NJPW G1 Blocks Announced

A summer of fun is coming to New Japan Pro Wrestling, kicking off with Forbidden Door, but now the blocks for the G1 Climax tournament have been announced.

The stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling will have their hands full when they walk through the Forbidden Door with AEW at the United Center in Chicago on June 26th.

Beyond that, however, NJPW’s finest will be engaged in battle as part of the 48th iteration of the G1 Climax tournament. For the first time since 2019, the tournament returns to its usual summer dates and for the first time in over two decades, the field will be split into four blocks rather than two.

Kazuchika Okada will be hoping his Rainmaker can help him reign supreme over A Block where he will be joined by Jeff Cobb, Bad Luck Fale, Toru Yano, Jonah, AEW’s Lance Archer, and debutant ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor.

B Block will see hostilities between Bullet Club and Tama Tonga resume as Tonga will be joined by Chase Owens and reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White. The block also includes Tomohiro Ishii, Sanada, Great-O-Khan, and Taichi.

Block C might well prove to be the toughest as it features the man who could be Interim AEW World Champion when the G1 begins, Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW’s Ace will be joined by former IWGP Heavyweight Champions Tetsuya Naito and EVIL as well as KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Hirooki Goto, and Aaron Henare.

United Empire’s Will Ospreay, Yujiro Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Juice Robinson, Yoshi-Hashi, David Finlay, and El Phantasmo round out the tournament in D Block.

NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament will commence on the 16th of July with the winner being crowned on the 18th of August.