New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) G1 Climax 34 kicks off this weekend (July 20 & 21). 20 wrestlers will compete to win the tournament and book an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 19.
Competitors are separated into either the A or B Block. Everyone will wrestle the other nine competitors. Points are awarded for a win (2) or a draw (1). The top three of each Block will progress to the six-man playoffs.
With such high stakes and so many competitors, there’s a lot to look out for. Here, we bring you the key things to look out for during the G1 Climax 34 opening weekend.
See the full list of competitors here. Also, check out our exclusive interview with the NJPW English Commentator Walker Stewart here.
The last comments have been issued, all that's left is to start the grandest tournament in professional wrestling!#G1CLIMAX34 gets started SATURDAY LIVE in English on @njpwworld!https://t.co/4ZOVpDD4fu#njpw pic.twitter.com/cUj8GZSZwD
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 18, 2024
G1 Climax: 5 Things To Look Out For
Who: Tetsuya Naito
What Are We Looking For: Naito Is In A Tournament To Earn A Shot At His Title
Go On: Tetsuya Naito is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion having beaten Jon Moxley at Forbidden Door. He is competing in the G1 Climax to earn a shot at the title he already holds.
Sorry, what? Why is he in the G1 Climax then?
So. Naito entered the tournament two weeks before he won the championship. It’s his 15 consecutive G1, winning in 2013, 2017, and 2023.
If Naito wins the G1, he will get to pick his opponent at Wrestle Kingdom 19.
His opening weekend is as tough as possible. In a tournament littered with young up-and-comers, he faces two of the most established acts in two days. First, Shingo Takagi and then Zack Sabre Jr.
It’s impossible to say if Naito will be champion come Wrestle Kingdom 19 in January, but by Monday morning he could be on his way out of the G1 Climax.
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and defending G1 winner, is @s_d_naito set to be Strongest of the Summer? #G1CLIMAX34 gets started SATURDAY LIVE in English on @njpwworld!https://t.co/zzVGHtB6qA#njpw pic.twitter.com/EbcW8kja2K
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 18, 2024
Who: Boltin Oleg
What Are We Looking For: Big Man From Kazakstan Boltin Oleg
Go On: Boltin Oleg is one to look out for for several reasons. He’s the first Kazakh wrestler in NJPW history and a Gold Medal winner in freestyle wrestling at the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships.
His match against Ren Narito will open the G1 Climax 34. On day two, the first wrestler from Kazakstan faces the first of Maori origin HENARE.
Oleg is one of the largest competitors in the tournament. As one of the newest, he was forced to qualify for the G1. Impressively he defeated Taichi and Toru Yano on his route to the G1. But his most impressive feat was defeating NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi in the semi-finals.
#G1CLIMAX34 begins NEXT WEEK!
After defying the odds to qualify, will the Big Man From Kazakhstan Boltin Oleg break some brackets?
B Block previewhttps://t.co/m3109vgKaZ#njpw pic.twitter.com/ZazklaIHKY
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 12, 2024
Who: Jeff Cobb
What Are We Looking For: Can Cobb Beat His Own 8-0 Record?
Go On: Last time the G1 had two blocks of 10, Jeff Cobb set a record with 8 wins on the bounce. This year, he’s claimed he will better himself by winning all 9 of his Block B matches. Then, Cobb claims, he’ll go undefeated to win the tournament.
Cobb will have to beat 2008 G1 winner Hirooki Goto on night one before seeing off the rest of the Block.
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Who: Yota Tsuji
What Are We Looking For: The leading light of NJPW’s next generation looks to win G1 in same year as New Japan Cup
Go On: If you’re looking towards the G1 Climax 34 to discover the next top star in NJPW look no further than Yota Tsuji.
Shota Umino, Ren Narita, and Yota Tsuji were identified as the Reiwa Three Musketeers. The Three Musketeers label is used every generation to highlight who will carry NJPW into the next generation.
Tsuji won the New Japan Cup in March signalling that he is one to watch as part of the new generation of NJPW. But Tsuji has claimed that this next generation is actually the current generation.
Tsuji is looking to do the unthinkable and win the G1 Climax 34 in the same year as the New Japan Cup. He’d be the first person to achieve this feat.
On the opening night, Tsuji is looking to prove NJPW is the most dominant company when he faces AEW star Konosuke Takeshita for the first time.
On night two, Tsuji renews a rivalry with IWGP Global Champion David Finlay.
Who: Zack Sabre Jr, Gabe Kidd & Callum Newman
What Are We Looking For: Can Someone Become The First British G1 Climax Winner
Will Ospreay has left NJPW and with it left a place for someone to overtake him as the best British wrestler in Japan. Ospreay never won the G1 and if one of the three British wrestlers in this year’s tournament can they will stake a claim as the best Brit.
Global main event talent Sabre Jr’s match with Naito is the headline-grabbing bout from the opening weekend. His night one match with Great-O-Khan will also offer a great grappling match between two of the most established stars in the tournament.
But fellow Brit Gabe Kidd will look to continue his impressive ascent in NJPW since debuting in 2020. Kidd joined the Bullet Club in 2023 and has since won the IWGP and Strong Tag Team Championship. He is the current and youngest-ever Strong Openweight Champion.
Kidd faces EVIL and Great-O-Khan. These are two very strong opponents and will give us a very strong indication of how far Kidd can go.
Kidd is an antagonistic character and was ejected from the building during the G1 Climax 34 press conference.
After posing with Naito's title and having to be pulled away from Umino, Gabe has been ejected from the building!#G1CLIMAX34 pic.twitter.com/QDKaaXXhp4
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 18, 2024
Less than 12 months into his NJPW career, Callum Newman is seen as Ospreay’s protege. He saw off YOSHI-HASHI, Yujiro Takahashi and KENTA to qualify for the G1 Climax 34. Newman faces Shota Umino who is still not fully recovered from a hip injury. This means the second match of night one could give us our first major upset.
Newman will want to build momentum for night two when he kicks off the show by facing former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA.
'Ironically enough you'll have British guys having a match that shows the true essence of what NJPW is'
Zack Sabre Jr. talks the British presence in the #G1CLIMAX34 A Block! https://t.co/7V9aRv6WEK#njpw pic.twitter.com/luKqtNdWYw
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 17, 2024
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