Headlined by the continuation of the rivalry of Hiroshi Tanahashi versus reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Day 1 of the 29th New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Climax Tournament kicked off at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Night one aired for free on AXS TV as NJPW looks to keep expanding their viewership to the American market over the past few years following up a great showing as they collaborated with Ring of Honor Wrestling in selling out Madison Square Garden in April.
The G1 Climax tournament is a four-week round-robin tournament based on a point score system — the field of twenty broken into two ten competitor blocks (A Block and B Block). The scoring is 2-points for a win, 0-points for a loss, and 1-point for a draw. The winner of each block will face each other, and the winner earns the privilege to main event NJPW’s grandest show in January, Wrestle Kingdom.
A very live crowd viewed some of the best pure pro wrestling in the world. The opening contest scheduled for one fall featured former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champions Sho and Yoh, Roppongi 3K versus the ROH and IWGP World Tag Team Champions Guerillas of Destiny, Toma Tonga, and Tonga Loa, representing Bullet Club. Sho and Yoh were not enough to take down the heavyweights as GOD won in just over six minutes.
One feature that the G1 has that is very appealing is that the undercard of the show features competitors from the opposite group competing in tag-team matches to help showcase all the talent in the tournament. The second match of the show was a tag match of Jeff Cobb and Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii. Cobb and Ishii will face off opening the B Block as they teamed with two Young Lions from the NJPW Dojo. Cobb and Ishii gave a mammoth teaser for fans as they delivered stiff shots to each other. Cobb’s team won, but tensions rose post-match a brawl between the two fighters broke out.
Faction warfare was next as Bullet Club’s Chase Owen’s and former IWGP World Champion Jay White challenged Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi of Chaos. Goto picks up the win for his team pinning Owens, but his G1 opponent, White, escapes up the ramp trash talking.
Up next is the legend, arguably the greatest junior heavyweight in the history of pro wrestling, Jushin Thunder Liger in the farewell tour of his 35-year-long career. Liger teamed with Juice Robinson and Toru Yano. They are challenging a trio from Los Ingobernables de Japon IWGP, led by current IWGP Intercontinental Champion and 2-time G1 Climax tournament winner Tetsuya Naito accompanied by Bushi and Shingo Takagi. Liger plays all the hits and Yano wins for his team as he rolls up Bushi after a low blow.
Continued in part 2.