NJPW G1 Climax 2017: 5 Best Choices to Win

Which great wrestlers are most likely to win the 2017 edition of the G1 Climax?

The G1 Climax is the single-most prestigious wrestling tournament on the planet. Each year, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) puts 20 of the best wrestlers on its roster together in a round-robin tournament that lasts up to a month. These tournament shows are among the biggest and most important for NJPW outside of their annual Wrestle Kingdom shows at the Tokyo Dome.

The winner of the G1 Climax gets a special briefcase that, as of 2012, grants them a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom. The winner must also defend this briefcase from others for the rest of the calendar year. In other words, winning the G1 Climax tournament is only half the battle.

Historically, the G1 Climax has served as a launching pad for wrestlers’ careers into the main event scene of New Japan. Last year, Kenny Omega became the first non-Japanese winner to win the G1 Climax tournament when it was under that name. He has since become arguably the best wrestler on the planet, having participated in two of the most critically-acclaimed matches of all time.

Many other wrestlers have found great success thanks to the G1 Climax tournament. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and many others have found considerable success in this tournament. So who could be this year’s winner?

This year’s G1 Climax has a very stacked roster, with several top-tier wrestlers scheduled to take part. With so many dream match-ups in the making, who has the best chances of winning?