So you’ve heard about this thing called the “G1 Climax Tournament”, but you have no idea what it’s all about, who is competing, when/where it’s happening, how to watch, or why you should care. Well strap in, boys and girls – I’m about to make all your dreams come true.
G1 Climax is a massive pro wrestling tournament put on by New Japan annually, that in recent years has been heralded as the single greatest tournament in industry history, improving with each new iteration. This year will be the longest ever, taking place over the course of 19 shows in just under a full month of incredible events and matches, ending int he G1 Finals at Sumo Hall on August 16th.
The rules are simple: 20 wrestlers are divided into 2 blocks, with 2 points awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The competitor with the most points from each block face off in the finals. While not an official “rule”, in recent years the winner has generally set up the main event at the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show, which is essentially New Japan’s version of WrestleMania.
The major thing that has turned off fans from watching G1 in the past has been the high price tag, given how many live events are involved. But now, you can watch the entire thing from start to finish, live on New Japan World for less than a single month’s subscription to the WWE Network.
This year’s tournament has actually started already, but we are only one show into the event with plenty of time to catch up. On the following pages you will find a brief run down of each of this year’s 20 participants.
