The G1 Climax 31 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament commenced on September 18 and concluded on October 21, 2021. It is the thirty-first edition of G1 Climax, and forty-seventh edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names. B block winner Kazuchika Okada defeated A Block winner Kota Ibushi 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.

G1 Climax 31
G1 Climax 31 logo
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
DateSeptember 18–October 21, 2021
CitySee venues
VenueSee venues
Tagline(s)Max the Max
Event chronology
← Previous
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome
Next →
NJPW Strong: Autumn Attack
Road to Power Struggle
G1 Climax chronology
← Previous
G1 Climax 30
Next →
G1 Climax 32
G1 Climax 31
Kazuchika Okada, winner of G1 Climax 31
Tournament information
SportProfessional wrestling
Location
DatesSeptember 18, 2021–October 21, 2021
Tournament
format(s)
Two-block round-robin tournament
Participants20
Final positions
ChampionKazuchika Okada
Runner-upKota Ibushi
Tournament statistics
Bouts fought91

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 at Wrestle Kingdom. The event is broadcast live on TV Asahi and Fighting TV Samurai in Japan, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling World worldwide.

The event saw the G1 Climax debut of Great-O-Khan, Tanga Loa, and Chase Owens. Tetsuya Naito suffered a legitimate knee injury during his match against Zack Sabre Jr. in the tournament's opening night, forcing him to forfeit the remainder of his matches.[1]

Production

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Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English Commentators Kevin Kelly
Chris Charlton (nights 1–4, 6, 7, 10, 17–19)
Japanese Commentators Kazuki Kusanagi (nights 17 & 18)
Haruo Murata (nights 3, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16)
Hiroki Mikami (nights 13 & 19)
Jyushin Thunder Liger (nights 1, 2, 11)
Miki Motoi (nights 10 & 19)
Milano Collection A.T.
Shigeki Kiyono (nights 4, 7, 9, 10, 14)
Shunpei Terakawa (nights 1, 2, 5)
Yohei Ohnishi (nights 1 & 2)
Yuichi Tabata (nights 1, 2, 5, 13, 17–19)
Ring announcers Kimihiko Ozaki
Makoto Abe
Referees Kenta Sato
Yuya Sakamoto
Marty Asami
Red Shoes Unno

Tournament rules

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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.[2][3]

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, NJPW's top championship, at Wrestle Kingdom, 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.[2][3]

History

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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 was delayed to 2021.[4] During night 2 of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on September 5, NJPW announced the full tournament bracket for the G1 Climax.[5][6]

Storylines

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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.[7]

Venues

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Dates[4] Venue Location
September 18 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium Namba, Osaka
September 19
September 23 Ota City General Gymnasium Ōta, Tokyo
September 24
September 26 World Memorial Hall Chūō-ku, Kobe
September 29 Korakuen Hall Bunkyo, Tokyo
September 30
October 1 Hamamatsu Arena Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
October 3 Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium Nagoya, Aichi
October 4 Korakuen Hall Bunkyo, Tokyo
October 7 Hiroshima Sun Plaza Nishi-ku, Hiroshima
October 8 Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium Kōchi, Kōchi
October 9 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium Namba, Osaka
October 12 Xebio Arena Sendai Sendai, Miyagi
October 13
October 14 Yamagata City General Sports Center Tendo, Yamagata
October 18 Yokohama Budokan Naka-ku, Yokohama
October 20 Nippon Budokan Chiyoda, Tokyo
October 21

Matches

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Night 1 (A Block)

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The first night of A Block took place on September 18, 2021, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.[8] Tetsuya Naito legitimately injured his knee during his match on Night 1 and had to withdraw from the rest of the competition as a result.[9]

No.Results[8]StipulationsTimes
1Sho defeated Ryohei OiwaSingles match6:08
2Yujiro Takahashi defeated Kota IbushiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:31
3Great-O-Khan defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:45
4Toru Yano defeated KentaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:07
5Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament27:05
6Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro IshiiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament27:56

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Toru Yano Win 0 2
Yujiro Takahashi Win 0 2
Great-O-Khan Win 0 2
Zack Sabre Jr. Win 0 2
Shingo Takagi Win 0 2
2 Tomohiro Ishii Loss 0 0
Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0
Tanga Loa Loss 0 0
Kota Ibushi Loss 0 0
Kenta Loss 0 0

Night 2 (B Block)

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The first night of B Block took place on September 19, 2021, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.[10]

No.Results[10]StipulationsTimes
1Sho defeated Kosei Fujita by referee stoppageSingles match8:09
2Evil defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:15
3Jeff Cobb defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:11
4Sanada defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament19:04
5Taichi defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament18:30
6Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi TanahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament29:36

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 0 2
Evil Win 0 2
Taichi Win 0 2
Sanada Win 0 2
Kazuchika Okada Win 0 2
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi Loss 0 0
Tama Tonga Loss 0 0
Hirooki Goto Loss 0 0
Yoshi-Hashi Loss 0 0
Chase Owens Loss 0 0

Night 3 (A Block)

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The second night of A Block took place on September 23, 2021, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ōta, Tokyo.[11]

No.Results[11]StipulationsTimes
1Tanga Loa defeated Yuji NagataSingles match15:35
2Great-O-Khan defeated Toru YanoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:30
3Kenta defeated Yujiro TakahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:48
4Kota Ibushi defeated Tomohiro IshiiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:42
5Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shingo Takagi by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament27:17

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Great-O-Khan Win 4 6
2 Zack Sabre Jr. Win 2 4
Kenta Win 2 4
Kota Ibushi Win 2 4
Shingo Takagi Loss 4 4
Toru Yano Loss 4 4
Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
3 Tomohiro Ishii Loss 2 2
Tanga Loa Win[a] 2 2
4 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 4 (B Block)

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The second night of B Block took place on September 24, 2021, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ōta, Tokyo.[12]

No.Results[12]StipulationsTimes
1Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:10
2Tama Tonga defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:59
3Jeff Cobb defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament13:21
4Taichi defeated SanadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament25:15
5Kazuchika Okada defeated EvilSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament21:46

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 2 4
Taichi Win 2 4
Kazuchika Okada Win 2 4
2 Sanada Loss 2 2
Evil Loss 2 2
Hiroshi Tanahashi Win 0 2
Tama Tonga Win 0 2
3 Yoshi-Hashi Loss 0 0
Hirooki Goto Loss 0 0
Chase Owens Loss 0 0

Night 5 (A Block)

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The third night of A Block took place on September 26, 2021, at World Memorial Hall in Chūō-ku, Kobe.[13]

No.Results[13]StipulationsTimes
1Master Wato defeated Kosei FujitaSingles match6:21
2Shingo Takagi defeated Yuji NagataSingles match16:51
3Great-O-Khan defeated Yujiro TakahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:15
4Toru Yano defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament10:46
5Kenta defeated Tomohiro IshiiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament21:08
6Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Kota Ibushi by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament19:55

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Great-O-Khan Win 6 8
2 Zack Sabre Jr. Win 4 6
Kenta Win 4 6
Toru Yano Win 4 6
3 Shingo Takagi Win[a] 4 4
Kota Ibushi Loss 4 4
Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
4 Tomohiro Ishii Loss 2 2
Tanga Loa Loss 2 2
5 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 6 (B Block)

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The third night of B Block took place on September 29, 2021, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.[14]

No.Results[14]StipulationsTimes
1Evil defeated Taichi by referee stoppageSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:30
2Sanada defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:58
3Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:08
4Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:17
5Kazuchika Okada defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament26:53

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 4 6
Kazuchika Okada Win 4 6
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi Win 2 4
Sanada Win 2 4
Taichi Loss 4 4
Evil Win 2 4
3 Tama Tonga Loss 2 2
4 Yoshi-Hashi Loss 0 0
Hirooki Goto Loss 0 0
Chase Owens Loss 0 0

Night 7 (A Block)

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The fourth night of A Block took place on September 30, 2021, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.[15]

No.Results[15]StipulationsTimes
1Yujiro Takahashi defeated BushiSingles match13:01
2Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament16:18
3Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Great-O-Khan by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:26
4Kota Ibushi defeated Toru YanoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament4:03
5Shingo Takagi defeated KentaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament23:56

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Zack Sabre Jr. Win 6 8
Great-O-Khan Loss 8 8
2 Shingo Takagi Win 4 6
Kenta Loss 6 6
Toru Yano Loss 6 6
Kota Ibushi Win 4 6
3 Yujiro Takahashi Win[a] 4 4
Tomohiro Ishii Win 2 4
4 Tanga Loa Loss 2 2
5 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 8 (B Block)

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The fourth night of B Block took place on October 1, 2021, at Hamamatsu Arena in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka.[16]

No.Results[16]StipulationsTimes
1Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Ryohei OiwaSingles match7:36
2Jeff Cobb defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:47
3Evil defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:38
4Yoshi-Hashi defeated TaichiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament22:26
5Kazuchika Okada defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament18:06
6Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated SanadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament25:36

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 6 8
Kazuchika Okada Win 6 8
2 Evil Win 4 6
Hiroshi Tanahashi Win 4 6
3 Sanada Loss 4 4
Taichi Loss 4 4
4 Tama Tonga Loss 2 2
Yoshi-Hashi Win 0 2
5 Chase Owens Loss 0 0
Hirooki Goto Loss 0 0

Night 9 (A Block)

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The fifth night of A Block took place on October 3, 2021, at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Naka-ku, Nagoya.[17]

No.Results[17]StipulationsTimes
1Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Kosei Fujita by submissionSingles match7:34
2Toru Yano defeated BushiSingles match7:14
3Kenta defeated Great-O-KhanSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament19:39
4Tanga Loa defeated Yujiro TakahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:36
5Tomohiro Ishii defeated Zack Sabre Jr.Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament18:40
6Kota Ibushi defeated Shingo TakagiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament23:57

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Zack Sabre Jr. Loss 8 8
Great-O-Khan Loss 8 8
Kenta Win 6 8
Kota Ibushi Win 6 8
2 Shingo Takagi Loss 6 6
Toru Yano Win[a] 6 6
Tomohiro Ishii Win 4 6
3 Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
Tanga Loa Win 2 4
4 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 10 (B Block)

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The fifth night of B Block took place on October 4, 2021, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.[18]

No.Results[18]StipulationsTimes
1Chase Owens defeated Hiroshi TanahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament10:58
2Evil defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament13:47
3Jeff Cobb defeated TaichiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:15
4Hirooki Goto defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament16:57
5Kazuchika Okada defeated SanadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament29:14

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 8 10
Kazuchika Okada Win 8 10
2 Evil Win 6 8
3 Hiroshi Tanahashi Loss 6 6
4 Sanada Loss 4 4
Taichi Loss 4 4
5 Tama Tonga Loss 2 2
Hirooki Goto Win 0 2
Chase Owens Win 0 2
Yoshi-Hashi Loss 2 2

Night 11 (A Block)

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The sixth night of the A Block took place on October 7, 2021, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.[19]

No.Results[19]StipulationsTimes
1El Desperado defeated Ryohei Oiwa by submissionSingles match6:38
2Kenta defeated Hiromu TakahashiSingles match19:01
3Kota Ibushi defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament13:46
4Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yujiro Takahashi by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:15
5Shingo Takagi defeated Toru YanoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament8:17
6Tomohiro Ishii defeated Great-O-KhanSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament26:26

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Zack Sabre Jr. Win 8 10
Kota Ibushi Win 8 10
2 Great-O-Khan Loss 8 8
Kenta Win[a] 8 8
Shingo Takagi Win 6 8
Tomohiro Ishii Win 6 8
3 Toru Yano Loss 6 6
4 Tanga Loa Loss 4 4
Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
5 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 12 (B Block)

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The sixth night of the B Block took place on October 8, 2021, at Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium in Kochi, Kochi.[20]

No.Results[20]StipulationsTimes
1El Desperado defeated Kosei FujitaSingles match8:27
2Yoshi-Hashi defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament13:14
3Hirooki Goto defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:41
4Jeff Cobb defeated SanadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:17
5Evil defeated Hiroshi TanahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:22
6Kazuchika Okada defeated TaichiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament23:10

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 10 12
Kazuchika Okada Win 10 12
2 Evil Win 8 10
3 Hiroshi Tanahashi Loss 6 6
4 Sanada Loss 4 4
Taichi Loss 4 4
Hirooki Goto Win 2 4
Yoshi-Hashi Win 2 4
5 Tama Tonga Loss 2 2
Chase Owens Loss 2 2

Night 13 (A Block)

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The seventh night of A Block took place on October 9, 2021, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.[21]

No.Results[21]StipulationsTimes
1Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Kosei Fujita and Ryohei OiwaTag Team match9:31
2Tomohiro Ishii defeated Hiromu TakahashiSingles match18:13
3Kenta defeated Zack Sabre Jr.Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament22:24
4Toru Yano defeated Yujiro Takahashi by Count OutSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament10:23
5Shingo Takagi defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament19:08
6Kota Ibushi defeated Great-O-KhanSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament20:22

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Kota Ibushi Win 10 12
2 Zack Sabre Jr. Loss 10 10
Kenta Win 8 10
Shingo Takagi Win 8 10
3 Toru Yano Win 6 8
Great-O-Khan Loss 8 8
Tomohiro Ishii Win[a] 8 8
4 Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
Tanga Loa Loss 4 4
5 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 14 (B Block)

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The seventh night of B Block took place on October 12, 2021, at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.[22]

No.Results[22]StipulationsTimes
1Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryohei OiwaSingles match7:16
2Tama Tonga defeated TaichiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:58
3Sanada defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:35
4Kazuchika Okada defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:37
5Evil defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:16
6Jeff Cobb defeated Hiroshi TanahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament19:05

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 12 14
Kazuchika Okada Win 12 14
2 Evil Win 10 12
3 Hiroshi Tanahashi Loss 6 6
Sanada Win 4 6
4 Taichi Loss 4 4
Hirooki Goto Loss 4 4
Yoshi-Hashi Loss 4 4
Tama Tonga Win 2 4
5 Chase Owens Loss 2 2

Night 15 (A Block)

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The eighth night of A Block took place on October 13, 2021, at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.[23]

No.Results[23]StipulationsTimes
1Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kosei FujitaSingles match7:46
2Kota Ibushi defeated Satoshi KojimaSingles match14:56
3Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yujiro TakahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:00
4Kenta defeated Tanga LoaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament22:12
5Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Toru Yano by submissionSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament6:42
6Shingo Takagi defeated Great-O-KhanSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament25:50

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Kota Ibushi Win[a] 12 12
Zack Sabre Jr. Win 10 12
Kenta Win 10 12
Shingo Takagi Win 10 12
2 Tomohiro Ishii Win 8 10
3 Toru Yano Loss 8 8
Great-O-Khan Loss 8 8
4 Yujiro Takahashi Loss 4 4
Tanga Loa Loss 4 4
5 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 16 (B Block)

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The eighth night of B Block took place on October 14, 2021, at Yamagata City General Sports Center in Tendo, Yamagata.[24]

No.Results[24]StipulationsTimes
1Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Kosei Fujita and Ryohei OiwaTag Team match7:12
2Chase Owens defeated TaichiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament12:05
3Sanada defeated Hirooki GotoSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:32
4Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yoshi-HashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:13
5Jeff Cobb defeated EvilSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament16:45
6Tama Tonga defeated Kazuchika OkadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament24:45

Tournament scores

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Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Jeff Cobb Win 14 16
2 Kazuchika Okada Loss 14 14
3 Evil Loss 12 12
4 Hiroshi Tanahashi Win 6 8
Sanada Win 6 8
5 Tama Tonga Win 4 6
6 Taichi Loss 4 4
Hirooki Goto Loss 4 4
Yoshi-Hashi Loss 4 4
Chase Owens Win 2 4

Night 17 (A Block Final)

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The ninth night of A Block took place on October 18, 2021, at Yokohama Budokan in Naka-ku, Yokohama.[25]

No.Results[25]StipulationsTimes
1Great-O-Khan defeated Satoshi KojimaSingles match10:25
2Toru Yano defeated Tomohiro IshiiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament11:08
3Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi ended in double count-out[b]Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament13:36
4Tanga Loa defeated Zack Sabre Jr.Singles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:31
5Kota Ibushi defeated KentaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament26:16

Tournament scores

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Colors

Won the block

Did not win the block
Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Kota Ibushi Win 12 14
2 Shingo Takagi Draw 12 13
3 Kenta Loss 12 12
Zack Sabre Jr. Loss 12 12
4 Toru Yano Win 8 10
Tomohiro Ishii Loss 10 10
5 Great-O-Khan Win[a] 8 8
6 Tanga Loa Win 4 6
7 Yujiro Takahashi Draw 4 5
8 Tetsuya Naito Loss 0 0

Night 18 (B Block Final)

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The ninth night of B Block took place on October 20, 2021, at Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.[26]

No.Results[26]StipulationsTimes
1Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Kosei Fujita and Ryohei OiwaTag Team match8:07
2Yoshi-Hashi defeated Chase OwensSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament8:27
3Hirooki Goto defeated Tama TongaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament15:19
4Taichi defeated Hiroshi TanahashiSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament14:58
5Evil defeated SanadaSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament17:47
6Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff CobbSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament23:35

Tournament scores

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Colors

Won the block

Did not win the block
Rank Wrestler Result Points
Pre Post
1 Kazuchika Okada Win 14 16
Jeff Cobb Loss 16 16
2 Evil Win 12 14
3 Hiroshi Tanahashi Loss 8 8
Sanada Loss 8 8
4 Hirooki Goto Win 4 6
Yoshi-Hashi Win 4 6
Tama Tonga Loss 6 6
Taichi Win 4 6
5 Chase Owens Loss 4 4

Night 19 (Final)

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The final night took place on October 21, 2021, at Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.[27]

No.Results[27]StipulationsTimes
1Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado) defeated Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa by submissionTag team match8:40
2Yuji Nagata and Toru Yano defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb)Tag team match8:29
3House of Torture[broken anchor] (Sho, Yujiro Takahashi and Evil) defeated Chaos (Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto)Six-man tag team match11:20
4Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga and Kenta) defeated Tiger Mask, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Great Bash Heel (Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe)Eight-man tag team match10:41
5Katsuyori Shibata vs. Zack Sabre Jr. ended in a time limit drawSingles match
This was a 5-minute exhibition match under UWF rules.
5:00
6Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Sanada and Shingo Takagi) defeated Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan)Eight-man tag team match12:17
7Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi by referee stoppageSingles match for the G1 Climax tournament final25:37

Participants

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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.[28]

Final standings
A Block B Block
Kota Ibushi 14 Kazuchika Okada 16
Shingo Takagi 13 Jeff Cobb 16
Kenta 12 Evil 14
Zack Sabre Jr. 12 Hiroshi Tanahashi 8
Toru Yano 10 Sanada 8
Tomohiro Ishii 10 Hirooki Goto 6
Great-O-Khan 8 Yoshi-Hashi 6
Tanga Loa 6 Tama Tonga 6
Yujiro Takahashi 5 Taichi 6
Tetsuya Naito
(withdrawn)
0 Chase Owens 4
Tournament overview
Block A O-Khan Ibushi Ishii Kenta Loa Naito Sabre Takagi Takahashi Yano
O-Khan Ibushi
(20:22)
Ishii
(26:26)
Kenta
(19:39)
O-Khan
(17:45)[29]
O-Khan
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(15:26)
Takagi
(25:50)
O-Khan
(14:15)[31]
O-Khan
(11:30)[32]
Ibushi Ibushi
(20:22)
Ibushi
(17:42)[32]
Ibushi
(26:16)
Ibushi
(13:46)
Ibushi
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(19:55)[31]
Ibushi
(23:57)
Takahashi
(11:31)[29]
Ibushi
(4:03)
Ishii Ishii
(26:26)
Ibushi
(17:42)[32]
Kenta
(21:08)[31]
Ishii
(16:18)
Ishii
(Forfeit)[30]
Ishii
(18:40)
Takagi
(27:56)[29]
Ishii
(17:00)
Yano
(11:08)
Kenta Kenta
(19:39)
Ibushi
(26:16)
Kenta
(21:08)[31]
Kenta
(22:12)
Kenta
(Forfeit)[30]
Kenta
(22:24)
Takagi
(23:56)
Kenta
(15:48)[32]
Yano
(11:07)[29]
Loa O-Khan
(17:45)[29]
Ibushi
(13:46)
Ishii
(16:18)
Kenta
(22:12)
Loa
(Forfeit)[30]
Loa
(17:31)
Takagi
(19:08)
Loa
(12:36)
Yano
(10:46)[31]
Naito O-Khan
(Forfeit)[30]
Ibushi
(Forfeit)[30]
Ishii
(Forfeit)[30]
Kenta
(Forfeit)[30]
Loa
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(27:05)[29]
Takagi
(Forfeit)[30]
Takahashi
(Forfeit)[30]
Yano
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre Sabre
(15:26)
Sabre
(19:55)[31]
Ishii
(18:40)
Kenta
(22:24)
Loa
(17:31)
Sabre
(27:05)[29]
Sabre
(27:17)[32]
Sabre
(14:15)
Sabre
(6:42)
Takagi Takagi
(25:50)
Ibushi
(23:57)
Takagi
(27:56)[29]
Takagi
(23:56)
Takagi
(19:08)
Takagi
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(27:17)[32]
Draw
(13:36)
Takagi
(8:17)
Takahashi O-Khan
(14:15)[31]
Takahashi
(11:31)[29]
Ishii
(17:00)
Kenta
(15:48)[32]
Loa
(12:36)
Takahashi
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(14:15)
Draw
(13:36)
Yano
(10:23)
Yano O-Khan
(11:30)[32]
Ibushi
(4:03)
Yano
(11:08)
Yano
(11:07)[29]
Yano
(10:46)[31]
Yano
(Forfeit)[30]
Sabre
(6:42)
Takagi
(8:17)
Yano
(10:23)
Block B Cobb Evil Goto Okada Owens Sanada Taichi Tanahashi Tonga Yoshi-Hashi
Cobb Cobb
(16:45)
Cobb
(15:08)
Okada
(23:35)
Cobb
(12:11)[33]
Cobb
(14:17)
Cobb
(15:15)
Cobb
(19:05)
Cobb
(12:35)
Cobb
(13:21)[34]
Evil Cobb
(16:45)
Evil
(14:16)
Okada
(21:46)[34]
Evil
(12:28)
Evil
(17:47)
Evil
(11:30)
Evil
(17:22)
Evil
(13:47)
Evil
(17:15)[33]
Goto Cobb
(15:08)
Evil
(14:16)
Okada
(18:06)
Goto
(12:41)
Sanada
(15:32)
Taichi
(18:30)[33]
Tanahashi
(14:10)[34]
Goto
(15:19)
Goto
(16:57)
Okada Okada
(23:35)
Okada
(21:46)[34]
Okada
(18:06)
Okada
(15:37)
Okada
(29:14)
Okada
(23:10)
Okada
(29:36)[33]
Tonga
(24:45)
Okada
(26:53)
Owens Cobb
(12:11)[33]
Evil
(12:28)
Goto
(12:41)
Okada
(15:37)
Sanada
(11:58)
Owens
(12:05)
Owens
(10:58)
Tonga
(12:59)[34]
Yoshi-Hashi
(8:27)
Sanada Cobb
(14:17)
Evil
(17:47)
Sanada
(15:32)
Okada
(29:14)
Sanada
(11:58)
Taichi
(25:15)[34]
Tanahashi
(18:06)
Sanada
(19:04)
Sanada
(17:35)
Taichi Cobb
(15:15)
Evil
(11:30)
Taichi
(18:30)[33]
Okada
(23:10)
Owens
(12:05)
Taichi
(25:15)[34]
Taichi
(14:58)
Tonga
(12:58)
Yoshi-Hashi
(22:23)
Tanahashi Cobb
(19:05)
Evil
(17:22)
Tanahashi
(14:10)[34]
Okada
(29:36)[33]
Owens
(10:58)
Tanahashi
(18:06)
Taichi
(14:58)
Tanahashi
(14:07)
Tanahashi
(14:13)
Tonga Cobb
(12:35)
Evil
(13:47)
Goto
(15:19)
Tonga
(24:45)
Tonga
(12:59)[34]
Sanada
(19:04)[33]
Tonga
(12:58)
Tanahashi
(14:07)
Yoshi-Hashi
(13:14)
Yoshi-Hashi Cobb
(13:21)[34]
Evil
(17:15)[33]
Goto
(16:57)
Okada
(26:53)
Yoshi-Hashi
(8:27)
Sanada
(17:35)
Yoshi-Hashi
(22:26)
Tanahashi
(14:13)
Yoshi-Hashi
(13:14)
Final
   
A1 Kota Ibushi 25:37
B1 Kazuchika Okada Stop

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Tetsuya Naito suffered a legitimate knee injury in his first round match against Zack Sabre Jr. All of Naito's remaining tournament matches were pre-emptively declared forfeit wins for his opponents.
  2. ^ Takagi vs. Takahashi is the first double count-out in a G1 Climax match since Masato Tanaka vs. Giant Bernard in 2009.

Aftermath

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On the final night of G1 Climax 31, Zack Sabre Jr. had an impromptu 5-minute, special exhibition grappling match with Katsuyori Shibata, marking Shibata's return to in-ring action since suffering a subdural hematoma at Sakura Genesis 2017, 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.[35] 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 4, 2022, at Wrestle Kingdom 16.[36]

In a press conference after winning the tournament, Okada proposed to NJPW chairman Naoki Sugabayashi to hold and defend the previous version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship 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 tour.[37] Okada would go on to beat Shingo Takagi on January 4 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

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  1. ^ Currier, Joseph (September 20, 2021). "TETSUYA NAITO OUT OF NJPW G1 CLIMAX DUE TO KNEE INJURY". F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax: All you need to know as tournament kicks off". Daily Mirror. July 14, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Paez-Pumar, Luis (July 2, 2019). "A Guide To New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax, The Best Wrestling Event In The World". Deadspin. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Rose, Bryan (July 8, 2021). "NJPW ANNOUNCES DATES FOR G1 CLIMAX 31 TOURNAMENT". F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "G1 CLIMAX 31 Entrants announced! 【G131】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Currier, Joseph (September 5, 2021). "NJPW REVEALS PARTICIPANTS FOR G1 CLIMAX 31". F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  8. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.18 G1 CLIMAX 30 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW.
  9. ^ "Tetsuya Naito suffers knee injury; to withdraw from G1 Climax 31 【G131】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. September 23, 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.19 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  11. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.23 G1 CLIMAX 30 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  12. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.24 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  13. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.26 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  14. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.29 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  15. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.09.30 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  16. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.01 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  17. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.03 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  18. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.04 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  19. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.07 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  20. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.08 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  21. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.09 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  22. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.12 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  23. ^ a b "2021.10.13 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  24. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.14 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  25. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.18 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  26. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.20 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
  27. ^ a b NJPW. "2021.10.21 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  28. ^ NJPW. "Tetsuya Naito suffers knee injury; to withdraw from G1 Climax 31 【G131】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j NJPW. "2021.09.18 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p NJPW. "Tetsuya Naito suffers knee injury; to withdraw from G1 Climax 31 【G131】| NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h NJPW. "2021.09.26 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h NJPW. "2021.09.23 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i NJPW. "2021.09.19 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i j NJPW. "2021.09.24 G1 CLIMAX 31 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  35. ^ NJPW. "Katsuyori Shibata wrestles grappling rules exhibition match 【G131】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  36. ^ "Katsuyori Shibata to wrestle January 4 2022 in the Tokyo Dome".
  37. ^ NJPW. "Chairman Sugabayashi, Kazuchika Okada issue post G1 Statements 【G131】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
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