G1 Climax 34 night 1 (July 20) Preview
The grand summer tournament kicks off
The grandest tournament in professional wrestling is finally here. G1 Climax 34 sees 20 men in two blocks vying for the most prestigious of wrestling’s trophies, and a ticket to the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4 2025. It all starts here!
Watch live in English on NJPW World!
Main event- A Block- Shingo Takagi vs Tetsuya Naito
Singles record: 1–0 Naito
Five years on from their one and only singles meeting, again in the G1, and again in Osaka, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito collide in the main event. That doesn’t mean that Takagi and Naito haven’t been competitive through their careers- or even before them.
Way back before both men made their professional debuts, they would often tangle on the mats of Animal Hamaguchi’s famed gym, where they were put through exhausting sparring drills. Naito would claim that Shingo never once got the best of him during those drills, something that Takagi has always disputed; ultimately though, when they finally tied up in 2019 it was Naito on top. Now in 2024, they’re fighting for personal pride as well as the crucially important first win of the series with the world watching.
9th Match: B Block- Yota Tsuji vs Konosuke Takeshita
Recent wrestling parlance very often finds itself speaking about the intangible ‘aura’ of bona fide stars. That aura is something that Yota Tsuji and Konosuke Takeshita undoubtedly both possess. Making his debut labelled ‘the Future’, Takeshita is now viewed, by himself and by mentor Don Callis, as ‘the Alpha’ and the man to spearhead a his generation, in the United States and in Japan.
With Yota Tsuji’s New Japan Cup win earlier in the spring though, Tsuji argues he put himself at the forefront of the now current generation in NJPW, and by extension the world. Both talk the talk and swagger the swagger, but it’s more than auras and egos that will clash in Osaka. Who will leave with their first two points on the board?
8th Match: A Block- Gabe Kidd vs EVIL
While HOUSE OF TORTURE and War Dogs technically sit under the same BULLET CLUB umbrella, that isn’t a distinction that Gabe Kidd particularly relishes. The ever vocal and vitriol driven Kidd has had particular bile reserved for EVIL in recent months; spitting that the King of Darkness had made NJPW ‘a joke for the last three years’, he certainly doesn’t see this matchup as a BULLET CLUB derby with his teammate. Meanwhile, as EVIL faces the G1 competition with the NJPW environment more hostile than ever to H.O.T, how might this match play out?
7th Match: B Block- Yuya Uemura vs David Finlay
Singles record: 1–0 Finlay
IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay takes on Yuya Uemura for their respective B Block openers. Finlay recently recorded the first defence of his second reign as IWGP Global Champion, defeating Uemura’s Just Five Guys teammate SANADA in Sapporo. That’s a loss Uemura wouldn’t mind avenging on behalf of SANADA, and with a similar classical style to the debonair tactician, could present problems to the more physical Finlay. The Rebel will be seeking his first two points on the board early, as well as to limit the number of potential challenges coming out of the summer.
6th Match: A Block- SANADA vs Jake Lee
A handsome battle if there ever was one, SANADA and Jake Lee kick off their respective campaigns opposite one another. Lee and SANADA shared an AJPW locker room briefly, when Lee originally started training with All Japan in the early part of the 2010s before taking time away from the business. Then they would tangle on occasion in cross promotional affairs, most recently at All Together Again in 2022, an event where Lee’s Good Looking Guys scored victory over SANADA’s Just Five Guys team.
Going into the G1, Lee has already announced that GLG will disband, as he shifts his focus to singles glory. Looking to stamp his mark on the G1, will he do so in the form of a Face Break Shot on SANADA?
5th Match: B Block- Hirooki Goto vs Jeff Cobb
Singles record: 3–2 Goto
Jeff Cobb and Hirooki Goto have been trading wins back and forth ever since they first collided over the NEVER Openweight Championship in San Francisco back in 2018. Since then, Goto has gotten up to 3–2 over Cobb, who if previous form is anything to go on, will be looking to even up the scores tonight to get his first points on the board. As a fighting NJPW World TV Champion, Cobb will likely be planning to finish Goto early to do just that, but with the fastest win in G1 history at 18 seconds under Goto’s belt, speed kills when it comes to the Fierce Warrior. Who gets on the board night one?
4th Match: A Block- Great-O-Khan vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Singles record: 2–0 Sabre
The first meeting for Zack Sabre Jr. and Great-O-Khan since the 2022 New Japan Cup will see what should be a grappling heavy technical contest. O-Khan’s versatility has been on full display in 2024, particularly as KOPW 2024 title holder, but wins and losses have been coming in equal balance. As he looks to start the G1 strong, O-Khan will tap into a competitive and combative side of himself that he tends to tap into in Osaka more often than in any other of the ‘fiefdoms’ he reigns over. Can he out grapple the best technical wrestler in the world?
3rd Match: B Block- El Phantasmo vs HENARE
A first time ever singles meeting pits El Phantasmo against NEVER Openweight Champion HENARE. As ELP fights for a new direction this summer, and HENARE seeks to establish his NEVER Openweight Championship reign, this is a key match for both men, and a match of athleticism and power that should be a gripping one to watch third on the card tonight.
2nd Match: A Block- Shota Umino vs Callum Newman
Singles record: 1–0 Umino
The first match in A Block pits Shota Umino against Callum Newman. Back in 2021, Umino defeated a then 18 year old Newman while on excursion to RevPro in the UK. Three years on, and Newman will be looking to show his growth to the Roughneck. Although the decided underdog in all of his G1 matchups, Newman’s momentum gained from the qualifier tournament could be key, as well as the physical condition of Umino. In his first match back from a hip fracture, Umino could be at his most beatable, and most at risk of a giant upset to kick off the G1.
1st Match: B Block-Ren Narita vs Boltin Oleg
The first match of the G1 Climax pits Boltin Oleg against Ren Narita. The HOUSE OF TORTURE member will be looking to make light work of the Big Man From Kazakhstan, but Boltin has scored hard fought upsets over Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Taichi to get this far, and could start the G1 with a huge bang.
