The G1 Climax 31 was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

tournament promoted by

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

(NJPW). The tournament commenced on September 18 and concluded on October 21, 2021. It is the thirty-first edition of

G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...

, and forty-seventh edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names. B block winner

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramati ...

defeated A Block winner

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

by referee stoppage after Ibushi suffered an arm injury when he attempted to perform a ''Phoenix Splash'' on Okada, forcing referee Red Shoes Unno to stop the match. Considered NJPW's most important tournament, the G1 Climax features twenty wrestlers, divided in two blocks of ten ("A" and "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 defeat. Each night of the event sees the ten members of one block compete. On the final day of the event, the winners of each block face each other to determine the winner of the tournament, who also receives a future match for the

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The championship was created on March 1, 2021 by the unification of the ...

Wrestle Kingdom The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every Janua ...

. The event is broadcast live on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

and Fighting TV Samurai in Japan, and

New Japan Pro-Wrestling World , also referred to as NJPW World and New Japan World, is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). On December 1, 2014, NJPW and its minority owner TV Asahi a ...

worldwide. The event saw the G1 Climax debut of

Great-O-Khan is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with United Empire teammate Jeff Cobb under the ring name . He also wrestles for NJPW's United Kingdom ba ...

Tanga Loa Tevita Tu'amoeloa Fetaiakimoeata Fifita (born May 7, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), under the ring name Tanga Loa (タンガ・ロア　''Tanga Roa'') (originally Tanga Roa). Fif ...

, and

Chase Owens Chase Owens (チェーズ・オーエンズ ''Chēzu Ōenzu'', born March 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club. He is a former IWGP Tag Team Champ ...

Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction. Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Anima ...

suffered a legitimate knee injury during his match against

Zack Sabre Jr. Lucas Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), better known by his ring name Zack Sabre Jr. (Katakana: ザック・セイバーJr, ''Zakku Seibā Jr.''), is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Outsid ...

in the tournament's opening night, forcing him to

forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next'' * ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers L ...

the remainder of his matches.

Production

Tournament rules

The tournament features twenty wrestlers, divided in two blocks of ten ("A" and "B"). Each participant faces all nine other wrestler within the same block in singles matches, with the winner of each block being determined via a point system, gaining two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no point for a loss; each night of the event sees the ten members of a same block compete for the tournament. In case of several wrestler 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. On the final day of the event, the respective winners of both blocks face each other to determine the winner of the G1 Climax, who would gain a future match for the

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...

, NJPW's top championship, at

, NJPW's biggest yearly event; if the IWGP Heavyweight Champion himself wins, he gets to pick his opponent at Wrestle Kingdom. The Young Lion matches have a fifteen-minutes time limit, while the matches of the tournament have a 30-minutes time limit (with the time limit being reached resulting in a tie); the final match between the two block winners has no time limit.

History

On July 8, 2021, NJPW announced that the 2021 edition of the G1 Climax would take place from September to October due to

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

was delayed to 2021. During night 2 of

Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on September 4 and 5, 2021, at the MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Japan. Production Background Wrestl ...

on September 5, NJPW announced the full tournament bracket for the G1 Climax.

Storylines

The event includes matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Venues

Matches

Night 1 (A Block)

The first night of A Block took place on September 18, 2021, at

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium is an indoor sporting arena located in Namba, Osaka, Japan. It first opened in 1952 and the current building was constructed in 1987. It is the venue of a professional sumo tournament (honbasho) held in March every year. The capacity of the a ...

Namba is a district of Osaka, Japan. It is located in Chūō and Naniwa wards. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called ''Minami'' ("South") area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, '' Naniwa''. Namba is be ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

legitimately injured his knee during his match on Night 1 and had to withdraw from the rest of the competition as a result.

Tournament scores

Night 2 (B Block)

The first night of B Block took place on September 19, 2021, at

Tournament scores

Night 3 (A Block)

The second night of A Block took place on September 23, 2021, at

Ota City General Gymnasium Ota City General Gymnasium is an arena in Ōta, Tokyo is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is often called Ōta City. , the ward has an estimated population of 716,413, with 379,199 households and a populatio ...

Ōta, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is often called Ōta City. , the ward has an estimated population of 716,413, with 379,199 households and a population density of 12,048.65 per ...

Tournament scores

Night 4 (B Block)

The second night of B Block took place on September 24, 2021, at

Tournament scores

Night 5 (A Block)

The third night of A Block took place on September 26, 2021, at

World Memorial Hall or World Hall is a multi-purpose arena located in the Chūō-ku Ward of Kobe, Japan. It has a maximum capacity of 8,000 people and is optimized for large-scale meetings, sport events, trade shows and concerts. It is located on the artificial isl ...

Chūō-ku, Kobe is one of 9 wards of Kobe, Japan. It has an area of 28.46 km², and a population of 127,602 with 74,814 households as of January 31, 2012. The ward was formed from the 1980 merger of the former Fukiai-ku () and Ikuta-ku (). The Consulat ...

Tournament scores

Night 6 (B Block)

The third night of B Block took place on September 29, 2021, at

Korakuen Hall is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...

in Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Tournament scores

Night 7 (A Block)

The fourth night of A Block took place on September 30, 2021, at

in Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Tournament scores

Night 8 (B Block)

The fourth night of B Block took place on October 1, 2021, at

Hamamatsu Arena is a　multipurpose indoor sporting arena located in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is a 15-minute walk from Tenryūgawa Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line railway, or a 10-minute drive from the Hamamatsu Interchange on the Tōmei Expressway. ...

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was . Overview H ...

Tournament scores

Night 9 (A Block)

The fifth night of A Block took place on October 3, 2021, at

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium , also known as , is a multi-purpose gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan, built in 1964. Overview Located on the site of the secondary enclosure of Nagoya Castle, it is host to numerous concerts and events. The gymnasium has 4,375 fixed seats, and can ...

Naka-ku, Nagoya is one of the 16 wards of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the ward has an estimated population of 90,918 and a population density of 9,693 persons per km2. The total area is 9.38 km2. Geography Naka Wa ...

Tournament scores

Night 10 (B Block)

The fifth night of B Block took place on October 4, 2021, at

in Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Tournament scores

Night 11 (A Block)

The sixth night of the A Block took place on October 7, 2021, at

Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hiroshima Sun Plaza (広島サンプラザ) is an arena in Hiroshima, Japan. With a capacity of 6,052, it is primarily used for indoor sports and concerts. In addition, the annual Seijin shiki (the Japanese Coming of age, coming-of-age ceremony) ...

Nishi-ku, Hiroshima is one of eight wards in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The Hiroshima–Nishi Airport was located in Nishi-ku. Geography The ward of Nishi-ku is in the southwest part of Hiroshima. There are many mountains, but the other wards are mostly larger ...

Tournament scores

Night 12 (B Block)

The sixth night of the B Block took place on October 8, 2021, at Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium in Kochi, Kochi.

Tournament scores

Night 13 (A Block)

The seventh night of A Block took place on October 9, 2021, at

Tournament scores

Night 14 (B Block)

The seventh night of B Block took place on October 12, 2021, at

Xebio Arena Sendai Xebio Arena Sendai (ゼビオアリーナ仙台) is an arena in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is the home arena of the Sendai 89ers of the B.League, Japan's professional basketball league. Sports Events *bj League All-star Game (2016) *New Japan Pr ...

Sendai, Miyagi is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date ...

Tournament scores

Night 15 (A Block)

The eighth night of A Block took place on October 13, 2021, at

Tournament scores

Night 16 (B Block)

The eighth night of B Block took place on October 14, 2021, at Yamagata City General Sports Center in Tendo, Yamagata.

Tournament scores

Night 17 (A Block Final)

The ninth night of A Block took place on October 18, 2021, at Yokohama Budokan in

Naka-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563 and a population density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km². Geography Naka Ward ...

Tournament scores

Night 18 (B Block Final)

The ninth night of B Block took place on October 20, 2021, at

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English language, English.

Tournament scores

Night 19 (Final)

The final night took place on October 21, 2021, at

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English language, English.

Participants

On Night 1 of A Block competition, Tetsuya Naito suffered a legitimate knee injury in his match with Zack Sabre Jr., resulting in Naito having to withdraw from the tournament. All his remaining tournament matches were declared forfeits on Naito's part.

Notes

Aftermath

On the final night of G1 Climax 31,

had an impromptu 5-minute, special exhibition grappling match with

Katsuyori Shibata is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional wrestling trainer. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a fo ...

, marking Shibata's return to in-ring action since suffering a

subdural hematoma A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a type of bleeding in which a Hematoma, collection of blood—usually but not always associated with a traumatic brain injury—gathers between the inner layer of the dura mater and the arachnoid mater of the meninges ...

Sakura Genesis 2017 Sakura Genesis 2017 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place on April 9, 2017, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured nine matches (in addition to one match on the pre-show), main ...

, which put him out of action for over 4 years. The bout went to the time limit and no winner was declared. Afterwards, Shibata addressed the crowd, saying the next time he will step back into the ring, it will be in his ring gear, presumably in a sanctioned wrestling match. During the finals for World Tag League and Best of Super Juniors 28, Shibata would address the crowd, announcing his first official match since Sakura Genesis would take place on January 4th, 2022, at

Wrestle Kingdom 16 Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in To ...

. In a press conference after winning the tournament, Okada proposed to NJPW chairman Naoki Sugabayashi to hold and defend the previous version of the

belt, seen from 2008–2021, instead of the usual briefcase which holds the Tokyo Dome IWGP World Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate. Sugabayashi accepted the proposal, and the former title belt returned to represent Okada's G1 win on the first show of the Road to

Power Struggle In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...

tour. Okada would go on to beat Shingo Takagi on January 4th at Wrestle Kingdom 16, where he finally retired the 4th Generation title belt on his terms in the Tokyo Dome at the end of the night.

References

External links

G1 Climax official website
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling events New Japan Pro-Wrestling tournaments New Japan Pro-Wrestling shows 2021 in professional wrestling September 2021 events in Japan October 2021 events in Japan