10 Wrestlers You Wouldn't Believe Competed In A G1 Climax
The unremarkable G1 appearances by gaijin, who paved the way for Kenny Omega.
In the primeval days of tape trading, wrestling fans would have to wait weeks, maybe months, in hopes of obtaining a grainy VHS version of one of Masahiro Chono's many G1 Climax wins.
In 2018 however, thanks to Daily Motion and social media, the wrestling world is well acquainted with New Japan and its premiere heavyweight tournament.
As the tournament grows in stature, year after year, magnified by the almost unfathomable match quality, the G1 has become the most anticipated wrestling series in the world.
This year, fans await a mouthwatering list of matches that will see Kenny Omega face Tetsuya Naito in a rematch of last year's final in Block B, while Block A offers a new chapter in perhaps the greatest rivalry in wrestling in history between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada.
With a stacked roster of the finest heavyweight talent in the world, 2018's G1 is positioned to be perhaps the greatest yet.
Over the years, the G1 has played host to some of the most legendary - and most forgettable - names in wrestling history. Here's ten of them you wouldn't believe competed in the now fabled competition.
10. William Regal
Early 1997 was a grey period in William Regal's career. He wasn't quite the distinguished lord anymore, nor had his socially mobile transition into a proletariat labourer taken place yet.
Mired in a meaningless feud over the World Television Championship with Ultimo Dragon in the US, Regal found himself representing WCW in the G1 Climax in early August.
Having made frequent trips to New Japan through WCW's working agreement with the company, Regal had even unsuccessfully challenged the dominant incumbent Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Championship in 1995.
However, 1997 Steven Regal was a different animal. Out of shape and struggling with personal addiction, Regal was in no state to be positioned in a role more befitting his talent.
Still a better worker as an addict than most are sober, Regal was nonetheless entrusted with representing WCW in Japan. However his outing in the legendary tournament was short, bowing out to the up and coming Satoshi Kojima in the first round.