By Joseph Currier for F4WOnline.com

When the participants in the 26th edition of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax were announced last month, it seemed that the tournament might never again feature the man most associated with it.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan was excluded from the field for only the second time since 1995 -- the one constant in the tournament for two decades, only missing it in 2010 because of injury. Holding the record for the most G1 appearances with 20, he has won it three times. Tenzan was still able to reach relative highs against the right opponent or in the right situation, but whether his body could handle the grueling tournament became a question after being forced out of 2013’s edition with a rib injury.

However, Tenzan was added to the G1 for likely the final time at Sunday's Kizuna Road show. Tenzan had been trying to find his way into the tournament since participants were announced. And, he finally got his wish when Satoshi Kojima, his longtime friend and partner, gave his spot to Tenzan for one final run under the condition that he wins it.

Updated tournament blocks:

- A Block: Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Seiya Sanada, Naomichi Marufuji, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi

- B Block: Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, Michael Elgin, Toru Yano, Tetsuya Naito, Evil, Kenny Omega, Yoshi-Hashi, Katsuhiko Nakajima

Updated tournament matches with Tenzan:

7/18: Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii

7/23: Tenzan vs. Tama Tonga

7/25: Tenzan vs. Naomichi Marufuji

7/28: Tenzan vs. Togi Makabe

7/31: Tenzan vs. Kazuchika Okada

8/3: Tenzan vs. Bad Luck Fale

8/6: Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto

8/8: Tenzan vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

8/12: Tenzan vs. Sanada

Updated G1 Climax schedule, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: