The G1 Climax 31 is an upcoming professional wrestling tournament promoted by the Japan-based New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament will started on September 18 and will be concluded on October 21, 2021. It is the thirtieth-first edition of G1 Climax, and forty-seventh edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names.[3][5]
Considered NJPW's most important tournament, the G1 Climax features twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten ("A" and "B"). Each participant faces all nine other wrestlers within the same block in singles matches. The winner of each block is determined via a point system, with two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no point for a defeat; each night of the event sees the ten members of one block compete for the tournament, while the members of the non-competing block perform in tag team matches that have no influence of the tournament results. On the final day of the event, the winners of both blocks face each other to determine the winner of the G1 Climax, who will gain a future match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW's biggest yearly event.
As usual, the tournament will take place over several cities and locations; the 2021 edition marked the second time that the G1 Climax tournament is taking place in the fall due to the 2021 Summer Olympics.[3] The event will broadcast live on TV Asahi and Fighting TV Samurai in Japan, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling World worldwide.
Background
On July 8, 2021, NJPW announced that the 2021 edition of the G1 Climax would take place from September 18 to October 21, with the final two days being held at the Nippon Budokan. This is the second time the tournament would be held in the fall, due to the 2021 Summer Olympics, which being scheduled to be held at the same time of the tournament, due to its postponement last year due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.[3] Previously, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the tournament would be held in September and October, such as the previous year due to the Summer Olympics, Meltzer also reported that he did not know the names involved, and mentioned questions on whether or not unhappy talent are staying, Will Ospreay's return and the quarantine situation in Japan.[6]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, other wrestling promotions began to cancel or postpone their shows in an attempt to prevent further spreading of the COVID-19 virus.[7] At the end of February, following recommendations by the Japanese Ministry of Health regarding the coronavirus outbreak, NJPW canceled the events between March 1 and March 15 including the promotion's Anniversary Event and the first and the second round of New Japan Cup. [8] On March 23, NJPW also canceled the 2020 Sakura Genesis event, which was originally scheduled to take place on March 31.[9] On April 8, NJPW canceled more events from April 11 through May 4, leading to the cancelation of both nights of 2020 Wrestling Dontaku and would also cancel the whole Best of the Super Juniors tournament as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on May 6.[10][11] Various wrestlers such as David Finlay, El Phantasmo, KENTA, the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa), Jay White, Juice Robinson, Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero, and Robbie Eagles were unable to work on NJPW events due to travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, NJPW wrestlers and staff created the NJPW Together project in order to do bring content to NJPW World with interviews and old archived matches.[12] On May 6, NJPW announced that their Wrestle Dynasty event would be postponed to 2021, due to the effects of the 2019-20 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.[13] On June 8, during an online press conference, NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi announced that the promotion would start to held shows on June 15, starting with the Together Project Special and the return of the 2020 New Japan Cup between June 16 and July 11, with all shows being held behind closed doors. It was also that the finals of the New Japan Cup and the Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall would be the first shows to allow fans into the arena, but only a third of the venue's normal capacity, after the Japanese Government lifted some restrictions on many regions in Japan.[14] On August 16, it was announced that the tournament would feature in person English commentary since the start of the COVID-19 pandmic.[15]
Tournament rules
As per usual G1 Climax tradition, the tournament features twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten ("A" and "B"). Each participant faces all nine other wrestlers within the same block in a singles match, with the winner of each block being determined via a point system, gaining two points for a win, one point for a tie, and no point for a defeat; each night of the event sees the ten members of the same block compete for the tournament, while the members of the non-competing block perform in tag team matches that have no influence of the tournament results, typically facing their future tournament opponents. In the case of several wrestlers sharing the top score, the results of the matches those wrestlers had when facing each other in the tournament act as a tiebreaker, with the one having the most wins over the other top-scorers determining the winner of the block.[16][4]
On the final day of the event, the respective winners of both blocks face each other to determine the winner of the G1 Climax, who would gain a future match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, NJPW's top championship, at Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW's biggest yearly event; if the IWGP Heavyweight Champion himself wins, he gets to pick his opponent at Wrestle Kingdom. The low-card matches have a twenty-minute time limit, while the matches of the tournament have a 30-minutes time limit (with the time limit being reached resulting in a tie); the final match between the two block winners has no time limit.[16][4]
Dates, Venues and Locations
| Dates[3] | Venue[3] | Location[3] | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 18–19 | Edion Arena Osaka | Namba, Osaka, Japan | 1,963[17] |
| 2,188[18] | |||
| September 23–24 | Ota City General Gymnasium | Ōta, Tokyo, Japan | |
| September 26 | Kobe World Memorial Hall | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan | |
| September 29–30 | Korakuen Hall | Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan | |
| October 1 | Hamamatsu Arena | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan | |
| October 3 | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan | |
| October 4 | Korakuen Hall | Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan | |
| October 7 | Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall | Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, Japan | |
| October 8 | Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium | Kochi City, Kochi, Japan | |
| October 9 | Edion Arena Osaka | Namba, Osaka, Japan | |
| October 10 | Edion Arena Osaka | Namba, Osaka, Japan | |
| October 12–13 | Xebio Arena Sendai | Sendai, Miyagi, Japan | |
| October 14 | Hamamatsu Arena | Yamagata City, Yamagata, Japan | |
| October 18 | Yokohama Budokan | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |
| October 20–21 | Nippon Budokan | Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan | |
Participants
The twenty participants were officially announced on September 5, 2021. The list included mostly Japanese participants, few participants who were outside Japan due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were included, most notably the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa).[19][20][21] Many foreign wrestlers were not included in this year's edition of the tournament due to a travel ban made by Japanese government due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan.[22] Juice Robinson, Will Ospreay, Jay White and Minoru Suzuki, were replaced by Great-O-Khan, Chase Owens, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa after Robinson, White and Ospreay reportedly refused to travel to Japan due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Japan. The tournament also included the debut appearances for Loa, Owens and O-Khan.[21]
A Block
B Block
Tournament
September 18
The first night of the A Block took place on September 18, 2021 at the Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan.[17] The event was broadcast live on TV Asahi and New Japan Pro Wrestling World.
The show kicked off with a singles match featuring Sho and the debuting Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa. After a back and forth match, Sho won the match after forcing Oiwa to submit with the Snake Bite.
The following match, featured the first tournament match in the A Block featuring Kota Ibushi taking on Yujiro Takahashi. In the end, Yujiro attempted to hit the Miami Shine, only to hit a high kick followed by the Last Ride Powerbomb for a near-fall. Ibushi went for the Kamigoye, only to Ibushi block it. Yujiro went for the Pimp Juice, only to Ibushi block it and hit a bycicle knee strike. Yujiro bumped the referee, only to hit a low blow followed by the Pimp Juice for a near-fall. Yujiro hit the Big Juice on Ibushi for the win, thus advancing in the tournament.
The third match featured another tournament, featuring Great O-Khan taking on Tanga Loa. The end of the match saw both men trading strikes, O-Khan went for a standing choke, only to Jado interfere and O-Khan taking him out. O-Khan went for the Eliminator, only to Loa avoid it and hit a Powerbomb for a near-fall. Loa went for the Apeshit, only to O-Khan reverse and hit the Eliminator for the win to advance in the tournament. The fourth match saw Toru Yano taking on KENTA in a tournament match to advance in the A Block. The end saw, Yano countering the Go 2 Sleep, both men pulled each other's hair. Both men began fighting outside the ring, KENTA bumped Yano into the referee. Yano entered in the ring and hit a low blow follwed by a Schoolboy for a near-fall. Yano hit another a low blow and cradled KENTA for the win to advance in the tournament.
The semi-main event featured Tetsuya Naito taking on Zack Sabre Jr. in a tournament match in the A Block. In the end, Naito went for a Frankensteiner in the top rope, only to Sabre trap him in an Octopus Hold position. Sabre hit a Sunset Bomb for a near-fall. Sabre went for a leg hook hold, only to Naito reach the bottom ropes, forcing a break. Sabre then targeted Naito's legs, only to Naito hit the Destino. Both men traded strikes, only to Naito counter the Zack Driver into a Valentia. Naito went for the Destino, only to Sabre counter it into European Clutch for a near-fall. Sabre hit a dropkick to Naito's legs followed by a leg sweep. Sabre hit a double stomp into Naito's legs. Sabre went for the Zack Driver, only to Naito counter it into another Destino. In the end, Sabre trapped Naito into the Yes, I'm Far Away from Home, forcing Naito to submit for the win.
In the the main event, featured a rematch between Shingo Takagi taking on Tomohiro Ishii in a match to advance in the A Block. In the end, Ishii countered the Last of the Dragon into a Crucifix Bomb for a near-fall. Both men began trading lariats, only to Ishii hit an Enizugiri causing Shingo bumping into Red Shoes Unno. Ishii hit a Powerbomb for another near-fall, followed by a Lariat, for another near-fall. Ishii went for the Vertical Drop Brainbuster, only to Takagi hit the Death Valley Driver. Ishii hit a Suplex followed by another lariat for a two count. Ishii went for another Vertical Drop Brainbuster, only to Takagi hit a Dragon Suplex. Takagi hit the Pumping Bomber for a near-fall. Both men began trading chops, followed by headbutts. Afterwards, Takagi hit a forearm shot and hit Ishii with the Last of the Dragon for the win, thus advancing in the tournament. Afterwards, Takagi closed the show.
September 19
The first night of the B Block took place on September 19, 2021 at the Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan.[18] The event was broadcast live on TV Asahi and New Japan Pro Wrestling World.
The show kicked off with a singles match featuring Sho and the debuting Young Lion Kosei Fujita. After a back and forth match, Sho won the match after forcing Fujita to submit with the Snake Bite.
The following match, featured the first tournament match in the B Block featuring EVIL taking on Yoshi-Hashi. In the end, Yoshi-Hashi used the Butterfly Lock on EVIL but he forced a break then EVIL would try to bump the refree twice only to the refree fight back and slap him, Yoshi-Hashi would hit a brainbuster for a near-fall. Yoshi-Hashi would try tp attempt the Karma on EVIL only to be blocked and Dick Togo would interfere in the match with Yoshi-Hashi would apply a rolling cradle on EVIL but Togo would take the ref and EVIL escaped and then hit a low blow and the EVIL on Yoshi Hashi for the win, thus advancing in the tournament.
The third match featured another tournament, featuring Jeff Cobb taking on Chase Owens. The end of the match saw Cobb clobbering Owens around the ring but Owens would get some hope spots with Running knee strike and then Owens would hit the Jewel Heist for a near-fall. Owens would try made one last attempt to put Cobb away with Running knee strikes only to Cobb block them, then hit the Tour of the Islands for the win to advance in the tournament. The fourth match saw SANADA taking on Tama Tonga in a tournament match to advance in the B Block. The end saw, Tonga hit an Underhook Piledriver for a near fall. Tonga would to try to hit Gun Stun only to SANADA reverse into a Skull End and then SANADA would try to hit a moonsault, but Tama would get his knees up and cradled SANADA for a near fall and Tonga would attempt to hit SANADA with Gun Stun twice only to SANADA reverse into a O'Connor roll for the win to advance in the tournament.
The semi-main event featured Taichi taking on Hirooki Goto in a tournament match in the B Block. In the end saw Taichi regaining control of the matches after hiting Goto with mutiple chokes and then Taichi would hit a Chokeslam for a near fall and later Goto hit a Shouten Kai out of nowhere, but couldn't follow up with the pin on Taichi with him cameing back with a Buzzsaw Kick and Gamengiri and Taichi would attempt to hit Goto with Black Mephisto and only to be reversed by Goto after he hited a headbutt and Goto would try to hit Taichi with the GTR only to Taichi choke him and then hit a Chokeslam for a near fall, Taichi would then hit a forearm out of a three-point stance and hit Black Mephisto for the win to advance in the tournament.
In the the main event, featured a rematch between Kazuchika Okada taking on Hiroshi Tanahashi in a match to advance in the B Block. In the end, Okada would hit a top rope elbow drop and would the Rainmaker pose to attempt a Rainmaker into Tanahashi only Tanahashi dodge twice and Tanahashi would hit two Slingblades with Tanahashi going for a High Fly Flow but Okada would get his knees up with both men doing a double down back and fought with three minutes left only to Okada get the upper end and hit two Rainmakers with Tanahashi reversing a Spinning Rainmaker into an cradle for a near fall and Tana would hit a German Suplex followed with Dragon Suplex only to Okada kicked out last remaining minutes of the match and both would traded strikes with each other only to Okada get the upper hand hit a Dropkick then followed by a Tombstone Pildriver and then a Rainmaker in the last remaning minute of the match for the win, thus advancing in the tournament. Afterwards, Okada would close the show.
Current Standings
| Colors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner of the block | ||||
| Did not win the block | ||||
| Block A | Block B | |||
| Great O-Khan | 4 | Kazuchika Okada | 2 | |
| Shingo Takagi | 4 | EVIL | 2 | |
| Toru Yano | 4 | Taichi | 2 | |
| Yujiro Takahashi | 4 | SANADA | 2 | |
| Kota Ibushi | 2 | Jeff Cobb | 2 | |
| KENTA | 2 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 0 | |
| Tanga Loa | 2 | Hirooki Goto | 0 | |
| Tetsuya Naito | 2 | Yoshi-Hashi | 0 | |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 2 | Tama Tonga | 0 | |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 2 | Chase Owens | 0 | |
| Block A | Ibushi | Takagi | Naito | Sabre | O-Khan | Yano | Ishii | KENTA | Loa | Takahashi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibushi | X | Ibushi (Forfeit) |
Takahashi (11:31) | |||||||
| Takagi | X | Takagi (Forfeit) |
Takagi (27:56) |
|||||||
| Naito | Ibushi (Forfeit) |
Takagi (Forfeit) |
X | Sabre (27:05) |
O-Khan (Forfeit) |
Yano (Forfeit) |
Ishii (Forfeit) |
KENTA (Forfeit) |
Loa (Forfeit) |
Takahashi (Forfeit) |
| Sabre | Sabre (27:05) |
X | ||||||||
| O-Khan | O-Khan (Forfeit) |
X | O-Khan (17:45) |
|||||||
| Yano | Yano (Forfeit) |
X | Yano (11:07) |
|||||||
| Ishii | Takagi (27:56) |
Ishii (Forfeit) |
X | |||||||
| KENTA | KENTA (Forfeit) |
Yano (11:07) |
X | |||||||
| Loa | Loa (Forfeit) |
O-Khan (17:45) |
X | |||||||
| Takahashi | Takahashi (11:31) |
Takahashi (Forfeit) |
X | |||||||
| Block B | Tanahashi | Okada | Goto | Hashi | SANADA | Cobb | Taichi | EVIL | Tonga | Owens |
| Tanahashi | X | Okada (29:36) |
||||||||
| Okada | Okada (29:36) |
X | ||||||||
| Goto | X | Taichi (18:30) |
||||||||
| Hashi | X | EVIL (17:15) |
||||||||
| SANADA | X | SANADA (19:04) |
||||||||
| Cobb | X | Cobb (12:11) | ||||||||
| Taichi | Taichi (18:30) |
X | ||||||||
| EVIL | EVIL (17:15) |
X | ||||||||
| Tonga | SANADA (19:04) |
X | ||||||||
| Owens | Cobb (12:11) |
X |
| Final | ||||
| A1 | ||||
| B1 | ||||
Results
Night 1
| # | Results[17][23] | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sho defeated Ryohei Oiwa by submission | Singles match | 6:08 |
| 2 | Yujiro Takahashi defeated Kota Ibushi | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 11:31 |
| 3 | Great O-Khan defeated Tanga Loa (with Jado) | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 17:45 |
| 4 | Toru Yano defeated KENTA | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 11:07 |
| 5 | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito by submission | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 27:05 |
| 6 | Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 27:56 |
| |||
Tournament scores
| Rank | Wrestler | Result | Points | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post | |||||
| 1 | Great-O-Khan | Win | 0 | 2 | 1-0 | |
| Shingo Takagi | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| Toru Yano | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| Win | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Zack Sabre Jr. | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2 | KENTA | Loss | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | |
| Kota Ibushi | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tanga Loa | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tetsuya Naito | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tomohiro Ishii | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
Night 2
| # | Results[18][24] | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sho defeated Kosei Fujita by referee stoppage | Singles match | 8:09 |
| 2 | EVIL (with Dick Togo) defeated Yoshi-Hashi | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 17:15 |
| 3 | Jeff Cobb defeated Chase Owens | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 12:11 |
| 4 | SANADA defeated Tama Tonga | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 19:04 |
| 5 | Taichi defeated Hirooki Goto | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 18:30 |
| 6 | Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi | Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament | 29:36 |
Tournament scores
| Rank | Wrestler | Result | Points | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post | |||||
| 1 | Jeff Cobb | Win | 0 | 2 | 1-0 | |
| EVIL | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| Taichi | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| SANADA | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| Kazuchika Okada | Win | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | Loss | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | |
| Tama Tonga | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Hirooki Goto | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Yoshi-Hashi | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
| Chase Owens | Loss | 0 | 0 | |||
References
- ↑ Big matches forthcoming as G1 Climax 31 cards are set 【G131】 (in English). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-07). Retrieved on 2021-09-17.
- ↑ 【新日本プロレス】G1 CLIMAX 31 出場選手&ブロック分け&大会テーマソング発表！【秋の最強戦士決定戦】 . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-05). Retrieved on 2021-09-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 NJPW ANNOUNCES DATES FOR G1 CLIMAX 31 TOURNAMENT . Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-07-08). Retrieved on 2021-07-08.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Paez-Pumar, Luis 2019-07-02. A Guide To New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax, The Best Wrestling Event In The World . Deadspin. Retrieved on 2019-07-24.
- ↑ ja:【G131】灼熱の秋！最強戦士決定戦『G1 CLIMAX 31』大会日程が決定！開幕戦は9.18＆19大阪2連戦！最終戦は10.20＆21武道館2連戦！さらに、大阪・大田区・神戸・浜松・広島・高知・仙台・横浜のチケット販売概要も発表！ . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-07-08). Retrieved on 2021-07-08.
- ↑ NJPW finalize plans for upcoming G1 Climax tournament (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-06-25).
- ↑ Burch, Liz 2020-03-10. How coronavirus concerns are impacting Tampa Bay area events . WTSP. Tegna Inc.. Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ NJPW events cancelled until Saturday March 21 . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-03-10). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ Regarding refunds for Sakura Genesis 2020 . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-03-31). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ April 12-18 events cancelled . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-03-31). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ NJPW events cancelled until May 4 . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-04-08). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ More incredible content coming as part of the NJPW Together Project! . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-03-05). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ NJPW postpones Wrestle Dynasty at Madison Square Garden to 2021 (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2020-04-07).
- ↑ Special Online Press Conference (EN subtitles) . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-06-08). Retrieved on 2020-09-07.
- ↑ G1 Climax 31 to be presented live in English on NJPW World! 【G131】 . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-08-16). Retrieved on 2021-08-16.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax: All you need to know as tournament kicks off . Daily Mirror (2018-07-14). Retrieved on 2019-07-24.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 G1 CLIMAX 31 (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-18). Retrieved on 2021-09-18.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 G1 CLIMAX 31 (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-19). Retrieved on 2021-09-19.
- ↑ NJPW reveals participants for G1 Climax 31 (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-09-05). Retrieved on 2021-09-09.
- ↑ ja:【『G1 CLIMAX 31』出場選手＆ブロック分けが決定！】グレート-O-カーン、タンガ・ロア、チェーズ・オーエンズが初出場！ 3年ぶりにタマ・トンガがエントリー!!【G131】 (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-05). Retrieved on 2021-09-07.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 G1 CLIMAX 31 Entrants announced! 【G131】 (in English). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-09-05). Retrieved on 2021-09-07.
- ↑ Osumi, Magdalena 2021-06-25. The rules of travel: Japan’s latest quarantine measures (in English). The Japan Times. Retrieved on 2021-09-09.
- ↑ NJPW G1 Climax 31 night one results: Shingo vs. Ishii (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-09-18). Retrieved on 2021-09-18.
- ↑ NJPW G1 Climax 31 night two results: Okada vs. Tanahashi (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-09-19). Retrieved on 2021-09-21.