Prestigious international pro wrestling tournament begins in US for second time, Rocky Romero breaks it down

One of the astir prestigious pro wrestling tournaments successful the satellite rings the archetypal doorbell connected Saturday successful Chicago connected Saturday.

G1 Climax 36 begins astatine the NOW Arena with immoderate of the champion pro wrestlers New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has to offer. The victor of the tourney volition get a aboriginal changeable astatine the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship astatine Wrestle Kingdom successful January.

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Rocky Romero successful the ringing during AEW Collision connected June 15, astatine the Covelli Centre successful Youngstown, OH. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The lawsuit lasts 4 weeks. There are wrestlers separated successful 2 blocks – A and B. Wrestlers get 2 points for a win, 1 constituent for a gully and zero points for a nonaccomplishment oregon a nary contest. Double number outs and treble disqualifications are determined to beryllium draws.

Block A includes: Last year’s victor Konosuke Takeshita, Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Jake Lee, Sanada, Great-O-Khan, Yuto-Ice and Ryohei Oiwa.

Block B includes: Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, Drilla Maloney, Zack Sabre Jr., Callum Newman, Ren Narita, Gabe Kidd, Henare, Aaron Wolf and Oskar.

"I deliberation that that due to the fact that it's a league benignant and it is, obviously, ace physically demanding. This is the tourney that benignant of makes you a legend, if you get the accidental to beryllium successful it," New Japan ambassador Rocky Romero told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "Obviously, it's ace physically demanding. The docket is hard arsenic good but I deliberation the popularity of it comes from it truly is the highest caliber that New Japan has to offer.

"This tourney benignant of, similar I said, creates legends successful the end. It's the astir celebrated tournament. … We've had people, you know, Masahiro Chono has been successful it. Scott Norton. I mean, Steve Austin, I believe, has been successful it. So, I mean, names that truly mean thing person been a portion of this tourney since ‘91, the inception of it."

Yota Tsuji and Callum Newman look disconnected during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling property league connected May 09, 2026 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Among the greats who person participated successful the tourney was Jon Moxley. He joined the tourney successful 2019 aft helium departed WWE.

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Romero recalled reaching retired to Moxley erstwhile helium became a escaped cause and tried to lure him to the tourney contempt however physically demanding the lawsuit could be.

"There's a celebrated communicative erstwhile Jon Moxley had near the WWE and helium had benignant of reached retired and said, ‘You know, I'd emotion to benignant of bash New Japan.’ And the archetypal thought and the timing was similar good Mox would you privation to bash the G1? There was hesitation determination and helium was like, ‘Well, I don't know.’ You know, that's similar the archetypal happening coming retired of WWE," helium recalled. "Here is simply a 30-day tour. First clip to wrestle successful New Japan and past to beryllium thrown close to the wolves, truthful to speak.

"We hung up and he’s like, ‘Let maine deliberation astir it.’ You know, we had that speech and I would accidental 30 seconds later, a infinitesimal later, I deliberation helium looked implicit to Renee (Paquette), his woman and was like, ‘They privation maine to bash the G1.’ She's like, ‘Well, what's the what's the problem?’ And helium was like, ‘Yeah. I request to bash the G1. This is this is crazy.’ Yeah, I don't deliberation helium ever expected it. So, helium called maine backmost instantly and was like, I'm in, and then, you know, it ended up being 1 of the coolest things for Mox to permission WWE and past spell consecutive into the G1, which was which was beauteous crazy. I mean, similar I said, it's the worldly that makes legends."

That’s the modular that New Japan has set, which makes the G1 held successful precocious respect successful the pro wrestling world.

Romero said that Tsuji and Takeshita are the apt favorites going into the tournament. He besides named Sabre and Wolf arsenic 2 of the wrestlers who could travel retired top.

"You ne'er know. Like Yota Tsuji decidedly is apical canine I deliberation this year. Then, you person Konosuke Takeshita arsenic good who not lone won past twelvemonth but he's truly been 1 of the champion wrestlers connected the satellite for the past mates years and truly showing what he's each astir past twelvemonth by not lone winning the tourney but besides becoming the IWGP heavyweight champion," helium said. "I deliberation Takeshita oregon Tsuji, which besides happens to beryllium the main lawsuit of Chicago connected Saturday.

Zack Sabre Jr. and Konosuke Takeshita vie during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling - G1 CLIMAX 35 astatine Ariake Arena connected August 16, 2025 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

"Then you person players similar Zack Sabre Jr., who astatine immoderate infinitesimal could triumph anything. He's 1 of the champion tourney wrestlers of each time. Everybody ever talks astir (Kazuchika) Okada, but I consciousness similar Zack Sabre is up determination successful tournaments. You conscionable ne'er know. But I deliberation the astir absorbing idiosyncratic astir apt going into this is Aaron Wolf. He's an Olympic golden medalist judoka It’s truly his archetypal really, truly large situation connected this benignant of scale. So, I deliberation a batch of eyes are going to beryllium connected Aaron Wolf."

Newman is besides 1 wrestler to watch.

The 23-year-old Englishman is the person of the United Empire faction. He already made waves successful New Japan earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile helium captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

"Look, I don't deliberation anybody was expecting that Callum Newman astatine his age, 23 years aged oregon immoderate it is, to triumph the IWGP title earlier this year," Romero said. "Now helium mislaid it, you know, backmost to Yota Tsuji, but helium is simply a feline that I deliberation the satellite has a batch of banal in, New Japan has a batch of banal in, that he's going to beryllium a large player. I deliberation he's got immoderate large shoes to fill. He is simply a protege of Will Ospreay. If helium tin negociate to scope the heights that Ospreay has done, I mean you know, Ospreay ne'er won a G1 possibly Callum can."

The G1 Climax is starting successful the U.S. for lone the 2nd clip successful its history. The archetypal clip the U.S. kicked disconnected the tourney was successful 2019 successful Dallas.

Romero said starting the lawsuit successful the U.S. truly puts New Japan successful the planetary spotlight.

"Well, obviously, it makes the tourney planetary and international. New Japan is by acold the biggest nonrecreational wrestling institution successful Asia, but to beryllium capable to travel implicit to the U.S. and have, 4,000, 5,000 fans travel and amusement up and enactment specified a benignant of historical and important tournament, I deliberation it's a large woody for a lot, not lone New Japan, not lone for the wrestlers, but besides for the fans," Romero said. "And I deliberation for the wrestlers, astir importantly, is they privation to amusement the satellite that New Japan is the best. It's the champion wrestling connected the planet. I deliberation with this year, it's chiefly each young talent, young athletes.

Konosuke Takeshita takes connected Zack Sabre Jr. during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling astatine Ryogoku Kokugikan connected October 13, 2025 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

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"So, I deliberation for them, it's to amusement the satellite that they are arsenic bully arsenic an Okada oregon better, oregon they are arsenic bully arsenic a (Hiroshi) Tanahashi oregon amended oregon Kenny Omega. All these iconic names that person been progressive successful the tournament, particularly implicit the past 10 years. All these names person been immense players successful nonrecreational wrestling. So, I deliberation for this year, coming to the States is conscionable a large accidental to amusement the world, hey New Japan is here, and this procreation is present and has arrived."