Leaked NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Participant Revealed (SPOILERS!)

This American first-timer will make his G1 Climax boy in NJPW's signature tournament this year.

By Andy H Murray /

NJPW

Chase Owens will be part of this year's NJPW G1 Climax tournament, reports Dave Meltzer.

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Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer stated that this will be part of NJPW's attempt at building the Bullet Club man up throughout 2021. His victory in the pre-show KOPW 2021 Championship Rambo (a 22-man comedy Royal Rumble, effectively) was done to increase the 31-year-old's credibility ahead of New Japan's signature tournament.

This will be Owens' first run in the G1 Climax. Though the Ricky Morton-trained wrestler has been with the promotion since 2014, he has primarily been booked as a pin-eater for Bullet Club and has rarely looked like breaking out as a singles act.

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Despite never wrestling in the G1, Owens has multiple New Japan Cup and Best of the Super Juniors appearances to his name. His most recent tournament match was a first-round New Japan Cup 2021 exit to David Finlay in March.

June 2020 saw Owens accused of making "inappropriate sexual advances" to a minor, which the wrestler later claimed as "part of an angle" for the NWA Smokey Mountain promotion.

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G1 Climax 31 kicks off in Osaka on 18 September and runs until 21 October, finishing at the 11,000-capacity Ryƍgoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo.