15 WWE & AEW Stars Who Competed In The NJPW G1 Climax

10. Vader (1991)

Vader (billed as Big Van Vader), is one of the only two men on this list to have competed in the inaugural G1 Climax.

He had competed in the International Wrestling Grand Prix in 1988 before competing in the first G1 in 1991.

He finished in last place in the A Block, finishing with a 1-3 record. His only victory came against fellow American Scott Norton.

Both men would end up finishing behind eventual winner Keiji Mutoh who went on to have a legendary match in the finals against Masahiro Chono.

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9. The Barbarian (1992)

The Barbarian was best known for his teams with The Warlord and Haku in the 1980s.

He was one of many who competed in the 1992 tournament to become the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.

Barbarian lost in the first round to New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Shinya Hashimoto. Barbarian would compete off and on for New Japan Pro Wrestling until 1997.

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8. Shelton Benjamin (G1 Climax 2012-2014)

 

Shelton Benjamin had a fairly long run in New Japan Pro Wrestling after being released from WWE in 2010. During his tenure he competed in three G1 Climaxes.

He finished with eight points in 2012, two back of block winner Karl Anderson. The following year Benjamin joined the heel stable Suzuki-Gun and finished with ten points.

This put him tied for first place but Tetsuya Naito advanced to the finals based on tie-breakers.

Finally, Benjamin competed in the 2014 G1 Climax where he accumulated another ten points.

After 2014 he departed to Pro Wrestling NOAH in early 2015 before making his return to WWE in 2017.

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7. Tajiri (G1 Climax 2009)

Tajiri had decent success in WWE during the mid 2000s. He was a Cruiserweight Champion and a Tag Team Champion during his run with the promotion.

Following his departure from WWE in 2005, Tajiri returned to his native Japan and eventually made his way to New Japan in 2009.

Tajiri made an initial impact in the tournament, winning his first match against then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi.

He faltered down the stretch, resulting in him finishing in last place with only four points.

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6. Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart (G1 Climax 1992)

Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart was a core member of the Hart Foundation in the 1980s and late 90s in the WWF.

Among the numerous Americans that competed in the 1992 G1 Climax, Neidhart also participated.

It should be becoming clear that the North American participants in this tournament were mainly fodder for the New Japan Pro Wrestling stars.

Very few of them made it out of the first round and this included Neidhart. He fell to Kensuke Sasaki in his first round matchup.

• G1 Climax
• NJPW
• AEW
• wwe

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