The following press release has been issued:
AXS TV ANNOUNCES ITS COMPLETE SCHEDULE FOR NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING G1 CLIMAX 24 TOURNAMENT BEGINNING FRIDAY, JUNE 26
‘NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’ Airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
LOS ANGELES – June 10, 2015 – AXS TV’s critically acclaimed NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING (NJPW) series heads into summer with eight hour-long episodes dedicated to the prestigious G1 Climax 24 tournament beginning Friday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The first seven episodes of the series showcase one full match and include highlights from others, while the final episode is dedicated entirely to the championship bout.
G1 Climax is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual round-robin tournament taking place over three weeks each summer. With 22 participants, including top wrestlers Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and A.J. Styles, G1 Climax 24 was the largest in the tournament’s history. In this format, the wrestlers are divided into two “blocks” where they face each wrestler in their block, receiving two points per win and one point per draw. The wrestlers with the most points from each block then square off in the final.
In regard to schedule, AXS TV wraps up its G1 Climax 24 coverage Aug. 7 premiering the final two episodes back-to-back with the third place and other special single matches at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT followed by the tournament final at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV is off for a week on June 19, as the network exclusively broadcasts the Firefly Music Festival June 19 to 21. AXS TV’s NJPW episodes were produced by and acquired from TV ASAHI CORPORATION.
The NJPW G1 Climax 24 television schedule is as follows. All times 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT unless otherwise designated.
June 26 Episode 118 – Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Full match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Highlights: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomoaki Honma, A.J. Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada
July 3 Episode 119 – Akita Prefectural Gymnasium
Full Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Highlights: Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tetsuya Naito vs. A.J. Styles, Kazuchika Okada vs. Karl Anderson
July 10 Episode 120 – Sendai Sunplaza Hall
Full Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada
Highlights: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale, Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
July 17 Episode 121 – Korakuen Hall
Full Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Highlights: Minoru Suzuki vs. A.J. Styles, Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto
July 24 Episode 122 – Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
Full Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Highlights: Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
July 31 Episode 123 – Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Full Matches: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Highlights: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale, A.J. Styles vs. Tougi Makabe, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Davey Boy Smith Jr.
August 7 Episode 124 – Seibu Prince Dome Part 1 – 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Full third place match plus highlights from special single matches.
August 7 Episode 125 – Seibu Prince Dome Part 2 – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Full tournament final.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
