For the 35th time, the G1 Climax tournament commences this weekend, where 20 of NJPW’s best will fight it out for an IWGP World Heavyweight title shot at the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 20. This year, the competitors are divided into two blocks, where the top three from each block will advance to the playoffs, with both block leaders receiving a bye to the semifinals.
The first two days of the tournament will feature matches from both blocks. Here are the full cards for both shows and their must-watch matches:
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Day 1
July 19 at 5 p.m. JST/4 a.m. ET
- Main event: A Block – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
- 9th match: B Block – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
- 8th match: A Block – Yota Tsuji vs. Sanada
- 7th match: B Block – Gabe Kidd vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- 6th match: A Block – Ryohei Oiwa vs. David Finlay
- 5th match: B Block – Shota Umino vs. El Phantasmo
- 4th match: A Block – Yuya Uemura vs. Boltin Oleg
- 3rd match: B Block – Great O-Khan vs. Drilla Moloney
- 2nd match: A Block – Callum Newman vs. EVIL
- 1st match: B Block – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Day 1 Must-Watch Matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 23rd and final G1 kicks off against Taichi in the main event of day one. The Ace has been on a mission in his retirement run and has his foot on the pedal as he seeks to main event Wrestle Kingdom one more time. Taichi, on the other hand, was on the outside looking in before catching the last train to qualify for the tournament.
To add intrigue, the show will be in Taichi’s hometown of Sapporo. It will be interesting to see how the fans in attendance will react to this match-up.
Gabe Kidd vs. Konosuke Takeshita
In the seventh match, IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd and Konosuke Takeshita will wrestle for the first time. Kidd vowed to win this year’s tournament, but he will have his hands full to start against a more experienced Takeshita. Both of these young competitors made an impact in AEW recently and will look to surpass it in the G1.
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Day 2
July 20, 2 p.m. JST/1 a.m. ET
- Main event: B Block – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd
- 9th match: A Block – Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura
- 8th match: B Block – El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- 7th match: A Block – Yota Tsuji vs. EVIL
- 6th match: B Block – Shingo Takagi vs. Great O-Khan
- 5th match: A Block – David Finlay vs. Sanada
- 4th match: B Block – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Ren Narita
- 3rd match: A Block – Boltin Oleg vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- 2nd match: B Block – Shota Umino vs. Drilla Moloney
- 1st match: A Block – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Callum Newman
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Day 2 Must-Watch Matches
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd
This opening weekend will be quite the test for Gabe Kidd, as he will face the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. after Takeshita. While both enter the tournament as champions, ZSJ holds an edge over Kidd, winning four of their five singles matches.
The Frontman’s most recent win over War Ready happened to be at last year’s G1, where he choked him out into submission. Kidd will need to bring all of the intensity and toughness he has, probably more, to prevent a repeat.
El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita
In the 8th match, we will see current NJPW World TV champion El Phantasmo go up against Konosuke Takeshita for the third time this year, fourth overall. The latter holds a two-win advantage, with their first encounter this year being a time limit draw for ELP’s TV title and Takeshita winning their first-ever match at last year’s G1. Will this one see ELP finally beating Takeshita, or will the result be the same?
The entirety of G1 Climax 35 will stream live on NJPW World from July 19 to August 17.
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