G1 Climax 36 may feature involvement from All Elite Wrestling talent in the tournament line-up.
On January 4, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that the opening night of G1 Climax 36 will be held at the NOW Arena in Chicago, Illinois on July 11, marking the first time the tournament has taken place in the United States since 2019.
Appearing on the Battleground Podcast, Tony Khan discussed the possibility of AEW talent competing in this year’s G1 Climax, stating that early talks point towards this being the likely outcome.
“New Japan may come to me to book wrestlers into the tournament, but how they handle their business, that’s completely New Japan’s prerogative. But we may work together. I think there could potentially be involvement from AEW wrestlers. I believe there will be based on our early talks. So I’m excited about that, and the G1 coming this summer to America.”
-Tony Khan
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome saw AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita lose the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji, who has since officially reinstated the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The G1 Climax is a round-robin tournament that progresses into a short knockout phase, with the winner earning the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, although recent winners Zack Sabre Jr. and Konosuke Takeshita have found success in challenging ahead of schedule.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the possibility of AEW stars competing in this year’s G1 Climax as soon as we hear more.
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