NJPW has announced that the opening night of G1 Climax 36 tournament shows will take place outside of Japan.
The 2026 iteration of NJPW’s premier tournament will kick off in the US, as confirmed by NJPW during Wrestle Kingdom 20.
NJPW announced that G1 Climax 36 Night 1 will take place on July 11 in Chicago, Illinois. The event will emanate from the NOW Arena.
This marks just the second occasion that official G1 tournament matches have taken place outside of Japan, with the opening show of the 2019 G1 Climax 29 tournament taking place in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The G1 Climax 36 finals show will take place on August 15, in Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo.
The winner of the G1 Climax tournament earns an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot, which typically takes place at the following year’s Wrestle Kingdom.
The 2025 tournament winner Konosuke Takeshita instead took his title shot at King of Pro Wrestling that October, where he defeated Zack Sabre Jr to win NJPW’s top title.
Takeshita dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Yota Tsuji at Wrestle Kingdom 20, in a match where Tsuji’s IWGP Global Heavyweight Title was also on the line.
The January 4, 2026 event was headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match, with Tanahashi facing AEW’s Kazuchika Okada in singles action.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Comments.
Loading comments…