G1 Climax 34
The G1 Climax 34 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The tournament commenced on July 20 and concluded on August 18, 2024. It was the thirty-fourth edition of G1 Climax and the fiftieth edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names.
Considered NJPW's most important tournament, the G1 Climax features 20 wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten. Each participant faces all nine other wrestlers within the same block in singles matches. The 2024 tournament saw a return to 20 participants split into two 10-man blocks for the first time since 2021.
Production
Tournament rules
The tournament features 20 wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten. Each participant faces all nine 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, top 3 wrestlers in each block advances and enter into a six-man playoff, with the block winners earning a bye into the semifinals 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 30-minutes time limit ; the quarterfinals, the semifinal and final matches, where a winner must be determined, have no time limit.
History
On April 3, 2024, NJPW officially announced the 2024 edition of the tournament between July 20 and August 18; as usual, the tournament took place over several cities and locations across Japan.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.Qualifying Tournament
Before the main tournament there was a Qualifying Tournament during New Japan Soul tour to determine one entrant for each block.Block A Qualifying Tournament'''Block B Qualifying Tournament'''
Participants
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the eighteen official participants of the two blocks on June 16, 2024, with six qualifiers who competed in Qualifying Tournament.*Noted underneath are the champions who held their titles at the time of the tournament.
Results
Night 1
The first night of the tournament took place on July 20, 2024, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.Night 2
The second night of the tournament took place on July 21, 2024, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Namba, Osaka.Night 3
The third night of the tournament took place on July 23, 2024, at Hiroshima Sun Plaza in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.Night 4
The fourth night of the tournament took place on July 25, 2024, at Sunmesse Kagawa in Takamatsu, Kagawa.Night 5
The fifth night of the tournament took place on July 27, 2024, at Dejima Messe Nagasaki in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki.Night 6
The sixth night of the tournament took place on July 28, 2024, at Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.Night 7
The seventh night of the tournament took place on July 29, 2024, at Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.Night 8
The eighth night of the tournament took place on July 31, 2024, at KDDI Ishin Hall in Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi.Night 9
The ninth night of the tournament took place on August 3, 2024, at Yamato Arena in Suita, Osaka.Night 10
The tenth night of the tournament took place on August 4, 2024, at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi.Night 11
The eleventh night of the tournament took place on August 6, 2024, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.Night 12
The twelfth night of the tournament took place on August 7, 2024, at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.Night 13
The thirteenth night of the tournament took place on August 8, 2024, at Yokohama Budokan in Naka-ku, Yokohama.Night 14
The fourteenth night of the tournament took place on August 10, 2024, at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.On this night of B Block competition, Yuya Uemura suffered a legitimate right arm injury in his match with Yota Tsuji, resulting in Uemura having to withdraw from the tournament. Last remaining tournament match against Oleg Boltin on Night 16 was declared forfeit on Uemura's part.
Night 15
The fifteenth night of the tournament took place on August 12, 2024, at City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka in Nagaoka, Niigata.Night 16
The sixteenth night of the tournament took place on August 14, 2024, at Hamamatsu Arena in Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu.Night 17
The seventeenth night of the tournament took place on August 15, 2024, at Makuhari Messe in Mihama-ku, Chiba.Night 18
The eighteenth night of the tournament took place on August 17, 2024, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.Night 19
The nineteenth and final night of the tournament took place on August 18, 2024, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo.Blocks
| Block A | Evil | Kidd | Lee | Naito | Newman | O-Khan | Sanada | Sabre | Takagi | Umino |
| Evil | Evil | Evil | Evil | Evil | O-Khan | Evil | Sabre | Takagi | Umino | |
| Kidd | Evil | Lee | Naito | Kidd | Kidd | Sanada | Sabre | Kidd | Kidd | |
| Lee | Evil | Lee | Naito | Lee | O-Khan | Lee | Sabre | Takagi | Lee | |
| Naito | Evil | Naito | Naito | Naito | O-Khan | Naito | Sabre | Takagi | Naito | |
| Newman | Evil | Kidd | Lee | Naito | O-Khan | Sanada | Sabre | Newman | Newman | |
| O-Khan | O-Khan | Kidd | O-Khan | O-Khan | O-Khan | O-Khan | Sabre | Takagi | Umino | |
| Sanada | Evil | Sanada | Lee | Naito | Sanada | O-Khan | Sabre | Sanada | Sanada | |
| Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Sabre | Takagi | Umino | |
| Takagi | Takagi | Kidd | Takagi | Takagi | Newman | Takagi | Sanada | Takagi | Umino | |
| Umino | Umino | Kidd | Lee | Naito | Newman | Umino | Sanada | Umino | Umino | |
| Block B | Cobb | Finlay | Goto | Henare | Narita | Boltin | Phantasmo | Takeshita | Tsuji | Uemura |
| Cobb | Finlay | Cobb | Cobb | Narita | Cobb | Cobb | Takeshita | Tsuji | Cobb | |
| Finlay | Finlay | Goto | Finlay | Finlay | Finlay | Finlay | Finlay | Tsuji | Uemura | |
| Goto | Cobb | Goto | Henare | Narita | Goto | Phantasmo | Goto | Goto | Uemura | |
| Henare | Cobb | Finlay | Henare | Narita | Henare | Henare | Takeshita | Tsuji | Henare | |
| Narita | Narita | Finlay | Narita | Narita | Boltin | Narita | Takeshita | Tsuji | Narita | |
| Boltin | Cobb | Finlay | Goto | Henare | Boltin | Boltin | Boltin | Tsuji | Boltin | |
| Phantasmo | Cobb | Finlay | Phantasmo | Henare | Narita | Boltin | Takeshita | Phantasmo | Phantasmo | |
| Takeshita | Takeshita | Finlay | Goto | Takeshita | Takeshita | Boltin | Takeshita | Takeshita | Uemura | |
| Tsuji | Tsuji | Tsuji | Goto | Tsuji | Tsuji | Tsuji | Phantasmo | Takeshita | Uemura | |
| Uemura | Cobb | Uemura | Uemura | Henare | Narita | Boltin | Phantasmo | Uemura | Uemura |