It is time for the G1 Climax!
(If you’ve read my piece on the A Block, you’ve read this introduction already, scroll down for the B Block preview).
The G1 Climax is, without a doubt, the preeminent professional wrestling tournament on the planet. This year, more wrestlers than ever will shoot their shot at the high-stakes tournament when 28 competitors descend upon New Japan Pro Wrestling to prove that they are the best in-ring professional wrestler on the earth. At the same time, they vie for an opportunity for the most meaningful title in professional wrestling: the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
In this post, I will provide a snapshot of the G1 Climax history of each competitor in the B Block of this year’s tournament. I’ll highlight their all-time head-to-head performance against other wrestlers in their block and their historical G1 Climax performance, including records, match times, and individual histories throughout the tournament.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me for this year’s G1. Daily preview posts will dissect each tournament matchup, including 2022 and recent singles performance, individual head-to-head histories, and miscellaneous applicable research. Round robin tournaments are great equalizers for data: each wrestler competes in the same schedule throughout the tournament by facing each other wrestler once. So, as the tournament goes on and data points become more relevant, I’ll also include some advanced metrics and probabilities for each card. I’ll also help to dissect the complicated tiebreakers and other tournament nuances as they come up. You can also find companion pieces for A Block, C Block, and D Block.
Of course, you can find interactive tables for NJPW’s 2022, detailed results and statistics of all 1642 G1 Climax Matches To Date, and this year’s tournament at SportOfProWrestling.com, and you can let me know what you find when you drill down by dropping me a line on Twitter @TheChrisSamsa.
About The G1 Climax
If you need a primer for what the G1 Climax is and how to enjoy it as a fan, check out this post HERE.
G1 Climax 32 B Block Big Picture
Block Table
- This year’s G1 Climax B Block features the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Jay White, and with smaller blocks, this year serves as the best chance in a long time for a wrestler to go undefeated through G1 Climax block competition undefeated. The odds-on favorite to do so is almost certainly the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
- The B Block doesn’t feature any previous G1 Climax champions, but it does include two wrestlers who have reached the G1 Final. (White – 2019, SANADA – 2020)
- Rumored to be on the back-end of his G1 career, G1 Tomohiro Ishii enters his tenth consecutive tournament with eyes on his first trip to the single-elimination stage.
- Great-O-Khan looks to have a breakout tournament. The fan-friendly United Empire member looks to improve upon his 4-5 record from last year’s tournament.
- Taichi and Chase Owens both seek redemption for less-than-stellar G1 campaigns last year.
B Block G1 Entry History
B Block – Points By Tournament
The number in parenthesis (#) indicates the number of participants in each block.
Tomohiro Ishii
He may not win a lot, but Tomohiro Ishii has been delivering top-tier G1 performances for ten years. Ishii is a barometer of quality for G1 competitors, new and old. If you’ve watched a G1 Climax tour, you know that Ishii battles every night, no matter the opponent, and those who walk away with victories also walk away battered and bruised as they head into their next G1 battle.
Affiliation: CHAOS
G1 Experience: 10th G1 Entry, 10th Consecutive
Schedule and Head To Head History
- Tomohiro Ishii enters his 10th consecutive G1 Climax Tournament and his 10th overall.
- Ishii is one of four wrestlers in this year’s tournament who won’t have any first-time matches over the course of the tournament.
- Ishii is only looking for his first career victory over Tama Tonga.
- Tomohiro Ishii has a winning record over four of his six B Block opponents.
- Ishii has averaged 8.8 points in his last 5 G1 Climax tournaments.
- Last year, Ishii matched his career-high with a 5-4 record in his G1 tournament.
- Tomohiro Ishii’s 21 hours, 3 minutes, and 5 seconds of Total G1 Match Length is, by far, the longest in the B Block. SANADA is next highest at just under 15 hours.
Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga enters his second consecutive G1 Climax tournament with plenty to prove. Tama’s tournament was made last year when he defeated Kazuchika Okada during block competition. Since then, he has been forcefully removed from Bullet Club, won the NEVER Openweight Championship, and lost the NEVER Openweight Championship. Tama Tonga arrives at this year’s G1 Climax with much more singles success under his belt than he had last year, but he has eyes on the final block match on his schedule against Bullet Club leader Jay White in Budokan on August 16th.
Affiliation: Bullet Club
G1 Experience: 5th G1 Entry, 2nd Consecutive
Schedule and Head To Head History
- This is Tama Tonga’s fifth G1 Entry and his second consecutive.
- Tama Tonga has two first-time singles matches in this year’s B Block (Jay White, Great-O-Khan)
- Tama Tonga holds at least one victory against B Block wrestlers that he has faced in the past.
- Tama Tonga’s 11-minute and 53-second average G1 match length is the lowest among this year’s B Block wrestlers.
SANADA
Ever steady, SANADA enters his seventh consecutive G1 Climax tournament two years after his trip to the G1 Climax final in 2020. SANADA regressed during last year’s tournament, but he has since won his first NJPW singles championship, the IWGP United States Championship. Still, he could not defend that title due to a broken orbital bone. Certainly, SANADA enters with a chip on his shoulder as he attempts to return to singles glory.
Affiliation: Los Ingobernables De Japon
G1 Experience:7th G1 Entry, 7th Consecutive. 2020 Finalist
Schedule and Head To Head History
- This is SANADA’s 7th G1 Entry and his 7th Consecutive
- SANADA appeared in the finals against Kota Ibushi in 2020.
- SANADA is one of four wrestlers in this year’s tournament who will have zero first-time singles matches.
- Among B Block wrestlers, SANADA is only seeking his first singles victory over Jay White.
- SANADA has averaged 8.8 points in his first five G1 tournaments, topping out at 12 points during 2020’s tournament.
- SANADA and Kazuchika Okada participated in the longest G1 Climax match to ever render a decision when SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada in 29 minutes and 47 seconds during G1 Climax 29.
Taichi
Taichi is still searching for a breakout G1 tournament. Entering his fourth G1 Climax, Taichi has never ended with a winning record, so a .500 finish may be the target for The Holy Emperor.
Affiliation: Suzuki-Gun
G1 Experience: 4th G1 Entry, 4th Consecutive
Schedule and Head To Head History
- This is Taichi’s 4th consecutive G1 and 4th overall.
- Taichi has never ended a G1 Climax tournament with a winning record (4-5, 4-5, 3-6)
- Taichi will have zero first-time matches during this year’s tournament.
- Among B Block competitors, Taichi is still looking for his first singles victory over Jay White and Chase Owens.
- At 4-11, Taichi’s all-time head-to-head record against B Block competitors is the second worst in the B Block.
- Taichi’s 11-day gap between wrestling SANADA and Chase Owens is the second-longest such gap on the schedule.
- Taichi’s 0-day gap between wrestling Jay White and Great-O-Khan is obviously the shortest such gap on the schedule.
Great-O-Khan
After a break out first third of 2021’s tournament, Great-O-Khan ended his first tournament with a five-match losing streak. After some success in the tag team division and a newfound lust for life, Great-O-Khan enters his second G1 Climax tournament with momentum and a growing fanbase on his side.
Affiliation: The United Empire
G1 Experience: 2nd G1 Entry, 2nd Consecutive.
Schedule and Head To Head History
- Great-O-Khan finished his first G1 Climax tournament last year with a 4-5 record. He enters this year’s G1 trying to break the five-match losing streak that ended his 2021 tournament.
- Great-O-Khan will have two first-time singles matches in this year’s tournament.
- Great-O-Khan has never won a singles match against any of the Block competitors. He is 0-6 against his blockmates.
- Great-O-Khan’s G1 Climax will be one of the last to start, as he is one of three wrestlers who begin their tournament on night six, July 26th.
- O-Khan’s singles schedule is very balanced after his tournament finally begins. He has three days off between 4 of his five block matches.
Jay White
Jay White operates with a target on his back, but The Switchblade is in every wrestler in the B Block’s sights, as he now holds the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. White has never ended a G1 Climax winning fewer than 2/3 of his matches, and with a small block this year, he is a threat to go undefeated through the block to carry a 6-0 record into the semi-finals.
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Affiliation: Bullet Club
G1 Experience: 4th G1 Entry, First since 2020. 2019 Finalist.
Schedule and Head To Head History
- Jay White’s .643 all-time G1 winning percentage is the only G1 winning percentage above .500 among this year’s B Block.
- Jay White will have three first-time matches during this year’s block competition (Tama Tonga, Great-O-Khan, Chase Owens).
- Tomohiro Ishii is the only wrestler in the B Block that Jay White has lost to.
- Jay White has ended each of his three previous G1 tournaments at 6-3.
- An IWGP Heavyweight Champion has never ended a G1 with worse than a .500 record (Okada-2013).
- Jay White has the most balanced schedule among this year’s G1 participants. He is one of 5 wrestlers who begin the tournament on night one and end their block matches on night 18.
- Aside from his two-day turnaround between Taichi and Tama Tonga, White has at least five days of rest between his singles matches.
Chase Owens
Chase Owens enters his second G1 Climax tournament looking to improve on his 2-7 mark in last year’s tournament.
Affiliation: Bullet Club
G1 Experience: 2nd G1 Entry, 2nd Consecutive
Schedule
- This is Chase Owens’ second G1 Climax tournament. He finished last year’s tournament 2-7.
- Owens is looking for his first singles victory over four of the six wrestlers he’ll be competing with in the B Block.
- Owens’ G1 Climax tournament is the shortest among this year’s 28 G1 competitors. He has just 19 days between his first block match and his last block match.
- Chase Owens will end his tournament with a stretch of three tournament matches in 5 days, matching JONAH for the most challenging time on this year’s schedule.
B Block Schedule
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night One
July 16
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
SANADA v. Jay White
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Two
July 17
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Tomohiro Ishii v. Taichi
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Three
July 20
Xebio Arena Sendai
Tama Tonga v. Chase Owens
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Four
July 23
Ota Ward General Gymnasium
Tomohiro Ishii v. Jay White
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Five
July 24
Ota Ward General Gymnasium
SANADA v. Taichi
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Six
July 26
Korakuen Hall
Great-O-Khan v. Chase Owens
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Seven
July 27
Korakuen Hall
Tomohiro Ishii v. Tama Tonga
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Eight
July 30
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
SANADA v. Great-O-Khan
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Nine
July 31
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Jeff Cobb v. Lance Archer
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Ten
August 2
Hamamatsu Arena
Tomohiro Ishii v. Great-O-Khan
Tama Tonga v. SANADA
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Eleven
August 5
Item Ehime
Taichi v. Chase Owens
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Twelve
August 6
EDION Arena Osaka
Great-O-Khan v. Jay White
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Thirteen
August 7
EDION Arena Osaka
Tomohiro Ishii v. Chase Owens
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Fourteen
August 9
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
Tama Tonga v. Taichi
SANADA v. Chase Owens
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Fifteen
August 10
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
Tama Tonga v. Great-O-Khan
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Sixteen
August 13
Machida City Gymnasium
Taichi v. Jay White
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Seventeen
August 14
Nagano White Ring
Taichi v. Great-O-Khan
NJPW G1 Climax 32
Night Eighteen
August 16
Budokan Hall
Tomohiro Ishii v SANADA
Tama Tonga v Jay White
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