The NJPW G1 Climax tournament is one of the most important yearly events in all of professional wrestling. With its blend of unique matchups and exciting action, the tournament has long been a showcase for a ton of memorable matches.
With this year’s NJPW G1 coming to its conclusion, let’s take a look at 10 of the greatest matches in the storied history of New Japan Professional Wrestling’s popular event.
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Keiji Muto vs Vader – G1 Climax – Day 3 (8/9/91)
If you really want to dig into the history of the G1 climax, you should start with this rare gem from 1991. The very first tournament to officially carry the G1 climax name featured this matchup between two undisputed legends of the industry: Keiji Muto and Big Van Vader.
One of the earliest surviving examples (thanks to a resourceful fan with a camcorder) of the match quality we would come to expect from the G1, these two tore the house down even earning an early five-star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata – G1 Climax 23 – Day 4 (8/4/13)
When you get two of the world’s stiffest wrestlers in the ring together, they’re bound to create some violent magic and that’s exactly what happened when Ishii and Shibata clashed during G1 Climax 23. For 12 ferocious minutes, these two beat the living hell out of each other much to the crowd’s delight. Non-stop action from the opening bell, this one is a fan favorite that many love to revisit.
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AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki – G1 Climax 24 – Night 7 – (8/1/14)
AJ Styles‘ short but incredibly memorable stint in New Japan resulted in a host of dream matches taking place. One of those matches included him taking on the notorious Minoru Suzuki. This bout was relatively early into Styles’ run, even though he had already captured the IWGP Heavyweight Title, and helped cement him in the eyes of the Japanese fans as a star of the highest order.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura – G1 Climax 25 – Day 19 (8/16/15)
Two of the defining stars of their era who were largely responsible for lifting New Japan to new heights, Tanahashi and Nakamura’s rivalry is one of the greatest the company ever produced. This clash, their last singles match before Nakamura headed to WWE, serves as a time capsule of that era and a showcase for two immortal stars to whom Japanese fans are eternally grateful.
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Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada – G1 Climax 27 – Day 18 (8/12/17)
If we’re talking pure match quality, the series of matches between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada is unrivaled. They were on the cutting edge of the industry producing banger after banger that brought a ton of attention to the Japanese product. This NJPW G1 Climax confrontation is just a taste of what the entire wrestling world was buzzing about in 2017.
Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi – G1 Climax 28 – Night 18 – (8/11/18)
Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi have a long history both as partners and rivals. But through it all their incredible skills served to sharpen each other into two of the best performers of their generation. Their meeting in the B-Block of the NJPW G1 Climax 28 sees them clashing at their peak. Ibushi came out on top on this night in a fantastic match that added another memorable chapter to their remarkable story.
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Toru Yano vs Jon Moxley – G1 Climax 29 – Night 12 (8/1/19)
We interrupt our run of high-quality matches to bring you some complete shenanigans. In the NJPW G1, the entertainment is as much about variety as it is about quality. And no one highlights that point better than the comedic menace of the G1, Toru Yano.
His meeting with Jon Moxley featured everything from attempted bribery to dueling with turnbuckle pads and ended with Yano taping Moxley’s leg to his protégé, Shota Umino, leading to a count-out victory for the trickster. Just pure entertainment and a reminder of the madness that can go down in the G1.
Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii – G1 Climax 29 – Night 16 – (8/8/19)
If anyone is synonymous with brutal bangers in the G1 it’s Tomohiro Ishii. Here he is featured again, this time matched up with another hard-hitting standout, Shingo Takagi. This was Takagi’s first venture into the G1 and he was more than up to the task of going blow for blow with “The Stone Pitbull”. The resulting match blurs the line between hard-hitting action and tremendous technical prowess. This one had everyone gritting their teeth.
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay – G1 Climax 32 – Day 20 (8/18/22)
Here we have a classic pro wrestling example of mentor vs protégé. At the time of this matchup, Okada was the well-established king of the Japanese wrestling world and Ospreay was the rising star producing state-of-the-art matches with his unparalleled athleticism. The two Chaos faction members put on a clinic with Ospreay pushing Okada to the limit and seizing the opportunity to take his name to the next level.
Tetsuya Naito vs Will Ospreay – G1 Climax 33 – Day 18 (8/12/23)
Long-suffering Naito fans who always long to see him have a clean run on top can take solace in one undeniable truth: Naito rules in the G1. He’s been one of the absolute best performers in the tournament’s history. And can be counted as one of the favorites to win every year.
En route to the third G1 Climax victory of his career, he had to go through Ospreay in the semi-final. And they stole the show putting on a match lauded by many fans and experts as an instant classic. Just another in a long line of incredible matches the G1 has produced over the decades.
