Tag: g1 climax 32

NJPW G1 Climax 32 night six results: David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson

Posted on by Ian Carey

Here are the results from night six of the G1 Climax 32 tournament from Korakuen Hall.

Non-tournament matches:

  • SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Yuto Nakashima & Ryohei Oiwa
  • Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii defeated JONAH & Bad Dude Tito
  • Will Ospreay, Aaron Henare, & Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki Goto, Tama Tonga, & Jado
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, TAKA Michinoku
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, & SANADA defeated Jay White, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, & Gedo

Tournament matches:

  • Chase Owens defeated The Great-O-Khan
  • EVIL defeated KENTA
  • Lance Archer defeated Tom Lawlor
  • David Finlay defeated Juice Robinson

Current Standings:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 4
  • Toru Yano: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • Jeff Cobb: 2
  • Lance Archer: 2
  • Tom Lawlor: 0
  • JONAH: 0

B Block:

  • Jay White: 4
  • Taichi: 2
  • Tama Tonga: 2
  • SANADA: 2
  • Chase Owens: 2
  • Great-O-Khan: 0
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 0

C Block:

  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 4
  • Aaron Henare: 2
  • Hirooki Goto: 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 2
  • EVIL: 2
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • KENTA: 0

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay: 2
  • Juice Robinson: 2
  • Yujiro Takahashi: 2
  • Shingo Takagi: 2
  • El Phantasmo: 2
  • David Finlay: 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI: 0

NJPW G1 Climax 32 night five results: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito

Posted on by Ian Carey

Here are the results from night five of the G1 Climax 32 tournament in Tokyo.

Non-tournament matches:

  • Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto defeated Dick Togo, SHO, & EVIL
  • Chase Owens & KENTA defeated Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor
  • JONAH & Bad Dude Tito defeated BUSHI & Shingo Takagi
  • Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Will Ospreay defeated TAKA Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer
  • Tama Tonga, David Finlay, & Kazuchika Okada defeated Gedo, Juice Robinson, & Jay White

Tournament matches:

  • El Phantasmo defeated Yujiro Takahashi
  • SANADA defeated Taichi
  • Jeff Cobb defeated Bad Luck Fale
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tetsuya Naito

Current Standings:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 4
  • Toru Yano: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • Jeff Cobb: 2
  • Tom Lawlor: 0
  • JONAH: 0
  • Lance Archer: 0

B Block:

  • Jay White: 4
  • Taichi: 2
  • Tama Tonga: 2
  • SANADA: 2
  • Great-O-Khan: 0
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 0
  • Chase Owens: 0

C Block:

  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 4
  • Aaron Henare: 2
  • Hirooki Goto: 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 2
  • EVIL: 0
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • KENTA: 0

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay: 2
  • Juice Robinson: 2
  • Yujiro Takahashi: 2
  • Shingo Takagi: 2
  • El Phantasmo: 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI: 0
  • David Finlay: 0

NJPW G1 Climax 32 night four results: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White

Posted on by Ian Carey

Here are the results from night four of the G1 Climax 32 tournament in Tokyo.

Non-tournament matches:

  • Juice Robinson, KENTA, & El Phantasmo defeated HIrooki Goto, Ryohei Oiwa, & David Finlay
  • Tom Lawlor & Royce Isaacs defeated JONAH & Bad Dude Tito
  • Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Taichi, Lance Archer, & TAKA Michinoku
  • Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb defeated EVIL, SHO, & Dick Togo
  • Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, & SANADA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tama Tonga, & Jado

Tournament matches:

  • Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Aaron Henare
  • Shingo Takagi defeated YOSHI-HASHI
  • Kazuchika Okada defeated Toru Yano
  • Jay White defeated Tomohiro Ishii

Current Standings:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 4
  • Toru Yano: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • Tom Lawlor: 0
  • Jeff Cobb: 0
  • JONAH: 0
  • Lance Archer: 0

B Block:

  • Jay White: 4
  • Taichi: 2
  • Tama Tonga: 2
  • Great-O-Khan: 0
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 0
  • SANADA: 0
  • Chase Owens: 0

C Block:

  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 4
  • Aaron Henare: 2
  • Hirooki Goto: 2
  • EVIL: 0
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 0
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • KENTA: 0

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay: 2
  • Juice Robinson: 2
  • Yujiro Takahashi: 2
  • Shingo Takagi: 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI: 0
  • David Finlay: 0
  • El Phantasmo: 0

July 25, 2022 Observer Newsletter: Tony Khan on ROH’s future, G1 Climax 32 begins

Posted on by Bryan Rose

With the Ring Of Honor Death Before Dishonor show scheduled for 7/23 at the Paul Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA, Tony Khan held a press call to promote the event and noted a lot of things about the brand that have remained uncertain.

He said he is talking with Warner Brothers Discovery about a television deal but said they would not be doing weekly television until they get a deal that makes sense. That basically means he’s looking for a new added paying television contract that would pay enough to do a weekly show. He said they could do the show from Universal in Orlando, like they do Dark, or do tapings at arenas, saying he could envision bigger arenas.

He didn’t indicate if they are looking at one hour or two hours, but I would suspect it would not be cost-effective to run live, or at least live every week unless they got a great deal.

Subscribers can read this week’s issue here.

NJPW G1 Climax 32 night three results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto

Posted on by Ian Carey

Here are results from night three of the G1 Climax 32 tournament from Miyagi.

Non-tournament matches:

  • Bad Dude Tito & JONAH defeated Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor. JONAH pinned Isaacs
  • Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay defeated Dick Togo, SHO, El Phantasmo, & EVIL. Henare pinned Togo. 
  • YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada defeated Ryohei Oiwa & Toru Yano. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Oiwa.
  • Juice Robinson, KENTA, & Jay White defeated Kosei Fujita, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hiroshi Tanahashi. KENTA pinned Fujita.
  • BUSHI, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi defeated TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, & Zack Sabre Jr. SANADA pinned Michinoku.

Tournament matches:

  • Yujiro Takahashi defeated David Finlay with Big Juice.
  • Tama Tonga defeated Chase Owens with a Gunstun.
  • Bad Luck Fale defeated Lance Archer via count-out.
  • Hirooki Goto defeated Tetsuya Naito with a GTR. 

Current Standings:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 2
  • Toru Yano: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • Tom Lawlor: 0
  • Jeff Cobb: 0
  • JONAH: 0
  • Lance Archer: 0

B Block:

  • Jay White: 2
  • Taichi: 2
  • Tama Tonga: 2
  • Great-O-Khan: 0
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 0
  • SANADA: 0
  • Chase Owens: 0

C Block:

  • Aaron Henare: 2
  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 2
  • Hirooki Goto: 2
  • EVIL: 0
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 0
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • KENTA: 0

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay: 2
  • Juice Robinson: 2
  • Yujiro Takahashi: 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI: 0
  • Shingo Takagi: 0
  • David Finlay: 0
  • El Phantasmo: 0

NJPW G1 Climax 32 night one results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Here are results from the first night of NJPW’s G1 Climax 32 tournament, which was held in Hokkaido.

Non-tournament matches:

  • Tom Lawlor (with Royce Issacs) defeated Yohei Fujita with the NKOTB.
  • JONAH and Bad Dude Tito defeated Toru Yano and Ryohei Oiwa. JONAH pinned Oiwa with a powerbomb.
  • EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Jado, David Finlay, and Tama Tonga. Yujiro pinned Jado following the pimp juice DDT.
  • KENTA, Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, and Juice Robinson defeated Lance Archer, Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and Zack Sabre Jr.. Robinson pinned Michinoku following the Left Hand of God.
  • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto defeated BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito. Ishii pinned BUSHI with the vertical brainbuster.

Tournament matches:

  • Aaron Henare defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi following the Streets of Rage.
  • Will Ospreay defeated El Phantasmo via pinfall with the Hidden Blade.
  • Jay White defeated SANADA, pinning him following the Bladerunner.
  • Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff Cobb following an Emerald Flowsion and the Rainmaker.

Current Standings:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 2
  • Toru Yano: 0
  • Tom Lawlor: 0
  • Jeff Cobb: 0
  • JONAH: 0
  • Bad Luck Fale: 0
  • Lance Archer: 0

B Block:

  • Jay White: 2
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 0
  • SANADA: 0
  • Tama Tonga: 0
  • Great-O-Khan: 0
  • Chase Owens: 0
  • Taichi: 0

C Block:

  • Aaron Henare: 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 0
  • Hirooki Goto: 0
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 0
  • KENTA: 0
  • EVIL: 0

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay: 2
  • YOSHI-HASHI: 0
  • Shingo Takagi: 0
  • David Finlay: 0
  • Juice Robinson: 0
  • El Phantasmo: 0
  • Yujiro Takahashi: 0

NJPW reveals full G1 Climax 32 tournament schedule

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW has announced dates for each of the matches taking place in this year’s G1 Climax 32 tournament.

During today’s New Japan Road event, NJPW announced matches for each night of the G1, starting on July 16 with Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb and SANADA vs. Jay White as notable matches. The tournament will end on August 16 with eight G1 matches on the card, including Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer and Tama Tonga vs. Jay White.

The winners of the four blocks will then move on to August 17 in Budokan Hall, where the semifinals take place. The finals will take place the following day, also at Budokan Hall.

Here are full match listings for this year’s G1 Climax tournament:

July 16, Sapporo:

  • A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
  • B Block: SANADA vs. Jay White
  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Aaron Henare
  • D Block: Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo

July 17, Sapporo:

  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
  • C Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. KENTA
  • A Block: Toru Yano vs. JONAH
  • D Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson

July 20, Senadi:

  • A Block: Lance Archer vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • B Block: Tama Tonga vs. Chase Owens
  • C Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • D Block: David Finlay vs. Yujiro Takahashi

July 23, Ota:

  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White
  • D Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi
  • A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
  • C Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Aaron Henare

July 24, Ota:

  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • D Block: El Phantasmo vs. Yuijiro Takahashi
  • A Block: Jeff Cobb vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • B Block: SANADA vs. Taichi

July 26, Korakuen Hall:

  • C Block: KENTA vs. EVIL
  • D Block: David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson
  • A Block: Tom Lawlor vs. Lance Archer
  • B Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Chase Owens

July 27, Korakuen Hall:

  • A Block: Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • C Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Aaron Henare
  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tama Tonga
  • D Block: Will Ospreay vs,. Yujiro Takahashi

July 30, Aichi:

  • A Block: JONAH vs. Tom Lawlor
  • B Block: SANADA vs. Great-O-Khan
  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • D Block: David Finaly vs. Shingo Takagi

July 31, Aichi:

  • B Block: Jay White vs. Chase Owens
  • C Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL
  • A Block: Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada
  • A Block: Jeff Cobb vs. Lance Archer
  • D Block: Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI

August 2, Hamamatsu:

  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Great-O-Khan
  • D Block: David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay
  • A Block: Toru Yano vs. Tom Lawlor
  • B Block: Tama Tonga vs. SANADA
  • C Block: Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA

August 5, Matsuyama:

  • A Block: JONAH vs. Jeff Cobb
  • C Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Aaron Henare
  • B Block: Taichi vs. Chase Owens
  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
  • D Block: Juice Robinson vs. Yujiro Takahashi

August 6, Osaka:

  • D Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo
  • D Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay
  • A Block: Toru Yano vs. Lance Archer
  • B Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Jay White
  • C Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

August 7, Osaka:

  • A Block: Tom Lawlor vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • D Block: Juice Robinson vs. El Phantasmo
  • A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH
  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chase Owens
  • C Block: Aaron Henare vs. EVIL

August 9, Hiroshima:

  • A Block: JONAH vs. Lance Archer
  • C Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA
  • B Block: Tama Tonga vs. Taichi
  • B Block: SANADA vs. Chase Owens
  • D Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi

August 10, Hiroshima:

  • A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tom Lawlor
  • C Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
  • B Block: Tama Tonga vs. Great-O-Khan
  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
  • D Block: David Finlay vs. El Phantasmo

August 13, Machida:

  • D Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Will Ospreay
  • D Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
  • A Block: Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb
  • B Block: Taichi vs. Jay White
  • C Block: Aaron Henare vs. KENTA

August 14, Nagano:

  • B Block: Taichi vs. Great-O-Khan
  • C Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
  • A Block: Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb
  • D Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. David Finlay

August 16, Budokan Hall:

  • A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
  • B Block: Tama Tonga vs. Jay White
  • A Block: JONAH vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • B Block: Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA
  • C Block: Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
  • C Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • D Block: Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo
  • D Block: Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson

NJPW reveals blocks for G1 Climax 32 tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW has announced the blocks for next month’s G1 Climax 32 tournament.

This year’s tournament will have four blocks of seven participants each. The winners of each block will then advance to semifinal matches on August 17, with the final match taking place on August 18. Both the semifinal and finals will take place at Budokan Hall.

The blocks are as follows:

A Block:

  • Kazuchika Okada
  • Toru Yano
  • Tom Lawlor
  • Jeff Cobb
  • JONAH
  • Bad Luck Fale
  • Lance Archer

B Block:

  • Jay White
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • SANADA
  • Tama Tonga
  • Great-O-Khan
  • Chase Owens
  • Taichi

C Block:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Aaron Henare
  • KENTA
  • EVIL

D Block:

  • Will Ospreay
  • YOSHI-HASHI
  • Shingo Takagi
  • David Finlay
  • Juice Robinson
  • El Phantasmo
  • Yujiro Takahashi

The tournament will begin on July 16 at Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center. The winner of the tournament will receive a briefcase with a contract for a IWGP World Heavyweight title match at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Kazuchika Okada won last year’s tournament, defeating Kota Ibushi in the finals after Ibushi suffered an injury, causing the match to end early. He went on to defeat Shingo Takagi to win the IWGP World Heavyweight title on January 4, then retained it on January 5 against Will Ospreay.

NJPW reveals 28-man G1 Climax 32 field

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced the G1 Climax 32 field, and it is the largest in the history of the tournament. 

The G1 lineup will be comprised of 28 wrestlers spread across four blocks, with seven competitors in each block. This will be just the second-ever four block G1, and the first since 2000, while the 28 entrants marks the largest number of all time. 

Block assignments and matches were not announced, but there were a few surprise entries in AEW’s Lance Archer, plus “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and JONAH from NJPW Strong. Lawlor and JONAH will enter the G1 for the first time, while Lance Archer makes his return to the G1 for the first time since 2019. 

David Finlay, El Phantasmo, Aaron Henare, Lawlor, and JONAH are the only first-time entrants. 

The lineup: 

  • Kazuchika Okada
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • Hirooki Goto
  • Tama Tonga
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Chase Owens
  • Bad Luck Fale
  • Yujiro Takahashi
  • EVIL
  • Tom Lawlor
  • Juice Robinson
  • JONAH
  • YOSHI-HASHI
  • Toru Yano
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jeff Cobb
  • Great-O-Khan
  • Will Ospreay
  • Aaron Henare
  • SANADA
  • Jay White
  • KENTA
  • El Phantasmo
  • Taichi
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Lance Archer
  • David Finlay 

NJPW reveals dates for G1 Climax 32 tournament

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the dates for this year’s G1 Climax tournament. 

G1 Climax 32 will be held in July and August this year in a return to its traditional place in the NJPW calendar. The tournament took place in September and October in 2020 and 2021 to avoid scheduling conflicts with the Olympics in Tokyo. Although the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NJPW stuck with the September and October dates in 2020. 

This year’s tournament will kick off on Saturday, July 16, with the finals to be held on Thursday, August 18 at the Nippon Buddokan (Buddokan Hall). The final three nights of the tournament will take place at the Buddokan. 

Tickets for select dates will be available to NJPW fan club members beginning on Friday, May 20, with other dates available to fan club members beginning on May 27. Full ticket information can be found here. 

Here is the schedule for the tournament: 

  • Saturday, July 16, Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
  • Sunday, July 17, Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
  • Wednesday, July 20, Xebio Arena Sendai
  • Saturday, July 23, Ota Ward General Gymnasium
  • Sunday, July 24, Ota Ward General Gymnasium
  • Tuesday, July 26, Korakuen Hall
  • Wednesday, July 27, Korakuen Hall
  • Saturday, July 30, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
  • Sunday, July 31, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
  • Tuesday, August 2, Hamamatsu Arena
  • Friday, August 5, Item Ehime
  • Saturday, August 6, Edion Arena Osaka
  • Sunday, August 7, Edion Arena Osaka
  • Tuesday, August 9, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
  • Wednesday, August 10, Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
  • Saturday, August 13, Tokyo Machida City Gymnasium
  • Sunday, August 14, Mashima Sports Arena, Nagano City
  • Tuesday, August 16, Nippon Budokan
  • Wednesday, August 17, Nippon Budokan
  • G1 Climax 32 finals: Thursday, August 18, Nippon Budokan

NJPW announces dates for G1 Climax 32 tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW has announced dates for this year’s G1 Climax tournament.

2022 marks the tournament’s return to the summer, with the first of twenty shows taking place on July 16 in Hokkaido. The final three nights, ending on August 18, will take place at Budokan Hall. The last two tournaments took place in the fall due to the Olympic Games taking place.

Last year’s tournament ended on October 21. In the finals, Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi by referee stoppage when Ibushi injured his shoulder during the match. Okada went on to win the IWGP World Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom 16 the following January.

Here is the full schedule for this year’s tournament:

  • Saturday, July 16: Hokkai Kita Yell in Hokkaido
  • Sunday, July 17: Hokkai Kita Yell in Hokkaido
  • Wednesday, July 17: Xeio Arena Sendai in Miyagi
  • Saturday, July 23: Ota City Prefectural Gymnasium in Tokyo
  • Sunday, July 24: Ota City Prefectural Gymnasium in Tokyo
  • Tuesday, July 26: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • Wednesday, July 27: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • Saturday, July 30: Dolphins Arena in Aichi
  • Sunday, July 31: Dolphins Arena in Aichi
  • Tuesday, August 2: Hamatsu Arena in Shizuoka
  • Friday, August 5: Item Ehime in Aichi
  • Saturday, August 6: Edion Arena Osaka
  • Sunday, August 7: Edion Arena Osaka
  • Tuesday, August 9: Hiroshima Sun Plaza
  • Wednesday, August 10: Hiroshima Sun Plaza
  • Saturday, August 13: Machida Municipal Gymnasium in Tokyo
  • Sunday, August 14: White Ring in Nagano
  • Tuesday, August 16: Sumo Hall in Tokyo
  • Wednesday, August 17: Sumo Hall in Tokyo
  • Thursday, August 18: Sumo Hall in Tokyo

Chase Owens to be part of NJPW G1 tournament

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: New Japan

On Sunday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Chase Owens is slated to be part of this year’s New Japan G1 tournament.

That was part of the reason Owens won the New Japan Ranbo Sunday as part of Wrestle Grand Slam. The first entrant in the match, he was handcuffed and then got out of the cuffs. He won by throwing powder in Toru Yano’s eyes, followed up by a jewel heist and a package piledriver for the win.

“They are trying to build Chase up. I probably shouldn’t say this, but Chase is in the G1 and this is part of the build for him to be a credible guy in the G1 this year,” Meltzer said.

This would be the first G1 for the 31-year-old Bullet Club member after participating in the Best of the Super Juniors, the New Japan Cup and the World Tag League tournaments in the past.