G1 Climax 34
2024 edition of the G1 Climax
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The G1 Climax 34 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament commenced on July 20 and concluded on August 18, 2024. It was the thirty-fourth edition of G1 Climax and the fiftieth edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names.
| G1 Climax 34 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster of the tournament featuring Tetsuya Naito | |||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | July 20 – August 18, 2024 | ||
| City | See venues | ||
| Venue | See venues | ||
| Event chronology | |||
| |||
| G1 Climax chronology | |||
| |||
 Zack Sabre Jr., winner of G1 Climax 34 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Professional wrestling |
| Location | |
| Dates | July 20, 2024–August 18, 2024 |
Tournament format | Two-block round-robin tournament |
| Participants | 20 |
| Final positions | |
| Champion | Zack Sabre Jr. |
| Runner-up | Yota Tsuji |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Attendance | 48,683 |
| Bouts fought | 94 |
Considered NJPW's most important tournament, the G1 Climax features 20 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 2024 tournament saw a return to 20 participants split into two 10-man blocks for the first time since 2021.
Production
Tournament rules
The tournament features 20 wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten ("A "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 points for a loss; each night of the event sees one match from each block between two members competing for the tournament. In 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 tiebreaker, with the one having the most wins over the other top-scorers determining the winner of the block.[1][2]
On the final three days of the event, top 3 wrestlers in each block advances and enter into a six-man playoff, with the block winners earning a bye into the semifinals 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 selects his opponent at Wrestle Kingdom. The matches of the tournament have a 30-minutes time limit (with the time limit being reached resulting in a tie); the quarterfinals (2nd and 3rd places of the block), the semifinal (block winners and quarterfinals winners) and final (semifinal winners) matches, where a winner must be determined, have no time limit.[1][2]
History
On April 3, 2024, NJPW officially announced the 2024 edition of the tournament between July 20 and August 18; as usual, the tournament took place over several cities and locations across Japan.[3]
Storylines
The event includes matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4]
Venues
| Dates | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| July 20 | Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium | Namba, Osaka |
| July 21 | ||
| July 23 | Hiroshima Sun Plaza | Nishi-ku, Hiroshima |
| July 25 | Sunmesse Kagawa | Takamatsu, Kagawa |
| July 27 | Dejima Messe Nagasaki | Nagasaki City, Nagasaki |
| July 28 | Fukuoka Convention Center | Hakata-ku, Fukuoka |
| July 29 | ||
| July 31 | KDDI Ishin Hall | Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi |
| August 3 | Yamato Arena | Suita, Osaka |
| August 4 | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | Nagoya, Aichi |
| August 6 | Korakuen Hall | Bunkyo, Tokyo |
| August 7 | ||
| August 8 | Yokohama Budokan | Naka-ku, Yokohama |
| August 10 | Xebio Arena Sendai | Sendai, Miyagi |
| August 12 | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | Nagaoka, Niigata |
| August 14 | Hamamatsu Arena | Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu |
| August 15 | Makuhari Messe | Mihama-ku, Chiba |
| August 17 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | Sumida, Tokyo |
| August 18 |
Qualifying Tournament
Before the main tournament there was a Qualifying Tournament during New Japan Soul tour to determine one entrant for each block.
Block A Qualifying Tournament
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Tomohiro Ishii | 26:01 | ||||||||||
| Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||
| Chase Owens | 14:01 | Yoshi-Hashi | 11:59 | ||||||||
| Callum Newman | Pin | ||||||||||
| Kenta | 14:38 | ||||||||||
| Yujiro Takahashi | 12:12 | Callum Newman | Pin | ||||||||
| Callum Newman | Pin | ||||||||||
Block B Qualifying Tournament
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 6:50 | ||||||||||
| Toru Yano | 9:16 | Boltin Oleg | Pin | ||||||||
| Boltin Oleg | Sub | Boltin Oleg | Pin | ||||||||
| Taichi | 16:27 | ||||||||||
| Taichi | Pin | ||||||||||
| Satoshi Kojima | 12:50 | TJP | 19:26 | ||||||||
| TJP | Pin | ||||||||||
Participants
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the eighteen official participants of the two blocks on June 16, 2024, with six qualifiers who competed in Qualifying Tournament.[5]
*Noted underneath are the champions who held their titles at the time of the tournament.
Results
Night 1
The first night of the tournament took place on July 20, 2024, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.[6]
| No. | Results[7] | Stipulations | Times[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleg Boltin defeated Ren Narita by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 7:46 |
| 2 | Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 9:45 |
| 3 | Henare defeated El Phantasmo (with Jado) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 9:26 |
| 4 | Zack Sabre Jr. (with Kosei Fujita) defeated Great-O-Khan by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 11:10 |
| 5 | Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki Goto by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 7:24 |
| 6 | Jake Lee defeated Sanada by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 4:57 |
| 7 | Yuya Uemura defeated David Finlay by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 16:22 |
| 8 | Evil (with Dick Togo) defeated Gabe Kidd by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 10:19 |
| 9 | Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yota Tsuji by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 17:14 |
| 10 | Shingo Takagi defeated Tetsuya Naito by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 23:13 |
Night 2
The second night of the tournament took place on July 21, 2024, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.[9]
| No. | Results[10] | Stipulations | Times[11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanada defeated Callum Newman by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 8:41 |
| 2 | Henare defeated Oleg Boltin by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 8:07 |
| 3 | Gabe Kidd defeated Great-O-Khan by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:01 |
| 4 | Ren Narita defeated El Phantasmo (with Jado) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 14:16 |
| 5 | Evil (with Dick Togo) defeated Jake Lee by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 11:20 |
| 6 | Yuya Uemura defeated Hirooki Goto by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:38 |
| 7 | Shota Umino defeated Shingo Takagi by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 18:22 |
| 8 | Zack Sabre Jr. (with Kosei Fujita) defeated Tetsuya Naito by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 16:03 |
| 9 | Yota Tsuji defeated David Finlay (with Gedo) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 19:50 |
Night 3
The third night of the tournament took place on July 23, 2024, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.[12]
Night 4
The fourth night of the tournament took place on July 25, 2024, at Sunmesse Kagawa in Takamatsu, Kagawa.[15]
Night 5
The fifth night of the tournament took place on July 27, 2024, at Dejima Messe Nagasaki in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki.[18]
Night 6
The sixth night of the tournament took place on July 28, 2024, at Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.[21]
Night 7
The seventh night of the tournament took place on July 29, 2024, at Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.[24]
Night 8
The eighth night of the tournament took place on July 31, 2024, at KDDI Ishin Hall in Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi.[27]
Night 9
The ninth night of the tournament took place on August 3, 2024, at Yamato Arena in Suita, Osaka.[30]
Night 10
The tenth night of the tournament took place on August 4, 2024, at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi.[33]
| No. | Results[34] | Stipulations | Times[35] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira and Great-O-Khan) defeated Be-Bop Tag Team (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano) and Shoma Kato by pinfall | Six-man tag team match | 7:15 |
| 2 | Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Jake Lee) defeated Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino by technical submission | Tag team match | 10:00 |
| 3 | Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi) defeated Just 5 Guys (Taka Michinoku and Sanada) by pinfall | Tag team match | 7:23 |
| 4 | David Finlay (with Gedo) defeated Oleg Boltin by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:44 |
| 5 | El Phantasmo (with Jado) defeated Yuya Uemura by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 14:21 |
| 6 | Jeff Cobb defeated Henare by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:40 |
| 7 | Hirooki Goto defeated Konosuke Takeshita by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 14:04 |
| 8 | Yota Tsuji defeated Ren Narita by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 20:21 |
Night 11
The eleventh night of the tournament took place on August 6, 2024, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.[36]
Night 12
The twelfth night of the tournament took place on August 7, 2024, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.[38]
| No. | Results[39] | Stipulations | Times[40] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman) defeated Just 5 Guys (Taka Michinoku and Sanada) by pinfall | Tag team match | 5:44 |
| 2 | Bullet Club War Dogs (Jake Lee and Gabe Kidd) defeated Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino by pinfall | Tag team match | 6:38 |
| 3 | Los Ingobernables de Japón (Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito) defeated House of Torture (Dick Togo and Evil) by submission | Tag team match | 6:17 |
| 4 | Jeff Cobb defeated Oleg Boltin by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 10:09 |
| 5 | Konosuke Takeshita defeated El Phantasmo (with Jado) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 17:21 |
| 6 | Yota Tsuji defeated Henare by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 15:37 |
| 7 | Ren Narita (with Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Yuya Uemura by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 11:47 |
| 8 | Hirooki Goto defeated David Finlay (with Gedo) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 17:47 |
Night 13
The thirteenth night of the tournament took place on August 8, 2024, at Yokohama Budokan in Naka-ku, Yokohama.[41]
Night 14
The fourteenth night of the tournament took place on August 10, 2024, at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.[44]
On this night of B Block competition, Yuya Uemura suffered a legitimate right arm injury in his match with Yota Tsuji, resulting in Uemura having to withdraw from the tournament. Last remaining tournament match against Oleg Boltin on Night 16 was declared forfeit on Uemura's part.[45]
Night 15
The fifteenth night of the tournament took place on August 12, 2024, at City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka in Nagaoka, Niigata.[48]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[49] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi and Yota Tsuji) by pinfall | Tag team match | 6:39 |
| 2 | Jado and El Phantasmo defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (Gedo and David Finlay) by pinfall | Tag team match | 7:02 |
| 3 | House of Torture (Ren Narita, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb and Henare) and Konosuke Takeshita by pinfall | Eight-man tag team match | 9:01 |
| 4 | Gabe Kidd defeated Callum Newman by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 4:51 |
| 5 | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Sanada by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 15:44 |
| 6 | Shingo Takagi defeated Jake Lee by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 13:49 |
| 7 | Shota Umino defeated Evil (with Dick Togo) by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 19:46 |
| 8 | Great-O-Khan defeated Tetsuya Naito by pinfall | A Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 18:57 |
Night 16
The sixteenth night of the tournament took place on August 14, 2024, at Hamamatsu Arena in Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu.[50]
| No. | Results[51] | Stipulations | Times[52] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toru Yano and Oleg Boltin defeated Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato by pinfall | Tag team match | 4:13 |
| 2 | Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Jake Lee) defeated Just 5 Guys (Taka Michinoku and Sanada) by submission | Tag team match | 4:54 |
| 3 | Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino defeated House of Torture (Dick Togo and Evil) by submission | Tag team match | 7:13 |
| 4 | United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira and Great-O-Khan) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi) by pinfall | Six-man tag team match | 8:31 |
| 5 | Henare defeated Hirooki Goto by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:46 |
| 6 | David Finlay (with Gedo) defeated El Phantasmo (with Jado) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 12:32 |
| 7 | Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ren Narita (with Evil and Dick Togo) by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 16:48 |
| 8 | Yota Tsuji defeated Jeff Cobb by pinfall | B Block singles match in the G1 Climax tournament | 11:36 |
Night 17
The seventeenth night of the tournament took place on August 15, 2024, at Makuhari Messe in Mihama-ku, Chiba.[53]
Night 18
The eighteenth night of the tournament took place on August 17, 2024, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.[56]
Night 19
The nineteenth and final night of the tournament took place on August 18, 2024, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.[59]
Blocks
| Block A | Block B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Sabre Jr. | 14 | David Finlay | 12 |
| Shingo Takagi | 10 | Konosuke Takeshita | 10 |
| Great-O-Khan | 10 | Yota Tsuji | 10 |
| Evil | 10 | Ren Narita | 10 |
| Tetsuya Naito | 10 | Jeff Cobb | 10 |
| Jake Lee | 8 | Henare | 8 |
| Sanada | 8 | Hirooki Goto | 8 |
| Gabe Kidd | 8 | Oleg Boltin | 8 |
| Shota Umino | 8 | Yuya Uemura (withdrawn) |
8 |
| Callum Newman | 4 | El Phantasmo | 6 |
| Block A | Evil | Kidd | Lee | Naito | Newman | O-Khan | Sanada | Sabre | Takagi | Umino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evil | N/a | Evil (10:19) | Evil (11:20) | Evil (16:11) | Evil (8:40) | O-Khan (16:25) | Evil (18:04) | Sabre (0:19) | Takagi (16:57) | Umino (19:46) |
| Kidd | Evil (10:19) | N/a | Lee (4:53) | Naito (14:08) | Kidd (4:51) | Kidd (12:01) | Sanada (11:14) | Sabre (16:19) | Kidd (13:50) | Kidd (15:56) |
| Lee | Evil (11:20) | Lee (4:53) | N/a | Naito (17:02) | Lee (11:14) | O-Khan (11:19) | Lee (4:57) | Sabre (17:46) | Takagi (13:49) | Lee (16:03) |
| Naito | Evil (15:11) | Naito (14:08) | Naito (17:03) | N/a | Naito (6:55) | O-Khan (18:57) | Naito (17:43) | Sabre (16:03) | Takagi (23:23) | Naito (14:47) |
| Newman | Evil (8:40) | Kidd (4:51) | Lee (11:14) | Naito (6:55) | N/a | O-Khan (8:16) | Sanada (8:41) | Sabre (11:56) | Newman (12:51) | Newman (9:45) |
| O-Khan | O-Khan (16:21) | Kidd (12:01) | O-Khan (11:19) | O-Khan (18:57) | O-Khan (8:16) | N/a | O-Khan (11:11) | Sabre (11:10) | Takagi (11:04) | Umino (15:06) |
| Sanada | Evil (18:06) | Sanada (11:14) | Lee (4:57) | Naito (17:43) | Sanada (8:41) | O-Khan (11:11) | N/a | Sabre (15:44) | Sanada (19:45) | Sanada (15:57) |
| Sabre | Sabre (0:19) | Sabre (16:19) | Sabre (17:46) | Sabre (16:03) | Sabre (11:56) | Sabre (11:10) | Sabre (15:44) | N/a | Takagi (16:13) | Umino (19:13) |
| Takagi | Takagi (16:57) | Kidd (13:50) | Takagi (13:49) | Takagi (23:23) | Newman (12:51) | Takagi (11:04) | Sanada (19:45) | Takagi (16:13) | N/a | Umino (18:22) |
| Umino | Umino (19:46) | Kidd (15:56) | Lee (16:03) | Naito (14:47) | Newman (9:45) | Umino (15:06) | Sanada (15:57) | Umino (19:13) | Umino (18:22) | N/a |
| Block B | Cobb | Finlay | Goto | Henare | Narita | Boltin | Phantasmo | Takeshita | Tsuji | Uemura |
| Cobb | N/a | Finlay (11:39) | Cobb (7:24) | Cobb (12:40) | Narita (12:02) | Cobb (10:09) | Cobb (11:12) | Takeshita (10:28) | Tsuji (11:36) | Cobb (12:29) |
| Finlay | Finlay (11:39) | N/a | Goto (17:47) | Finlay (16:09) | Finlay (11:01) | Finlay (12:44) | Finlay (12:32) | Finlay (18:22) | Tsuji (19:50) | Uemura (16:22) |
| Goto | Cobb (7:24) | Goto (17:47) | N/a | Henare (12:46) | Narita (12:19) | Goto (10:17) | Phantasmo (13:04) | Goto (14:04) | Goto (17:05) | Uemura (12:38) |
| Henare | Cobb (12:40) | Finlay (16:09) | Henare (12:46) | N/a | Narita (13:17) | Henare (8:07) | Henare (9:26) | Takeshita (13:19) | Tsuji (15:37) | Henare (15:33) |
| Narita | Narita (12:02) | Finlay (11:01) | Narita (12:19) | Narita (13:17) | N/a | Boltin (7:46) | Narita (14:16) | Takeshita (16:48) | Tsuji (20:21) | Narita (11:47) |
| Boltin | Cobb (10:09) | Finlay (12:44) | Goto (10:17) | Henare (8:07) | Boltin (7:46) | N/a | Boltin (12:16) | Boltin (12:09) | Tsuji (10:06) | Boltin (Forfeit) |
| Phantasmo | Cobb (11:12) | Finlay (12:32) | Phantasmo (13:04) | Henare (9:26) | Narita (14:16) | Boltin (12:16) | N/a | Takeshita (17:21) | Phantasmo (17:57) | Phantasmo (14:21) |
| Takeshita | Takeshita (10:28) | Finlay (18:22) | Goto (14:04) | Takeshita (13:19) | Takeshita (16:48) | Boltin (12:09) | Takeshita (17:21) | N/a | Takeshita (17:14) | Uemura (23:10) |
| Tsuji | Tsuji (11:36) | Tsuji (19:50) | Goto (17:05) | Tsuji (15:37) | Tsuji (20:21) | Tsuji (10:06) | Phantasmo (17:57) | Takeshita (17:14) | N/a | Uemura (16:09) |
| Uemura | Cobb (12:29) | Uemura (16:22) | Uemura (12:38) | Henare (15:33) | Narita (11:47) | Boltin (Forfeit) | Phantasmo (14:21) | Uemura (23:10) | Uemura (16:09) | N/a |
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| A1 | Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||
| A2 | Shingo Takagi | Pin | A2 | Shingo Takagi | 27:36[62] | |||||||||
| A3 | Great-O-Khan | 20:49[63] | A1 | Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | |||||||||
| B3 | Yota Tsuji | 31:04[64] | ||||||||||||
| B1 | David Finlay | 28:05[65] | ||||||||||||
| B2 | Konosuke Takeshita | 21:29[66] | B3 | Yota Tsuji | Pin | |||||||||
| B3 | Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||