British Monsoon
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The annual G1 Climax tournament is the highlight of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's summer and one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of wrestling. Now in its 25th year, the G1 is the stepping stone to the biggest event on the calendar: Wrestle Kingdom. By winning the G1 tournament, a wrestler earns an IWGP Heavyweight Title shot for the yearly January 4th Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome. This year the tournament features 20 wrestlers split into blocks of 10 and there are 19 shows in the tournament, each wrestler competing nine times over 18 shows before the winners of their respective blocks face off on the final night. A victory in the G1 earns a wrestler 2 points, while a draw earns them 1 point. A match can end in a draw if the 30 minute time limit expires, or if both wrestlers are disqualified or unable to continue.
The entire tournament is being streamed live on New Japan's streaming and video-on-demand service, NJPW World: njpwworld.com
To sign up for NJPW World costs just ¥999 a month, which is about £5.16 or $8.06 and you get access to all the G1 shows live or on-demand, plus a huge back-catalogue of old matches. Signing up is fairly straight-forward. On the bottom right of each page is a dropdown box to auto-translate the site to English. It's not perfect, but it works well enough. If you need a guide, check out; https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/2nxb1q/how_to_sign_up_for_njpw_world_compliments_of/
Entrants:
Block A -
Singles Form: L-L-W-W-W
G1 W-D-L: 55-2-39
Win Percentage: 57%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2007, this will be Tanahashi's 15th G1 tournament in a row
Honours: 7x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 2x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion, 2x IWGP U-30 Openweight Champion
It's been a year of highs and lows for Hiroshi Tanahashi. After failing to secure a place in the 2014 G1 final he went on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title and defended it at Wrestle Kingdom 9 against the young pretender to his throne, Kazuchika Okada. A month or so later, however, and Tanahashi had lost the belt to the man he won it from, AJ Styles. He became embroiled in a feud with the nefarious Toru Yano (someone who's been a thorn in Tanahashi's side on numerous occasions) after Yano knocked him out of the opening round of the 2015 New Japan Cup, denying Tanahashi a chance to win back his title. But now, with Yano defeated (until they meet again in the G1, that is), Tanahashi looks towards the G1 Climax Tournament with renewed hope. If he wins here, he books his place in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 10, but with the wear & tear of a long career starting to show, this may be Tanahashi's last chance at reaching New Japan's grandest stage.
Singles Form: W-W-W-W-L
G1 Record: 8-0-2
Win Percentage: 80%
Highest Placing: 2nd in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this will be AJ's 2nd G1 tournament
Honours: 2x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 2x TNA Heavyweight Champion, 6x TNA X-Division Champion, 4x NWA World Tag Champion
'The Phenomenal' AJ Styles arrived in New Japan in 2014 and immediately showed everyone why he's one of the best wrestlers in the world, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title from Kazuchika Okada. He also had a fantastic run in his first ever G1 tournament, winning 8 out of his 10 block matches and narrowly missing out on the final. This year, however, Styles will be more determined than ever to make an impact and earn the chance to win back his IWGP Heavyweight Title. To do so, he must face some tough competition in a number of highly anticipated matches as, while Styles has been in New Japan long enough now for his opponents to learn what he's about, there's still a few who haven't had the chance to test themselves against The Phenomenal One.
Singles Form: W-W-L-W-W
G1 Record: 37-0-41
Win Percentage: 47%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2009, this will be Makabe's 12th G1 tournament in a row
Honours: Current 2x NEVER Openweight Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
'The Unchained Gorilla' Togi Makabe, current NEVER Openweight Champion, is one of the most physically intense members of the New Japan roster, but even though this year has seen him win the NEVER title on two separate occasions (a bout of influenza causing him to drop the belt the first time around) Makabe has never looked more worn out and beaten down. He's still got enough fire to beat an injured animal like Ishii, but as he looks increasingly more shaky in the ring and with a long and grueling G1 tournament ahead of him, you have to wonder how Makabe will fare. Chances are that once all's said and done, Makabe's going to have a lot of potential challengers for his NEVER Openweight Title.
Singles Form: L-L-W-L-W
G1 Record: 16-1-15
Win Percentage: 50%
Highest Placing: Reached the semi-finals in 2004, this will be Shibata's 5th G1 tournament
Honours: 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
Since returning to New Japan after a largely forgettable career in MMA, Katsuyori Shibata is left something of a forgotten man amongst the NJPW roster. He buried the hatchet with his old rival Hiroshi Tanahashi, had an aforementioned pitiful run with the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles and got caught up in a feud with his mentor and MMA legend, Kazushi Sakuraba. But for a man as popular as Shibata, one who creates such great response from audiences with his work in the ring, there's a startling lack of focus on the man who, alongside Tanahashi & Nakamura, was once considered one of the new 'three musketeers' of NJPW. More than most in the tournament this year, Katsuyori Shibata needs to make a big impression and put the focus back on himself.
Singles Form: W-L-W-W-L
G1 Record: 24-1-20
Win Percentage: 53%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2013, this will be Naito's 6th G1 tournament
Honours: 1x NEVER Openweight Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
The 'Stardust Genius' of New Japan Pro-Wrestling has spent the past two years somewhat aimlessly wandering around the mid-card. After returning from a career-threatening knee injury, Naito shocked everyone by winning the 2013 G1 tournament. But, after a disappointing run-in to the Tokyo Dome, his match with Okada was made the semi-main event via an online fan vote. Okada won the match and Naito's dreams of winning the IWGP title seemed over. Since then, little has changed for the man Keiji Mutoh hailed as a "genius" of wrestling, but it appears as if Naito's tired of waiting for his chance to come. He recently took an excursion to CMLL in Mexico where he was recruited by the rudos stable Los Ingobernables and, now that he's returned to Japan, it's safe to say that their attitude has rubbed off on him. It will be very interesting to see what impact this new Tetsuya Naito makes on the G1 tournament and whether he can repeat his 2013 feat and shock everyone by winning it all.
Singles Form: L-L-W-W-W
G1 Record: 59-1-50
Win Percentage: 53%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2003, 2004 & 2006, this will be Tenzan's 20th G1 tournament
Honours: Current 1x NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 4x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 11x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
The legendary Hiroyoshi Tenzan enters his 20th G1 Climax Tournament as the only three-time winner in the 2015 G1 field. He holds the historic NWA World Heavyweight Title, but nearing the 25th year of his career the wear & tear is definitely starting to show. But on his best day Tenzan is one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the world and, at times, the G1 can spur the veterans on to something special. It can also be something of a trial, especially with more dates and a hectic schedule that sees 19 shows take place in 26 days. It would be a remarkable feat, however, for Tenzan to win the G1 in his 20th year of entering the tournament and, although the odds aren't likely to be in his favour, the NWA Champion won't go down without a fight.
Singles Form: W-W-W-W-L
G1 Record: 3-0-5
Win Percentage: 60%
Highest Placing: Finished 7th in his block of 10 in the 2013 G1, this will be Ibushi's 2nd G1 tournament
Honours: 3x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, 3x KO-D Openweight Champion
After entering the 2013 G1 tournament as a Jr. Heavyweight, Kota Ibushi made the step-up to the Heavyweight division the following year. However, he found himself watching from the sidelines after a serious concussion caused him to miss the 2014 G1, putting New Japan's plans for him on hold. It didn't keep Ibushi down for long though and he's put in some impressive performances in the past year, notably against Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 9 and against AJ Styles at Invasion Attack. He also won this year's New Japan Cup, but even though he failed to turn the title opportunity he was awarded as a result into championship gold, Ibushi will be looking for a second tournament win in 2015 and fulfil a dream of main eventing Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome, as well as earning another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title.
Singles Form: L-W-W-L-L
G1 Record: 29-3-35
Win Percentage: 47%
Highest Placing: Finished 3rd in his block of 6 in the 2007 G1, this will be Yano's 10th G1 tournament
Honours: 2x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion, 1x GHC Heavyweight Tag Champion
'The Sublime Master Thief' of New Japan Pro-Wrestling isn't the most prolific member of the roster, titles-wise, but he is probably the most infuriating. An endless trickster, Yano has caught many a G1 competitor unaware and stolen victory from the jaws of what looked like an obvious defeat. There's little chance of Yano winning his block, let alone reaching the G1 final, but there's always the chance that he ruins someone's tournament with a low-blow or well-timed roll-up, as he's proven many times in the past.
Singles Form: L-W-L-W-L
G1 Record: 4-0-6
Win Percentage: 40%
Highest Placing: Finished 9th in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this is Gallow's 2nd G1 tournament
Honours: Current 3x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
In his short time with New Japan Doc Gallows has shown his ability as a tag wrestler, but last year's G1 tournament wasn't a notable outing for him on the singles match side of things. He's a large an imposing wrestler, however, and that goes a long way to making him a difficult obstacle to overcome, but whether Gallows can make a real challenge for winning his block or just improve on last year's record is another matter.
Singles Form: L-L-W-L-L
G1 Record: 6-0-4
Win Percentage: 60%
Highest Placing: Finished 3rd in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this is Fale's 2nd G1 tournament
Honours: 1x IWGP Intercontinental Champion
'The Underboss' of the Bullet Club, Bad Luck Fale made a concerted run for the finals last year, only to fall victim to Shinsuke Nakamura's Boma Ye on the penultimate night of the tournament. As the largest member of the roster, Fale is a force to be reckoned with and has proven his ability in the past when he defeated Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Title. But he faces a lot of strong competition in his block and it'll be interesting to see if the big Tongan can make an even bigger impact in this year's tournament.
Block B -
Singles Form: L-W-W-W-W
G1 Record: 19-1-9
Win Percentage: 65%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2012 & 2014, this will be Okada's 4th G1 tournament
Honours: Current 3x IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Entering his 4th G1 Climax as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Okada looks to do what no one has done since Kensuke Sasaki in 2000 and win the G1 as IWGP champion. Since he returned from his learning excursion, Okada has proved to be something of a prodigy, placing himself amongst the top stars of New Japan and holding his own to become a star in his own right. With two G1 tournament victories and three IWGP Heavyweight Title reigns to his name, Okada has become a very major player in NJPW in a relatively short amount of time. But the champion hasn't shown to be without his fair share of flaws and, as Tanahashi proved at Wrestle Kingdom 9, the aura of 'The Rainmaker' isn't absolute. Okada gives up years in experience to every other member of his block in this G1, but with one of the highest win percentages in this year's G1 field it will be interesting to see if Okada can achieve his goal and win the G1 as champion.
Singles Form: W-L-W-W-L
G1 Record: 54-4-28
Win Percentage: 67%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2011, this will be Nakamura's 12th G1 tournament
Honours: 3x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 4x IWGP Intercontinental Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion, 1x IWGP U-30 Openweight Champion
While there are numerous popular characters in NJPW, there are few who can work a crowd like Shinsuke Nakamura. The self-styled 'King of Strong Style' is a flamboyant, eccentric performer who has been in the upper echelons of New Japan for over a decade now. But after spending the past two years elevating the status of the IWGP Intercontinental Title, Nakamura is adrift and needs to bounce back in a big way. And what better way to do it that by winning the 2015 G1 Climax Tournament? But doing so will firmly intertwine his fate with that of Kazuchika Okada, his stablemate in CHAOS. The two face off on the penultimate night on the tournament, a match that will likely decide the outcome of Block B and perhaps kick-start the power struggle that many have felt is inevitable in CHAOS for some time now. With a higher win percentage than anyone else in the tournament this year (disregarding Styles, who only has one G1 under his belt), it's hard not to envision Nakamura in the final.
Singles Form: W-L-W-L-L
G1 Record: 42-1-27
Win Percentage: 60%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2010, this will be Kojima's 14th G1 tournament
Honours: 2x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 6x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion, 2x AJPW Triple Crown Champion, 1x NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Like his long-time tag partner, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima is an old hand at the annual G1 tournament. This will be his 14th G1 and, although his own G1 glory has been more recent than Tenzan's, it's been a while since Kojima's been able to regularly compete at the top level. But he's a dangerous and thoroughly experienced competitor, as well as one of the most decorated men in Japanese wrestling today. At any given time Kojima can end a match with his Western Lariat, the only lariat endorsed by the move's innovator, Stan 'The Lariat' Hansen, and as such Kojima isn't to be trifled with. He may not be as agile as he once was, but there's little doubt that Satoshi Kojima remains one of the hardest hitting members of the New Japan roster and should not be taken lightly.
Singles Form: W-W-L-W-W
G1 Record: 30-0-23
Win Percentage: 56%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2008, this will be Goto's 8th G1 tournament in a row
Honours: Current 2x IWGP Intercontinental Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
After a humiliatingly short IWGP Heavyweight Tag title reign, Hirooki Goto bounced back in 2015 by not only winning the IWGP Intercontinental title from Shinsuke Nakamura, but managing to defend it as well. Nakamura's path has been so intertwined with the belt for the past few years that it was almost entirely defined by him, so for Goto to wrest in from his control where so many others have failed to do so is a big feat. But even with his hard-fought success in hand, Goto has only eyes for the grandest prize: the IWGP Heavyweight Title, the belt that has eluded him for so many years. To date Goto's earned seven shots at the belt and in each one he's come up short, but with a renewed intensity and a certain assuredness to his demeanour, Goto will be very much determined to emerge victorious from the G1 this year.
Singles Form: W-L-W-L-L
G1 Record: 7-0-11
Win Percentage: 63%
Highest Placing: Finished 6th in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this will be Ishii's 3rd G1 tournament
Honours: 3x NEVER Openweight Champion
After failing to reclaim the NEVER title from Togi Makabe, the G1 Climax presents an opportunity for Tomohiro Ishii to build upon the hard work that, over the past three or so years, has finally been recognised and rewarded. One of, if not the toughest member of the New Japan roster, Ishii always brings a level of physicality to the ring that not many other wrestlers can match. In the previous two G1 tournaments he struggled with neck and shoulder injuries, but worked through the pain and went on to provide fans with some of the most entertaining and hard-hitting matches in those tournaments. This year, he's in relatively better shape, but working through injury is something Ishii may have to deal with again when working such a physical style in such a challenging tournament.
Singles Form: W-L-L-L-D
G1 Record: 58-5-44
Win Percentage: 54%
Highest Placing: G1 Winner in 2001, this will be Nagata's 17th G1 tournament in a row
Honours: 2x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 2x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion, 1x GHC Heavyweight Champion
With a career spanning 22 years under his belt, Yuji Nagata is one of the most recognisable faces of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but is age finally starting to catch up to 'Mr. Anti-Ageing'? At Wrestle Kingdom 9 Nagata's place on the card was in the pre-show battle royale, something which served as a wake up call for Yuji. By winning the match he earned a shot at Shinsuke Nakamura's IWGP Intercontinental Title and Nagata, out to prove that he still had what it takes to go at the top level, set a lot on his performance in the match. Ultimately it was in vain, as Nagata lost to Nakamura and returned once more to the lower echelons of the card. With doubts about his future in his mind, but a fire and determination as strong as it's ever been, the 2015 G1 will surely be a turning point in Nagata's long and storied career.
Singles Form: W-W-W-L-L
G1 Record: 21-0-23
Win Percentage: 47%
Highest Placing: G1 finalist in the 2012 G1, this will be Anderson's 6th G1 tournament in a row
Honours: Current 4x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
For the 'Machine Gun' Karl Anderson the G1 tournament is a struggle to do what no foreign wrestler has done before and win the G1 Climax. He got tantalisingly close in 2012, becoming the first gaijin to reach the finals since Rick Rude in 1992, but since then he hasn't been able to repeat the achievement. As one-half of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champions, he's as tough a competitor as they come and the G1 season always does a great job of highlighting that. His 'Gun Stun' finisher is one of the most versatile finishers in wrestling and Karl's shown an aptitude for being able to hit the move in wide variety of situations. As such, none of his opponents will be taking him lightly, because with the Gun Stun Anderson can end a match in seconds.
Singles Form: W-W-L-W-L
G1 Record: 17-0-27
Win Percentage: 38%
Highest Placing: Finished 7th in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this is Yujiro's 6th G1 tournament
Honours: 1x NEVER Openweight Champion, 1x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champion
Last year's NEVER title reign did little favours for Yujiro Takahashi. While it was his first singles title win, it was also an entirely forgettable reign, as Tomohiro Ishii even pointed out right after he'd stomped Yujiro and taken his belt back. And that's been a theme of Yujiro's career to-date: he's forgettable. He had an unspectacular G1 last year out and, unless there's a stark change in his attitude, he's on course for a repeat performance in 2015. But there's always the chance for redemption in the G1 tournament, this chance that someone will have a breakout performance and make a name for themselves. Perhaps this will be Yujiro Takahashi's year?
Singles Form: --W-L-W-L
G1 Record: 0-0-0
Win Percentage: 0%
Highest Placing: this is Michael Elgin's very first G1 tournament
Honours: 1x ROH World Heavyweight Champion, 1x AAW Champion, 1x AIW Absolute Champion
It's fair to say that a lot of people were surprised to see that the one outside entrant in this year's tournament was the former ROH World Heavyweight Champion, Michael Elgin. A divisive figure, Elgin's made no secret of his long-held desire to wrestle in Japan and now, with his inclusion in the 2015 G1 Climax, the Canadian strong man's about to fulfil his dream. But this is a huge test for Elgin, with the greatest opportunity in his career to date and more eyes on him than ever before, the pressure's on him to make an impact and it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles the competition, how the Japanese audience responds to him and how far he can go in the 2015 G1.
Singles Form: L-L-L-L-L
G1 Record: 0-0-10
Win Percentage: 0%
Highest Placing: Finished last in his block of 11 in the 2014 G1, this will be Honma's 2nd G1 tournament
Honours: 2x BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion, 2x BJW Heavyweight Tag Champion
After getting a big opportunity to substitute for Ibushi in last year's G1 tournament, Tomoaki Honma got the crowd behind him like no other as he sought for one measly victory in his 10 tournament matches. Sadly, it was not meant to be, but although singles success has been notoriously difficult to come by for perennial underdog Honma, he's found himself in a unique position as a huge fan favourite, in spite of (or, in part, because of) his under-achieving ways. His personal favourite technique, the Kokeshi diving headbutt, sees him fall flat on his face more often than not, but that does nothing to diminish the fan's unwavering support and they'll surely be in good voice this year. Honma is no one's pick to win the 2015 G1, but his Honmaniacs would settle for a win, a moment of glory for one of the more unsung heroes of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Schedule:
To see the full match cards for each show, head over to; http://www.purolove.com/njpw/results/15g1climax.php
- 2014 G1 Climax Winner, Kazuchika Okada
. Dude will be victorious.
