UPDATE: NJPW G-1 Climax Tournament

The NJPW G-1 Climax tournament recently kicked off and has revealed to feature two popular AEW stars.

The aforementioned stars in question are Konosuke Takeshita and Gabe Kidd. For the unversed, G1 (Grade One) Climax is a major tournament held every summer under the NJPW banner. In its current iteration, it is held as a round-robin for four weeks rather than a single-elimination tournament, where wrestlers with the most points in a group then compete in a short tournament. Since 2012, the winner of the G1 Climax has been given the opportunity to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom.

The G1 Climax 36 had its opening night take place at the NOW Arena in Illinois on Saturday, with AEW stars Konosuke Takeshita and Gabe Kidd being part of the competition. The Alpha squared off against Yota Tsuji in the A-Block in a losing effort. On the other hand, Gabe Kidd did not compete on opening night and will face Drilla Moloney in the B-Block match on July 18. As of now, A-Block competitors Jake Lee, Yuto-Ice, Hirooki Goto, Ryohei Oiwa, and Yota Tsuji lead with two points each with their respective wins.

Tony Khan on AEW x NJPW partnership

In a recent interview with Forbes’ Rob Wolkenbrod, Tony Khan spoke about AEW’s partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The company’s President and CEO said they have a great relationship with NJPW and their other partner promotion, CMLL.

“Oh, it’s grown so much. At the beginning, it really started like a Cold War. Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho were almost like Kissinger, going back and forth doing both. What really led to AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling becoming partners was Mox being the IWGP United States Champion during the pandemic, with the title being dormant because Mox was unable to defend it against New Japan wrestlers…..I believe our partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling and our partnership with CMLL are incredibly strong. The three companies work together very well, and I think that’s going to continue through 2026 and for many years to come,” he said.

Moreover, all three promotions successfully collaborated on the recent Forbidden Door 2026 PPV. So it remains to be seen what is next for them in the wrestling world.