The G1 Climax is fast becoming a game of attrition

NJPW returned to Korakuen Hall on June 23, 2026, and if you were hoping for a paradigm-smashing night of grappling evolution, you were likely at the wrong bar. The Road to G1 Climax show gave us the standard tag-team fare that fills the gaps in the calendar, but the energy felt like a lukewarm pint at closing time. We are seeing a lot of junior heavyweights trading strikes with semi-retired stables, and frankly, it is getting a bit dusty.

The results from the show, which you can catch in full on PWInsider, highlight exactly where the company is faltering. The pacing in these multi-man matches is stuck on loop. We get the standard chaotic exchanges, the tandem finishers, and the inevitable pinfall that sets up a throwaway title shot two weeks down the road.

The booking vacuum is hitting hard

Here is the reality check fans refuse to admit on social media: when you run three-way tags for six months straight, the actual G1 tournament starts to feel like a chore rather than a prestige event. The reliance on veterans to carry the load while the younger generation rotates in and out lacks a narrative glue. It feels like we are watching a group project where nobody picked a leader.

The issue with empty calories

I love a good technical slugfest as much as the next guy, but the card lacked any discernible stakes. Watching performers go through the motions is exhausting. If NJPW wants to recapture the magic that made the G1 the gold standard of professional wrestling, they need to stop booking filler and start booking reasons to care.

The current lineup for the G1 looks solid on paper, but the execution in the ring has been inconsistent at best. Some matches are dragging on well past their expiration date. When you hit the 20-minute mark in a preliminary tag match, the audience should be on the edge of their seats, not checking their phones for the next train home.

A critical look at the current hierarchy

The hierarchy of the company feels muddled. When a mid-card stable gets more television time than actual contenders for the heavyweight belt, something is fundamentally broken in the office. It was a theme I touched on recently, much like how Spurs are currently dreaming in a transfer market that is making me lose my mind.

We need more intensity. We need more stakes. The G1 Climax used to be the time of year when stars were born through fire, not just by participating in a round-robin schedule that takes three months of our lives. If they keep prioritizing these endless tournament qualifiers over organic, character-driven rivalries, the promotion is going to keep bleeding goodwill.

Look, I get it. Injuries happen and schedules are grueling. But if you are going to fill a venue in Tokyo, give me a reason to scream. Give me a reason to tell my friends that NJPW is still the best show in town. Right now, it is just a show that happens to be in town.