Final two wrestlers qualify for NJPW G1 Climax
Callum Newman and Oleg Boltin are both set to compete in their first-ever G1 Climax.
The finals of NJPW’s G1 qualifier tournament took place on Friday with Newman earning the last spot in A Block and Boltin earning the last B Block spot. In the tournament finals, Newman defeated YOSHI-HASHI and Boltin defeated Taichi.
The qualifier tournament proved to be a way for NJPW to add two fresh faces to the G1 while having some mainstays miss out. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano are among the veterans who lost in the tournament and will be missing the G1. This will be the first G1 without Tanahashi since 2001, the first without Ishii since 2012, and the first without Yano since 2006.
Newman won matches against YOSHI-HASHI, KENTA, and Yujiro Takahashi during the qualifier tournament. Boltin’s victories were against Taichi, Tanahashi, and Yano.
The G1 begins on July 20 and runs through August 18. Here is the full list of participants:
A Block:
- Tetsuya Naito
- Shota Umino
- Shingo Takagi
- SANADA
- Great-O-Khan
- Zack Sabre Jr.
- Gabe Kidd
- EVIL
- Jake Lee
- Callum Newman
B Block:
- Hirooki Goto
- El Phantasmo
- Yota Tsuji
- Yuya Uemura
- Jeff Cobb
- Henare
- David Finlay
- Ren Narita
- Konosuke Takeshita
- Oleg Boltin
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.