NJPW reveals match listings for all the G1 Climax shows

johnpollock · September 11, 2020, 2:53pm

Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/09/11/njpw-reveals-match-listings-for-all-the-g1-climax-shows/

On Friday, New Japan Pro Wrestling revealed the full line-ups for the G1 Climax tournament that begins next weekend and will run through the middle of October.

The tournament begins Saturday, September 19^th with back-to-back nights in Osaka and concludes October 16^th to 18^th with three nights at Sumo Hall.

Each show will be limited to one undercard match to compliment the five tournament matches.

After Wednesday’s announcement of the A and B Block participants, the schedule was released with the following line-ups for all 19 shows:

Saturday, September 19^th – Osaka (A BLOCK)
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
*Shingo Takagi vs. Jay White
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki
*Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi
*Yujiro vs. Will Ospreay
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Sunday, September 20^th – Osaka (B BLOCK)
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
*EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto
*SANADA vs. Toru Yano
*Juice Robinson vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Wednesday, September 23^rd – Hokkaido (A BLOCK)
*Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
*Will Ospreay vs. Tomohiro Ishii
*Minoru Suzuki vs. Taichi
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro
*Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Thursday, September 24^th – Hokkaido (B BLOCK)
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*EVIL vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*KENTA vs. Juice Robinson
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
*SANADA vs. Hirooki Goto
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji

Sunday, September 27^th – Kobe World Hall (A BLOCK)
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
*Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi
*Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
*Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki
*Taichi vs. Yujiro
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Tuesday, September 29^th – Korakuen Hall (B BLOCK)
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
*EVIL vs. Toru Yano
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson
*KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*SANADA vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Wednesday, September 30^th – Korakuen Hall (A BLOCK)
*Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
*Will Ospreay vs. Jay White
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi
*Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb
*Minoru Suzuki vs. Yujiro
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Thursday, October 1^st – Korakuen Hall (B BLOCK)
*Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA
*KENTA vs. EVIL
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto
*Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Monday, October 5^th – Kagawa (A BLOCK)
*Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
*Jeff Cobb vs. Jay White
*Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Tuesday, October 6^th – Hiroshima (B BLOCK)
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*EVIL vs. Juice Robinson
*SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Wednesday, October 7^th – Hiroshima (A BLOCK)
*Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi
*Jay White vs. Taichi
*Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Thursday, October 8^th – Okayama (B BLOCK)
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
*KENTA vs. SANADA
*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Toru Yano
*Hirooki Goto vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Saturday, October 10^th – Osaka (A BLOCK)
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
*Kota Ibushi vs. Minoru Suzuki
*Will Ospreay vs. Taichi
*Jay White vs. Yujiro
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Sunday, October 11^th – Aichi (B BLOCK)
*Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
*SANADA vs. Juice Robinson
*KENTA vs. Toru Yano
*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Tuesday, October 13^th – Shizuoka (A BLOCK)
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii
*Minoru Suzuki vs. Jay White
*Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
*Kota Ibushi vs. Yujiro
*Will Ospreay vs. Jeff Cobb
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Wednesday, October 14^th – Kanagawa (B BLOCK)
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
*EVIL vs. Hirooki Goto
*Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson
*KENTA vs. Yoshi-Hashi
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Friday, October 16^th – Sumo Hall (A BLOCK FINALS)
*Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
*Jeff Cobb vs. Yujiro
*Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi
*Prelim: Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd

Saturday, October 17^th – Sumo Hall (B BLOCK FINALS)
*EVIL vs. SANADA
*Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA
*Yoshi-Hashi vs. Toru Yano
*Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*Prelim: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

Sunday, October 18^th – Sumo Hall (FINALS)

TheBKBurger · September 11, 2020, 3:36pm

The first few days:

Day 1
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
Shingo Takagi vs. Jay White
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki

Day 2
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto

Day 3
Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
Will Ospreay vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Minoru Suzuki vs. Taichi

…Oh man, I’m really not going to have a life outside of NJPW.

RocketKing · September 11, 2020, 3:53pm

I love when they lead with one of the marquee matchups. Hang a loss (probably…) on one of the presumptive favorites right of the bat. It sets up so many interesting avenues for the Block.

Rated_R_Poster · September 11, 2020, 4:00pm

The unexpected match I’m looking forward to the most…Suzuki vs Taichi.

ScottyDee · September 11, 2020, 4:48pm

I am ready for the passing of the torch

ScottyDee · September 11, 2020, 4:49pm

I am more than ready for the passing of the torch

BSR · September 11, 2020, 10:51pm

Holding out hope for Shingo Takagi taking it, or even further out there, a Dangerous Tekkers Finals.

RobertX · September 12, 2020, 12:50am

If the champions win a tournament, how would they book it?

Do they not have a match at Wrestle Kingdom, or do would they just make a mandatory challenge to anyone they like?

Ten410 · September 12, 2020, 2:06pm

As usual this should be a great G1, don’t sleep on Taichi.

trak2k · September 12, 2020, 7:30pm

The only two people to win the G1 while holding the IWGP Championship are Keiji Mutoh in 1995 (his only G1 win) and Kensuke Sasaki in 2000 if you don’t count Antonio Inoki winning the “original” IWGP title (the original IWGP tournament winner from 1983-86 was given a belt) in 1986 and becoming the first IWGP title (the one used today) in 1987.

Wrestling World 1996 was the January 4th show with a theme of New Japan vs. the UWFi. The only match UWFi won on the show was Nobuhiko Takada beating Keiji Mutoh for the IWGP title.

New Japan held NJPW Do Judge in October 2000 with All Japan after the All Japan exodus (to what would become Pro Wrestling NOAH) in May-June of 2000. Kensuke Sasaki lost to Toshiaki Kawada in a non title match. He gave up the belt and New Japan held a tournament at their January 4th show in 2006 which Kensuke Sasaki won beating Toshiaki Kawada in the final.

I would assume New Japan would hold a tournament if the G1 winner could not compete at Wrestle Kingdom due to say injury or if the IWGP champion won the tournament. I would not think they would have someone who beat the IWGP champion (the IWGP going on to win the G1) in the G1 become the challenger automatically at Wrestle Kingdom unless of course there was a “pandemic” and Wrestle Kingdom was the next show following the G1.

Also since they went to the “rights certificate” AKA the Money in the Bank contract in 2012 that the G1 winner has never lost the contract leading up to Wrestle Kingdom but has lost the IWGP title match at Wrestle Kingdom every year except for Hiroshi Tanahashi in 2019 when he beat Kenny Omega.

Ventak · September 17, 2020, 3:51pm

Is it so that the first match listed for each day is the main event? Because I cannot see Takagi Vs Suzuki main event over Ospreay Vs Okada for the A block final.