New Japan reveals schedule for this year’s G1 Climax

New Japan’s annual summer tournament was bumped to the fall because Japan was supposed to be hosting the Olympics. The Summer Games got bumped to 2021 by COVID, which also put NJPW on hiatus for several months. But pro wrestling is back in Japan, and G1 Climax 30 will go on in the same September - October timeframe within which it was originally announced.

The company released the schedule for the round-robin tourney earlier today:

• Sat., Sept. 19 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
• Sun., Sept. 20 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
• Weds., Sept. 29 at Hokkai Kita Yell in Hokkaido
• Thurs., Sept. 24 at Hokkai Kita Yell in Hokkaido
• Sun., Sept. 27 at Kobe World Hall in Hyogo
• Tues., Sept. 29 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
• Weds., Sept. 30 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
• Thurs., Oct. 1 at Aore Nagaoka in Niigata
• Mon., Oct. 5 at Takamatsu City Gymnasium in Tagawa
• Tues., Oct. 6: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
• Weds., Oct. 7: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
• Thurs., Oct. 8: ZIP Arena Okayama
• Sat., Oct. 10: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
• Sun., Oct. 11: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
• Tues., Oct. 13: Hamamatsu Arena in Shizuoka
• Wednesday, October 14: Yokohama Budokan in Kanagawa
• Friday, October 16: Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo
• Saturday, October 17: Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo
• Sunday, October 18: Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo

Two groups of wrestlers will compete over the course of the month. The winners of each group (determined by points in intra-group round-robin matches: winners get two; draws earn each wrestler one) wrestle in the final for an IWGP Heavyweight title shot at Wrestle Kingdom.

A full list of participants and group assignments will be announced in the coming weeks.

Excited for an autumn G1?