Weekend TV Guide: NJPW’s G1 season comes to a close – POST Wrestling

What should be an exciting end to NJPW’s annual G1 Climax tournament is just the tip of the iceberg for wrestling programming this weekend. Other tournaments are happening around the globe, there’s also a fun spread of lucha options to choose from, a “homecoming” for GCW, title showdowns tonight on Smackdown, and much more. Here’s a rundown of all the notable wrestling events taking place this weekend, plus where and when to catch it all.

Friday

STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Night 12 / 6 a.m. ET / STARDOM World

While the main focus in Japan this weekend will be on NJPW, top Joshi brand STARDOM will also be presenting cards throughout the next three days as part of the ongoing 5Star Grand Prix. The tournament has just five events left, with this weekend featuring the final round robin shows.

By the time you’re reading this, today’s show has likely wrapped up. Here’s a look at the card, including defending tournament winner Momo Watanabe, current World of STARDOM Champion Suzu Suzuki, and AEW’s Julia Hart.

• Lady C vs. Mei Seira (Red Stars B)
• Hanako vs. Rian (Blue Stars A)
• Miyu Amasaki vs. Julia Hart (Blue Stars A)
• Hina vs. Ruaka (Blue Stars A)
• Aya Sakura vs. Suzu Suzuki (Blue Stars A)
• Ami Sohrei vs. Kikyo Furusawa (Blue Stars B)
• Hanan vs. Momo Watanabe (Blue Stars B)
• Starlight Kid vs. Koguma (Blue Stars B)
• Yuna Mizumori vs. Saya Kamitani (Blue Stars B)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown / 8 p.m. ET / USA Network

Smackdown will head to the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts tonight for a title triple-header.

Both the men’s and women’s U.S. titles will be on the line this weekend: Baron Corbin will look to defend for the second week straight when he takes on ex-champ Carmelo Hayes, and Tiffany Stratton will try to take down Fatal Influence leader Jacy Jayne.

In the tag division, R-Truth and Damian Priest will try to defend gold against two big teams: Erik & Ivar have the momentum of AAA tag gold around their shoulders, and the MFT duo of Talla and Tama Tonga have a renewed energy after Hall of Famer Haku got into their corner recently.

Along with the championship action, we’ll get one last preview of next week’s undisputed title clash between CM Punk and Kevin Owens when they appear on the program as well. Here’s an updated look at the lineup:

• CM Punk & Kevin Owens to appear ahead of title showdown next week
• Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton to appear
• Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes (WWE United States Championship)
• Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne (WWE Women’s United States Championship)
• R-Truth & Damian Priest vs. Erik & Ivar vs. Talla Tonga & Tama Tonga (WWE Tag Team Championships) 

Saturday

STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Night 13 / 12 a.m. ET / STARDOM World

STARDOM will return at midnight Saturday for another card full of block action. Much like the Friday show, wrestlers involved in the Blue A and B blocks will be the main focus of the night:

• Mei Seira vs. Saya Iida (Red Stars B)
• Hanako vs. Julia Hart (Blue Stars B)
• Hina vs. Miyu Amasaki (Blue Stars A)
• Suzu Suzuki vs. Ruaka (Blue Stars A)
• Aya Sakura vs. Rian (Blue Stars A)
• Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe (Blue Stars B)
• Hanan vs. Yuna Mizumori (Blue Stars B)
• Ami Sohrei vs. Saya Kamitani (Blue Stars B)
• Starlight Kid vs. Kikyo Furusawa (Blue Stars B)

NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 18 / 2 a.m. ET / NJPW World

After weeks of gruelling competition, throughout Japan and even in America at one point, this year’s NJPW G1 Climax will finally come to an end this weekend. This year’s field of semi-finalists is quite exciting, as it consists of four names who have never won the tournament before.

On one side of the bracket, recent IWGP Heavyweight Championship holder Callum Newman will try to take down fast-rising TMDK standout Ryohei Oiwa. On the other half of the semi-final round, current top dog Yota Tsuji will try to end the run for Yuya Uemura, who has been one of the biggest favorites in the tournament.

After years of NJPW viewership coming with this constant stress that young names aren’t being elevated enough, it’s refreshing to see that this year’s final four is a set of names who are newer to the spotlight. I’d prefer a fresher name like Uemura or even Oiwa taking the trophy; I’m curious to see what will happen over the next few days.

While G1 action will be the main focus for most fans, Saturday’s show in Tokyo will also feature a retirement match for Hiroyoshi Tenzan, taking on TenKoji teammate Satoshi Kojima. Tenzan will be putting an end to his impressive 35-year run with NJPW, a career which included four campaigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and an astounding 12 reigns with the brand’s top tag titles.

• Taisei Nakahara, Masatora Yasuda, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs. Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & HENARE
• Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado, Taichi & Konosuke Takeshita vs. SHO, DOUKI, SANADA & Ren Narita
• Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney vs. Wheeler Yuta & Gabe Kidd
• Master Wato, YOH, Yuji Nagata, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, OSKAR, Yuto-Ice & Shingo Takagi
• Tatsuya Matsumoto, Boltin Oleg & Aaron Wolf vs. Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.
• Ryohei Oiwa vs. Callum Newman (G1 Climax Semi-Final)
• Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji (G1 Climax Semi-Final)
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Satoshi Kojima

GCW Homecoming Night 1 / 8 p.m. ET / TrillerTV+

GCW will head to New Jersey for a “Homecoming” doubleheader this weekend. While little has been revealed for Sunday’s show, Saturday night’s card looks like a stacked lineup. Most notably, Saturday’s show will see Joseph Sawyer (formerly Joe Gacy) return to GCW for the first time since 2020, challenging defending champ Atticus Cogar. Also on the show, Marko Stunt will take on Joey Janela, and the duo of Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza, two fast-rising names I think are worth watching, will meet Charles Mason and Slade in tag action, too.

• Marko Stunt vs. Joey Janela
• Nick Gage, Sicko the Clown & Nino Extremo vs. Dr. Redacted, Conor Claxton & Jimmy Lloyd
• Bear Bronson & Gabby Forza vs. Charles Mason & Slade
• Vipress vs. Christian Napier (Chola Chain Match)
• Alec Price & Jordan Oliver vs. KJ Orso & Sam Stackhouse (GCW Tag Team Championships)
• Otis Cogar vs. Anakin Murphy (GCW Ultraviolent Championship)
• Atticus Cogar vs. Joseph Sawyer (GCW World Championship)

AEW Collision / 8 p.m. ET / TNT

A taped edition of AEW Collision will air tomorrow night on TNT, including the final first-round matchups in the first-ever Continental Challenge Cup. They saved some of the more fun matchups for last: Nigel McGuinness returning to the ring against Katsuyori Shibata, the heavy-hitting Brian Cage facing the technical luchador Hechicero, and a Conglomeration showdown between Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly will all air tomorrow. If that hasn’t sold you on Saturday’s card, there’s also a trios match with Brodido & Hangman Page, as well as a Mercedes Moné match. Not a bad lineup!

• Megan Bayne & Lena Kross in action
• Mercedes Moné vs. Zayda Steel
• Hangman Adam Page, Brody King & Bandido vs. Jay Lethal, Blake Christian & Lee Johnson (AEW World Trios Championships)
• Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O’Reilly (Continental Challenge Cup First Round)
• Brian Cage vs. Hechicero (Continental Challenge Cup First Round)
• Nigel McGuinness vs. Katsuyori Shibata (Continental Challenge Cup First Round)

TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup Night 5 / 11 p.m. ET / Wrestle Universe

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s annual knockout tournament, the Tokyo Princess Cup, is down to just four names. Much like this year’s G1, the Princess Cup’s late-stage field shows how the brand is focusing on rising stars: Whether it’s Rika Tatsumi, Toga, Suzume, or HIMAWARI, a first-time Princess Cup winner will be crowned in this year’s tournament. It would be fun to see Suzume or HIMAWARI get the push, but I like any of their options here. TJPW fans won’t want to miss this show on late Saturday night.

• Chika Nanase vs. Momo Sato
• Mizuki vs. Shion Kanzaki
• Miyu Yamashita vs. Pom Harajuku
• Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara, Haru Kazashiro & Ren Konatsu vs. Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
• Yuki Arai, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Aino vs. Hyper Misao, Arisu Endo & Sakura Hattori
• Rika Tatsumi vs. Toga (Princess Cup Semi-Final)
• Suzume vs. HIMAWARI (Princess Cup Semi-Final)

Sunday

STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Night 14 / 12 a.m. ET / STARDOM World

Block action will wrap up in this year’s STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix on Sunday night. By the end of Sunday’s show, three wrestlers will be selected from all four blocks and placed into a knockout bracket, which will take place over two more cards later this month. Along with some final matches in the Blue Stars blocks, Sunday’s show will include the final appearance from the Red Stars blocks, where all three spots to qualify are very much still up for grabs.

• AZM vs. Rina (Red Stars A)
• Maika vs. Akira Kurogane (Red Stars A)
• Mei Siera vs. Utami Hayashishita (Red Stars B)
• Maki Itoh vs. Konami (Red Stars B)
• Hanako vs. Ruaka (Blue Stars A)
• Suzu Suzuki vs. Julia Hart (Blue Stars A)
• Hanan vs. Saya Kamitani (Blue Stars B)
• Ami Sohrei vs. Starlight Kid (Blue Stars B)

NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 19 / 2 a.m. ET / NJPW World

Set your alarms: NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament will wrap up during the early hours of Sunday. We won’t know the lineup for this show until Saturday afternoon, once we see how the semi-final action plays out.

A few more options to consider:

• Ontario-based promotion C4 will present its annual Fighting Back card this evening, raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society. To help gather funds, they’ve put together a compelling mix of local and international talent for a show tonight. If you’re interested in Canadian names, they’ve got loads of notable figures like current Maple Leaf Pro champ Stu Grayson, rising star Vaugh Vertigo, and veteran Alexia Nicole. If you want to see more higher-profile wrestlers, they’ve got you covered with cameos from Eddie Kingston & Ortiz, Dalton Castle, and Zoey Serrano (formerly Zoey Stark). Help raise funds for cancer research and check out some fun indie action at the same time! (IWTV.com PPV)
• If you want some lucha action, both CMLL and AAA will be live this weekend. On Friday, the Arena Mexico card will be headlined by a two-out-of-three-falls match between Averno and Mistico. One night later, AAA will present a live edition of TV from Torreon. Both shows will be available via Youtube, although you’ll need a paid subscription to CMLL’s page to catch their card this evening.
• Germany’s wXw is serving up a fun card tomorrow in Oberhausen. While a 30-man rumble featuring Daniel Garcia sounds like fun, I’m super curious to see what a one-on-one clash between Bandido and 1 Called Manders will look like. My guess? A banger. (MyAEW PPV)