By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 36 – Night 16”
August 12, 2026, in Shizuoka, Japan, at Act City Hamamatsu
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided English commentary. This is a large room, but it appears everyone is seated on the floor. Lighting is good.
* 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. The top two finishers in each Block will advance to a four-man playoff. Today, we have five A Block tournament matches. This is the ninth (and final!) match for everyone.
1. Toru Yano and Taisei Nakahara vs. “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai and Drilla Moloney. The Young Lions opened with Chris and Walker discussing the results of a DDT show in which Ryusuke Taguchi won a title. Drilla entered at 1:30 and hit some loud chops on Nakahara. Yano finally entered at 3:30 and playfully slapped Moloney on the back of the head. Drilla hit a spear into the corner on Yano, then a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall. Drilla hit a dropkick on Yano. Nagai got back in and hit a dropkick for a nearfall at 6:00. He hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall and he nailed a Drilla Killa for the pin! Moloney watched along and looked like a proud papa!
“The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai and Drilla Moloney defeated Toru Yano and Taisei Nakahara at 7:13.
2. Tatsuya Matsumoto and Aaron Wolf vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Zack Sabre Jr. Matsumoto unloaded some blows on Hartley at the bell, but Walker and Charlton noted that Hartley is undefeated in undercard action throughout the G1. Hartley hit a splash to the mat. Sabre entered at 1:00 and tied up Matsumoto, then hit some European Uppercuts. Wolf entered and hit a clothesline in the corner on Sabre at 3:30, then an elbow drop for a nearfall.
Sabre went for a cross-armbreaker, but Wolf escaped and applied a Fujiwara Armbar, then switched to his own cross-armbreaker. Sabre escaped and applied an ankle lock. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Sabre tied him in an abdominal stretch. Matsumoto entered and hit some dropkicks on Hartley. Matsumoto hit his version of an Air Raid Crash on Hartley. (Essentially Orange Cassidy’s “Daybreak.”) Wolf hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Sabre. Matsumoto put Hartley in a Boston Crab! Hartley hit his running crossbody block and a senton for the pin.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto and Aaron Wolf at 9:06.
3. “The Unbound Co.” Oskar and Gedo vs. Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda. Gedo and Yasuda opened; Gedo knocked him down, celebrated, and soaked in the cheers! Yasuda hit a series of suplexes. Yasuda hit some dropkicks on Oskar. However, Oskar hit a leg drop for the pin! That wrapped up suddenly.
“The Unbound Co.” Oskar and Gedo defeated Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda at 5:43.
4. “United Empire” Henare and Jakob Austin Young vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay. Faction partners collide! Henare and Newman traded some hard strikes at the bell, and Henare knocked Callum down with a shoulder tackle. Zane and Young got in, and they too immediately traded forearm strikes! Zane hit a Thesz Press and some punches. Callum and Henare locked up again. Callum hit a roundhouse kick to the chest. They traded forearm strikes. Callum hit a running knee to Henare’s face at 6:30. Henare nailed the Berzerker Bomb! Zane hit a fallaway slam on Henare for a nearfall. Henare applied the full nelson, and Zane tapped out.
“United Empire” Henare and Jakob Austin Young defeated “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay at 7:49.
5. Shingo Takagi (8) vs. Sanada (6) in an A Block tournament match. Former faction partners collide! Both are already eliminated, and if Sanada wins, they will both finish the tournament with a losing record. Sanada immediately hit some dropkicks, and they fought to the floor at 1:00. They whipped each other into the guardrails. Sanada hit the Magic Screw twisting neckbreaker off the ring apron! In the ring, Sanada hit a Russian leg sweep at 3:00 and was in charge. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Shingo hit a DDT, and they were both down at 4:30. Shingo hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall.
Sanada hit another Magic Screw, then a Shining Wizard at 7:30. Shingo hit a suplex, and they were both down. Shingo hit a pop-up DVD! He nailed a clothesline, then the Made In Japan pumphandle powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 9:00. Takagi hit the Burning Dragon (DVD) for another believable nearfall. Sanada hit the Deadfall swinging faceplant, and they were both down at 10:30! Sanada hit a moonsault for a nearfall. He set up for a Shining Wizard, but Shingo blocked it and hit a forearm strike. Shingo hit a headbutt to the chest and a Last of the Dragon powerbomb. Sanada ducked the Pumping Bomber clothesline, and he immediately got an O’Connor Roll for the flash pin!
Sanada (8) defeated Shingo Takagi (8) at 12:19.
6) Hirooki Goto (6) vs. Yuto-Ice (8) in an A Block tournament match. They charged at the bell and traded strikes. Walker noted this is another first-time-ever singles match. Charlton noted that Yuto-Ice, despite being 4-4, has not been pinned or submitted (he’s been knocked out or the ref has stopped the match). They brawled to the floor at 1:30 and went past the guardrails. In the ring, Yuto-Ice hit his running knee in the corner at 4:00.
Goto hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Goto hit the neckbreaker over his knee, and they were both down at 6:00. They got up and traded slaps. Goto hit the GTW slam for a nearfall at 8:00. Yuto-Ice hit a buzzsaw kick, and they were both down. Yuto-Ice snapped Goto’s fingers and hit some straight punches. Goto got a rollup for the flash pin! Good action. (Gedo’s 50-50 booking is at work today!)
Hirooki Goto (8) defeated Yuto-Ice (8) at 10:08.
7. Yota Tsuji (10) vs. Jake Lee (6) in an A Block tournament match. Will the 50-50 booking continue here? Yota immediately backed him into a corner and hit a series of elbow strikes. Charlton and Stewart pointed out that Lee’s face has paint on one side today. (Like DC’s “Two-Face.”) Lee hit a roundhouse kick to the chest. He went for a Fujiwara Armbar on the mat, and he switched to a cross-armbreaker, but Tsuji reached the ropes at 3:00. Lee hit a kick to the ‘high upper inner thigh’ and took control. Lee hit a chokeslam on the ring apron at 6:30. Lee pushed Tsuji against a guardrail, and he smeared makeup across Yota’s face, then hit some chops.
Lee rolled him into the ring, made a cocky one-footed cover, and got a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Yota hit a clothesline into the corner at 9:30 and repeatedly slammed Lee’s face into a turnbuckle. Yota hit a top-rope double stomp to Lee’s chest on the floor at 11:00! He rolled Jake into the ring. Lee avoided a Gene Blaster, and he hit a Stomp. They traded forearm strikes, and Lee hit a chokeslam for a nearfall, then a modified brainbuster for a nearfall. Yota nailed the Gene Blaster (spear) for a believable nearfall. Lee went for his Helluva Kick, but Yota ducked it. Yota immediately hit the Fire Blaster (twisting spear) for the pin. Good action.
Yota Tsuji (12) defeated Jake Lee (6) at 13:57.
* Even with the win and a 6-3 finish, Yota is not yet in the playoffs. The outcomes of the final two matches will determine if Yota advances.
8. Boltin Oleg (10) vs. Great-O-Khan (4) in an A Block tournament match. The commentators noted that O-Khan is dead last (except for Shota Umino due to injury-related forfeits, of course!). Boltin knocked him down with a shoulder tackle and got a nearfall. O-Khan hit Oleg across the back with a corner pad and was booed. On the floor, O-Khan whipped him into the guardrails at 2:00. He pushed O-Khan back into the ring and stayed in charge. Oleg hit a Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 5:30.
They again fought into the crowd, where O-Khan used a chair to strike another chair around Oleg’s neck at 7:00. They got back into the ring, where Boltin flipped O-Khan around in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex at 9:00. O-Khan hit a belly-to-belly suplex, so Oleg hit one! Oleg hit a suplex, and they both collapsed. Oleg set up for Kamikaze, but O-Khan escaped. The ref got bumped at 11:30! O-Khan struck Oleg across the back with a chair and was loudly booed. Oleg hit a Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) for a nearfall at 13:00. O-Khan hit a scoop Tombstone Piledriver. Oleg hit a release F5 faceplant for a nearfall.
The ref got bumped again! O-Khan kicked the ropes to crotch Oleg. O-Khan chokeslammed Oleg from the apron and through a table on the floor at 16:30! “This is like a car crash scene!” Walker said. The ref got up and started counting! O-Khan got back into the ring, but Oleg was unable to get to his feet and back into the ring before the count-out! Charlton noted that the loss means Tsuji has now advanced to the playoffs.
Great-O-Khan (6) defeated Boltin Oleg (10) via count-out at 17:28.
9. Ryohei Oiwa (10) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (12) in an A Block tournament match. The winner advances! They charged at each other at the bell and hit some shoulder blocks. Takeshita snapped off a huracanrana at 2:00. Charlton noted that Takeshita competed at a DDT show on Tuesday (and that’s why he didn’t have a preview tag here). They fought to the floor. In the ring, Takeshita hit a back suplex at 4:30. He hit a flying shoulder tackle. He went for a second-rope senton, but Oiwa got his knees up. Oiwa hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 6:00, and he tightened a headlock on Takeshita. (He’s won a few times with a simple headlock already in this tournament.)
They got in a knuckle lock, and Takeshita forced Oiwa’s shoulders to the mat. Takeshita hit his piledriver move and a back suplex at 8:30. Oiwa got a backslide for a nearfall. Takeshita hit an Exploder Suplex, then another one. The 10:00 call was spot-on. Takeshita hit a high back suplex, dumping Oiwa on his neck, and they were both down. They hit stereo clotheslines, then traded forearm strikes. Oiwa hit a stiff headbutt to knock Konosuke down. Walker said it was a “murderous headbutt.” Takeshita nailed the Power Drive running knee for a nearfall at 12:30.
Oiwa tied up the legs and got a rollup for a believable nearfall, then a Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex for a believable nearfall! Oiwa went back to the headlock; Takeshita hit a back suplex, but Oiwa kept the headlock in place! Oiwa hit another headbutt and re-applied the headbutt. Takeshita set up for the Blue Thunder Bomb, but Oiwa blocked it, and Oiwa hit a hard clothesline for the pin! Oiwa advances! A heckuva match. Takeshita lost to both Tsuji and Oiwa, so he is out via tiebreaker.
Ryohei Oiwa (12) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (12) at 15:12.
Final Thoughts: What a hot main event. Takeshita’s spot at the top is still secure, so it doesn’t hurt him one bit not to reach the playoffs. Oiwa got a huge win, and he’s really moving into that upper tier now. The crowd never really booed Takeshita, but it’s clear that they really wanted to see underdog Oiwa win it. I really liked Shingo-Sanada, so I’ll go with that for second. Yota got a good match out of Jake Lee, and that takes third.
The round-robin portion of the tournament wraps up Thursday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, headlined by Callum Newman vs. Henare. The semifinals take place Saturday, with the finals on Sunday.
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