Tetsuya Naito Wins NJPW G1 Climax 33

Written by Craig Ballantyne • Published 13th August 2023
Tetsuya Naito wins NJPW G1 Climax 2023

Tetsuya Naito is one step closer to achieving his Destino after defeating Kazuchika Okada in a thrilling final to win the 33rd G1 Climax tournament.

Naito’s path wasn’t an easy one, as he had to see off The Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the IWGP United Kingdom Champion, Will Ospreay, in the days leading up to his match with The Rainmaker. Meanwhile, Okada had to overcome the full might of the House of Torture and their dirty tricks to end EVIL’s path of destruction in their semi-final encounter.

Although both men were the worse for wear heading into the final, they still engaged in a war for the honour of winning the prestigious tournament and securing a place in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4th.

With Naito having almost been knocked out cold by Ospreay in his previous bout, Okada focussed much of his offense on the LIJ leader’s head, with brutal DDTs and a vicious Tombstone piledriver on the outside.

With the red-hot Ryogoku crowd firmly behind him, though, Naito was able to come back from behind and land Valencia and three Destinos to finally put Okada down to win his third G1.

After the match, the legendary Masahiro Chono awarded Naito with the G1 flag and the star thanked the fans in Sumo Hall before ending with an LIJ roll call.

Recently Dave Meltzer hailed the G1 Climax final match as “one of the best storytelling matches in a long time.”

Tetsuya Naito has also been announced for the upcoming NJPW show in the UK.

Who will Tetsuya Naito face at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18?

Tetsuya Naito will now challenge the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in the Tokyo Dome in January. The title is currently held by his former Los Ingobernables de Japon teammate, SANADA. However, SANADA was pinned by another LIJ alumnus, EVIL, during the tournament and then suffered a vicious attack from his former ally after a multi-man tag team match on the undercard of the final.

It is likely that the pair will now face off over the title during the Destruction tour in October to determine who holds the gold going into Wrestle Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Naito also has an obstacle of his own, as one of the men who beat him during the tournament, Jeff Cobb, laid down a challenge for his spot following the G1 Climax final. When Naito asked him when he wanted the match, Cobb simply said, “soon.”