Tetsuya Naito Comments On Winning NJPW G1 Climax 33

Tetsuya Naito is set to main event another Tokyo Dome show in 2024 following the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion's win over Kazuchika Okada in the G1 Climax 33 final on Sunday, August 13. Naito is currently scheduled to challenge his former Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 18, although SANADA will likely defend the belt before January 4 so Naito's opponent may change. 

Following his victory, Naito was in attendance at the post-G1 Climax press conference, during which he reflected on his win. 

"Here we are, one day removed from the G1 final. I’m beaten up, but the worst part is a lack of sleep. Saturday, Ryogoku. Sunday, Ryogoku. Today, press conference. That's three days in a row I've had to wake up in the morning. Thank you to the NJPW office for the wake-up calls. Thanks to your incessant telephone calls, I was able to get myself out of bed," Naito stated.

"This is my third win, first in six years. Everybody in this tournament is in it to win it, so I'm obviously happy to win. For me, I've always associated the G1 final with the middle of summer and with Ryogoku, so to have that final in Ryogoku, in mid-summer, and of course to have the fans cheering as well, to have that big chant of 'De Ja Pon!' felt damn great. I think I had a pretty good summer."

August 13 was Naito's third G1 Climax win, having previously won the tournament in 2013 and 2017. Naito commented on how his 2023 victory differentiates from his past wins. 

"That's a thinker... What with my injuries, and my age as well, I didn't have, don't have many more chances left. That's what I had in mind. I didn't have the luxury of thinking there's always next year, or the next year, or five years after that. So I had a lot more on the line I think, and more than my other two wins, I felt that I had to win this time," Naito added.