9 Things You Need To Know About The G1 Climax 25 Tournament
The biggest tournament in Japan just got under way...
On July 20, 2015 New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) started up their G1 Climax 25 tournament. It's the biggest tournament to come out of Japan with a grueling schedule -- round robin style -- to the victor go the spoils.
Rewards include: elevated status, a potential title shot, $40,000, and a impressively large trophy to signify they are the man to beat for the coming months. G1 is in its 25th year, but its history dates back much further than that. Thanks to G1's rich history and prestige only the finest wrestlers from around the world are invited to compete for nearly a month.
Many wrestling fans may have heard of this tournament, or have seen a match in passing, but it's not nearly as mainstream -- worldwide -- as it should be. In Japan, this tournament is front page news everyday there is a show.
This could all change though thanks to NJPW's new streaming service "NJPW World". Much like the WWE, NJPW has started their own streaming service of both live events, and archived matches from the past 40 years. As a clever jab to the WWE it costs 999 yen to purchase, which is about $8 a month.
G1 has already begun, but it's not too late to get involved in the action. So here are 9 things you should know before getting started.
9. The History Of G1 Climax
The G1 Climax tournament has been going strong since 1991, but its history goes back even further, just under different names. In 1974, it started as the World League, changing to MSG League, International Wrestling Grand Prix, and finally the World Cup Tournament in 1989.
During these years it was dominated by the founding star wrestler of NJPW, Antonio Inoki, who won an impressive 10 times. Other winners included: Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Seiji Sakaguchi, and Riki Choshu.
Inoki's dominance lessened over time and in 1990 no tournament was held. In 1991, the first G1 Climax was held, and it brought on a new era of champions.