fill. He is a protégé of Will Ospreay. If he can manage to reach the heights that Ospreay has done, I mean, you know, Ospreay never won a G1, maybe Callum can.”
This marks only the second time in the G1 Climax’s history that the tournament has begun in the United States. The inaugural US kickoff occurred in 2019 in Dallas.
Romero believes that launching the event in the U.S. significantly elevates New Japan’s international profile.
“Well, obviously, it makes the tournament global and international. New Japan is by far the biggest professional wrestling company in Asia, but to be able to come over to the U.S. and have 4,000, 5,000 fans come and show up and support such a historic and important tournament, I think it’s a big deal for a lot, not only New Japan, not only for the wrestlers, but also for the fans,” Romero stated. “And I think for the wrestlers, most importantly, is they want to show the world that New Japan is the best. It’s the best wrestling on the planet. I think with this year, it’s primarily all young talent, young athletes.”
“So, I think for them, it’s to show the world that they are as good as an Okada or better, or they are as good as a (Hiroshi) Tanahashi or better, or Kenny Omega. All these iconic names that have been involved in the tournament, especially over the last 10 years. All these names have been huge players in professional wrestling. So, I think for this year, coming to the States is just a great opportunity to show the world, hey New Japan is here, and this generation is here and has arrived.”
