G1 Climax 33
The G1 Climax 33 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The tournament commenced on July 15 and concluded on August 13, 2023. It is the thirty-third edition of G1 Climax and the forty-ninth edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names.
Considered NJPW's most important tournament, the G1 Climax featured 32 wrestlers, divided into four blocks of eight. Each participant faced all seven other wrestlers within the same block in singles matches. The winner of each block was determined via a point system, with two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a defeat. There was a 20-minute time limit for the block matches instead the usual 30-minute time limit. Each night of the event seen matches from two blocks per night. On the final three days of the event, the top two scoring wrestlers of each block entered an eight-man playoff to determine the winner of the tournament, who also receives a future match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom.
It was the largest G1 Climax to date with 32 participants and like last year's G1, it returned to the four-block format.
The event saw the G1 Climax debuts of Shota Umino, Hikuleo, Eddie Kingston, Ren Narita, Gabriel Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, Yota Tsuji and Kaito Kiyomiya with Kingston and Kiyomiya being outsiders from All Elite Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah respectively.
Production
Tournament rules
The tournament features 32 wrestlers, divided into four blocks of eight. Each participant faces all seven other wrestlers within the same block in singles matches. The winner of eachblock is determined via a point system, with two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss; each night of the event sees one match from each block between two members competing for the tournament. In case of several wrestlers sharing the top score, the results of the matches those wrestlers had when facing each other in the tournament act as tiebreaker, with the one having the most wins over the other top-scorers determining the winner of the block.
On the final three days of the event, the top two scoring wrestlers of each block enter an eight-man single-elimination playoff to determine the winner of the G1 Climax, who would gain a future match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, NJPW's top championship, at Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW's biggest yearly event; if the IWGP Heavyweight Champion himself wins, he selects his opponent at Wrestle Kingdom. The matches of the tournament have a 20-minutes time limit ; the semifinal and final matches, where a winner must be determined, have no time limit.
History
On April 8, 2023, at Sakura Genesis, NJPW announced that the 2023 edition of the G1 Climax would take place from July to August. During Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall on June 4, NJPW announced the participants for the G1 Climax.Storylines
The event includes matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.Venues
Results
Night 1
The first night of the tournament took place on July 15, 2023, at Hokkai Kitayell in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo.Night 2
The second night of the tournament took place on July 16, 2023, at Hokkai Kitayell in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo.Night 3
The third night of the tournament took place on July 18, 2023, at Yamagata City General Sports Center in Toyohira-ku, Yamagata.Night 4
The fourth night of the tournament took place on July 19, 2023, at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.Night 5
The fifth night of the tournament took place on July 21, 2023, at City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka in Nagaoka, Niigata.Night 6
The sixth night of the tournament took place on July 23, 2023, at Big Hat in Nagano, Nagano.Night 7
The seventh night of the tournament took place on July 25, 2023, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.Night 8
The eighth night of the tournament took place on July 26, 2023, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.Night 9
The ninth night of the tournament took place on July 27, 2023, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ōta, Tokyo.Night 10
The tenth night of the tournament took place on July 30, 2023, at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi.Night 11
The eleventh night of the tournament took place on August 1, 2023, at Takamatsu City General Gymnasium in Takamatsu, Kagawa.Night 12
The twelfth night of the tournament took place on August 2, 2023, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.Night 13
The thirteenth night of the tournament took place on August 5, 2023, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.Night 14
The fourteenth night of the tournament took place on August 6, 2023, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.Night 15
The fifteenth night of the tournament took place on August 8, 2023, at Yokohama Budokan in Naka-ku, Yokohama.Night 16
The sixteenth night of the tournament took place on August 9, 2023, at Act City Hamamatsu in Naka-ku, Hamamatsu.Night 17
The seventeenth night of the tournament took place on August 10, 2023, at Funabashi Arena in Funabashi, Chiba.Night 18
The eighteenth night of the tournament took place on August 12, 2023, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.Night 19
The nineteenth and final night of the tournament took place on August 13, 2023, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.Blocks
| Block A | Sanada | Owens | Hikuleo | Narita | Umino | Tsuji | Kidd | Kiyomiya |
| Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | Sanada | |
| Owens | Sanada | Owens | Narita | Umino | Tsuji | Owens | Kiyomiya | |
| Hikuleo | Sanada | Owens | Hikuleo | Hikuleo | Hikuleo | Kidd | Hikuleo | |
| Narita | Sanada | Narita | Hikuleo | Draw | Draw | Kidd | Narita | |
| Umino | Sanada | Umino | Hikuleo | Draw | Tsuji | Umino | Draw | |
| Tsuji | Sanada | Tsuji | Hikuleo | Draw | Tsuji | Tsuji | Kiyomiya | |
| Kidd | Sanada | Owens | Kidd | Kidd | Umino | Tsuji | Draw | |
| Kiyomiya | Sanada | Kiyomiya | Hikuleo | Narita | Draw | Kiyomiya | Draw | |
| Block B | Okada | Yoshi-Hashi | Taichi | Kenta | O-Khan | Ospreay | Loa | Phantasmo |
| Okada | Okada | Okada | Okada | Okada | Ospreay | Okada | Okada | |
| Yoshi-Hashi | Okada | Taichi | Kenta | O-Khan | Ospreay | Yoshi-Hashi | Yoshi-Hashi | |
| Taichi | Okada | Taichi | Kenta | O-Khan | Taichi | Taichi | Phantasmo | |
| Kenta | Okada | Kenta | Kenta | Kenta | Ospreay | Loa | Phantasmo | |
| O-Khan | Okada | O-Khan | O-Khan | Kenta | Ospreay | Loa | O-Khan | |
| Ospreay | Ospreay | Ospreay | Taichi | Ospreay | Ospreay | Loa | Ospreay | |
| Loa | Okada | Yoshi-Hashi | Taichi | Loa | Loa | Loa | Phantasmo | |
| Phantasmo | Okada | Yoshi-Hashi | Phantasmo | Phantasmo | O-Khan | Ospreay | Phantasmo | |
| Block C | Finlay | Ishii | Evil | Tonga | Takagi | Henare | Kingston | Nicholls |
| Finlay | Finlay | Finlay | Tonga | Takagi | Finlay | Finlay | Finlay | |
| Ishii | Finlay | Evil | Tonga | Takagi | Henare | Ishii | Ishii | |
| Evil | Finlay | Evil | Evil | Evil | Evil | Evil | Nicholls | |
| Tonga | Tonga | Tonga | Evil | Draw | Tonga | Kingston | Tonga | |
| Takagi | Takagi | Takagi | Evil | Draw | Henare | Kingston | Takagi | |
| Henare | Finlay | Henare | Evil | Tonga | Henare | Kingston | Nicholls | |
| Kingston | Finlay | Ishii | Evil | Kingston | Kingston | Kingston | Kingston | |
| Nicholls | Finlay | Ishii | Nicholls | Tonga | Takagi | Nicholls | Kingston | |
| Block D | Tanahashi | Naito | Goto | Sabre | Yano | Cobb | Haste | Coughlin |
| Tanahashi | Naito | Tanahashi | Sabre | Tanahashi | Cobb | Tanahashi | Coughlin | |
| Naito | Naito | Naito | Naito | Naito | Cobb | Haste | Naito | |
| Goto | Tanahashi | Naito | Sabre | Goto | Goto | Goto | Coughlin | |
| Sabre | Sabre | Naito | Sabre | Sabre | Cobb | Sabre | Sabre | |
| Yano | Tanahashi | Naito | Goto | Sabre | Yano | Yano | Coughlin | |
| Cobb | Cobb | Cobb | Goto | Cobb | Yano | Draw | Cobb | |
| Haste | Tanahashi | Haste | Goto | Sabre | Yano | Draw | Haste | |
| Coughlin | Coughlin | Naito | Coughlin | Sabre | Coughlin | Cobb | Haste |