10 Reasons Why WWE Fans Should Be Watching New Japan Pro Wrestling

8. The G1 Climax

New Japan holds several annual tournaments, but none is bigger than the G1 Climax. For the past 24 years, the elite competitors in the company have spent the summer battling each other for the right to call themselves the winner of the round-robin war, and the list of victors reads like a who's who of New Japan legends. Recently, the stakes of the tournament have risen even higher €“ the winner receives the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (named for the International Wrestling Grand Prix, which regulates New Japan) at Wrestle Kingdom, New Japan's annual January 4th show at the Tokyo Dome. Basically, it's New Japan's WrestleMania. Part of what makes the G1 Climax special is that one-on-one singles matches are much rarer in Japan than they are in America €“ in stable-heavy puroresu, multiple-man tag team matches are usually the default, and singles contests are reserved for title matches or heated rivalries. A round-robin singles tournament gives fans something they infrequently see, and the results speak for themselves €“ 2013's G1 Climax was hailed as the greatest pro wrestling tournament of all time€ for about a year, at which point it was eclipsed by the G1 that just ended. Though details about the tournament change (this year there were 22 participants, compared with 20 in 2013 and 18 in 2012), it's a guaranteed thrill. This year and last, New Japan offered the entire tournament on iPPV for a flat fee that, at $110 U.S., might sound steep, but was worth every penny.