New Japan releases full schedule of matches for G1 Climax 31

New Japan isn’t wasting any time getting the hype train rolling for their annual G1 Climax tournament.

Days after announcing the field, we’ve now got the match cards for each of the 31st G1’s 18 shows heading into the finals on Oct. 21 at Budokan Hall...

Sept. 18 - Osaka

Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano vs. KENTA
Great-O-Khan vs. Tanga Loa
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Sept. 19 - Osaka

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
SANADA vs. Tama Tonga
Jeff Cobb vs. Chase Owens
YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL
Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi

Sept. 23 - Ota

Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Tetsuya Naito vs. Tanga Loa
KENTA vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan

Sept. 24 - Ota

Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
SANADA vs. Taichi
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb
Tama Tonga vs. Chase Owens
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto

Sept. 26 - Kobe

Shingo Takagi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. KENTA
Toru Yano vs. Tanga Loa
Great-O-Khan vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Sept. 29 - Korakuen Hall

Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tama Tonga
Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
SANADA vs. Chase Owens
Taichi vs. EVIL

Sept. 30 - Korakuen Hall

Shingo Takagi vs. KENTA
Tetsuya Natio vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. The Great-O-Khan
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tanga Loa

Oct. 1 - Shizuoka

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hirooki Goto
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Taichi
EVIL vs. Chase Owens
Jeff Cobb vs. Tama Tonga

Oct. 3 - Nagoya

Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
Tanga Loa vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Great-O-Khan vs. KENTA

Oct. 4 - Korakuen

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
Hirooki Goto vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi
EVIL vs. Tama Tonga
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chase Owens

Oct. 7 - Hiroshima

Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA
Tomohiro Ishii vs. The Great-O-Khan
Toru Yano vs. Shingo Takagi
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Kota Ibushi vs. Tanga Loa

Oct. 8 - Kochi

Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
SANADA vs. Jeff Cobb
Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tama Tonga

Oct. 9 - Osaka

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Great-O-Khan
Shingo Takagi vs. Tanga Loa
Yujiro Takahashi vs. Toru Tano
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. KENTA

Oct. 12 - Sendai

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb
Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
Kazuchika Okada vs. Chase Owens
YOSHI-HASHI vs. SANADA
Taichi vs. Tanga Tonga

Oct. 13 - Sendai

Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Shingo Takagi vs. The Great-O-Khan
Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,
KENTA vs. Tanga Loa
Yujrio Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Oct. 14 - Yamagata

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tama Tonga
Jeff Cobb vs. EVIL
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA
Taichi vs. Chase Owens

Oct. 18 - Yokohama

Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano
Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Tetsuya Natio vs. Great-O-Khan
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tanga Loa

Oct. 20 - Budokan Hall

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens
SANADA vs. EVIL

While our friend Claire circles all the Toru Yano matches, and I start hoping for a Tomohiro Ishii miracle run, there are plenty of other standout matches here. Any time one of the big names like Tetsuya Naito or Kota Ibushi faces current IWGP World Heavyweight champ Shingo Takagi it’s going to be important. Then of course there’s the latest clash of aces when Kazuchika Okada battles Hiroshi Tanahashi on Sept. 19... those never disappoint.

The winner gets a briefcase containing a contract for a shot at the IWGP title of his choosing at January’s Wrestle Kingdom event. He typically defends the case a time or two before “cashing in”.

Excited for G1 Climax 31? Who you got?