New Japan To Hold 2017 G1 Climax Shows In California

The sport's greatest tournament comes to the U.S.

By Scott Fried /

NJPW

After Bushiroad (New Japan Pro Wrestling's parent company) president Takaaki Kidani wrote a blog post expressing an interest in running NJPW shows in the U.S. in 2017, PWInsider has broken details about the events.

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According to the site, the shows will be held in Long Beach, California's Long Beach Convention Center, and will be a part of the promotion's legendary G1 Climax tournament.

Though these shows will not be the first that New Japan has run in the United States, they will be the first the company has held in the country without a promotional partner. In 2011, NJPW held its first U.S. shows on the East Coast in conjunction with Jersey All Pro Wrestling, events that saw MVP crowned the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Meanwhile, over the past three years, the company has run the "Global Wars/War of the Worlds" tour with Ring of Honor in the U.S. and Canada.

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The G1 Climax is a round-robin tournament typically considered to be the best pure wrestling competition in the sport. Each year, the G1 Climax runs from mid July to mid August, with the winner ultimately receiving a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Kenny Omega, the winner of 2016's G1 - the 26th iteration of the tournament - will challenge Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4.