By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 36 – Night 6”
July 25, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Ota-City General Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided English commentary. This appears to be a small arena. I can’t really see the crowd, but this is definitely bigger than some of the gyms they use. The lighting in the ring was good. Glad to have Charlton back (he’s usually on the shows from Tokyo).
* 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 four A Block tournament matches.
I don’t have time for the undercard today! Here are the results of those matches, courtesy of the NJPW website:
1. Satoshi Kojima and Yuya Uemura defeated Toru Yano and Taisei Nakahara at 5:56. Yuya forced the Young Lion Nakahara to submit.
2. “The Unbound Co.” Gedo and Oskar defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto and Aaron Wolf at 3:46. Oskar beat Matsumoto with “Alpatraum.” I don’t know what move that is!
3. “House of Torture” Dick Togo and Ren Narita defeated “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young and Henare at 5:34. Narita beat Young with a modified knee bar.
4. “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai and Drilla Moloney defeated “United Empire” Zane Jay and Callum Newman at 6:55. Drilla hit a jumping thrust kick to pin Zane.
OKAY, on to what I did watch!
5. Hirooki Goto (4) vs. Great-O-Khan (2) in an A Block tournament match. O’Khan kicked him in the stomach, and we’re underway! He hit some Mongolian chops. They went to the floor, and O-Khan whipped Goto into the guardrails twice, then suplexed him onto the thin mat at ringside at 2:30. He cracked a chair across Goto’s spine and was booed. Back in the ring, Goto hit some chops and a clothesline at 4:30, and they were both down. He hit a spinning heel kick in the corner and a back suplex for a nearfall.
O-Khan flipped Goto to the floor, and Hirooki immediately clutched his knee as he was down on the thin mat. O-Khan shoved him into the ring post. He swung a chair and missed. Goto whipped O-Khan into a guardrail and hit a bulldog onto the thin mat at 7:00! In the ring, Goto hit a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall; Walker remarked that’s not a usual Goto move. Goto hit his neckbreaker over the knee and was in charge. O-Khan bit Goto’s forehead. The ref got bumped! O-Khan kicked Goto in the back of the head at 9:00, and they were both down.
They swung chairs at each other. O-Khan’s was knocked from his hands, so he begged for mercy. Goto tossed his chair aside; O-Khan hit a low-blow straight punch. O-Khan applied a Claw and hit the Eliminator slam to the mat for the tainted pin. Solid, and of course, it protected Goto from taking a clean loss. (Gedo’s 50-50 booking continues).
Great-O-Khan (4) defeated Hirooki Goto (4) at 10:46.
* O-Khan grabbed the chair to continue a beat down of Goto, but Tatsuya Matsumoto jumped in for the save, so O-Khan beat up the Young Lion. O-Khan still swung a chair that struck a chair around Goto’s neck, and he laughed like a maniac.
6. Jake Lee (4) vs. Sanada (2) in an A Block tournament match. The commentators immediately pointed out that Lee wasn’t wearing the clown face paint today. A clean lockup and standing switches. (Sanada is coming off his best match in more than a year.) Sanada hit a kick, and Jake rolled to the floor. On the floor, Sanada whipped him into the guardrail. Lee slammed Sanada’s right arm against the guardrail and hit a running kick on it at 2:30. They got back into the ring, and Lee was in charge, targeting the damaged right arm.
Lee hit a stiff kick to the spine, then stomped on the damaged elbow. Sanada hit a dropkick on Lee’s knee at 4:30, then one to the sternum. He hit a plancha to the floor. In the ring, Sanada was going for the Paradise Lock when Lee suddenly grabbed him and applied a modified Rings of Saturn. Lee twisted Sanada’s wrist but eventually let go of the hold. Lee hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Sanada hit a Magic Screw twisting neckbreaker off the ropes. Sanada locked in the Skull End dragon sleeper. He let go of it but missed a moonsault. Lee hit a knee lift to the gut at 9:00.
Sanada hit a Shining Wizard to the back of the head. He went for one to the forehead, but Lee caught the leg. Lee applied a front guillotine choke. Sanada eventually grabbed the ropes. He hit another basement dropkick on Lee’s knee at 11:00. Sanada hit the Shining Wizard to the forehead. He nailed the top-rope moonsault for a believable nearfall! Lee hit a spin kick and a suplex. Sanada rolled to the floor and sold the pain in his right arm and shoulder. Lee slammed Sanada face-first on the apron. The ref was counting! Sanada hit a Magic Screw neckbreaker from the apron to the floor. Sanada grabbed a chain and tried to tie Lee to the guardrail but couldn’t connect it. Sanada jumped into the ring at the 19-count to get a count-out win!
Sanada (4) defeated Jake Lee (4) at 13:28.
7. Konosuke Takeshita (4) vs. Boltin Oleg (4) in an A Block tournament match. They traded shoulder blocks at the bell until Takeshita finally dropped him, and Oleg rolled to the floor. Takeshita hit a flip dive to the floor on him. In the ring, Takeshita tied up both arms. Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick at 3:30. He hit a big bodyslam and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Takeshita got up and hit some forearm strikes. However, Oleg flipped Takeshita around in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex; the crowd popped for his strength. Oleg went for a Vader Bomb, but Takeshita got his feet up at 5:00 to block it.
Oleg hit a splash in the corner. Takeshita fired back with a jumping knee, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Takeshita hit an Exploder Suplex. Oleg hit a belly-to-belly suplex at 7:00! Boltin knocked him down for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a big back-body drop. Oleg caught a charging Takeshita, put him on his shoulders, and hit an F5 faceplant for a nearfall at 8:30! Takeshita hit a hard clothesline, but Oleg made an emphatic kickout.
Takeshita hit a running knee for a nearfall. Takeshita slowed him with a front guillotine choke, but Oleg flipped Konosuke to escape. Oleg hit the Kamikaze (Finlay Roll) for a nearfall at 11:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. This was an awesome exchange. Takeshita finally knocked him down and got a nearfall at 13:00. Oleg hit a powerbomb. He set up for a second Kamikaze, but Takeshita grabbed the ropes and pulled himself free. Takeshita hit a running knee, then the Power Drive running knee, but Oleg absorbed it! Takeshita hit a second Power Drive, then the Raging Fire (twisting Falcon Arrow) for the pin! That was awesome.
Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Boltin Oleg (4) at 14:18.
8. Yuto-Ice (2) vs. Ryohei Oiwa (4) in an A Block tournament match. They pushed their foreheads together before the bell, and the ref was able to separate them and get them to opposite corners. Oiwa charged and hit a strike, and we got the bell. Oiwa rolled to the floor and invited Yuto-Ice to join him. Yuto-Ice agreed, and they traded punches on the entrance aisle. They went into the crowd, and Yuto-Ice whipped Oiwa into rows of chairs at 2:00. They made their way back to ringside. Oiwa tied him up in a Camel Clutch inside the guardrail at 4:00!
They got back into the ring with Oiwa in charge. Yuto-Ice hit his running knee for a nearfall at 7:00. Oiwa hit a DDT for a nearfall. Yuto-Ice hit a running Penalty Kick to the chest for a nearfall at 8:30. They traded forearm strikes, and Oiwa hit a headbutt at 10:30. Oiwa applied a Dragon Clutch, but Yuto-Ice reached the ropes at 12:00. Oiwa hit two back suplexes and was in charge. He got a nearfall at 13:30. Oiwa hit some clotheslines to the back of the head, then a discus clothesline for a nearfall. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee. Oiwa hit a discus clothesline in the corner at 15:00. Yuto-Ice hit a superkick and a Claymore Kick for the pin! Awesome.
Yuto-Ice (4) defeated Ryohei Oiwa (4) at 15:21.
9. Yota Tsuji (2) vs. Shingo Takagi (2) in an A Block tournament match. Teammates collide… and the loser will be 1-3! The bell rang, and they glared at each other from across the ring, then had a clean lockup to open. They tied up in a knuckle lock. Tsuji hit a headscissors takedown at 3:00. Shingo hit a shoulder tackle. He backed Yota into a corner and hit some jab punches, then a suplex for a nearfall. They went to the floor at 5:00. In the ring, Yota hit a gutbuster over his knees and took control.
Tsuji hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Shingo hit a DDT, and they were both down. He clotheslined Tsuji to the floor. On the floor, he whipped Yota into the guardrail. Tsuji then whipped Shingo into the guardrail. They hit stereo clotheslines as they continued to fight at ringside. Shingo hit a flipping powerbomb onto the thin mat at ringside at 10:00! Tsuji rolled into the ring at the 18-count. Shingo immediately hit some back elbows in the corner, then a top-rope superplex for a nearfall at 11:30! Could this go to a 30-minute draw?
Tsuji hit a stomp to the back of the head, and they were both down. He hit a running knee in the corner and a powerbomb for a nearfall. Tsuji set up for a Marlow Crash, but Shingo blocked it. Shingo hit a hard clothesline and a Made In Japan pumphandle powerbomb for a nearfall at 14:30. Shingo hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head. Yota hit a clothesline and his own Made In Japan for a nearfall! He hit another hard clothesline for a nearfall, and he put Shingo in a Boston Crab.
Shingo hit a hard clothesline at 17:30, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Tsuji hit a hard headbutt, so Shingo hit one! They backed into opposite corners; Shingo avoided a spear and hit a Dragon Suplex, then the Pumping Bomber clothesline for a nearfall right at the 20:00 call. Tsuji hit a German Suplex and a Gene Blaster (spear), and they were both down. (Time-limit draw remains a possibility here!) Shingo hit a twisting neckbreaker. Tsuji hit a running knee and a second Gene Blaster for a nearfall at 21:30.
Tsuji hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. Shingo avoided a Gene Blaster and got a rollup for a nearfall, then a diving forearm to the back of the neck, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Shingo hit a Poison Rana!! However, Tsuji popped up and hit another Gene Blaster! Shingo hit a Burning Dragon (modified DVD0 for a nearfall at 23:30. Tsuji hit a spinning, twisting Gene Blaster for the pin. That was awesome. Charlton called that version a “Fire Blaster.”
Yota Tsuji (4) defeated Shingo Takagi (2) at 24:09.
Final Thoughts: An absolutely top-notch night of G1 action. The main event earns best of the night, and I really did see a path for a time-limit draw, as I hate seeing Shingo drop to 1-3 and in last place. Takeshita-Oleg was really good, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone who liked that for best of the night. Oiwa vs. Yuto-Ice, as great as it was, comes in a distant third on this night. I was skeptical of the other two G1 matches, but both were solid. It was awkward that Sanada couldn’t connect that chain to lock Lee against the guardrail, but the finish still worked, with him diving in at the 19-count, and Lee unable to get back in.
I think Walker Stewart does an absolutely fantastic job on commentary. For a guy in his mid-20s, he has a tremendous depth of knowledge of pro wrestling history. All that said… I sure was glad to have Charlton back in the booth. Walker has done nearly all the shows so far as a solo act. (Henare and Oskar have been merely adequate in their guest commentator roles.) Not only is Charlton fluent in Japanese, he brings a seriousness to his calling of the action, making this feel so authentic. (I think we’ll look back on the Charlton-Stewart team as a golden era of commentary.)
No rest for the wicked! The tournament resumes on Sunday with four B Block matches.
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