NJPW's Gabe Kidd Confirms Withdrawal From 2025 G1 Climax Tournament Due To Injury

By Sam Palmer
Gabe Kidd at NJPW Dominion 2025 Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax tournament is known for being one of the most physically demanding competitions in all of wrestling, with every wrestler who takes part in it being pushed to their limits every single night. This ultimately takes its toll on the athletes in the ring, and at times it can lead to injuries, which is exactly what has happened to current IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd, who has been forced to withdraw from the tournament entirely.

During night five of the tournament that took place on July 25, Kidd took to the microphone to announce that, while he had been hoping to continue in the competition, he was told by doctors that he could no longer continue and had to exit the tournament early, forfeiting his remaining matches in the process. Kidd was defeated by AEW star Konosuke Takeshita on night one of the tournament, but was forced to forfeit his next match due to a knee injury that he hoped wouldn't be too serious. However, that injury seems to be more serious than originally anticipated. Kidd expressed his sadness about having to step away from the ring, but promised to the fans in Tokyo that when he returns, they will see the best version of Gabe Kidd they will have ever seen.

Up until his injury, Kidd had been having the biggest year of his career to date. He solidified himself as a future main event star for NJPW in his loss to Kenny Omega at the Wrestle Dynasty event on January 5, and had even made a name for himself on AEW programming as an associate of the Death Riders. Kidd captured the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship at the Dominion event in June by defeating Yota Tsuji, and looked set to be a part of AEW and NJPW's Forbidden Door pay-per-view on August 24, which takes place in his home country of England. 

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