NJPW: G1 Climax 35 Tournament Participants Announced

OSAKA, June 15, 2025 – sixteen of the twenty participants in the G1 Climax 35 tournament have been announced following the NJPW Dominion 2025 show.

The annual New Japan Pro-Wrestling tournament will kick off in July, and the lineup is shaping up with some familiar faces and rising stars.

• Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi will compete in Block A.
• Konosuke Takeshita and Zack Sabre Jr. are set for Block B.
• The final four participants will be persistent through “play-in” matches.

The highly anticipated 35th edition of the G1 Climax, a New Japan Pro-Wrestling tournament, is scheduled to take place from July 19 to August 17, and the first competitors were revealed on June 15. The Dominion show, held at the Osaka-Jō Hall, offered fans a glimpse into the talent competing this year.

Did you know that the G1 Climax is considered one of the most prestigious professional wrestling tournaments in the world? Winning the G1 Climax is often a springboard to challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Block A and Block B: The Battlegrounds

the tournament will onc again be split into two blocks, A and B, before the final stages. This year’s competition promises to be intense.

Goto and Tanahashi Lead Block A

block A will feature current IWGP heavyweight champion Hirooki Goto, who successfully defended his title at NJPW Dominion.

Also competing in Block A is the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi, known as “The Ace,” who is preparing for his final G1 Climax before retirement. The block also includes the new NJPW Never Openweight champion, Oleg Boltin, who recently defeated Konosuke Takeshita at Dominion.

Which match are you most looking forward to in block A? Will Tanahashi’s final G1 Climax be a memorable one, or will a younger competitor steal the spotlight? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Takeshita and Sabre Jr. in Block B

Konosuke Takeshita, “The Alpha,” is set to compete in Block B. this will mean a temporary absence from All Elite Wrestling programs during the tournament.

Zack Sabre Jr., the winner of G1 Climax 34, will also be a major player in Block B. his victory last year led to him becoming the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2024, after defeating Tetsuya Naito.

Gabe Kidd, the new IWGP overall heavyweight champion, will also be in Block B.

The remaining four spots in the tournament will be determined through “play-in” matches.

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G1 Climax 35 – Block A

• Hirooki Goto
• Ole Boltin
• Yuya Uemura
• Yota Tsuji
• David Finlay
• EVIL
• SANADA
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• ???
• ???

G1 Climax 35 – Block B

• The Phantasm
• Shota umino
• Shingo Takagi
• Zack sabre Jr.
• Great-O-Khan
• Gabe Kidd
• Ren Narita
• Konosuke takeshita
• ???
• ???

[TheentryfortheG1CLIMAX35(16outof20players)havebeendecidedtosplittheblock!】

・This year, we will be holding a two-block system of A and B!
-the remaining four players will be decided in the one-shot “Contestant Decision Match” at Korakuen on Monday, June 23rd and Tokyo Budokan on Friday, July 4th!!

detailedhttps://t.co/y0TlJX6Dza#G1CLIMAX35 pic.twitter.com/Z6cru0nLjA

– New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. (@njpw1972) June 15, 2025