AEW Star Makes History With NJPW G1 Climax 35 Tournament Win

An AEW star is continuing to rack up the accolades.

On August 17, Konosuke Takeshita beat EVIL at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, to claim victory in the NJPW G1 Climax 35 Tournament. The AEW star claimed the memorable win after taking out EVIL with the Raging Fire.

The early going was packed with interference from the House of Torture, but they were quickly dispatched by Zack Sabre Jr., Rockey Romero, and a host of NJPW young lions.

After the match, an emotional Takeshita told fans he was glad he became a professional wrestler. He said anyone watching should know that they could do it too, but they had to remember that he would always be the best.

Takeshita made it to the finals after finishing third in Block B, before seeing off David Finlay in the playoffs and Zack Sabre Jr. in the semi-finals. EVIL was a surprise addition to the finals after getting past Yota Tsuji in the semis. He had earlier finished top of Block A.

Konosuke Takeshita Excelling In And Out Of AEW

By winning the illustrious tournament, Takeshita became the first-ever AEW contracted wrestler to win the G1 Climax. Although previous winners such as Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Kazuchika Okada have later signed with AEW, they were all under contract with NJPW at the time of their wins.

Although he remains All Elite, Takeshita is also signed to contracts with NJPW and DDT Pro-Wrestling.

Gabe Kidd has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during his match with Takeshita in his opening match of the tournament. The British star was subsequently pulled from Block B, but reports suggest that his injury didn’t impact creative for the tournament’s final stages.

Although there was a great deal of uncertainty around the severity of the injury, it has been announced that Gabe Kidd will be competing at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on August 24.

Kidd is set to be part of a Lights Out Steel Cage Match, where he’ll team with the Death Riders and the Young Bucks to face Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, Kota Ibushi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

At Forbidden Door, Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Nigel McGuinnes.