By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 36 – Night 4”
July 21, 2026, in Miyagi, Japan, at Sendai SunplazaHall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided solo English commentary. The lights are low over the crowd, so I can’t really see how many fans are here. Lighting over the ring is good, though.
* This year’s field is 20 wrestlers divided into two Blocks. Thus, each wrestler has nine round-robin matches. A win is worth two points, while a (rare!) tie is worth one point to each wrestler. Today, we have five A Block tournament matches.
* We see Yoh on Japanese commentary tonight.
1. Toru Yano and Taisei Nakahara vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita and Dick Togo. I joined this one mid-match, as I have no real interest in this one. Ren tied Nakahara in a Boston Crab, and the Young Lion tapped out.
“House of Torture” Ren Narita and Dick Togo defeated Toru Yano and Taisei Nakahara at 6:15.
2. Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda vs. “The Unbound Co.” Drilla Moloney and Daiki Nagai. Yuya and Drilla shook hands at the bell and opened the match, as Walker reminded us these two squared off in the New Japan Cup earlier this year. They tied up on the mat. They traded armdrags. Drilla hit a back suplex on Yasuda at 3:30. Daiki got in and hit some chops on Yasuda.
Yasuda hit a dropkick for a nearfall. Drilla got back in and hit a spinebuster at 6:00. Yuya jumped in and traded forearm strikes with Moloney. Nagai hit a missile dropkick on Yuya, then a dive through the ropes onto him! Meanwhile, Drilla hit a pop-up powerbomb on Yasuda, then a superkick for the pin. Solid match.
“The Unbound Co.” Drilla Moloney and Daiki Nagai defeated Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda at 7:10.
3. “The Unbound Co.” Oskar and Gedo vs. “United Empire” Henare and Jakob Austin Young. Henare and Oskar stood toe-to-toe, with Henare looking up at Oskar. We got the bell, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. Oskar backed him into a corner and hit some overhand chops. Jakob and Gedo got in at 2:00, and Gedo hit low blows in the ropes on each opponent, then he choked Young on the mat. Henare and Oskar traded blows on the floor.
Young choked Gedo on the mat. He hit a Shining Wizard on Gedo for a nearfall at 6:00. Meanwhile, Oskar whipped Henare into the guardrails. In the ring, Oskar tied Henare in a sleeper, but Henare shrugged free. Henare put Gedo in a full nelson. Young hit a DDT on Gedo for the pin. Pretty basic. Oskar and Henare traded punches after the match; the bell sounded repeatedly in an effort to separate them.
“United Empire” Henare and Jakob Austin Young defeated “The Unbound Co.” Oskar and Gedo at 7:30.
4. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay. Callum and Sabre opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. Hartley jumped in and hit some chops on Newman. Zane hit a bulldog on Sabre for a nearfall at 2:30. Hartley splashed Zane in the corner and got a nearfall. The UE hit a team suplex on Hartley. Sabre jumped back in and traded European Uppercuts with Newman. Hartley hit a running crossbody block to flatten Zane, then a big senton and the Jagged Edge (DVD) for the pin on Jay.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson defeated “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay at 5:27.
* Henare joined commentary.
5. Hirooki Goto (4) vs. Jake Lee (2) in an A Block tournament match. I’m not expecting much here. Walker noted this is also a rematch from the New Japan Cup, when Goto beat Lee. They almost immediately brawled on the floor, and Goto whipped Lee into the guardrails at 1:30. Walker noted that Goto, at age 46, is trying to become the oldest-ever G1 winner. Lee took control as they looped ringside, then Lee got a nearfall in the ring at 4:00. Lee’s face paint is like DC’s Two-Face, covering just his left side. Goto hit a hard clothesline, and they were both down.
Goto knocked Lee from the apron to the floor at 7:30, and Jake clutched his knee in pain as he was lying next to a guardrail on the floor. The referee checked on him, as did Jakob Austin Young. A ringside physician came down to check on Lee, too. (I’m not buying this!) Lee rolled into the ring and received polite applause. Goto began stomping on Lee’s back. Lee popped to his feet and hit his Helluva Kick (his finisher!) and scored the pin! Henare belly-laughed. Lee did his goofy dance to show he’s perfectly fine, and he hugged Jakob Austin Young. Meh. Well, we all knew no one was going undefeated!
Jake Lee (4) defeated Hirooki Goto (4) at 9:56.
6) Ryohei Oiwa (2) vs. Great-O-Khan (2) in an A Block tournament match. O-Khan attacked; we got the bell five seconds later. On the floor, O-Khan whipped Oiwa into the guardrail. He was in charge as they got back into the ring. Henare belittled Oiwa for wearing medical tape around his waist. Right on cue, O-Khan kicked Oiwa’s ribs and got a nearfall at 3:30. Oiwa hit a DDT but sold the pain in his ribs. Walker said O-Khan is 6-0 against Ryohei, but those matches were all when Oiwa was a Young Lion. Oiwa hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 5:00.
They brawled to the floor and past the guardrail, and O-Khan whipped Oiwa into rows of chairs at 7:00. O-Khan swung a chair like a baseball bat and struck Oiwa’s ribs. In the ring, Oiwa hit a pump kick, and he ripped off the tape around Oiwa’s ribs, and he applied a Claw on the ribs at 10:00! O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops and kept Oiwa grounded. Oiwa hit his own Mongolian Chops and a back suplex for a nearfall at 12:00. O-Khan threw Oiwa ribs-first into an exposed corner and got a believable nearfall! Oiwa shoved O-Khan into the same exposed corner, got a rollup, and the flash pin! “What a cheater!” Henare said.
Ryohei Oiwa (4) defeated Great-O-Khan (2) at 13:34/official time of 13:29.
7. Konosuke Takeshita (2) vs. Yuto-Ice (2) in an A Block tournament match. Yuto-Ice came out first. Takeshita came out of the back, and they brawled on the entrance aisle. I started the stopwatch at first contact, but this is not yet officially underway. They looped through the crowd. They entered the ring and we got a bell at 1:36! Walker said these two had never shared a ring before the preview tag on Sunday. They traded forearm strikes. This is already far better than the first two G1 matches of the day.
Takeshita hit a jumping knee. They fought right back to the floor, and Takeshita whipped him into the guardrails. They fought back into the crowd! In the ring, Yuto-Ice hit a running knee in the corner for a nearfall at 7:00. Takeshita hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, and he tied Yuto-Ice in a crossface. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Takeshita hit a back suplex at 11:30. Yuto-Ice hit a hard spin kick to the ear, and they were both down. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee for a nearfall.
Takeshita hit a German Suplex and a clothesline but only got a one-count! They got up and traded hard open-hand slaps to the face. Takeshita hit a suplex and a Power Drive running knee for a believable nearfall at 13:30. Takeshita hit another Power Drive running knee. He put Yuto-Ice in the Camel Clutch position and applied a sleeper. The ref checked Yuto-Ice and called for the bell! Some really hard-hitting blows in this one.
Konosuke Takeshita (4) defeated Yuto-Ice (2) at 13:41/official time of 12:05.
8) Yota Tsuji (2) vs. Sanada (0) in an A Block tournament match. Sanada will already be on the verge of elimination if he loses here. Basic reversals early on. Tsuji hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 2:30. Walker reminded us that Tsuji “decimated” Sanada in just over five minutes in last year’s G1! Tsuji hit a suplex for a nearfall. Yota tried to tie him in the Paradise Lock, but he couldn’t figure it out, so he hit a backbreaker over his knee at 4:00. Sanada hit a Magic Screw twisting neckbreaker from the apron to the floor at 6:00.
In the ring, Yota hit a Stomp to the back of the head. Walker noted both men have lost the G1 finals, and neither has won it. Sanada applied the Skull End on the mat at 8:00. He eventually let go and hit a moonsault for a nearfall at 9:30. They traded rollups. This is easily Sanada’s best singles match of 2026. Sanada blocked a Gene Blaster (spear), and he nailed the Deadfall (Jay White’s Blade Runner swinging faceplant) for a believable nearfall at 11:30! This crowd was hot! Sanada hit a Shining Wizard to the back of the head!
Sanada went for one to the forehead, but Tsuji ducked it and applied a Boston Crab. This crowd has come alive for the ‘old’ Sanada having a really good match! Tsuji turned it into a Styles Bomb, but Sanada popped up and hit another Shining Wizard to the forehead at 14:00! Sanada missed a moonsault, but landed on his feet. Tsuji immediately nailed the Gene Blaster, cutting Sanada in half, but only got a nearfall! Sanada applied the Skull End dragon sleeper. The ref got pushed out of position. Sanada hit a low blow and the Deadfall for the tainted pin!
Sanada (2) defeated Yota Tsuji (4) at 15:22.
9. Shingo Takagi (2) vs. Boltin Oleg (2) in an A Block tournament match. They traded shoulder blocks early on until Shingo finally dropped him. Shingo hit a snap suplex at 3:00 but Oleg quickly popped to his feet. Henare remarked about Oleg’s raw power. Boltin knocked Shingo down with a shoulder tackle. They went to the floor, where Shingo whipped him into the guardrail at 5:00, but Oleg bounced off it and hit a clothesline on Takagi! Oleg hit a Vader Bomb in the ring, but Shingo immediately grabbed the ropes.
Oleg tied Shingo in a bear hug; Henare remarked that Oleg probably has wrestled a bear. They got up and traded LOUD chops. Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall at 9:00. Boltin hit a shotgun dropkick. Oleg flipped Shingo around in his arms, then hit the gutwrench suplex on Shingo. Shingo nailed a top-rope superplex at 11:30, and they were both down. They got up and traded more chops and forearm strikes, and Shingo dropped him with a clothesline. Shingo nailed the Made In Japan (pumphandle powerbomb) for a nearfall at 13:00.
Oleg hit a Kamikaze (Finlay Roll) for a nearfall! He hit a Samoan Drop at 14:30, then a Landslide (modified DVD) for a nearfall. Oleg hit a clothesline and was fired up. Shingo hit a swinging suplex, and they were both down. Boltin applied a standing sleeper. Shingo hit a Saito Suplex. He nailed a Pumping Bomber, decapitating clothesline at 17:30! He hit the Burning Dragon (modified, twisting DVD) for a believable nearfall! Boltin hit two consecutive powerbombs. “This is what knocked out Yuto-Ice!” Walker shouted. Boltin hit another Kamikaze for the pin! Wow!
Boltin Oleg (4) defeated Shingo Takagi (2) at 19:06.
Final Thoughts: After two sluggish G1 matches, we finished with three fantastic ones. I’ll narrowly take Shingo vs. Oleg for best of the night, but I would not argue with anyone who liked Takeshita vs. Yuto-Ice or Sanada vs. Tsuji more. You just don’t see three great back-to-back-to-back matches like this anywhere else! That’s a pretty big signature win for Oleg, and it felt like it could have gone either way.
Sanada went from leading the “Just Five Guys” faction to becoming a forgotten member in the Bullet Club, then moving to the House of Torture. Between working that HoT cheating style and having some injuries … yeah, Sanada has not had a match this good in maybe a year. It’s nice to see he still has “it” and hopefully we see more of this Sanada moving forward.
Not much to say about Goto-Lee or O-Khan vs. Oiwa. Absolutely no one (but Walker Stewart, of course) was fooled by Jake Lee’s faked knee injury.
The B Block is back in action on Wednesday with four tournament matches, with Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Callum Newman as the headliner.
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