With days fifteen and sixteen of the NJPW G1 Climax 26 in the books, we now head into three huge back-to-back-to-back shows at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan to crown the best star in professional wrestling this year.
All three days will feature English commentary from Ring of Honor announcers Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly, and will be broadcast live on New Japan World. Wrestlezone will have live coverage for all three shows with discussion areas going up one hour prior to each event.
Kicking off August 12th at 5:30 a.m. EST will be the final day of A-Block competition, followed by the final day of B-Block competition on August 13th at the same time.
Then on August 14th at 2:00 a.m. EST the finals of the G1 Climax 26 tournament will take place, featuring the winner of the A-Block taking on the winner of the B-Block to determine this year’s G1 Champion and, quite possibly, who will go on to Wrestle Kingdom 11 to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Also scheduled for the G1 Finals, Jay Lethal will defend the ROH World Championship against Satoshi Kojima, while the Brisoces defend the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Bullet Club members Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi, as well as several huge matches to be announced pending the outcomes of the final nights of A-Block and B-Block competition.
The Final Contenders
If you’re just tuning into the G1 now, that’s okay! It’s not too late – we’ve got you covered. The G1 Climax is an annual Round Robin style tournament where the best wrestlers of New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as a few outsiders, gather together to crown a single winner over the course of 19 events, in just four grueling weeks. The competitors are divided into the A Block and the B Block, with each wrestler competing in nine matches against every single competitor in his block.
We started one month ago with twenty men, all looking to bestow upon themselves the title of the greatest professional wrestler in the world today. After 16 events there are nine men left in contention. By Saturday there will be two. By Sunday there will be one.
Tiebreaker Confusion
Because of the nature of a Round Robin tournament, some of the potential tiebreaker situations can be very confusing. Each wrestler is awarded two points for a victory, and zero points for a loss. If there is a tie at the end between two men, the winner is the competitor who scored the victory in their match. For example, Bob and Jimmy end the tournament with 10 points each. When Bob and Jimmy faced off earlier in the tournament, Bob won the match. Therefor Bob has the superior record between the two, and is the winner.
If there remains a tie between three or more men by the end, the winner is the competitor who had the best record in matches between them. For example, Bob, Jimmy, Fred and Tetsuya Naito all have 10 points at the end. Between the four of them, Bob and Jimmy are 2-1 while Fred and Tetsuya Naito are 1-2. That means Bob and Jimmy hold the superior records; whoever won the match between Bob and Jimmy would be declared the winner. (This is actually a possible scenario within the B Block)
Finally, if there exists a tie between three or more competitors and a clear winner cannot be established using the methods previously discussed, a tiebreaker match, or series of matches will take place. For example, Bob and Jimmy and Fred all have 10 points at the end. Bob defeated Jimmy, Jimmy defeated Fred, and Fred defeated Bob. They are each 1-1 within their group, which creates a kind of tournament loop where no one technically has the advantage. (This is actually a possible scenario within both blocks)
Yes, it sounds incredibly complicated. That being said, if you’re tuning into the show there will be English commentary, and if any of the more frustratingly complicated situations should arise, they will likely be explained as the matches unfold. It is also very unlikely that both blocks will end in convoluted ties; these are just the possible, however unlikely, scenarios that have to be addressed because of the nature of a Round Robin style tournament.
— THE A BLOCK —
There have been a lot of twists and turns within this year’s A Block, which was bound to happen in a bracket that contained the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the biggest star in Japan, a legend from a rival promotion, two members of the Bullet Club and several notable veterans.
There is currently a five-way tie set for first place, with four of those men still left to face off against one another.
Hiroshi Tanahashi: He is the “Ace” of New Japan and the record holding seven time IWGP Heavyweight champion. Tanahashi went into this tournament in questionable condition, suffering both a storyline and a very legitimate shoulder injury, as well as numerous other bumps and bruises. He lost three shocking upsets in his first three weeks, and then began to mount his comeback.
His last opponent is… Kazuchika Okada.
In order to win the A Block… Tanahashi must win his match. Because he would have wins over all four contenders, his win is the instant tiebreaker no matter who else wins their final matches.
Chances of winning: Very High.
Kazuchika Okada: He is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion and “the man” of New Japan. Okada offered one of the most consistent performances of the G1 this year, racking up points early and often, but will head into the A Block finals with two consecutive losses, to face his greatest rival. In story, Okada has stated numerous times that it is his dream to win the G1 Climax as the current reigning champion, an accomplishment that would instantly grant him legendary status in the wrestling record books.
His last opponent is… Hiroshi Tanahashi.
In order to win the A Block… Okada must win his match, Bad Luck Fale must lose his match, and Goto must win his match.
Chances of winning: Moderate
Naomichi Marufuji: You could call him the “Ace” of Pro Wrestling Noah, and one of the biggest and best stars in all of Japan. Marufuji is one of two names on loan for this tournament, along with the B Blocks Katsuhiko Nakajima. He has done incredibly well in this year’s G1 and wrestled some of the best matches of the tournament. He very well could advance to the finals, although in doing so it would paint a very obvious win for the B Block as it is unlikely New Japan would opt to have him work the Wrestle Kingdom main event, as well as be a main event talent at virtually every show for the next four months.
His last opponent is… Hirooki Goto.
In order to win the A Block… Marufuji must win his match, Okada must win his match, and Bad Luck Fale must lose his match.
Chances of winning: Moderate
Hirooki Goto: A veteran of New Japan, Goto really didn’t have a story going into this year’s G1, and was simply a veteran talent who wrestled good-to-great matches and picked up enough wins to make it to this point. The chances of him advancing are both very low, and fairly convoluted.
His last opponent is… Naomichi Marufuji.
In order to win the A Block… A three way tie must be forced, by Okada, Goto and Bad Luck Fale all winning their matches. Because they have an even record against one another, the A Block would end in stalemate and some kind of tiebreaker match(es) would be established.
Chances of winning: Very Low
Bad Luck Fale: He is the brute from the Bullet Club. Fale didn’t do so well early on in this tournament, and only recently did he spring back into contention with some unexpected, and quite frankly, frustrating wins. He faces off with his fellow Bullet Club partner on the last night of the A Block.
His last opponent is… Tama Tonga.
In order to win the A Block… He must win his match, Okada must win his match, and Marufuji must win his match. Because he has victories over the two, he would advance in the event of a three way tie between them.
Chances of winning: Moderately Low
— THE B BLOCK —
The B Block is slightly less convoluted than its A Block rival, but only by a very small margin. Quite like Tanahashi advancing off a single win that would render the remainder of his block’s matches irrelevant, Tetsuya Naito currently reigns over his block, and a win over Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega would be an instant advance for the Los Ingobernables de Japon mega star.
There are currently four men left in contention.
Tetsuya Naito: He is the charismatic, apathetic leader of the biggest heel faction in New Japan, Los Ingobernables de Japon. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion – in fact the most recent former champion – and one of the current top three stars of the promotion. He was expected to do well this year, and was a standout potential winner from the start, and he definitely hasn’t disappointed.
His last opponent is… Kenny Omega.
In order to win the B Block… Naito must win his match. At 14 points with a record of 7-2, he would be the default winner of the B Block.
Chances of winning… High.
Michael Elgin: He is the current reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion and a former Ring of Honor champion that has come to Japan and immediately established himself as one of the best in the country. Elgin has been arguably the best star of this year’s tournament, wrestling great matches every single night. It was expected that he would do well, but considering this was his first G1, as an outsider, he was not expected to make it this far.
His last opponent is… Katsuhiko Nakajima.
In order to win the B Block… Elgin must win his match, Shibata must win his match, and Omega must win as well. A four way tie between them and Naito would give Elgin and Shibata a 2-1 advantage over the others. Elgin defeated Shibata and would therefor be the winner.
Chances of winning… Average.
Katsuyori Shibata: He is the reigning NEVER Openweight Champion and one of the best in the world today. Many have said this is the year of Shibata, who came up in New Japan at the same time as promotion ace Hiroshi Tanahashi, but has taken a different path through different promotions, and is still looking to break into the main event. Shibata has already had a great year, and they could be ready to pull the trigger on a main event at the Tokyo Dome in his future.
His last opponent is… EVIL.
In order to win the B Block… Shibata must win his match, Omega must win his match, and Elgin must lose. In a three way tie between Shibata, Omega and Naito, Shibata has beaten them both and would therefor advance.
Chances of winning… Average.
Kenny Omega: He is the leader of the Bullet Club, a faction that has presided over New Japan, Ring of Honor, various independent promotions (and tangentially WWE) for the last three years. He is a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and has been built steadily over the past year into one of the top stars of the promotion. There is an argument to be made that Omega is not yet ready to main event the Tokyo Dome, but as the heat of the Bullet Club dwindles, it could be now or never for the charismatic “Cleaner”.
His last opponent is… Tetsuya Naito.
In order to win the B Block… He must win his match over Naito, and both Shibata and Elgin must lose their matches.
Chances of winning: Average.
