By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 36 – Night 19”
August 16, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Sumo Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided commentary.
* It’s hard to believe we’re here! We started with 20 men, and we’re down to our final two, as Ryohei Oiwa — who had to win a play-in match just to qualify for the tournament — faces Yuya Uemura. The NJPW youth movement has been in full force throughout this tournament. The undercard of this night is typically more eventful than other shows — I learned of a major return before I went to bed Saturday night. New storylines also often emerge. ALSO, I did check the NJPW website late Saturday, and no matches (other than the finals!) had been announced yet, so this is a mystery show.
1. “House of Torture” Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Douki, and Dick Togo vs. Masatora Yasuda, Yoshi-Hashi, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi. This is the first time we’ve seen Yujiro this tour. Sho spoke on the mic and the HoT attacked. The HoT began working over Yoshi-Hashi. Yoshi-Hashi suplexed Sho at 3:00. Desperado hit a back suplex on Douki at 5:00. Yasuda put Douki in a Boston Crab. Sho clocked Yasuda over the head with his metal sheet. Sho put a Mistico mask over Yasuda’s face. Douki applied the Darkness Sttretch (a/k/a the Douki chokey!) and Yasuda quickly tapped out. Basic.
“House of Torture” Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, and Douki, and Dick Togo defeated Masatora Yasuda, Yoshi-Hashi, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi at 6:52.
2. “United Empire” Zane Jay and Francesco Akira (w/Jakob Austin Young) vs. Toru Yano and Togi Makabe. On Saturday, Makabe had a pretty hot brawl with Yuto-Ice; I’m generally not a fan of Togi at this stage in his career, but I had hoped for round two today. Makabe and Zane immediately traded blows. The UE worked over Toru in their corner. Akira hit a standing moonsault on Yano at 2:30. Makabe tagged back in and brawled with Akira. He hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Zane hit a fallaway slam on Makabe at 5:00, but he missed a top-rope elbow drop. Makabe nailed his King Kong top-rope knee drop across Zane’s forehead for the pin. Okay, but rather pointless.
Toru Yano and Togi Makabe defeated “United Empire” Zane Jay and Francesco Akira at 6:28.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr., and Kosei Fujita vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto, Master Wato, and Boltin Oleg. Matsumoto hit a dropkick on Fujita at the bell and a series of forearm strikes! Wato entered and traded forearm strikes with Fujita at 1:30. Wato hit some Yes Kicks. Hartley entered and hit some chops on Wato, then a suplex at 3:30. Sabre entered and applied an ankle lock on Wato. Wato hit a basement dropkick on Hartley’s left knee. Oleg tagged in at 5:00 and hit a Pounce, sending Hartley into a corner.
Hartley hit a senton on Oleg. Sabre hit a running Penalty Kick on Oleg and some Yes Kicks. He applied a front guillotine choke, then hopped on Oleg’s back and applied a sleeper, but Boltin shrugged him off. Sabre applied a cross-armbreaker, but Oleg powered to his feet and hit a powerbomb at 8:30. Fujita backed Tatsuya into a corner and unloaded a series of kicks. Tatsuya hit a bodyslam. Wato hit a top-rope flying back elbow. He hit a plancha to the floor on Sabre at 10:30. Meanwhile, Fujita locked in a front guillotine choke on Tetsuya, who passed out! Good action.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr., and Kosei Fujita defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto, Master Wato, and Boltin Oleg at 11:57.
4. Daiki Nagai and “The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar vs. “United Empire” Henare and Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman. Henare and Yuto-Ice began brawling! The ref finally called for the bell at 0:08 to officially begin. Henare hit a senton for a nearfall at 2:30. O-Khan entered and hit some Mongolian Chops. Oskar finally got a hot tag at 5:30, and he beat down O-Khan.
Nagai entered and hit a basement dropkick in the corner on Callum at 9:00. Oskar hit a double clothesline. Callum dropped Oskar with a superkick. Nagai hit a swinging DDT on Newman and was fired up! However, Callum hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 11:00. Daiki got a huracanrana for a believable nearfall. Newman hit a wind-up uranage for the pin. Really good undercard action. Nagai is ready to graduate from being a Young Lion.
“United Empire” Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Callum Newman defeated Daiki Nagai and “The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar at 12:00.
* Makabe and Yano attacked the Knockout Brothers! They posed with the tag title belts! Makabe resumed that fight with Yuto-Ice that was so hot a day ago. It appeared the segment was over, but Callum Newman grabbed Nagai, dragged him back into the ring, and continued beating him up. Gedo confronted Newman and said he just went and found a new member of the Unbound Co.!
* Out of the back came Jeff Cobb! “This place has come unglued!” Chris Charlton shouted. Cobb got into the ring and stood nose-to-nose with Newman. Cobb knocked Newman down with a shoulder tackle. (Before I went to bed, I inadvertently read that Cobb appeared, but I didn’t know how. I shut off Twitter at that point to avoid any further spoilers!) “That is a massive return tonight,” Walker said.
5. “The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney vs. Gabe Kidd and Wheeler Yuta. The cameras focused on Hiroshi Tanahashi, seated in the front row, wearing a suit. Drilla and Gabe pushed their foreheads together while jawing at each other, then they traded chops at the bell. Shingo grabbed Yuta and tossed him to the floor. Drilla hit an enzuigiri on Wheeler. Drilla hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor on Kidd at 1:30. Those two brawled away from ringside, and up the stairs into the lower bowl of the arena! Shingo and Yuta also fought on the floor.
Kidd hit a piledriver on Moloney on the stairs at 3:00! He returned to ringside and helped Wheeler against Shingo. They got into the ring, where Kidd and Shingo traded forearm strikes. The cameras showed Drilla on the stairs, starting to stir. Meanwhile, Kidd hit a DDT on Shingo at 6:30. Moloney got on the apron and got the hot tag! He hit a series of chops on Yuta. Moloney hit a spinebuster and some chops on Kidd. Gabe fired back with a brainbuster on Moloney for a nearfall at 8:30.
Shingo got back in and unloaded strikes on Yuta in the corner. Yuta hit an Angle Slam on Shingo at 10:00. Shingo hit a suplex for a nearfall. Kidd hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Shingo. He helped launch Yuta in a frog splash onto Shingo for a nearfall at 12:00. Shingo and Drilla hit a team powerbomb for a nearfall, but Kidd made the save. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Wheeler. Moloney immediately hit the Drilla Killa, then Shingo hit a Last of the Dragon (modified DVD) for the pin on Wheeler. A really good undercard match.
“The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney defeated Gabe Kidd and Wheeler Yuta at 13:30.
* Dragongate star Shun Skywalker joined NJPW on Saturday and is now a member of the House of Torture. Shun has competed several times in the US, and he’s quite a talent and a great pickup for NJPW.
6. “House of Torture” Shun Skywalker, Sanada, and Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinabu Kanemaru, Sho, Douki) vs. Konosuke Taguchi, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima. Takeshita and Shun opened, but Ren tagged in before they locked up. Sanada and Shun attacked Takeshita from behind. Kojima hit some Mongolian Chops (Tenzan’s move!!!) on Ren, and that popped the crowd. Ren and Taichi traded strikes. Taichi was thrown to the floor, where five HoT guys stomped on him at 3:30.
In the ring, the HoT worked over Taichi in their corner. Takeshita entered at 5:30 and traded offense with Sanada. Takeshita hit a huracanrana on Narita. He set up for a flip dive, but Shun tripped Konosuke, dragged him to the floor, and whipped him into the guardrails. In the ring, Narita and Takeshita traded forearm strikes. Ren avoided a knee strike and hit an Exploder Suplex, but Takeshita hit his own Exploder Suplex.
Satoshi unloaded his rapid-fire chops in the corner on Shun, then on Sanada, at 8:30. Satoshi hit a DDT on Shun. Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Shun. Satoshi hit a Koji Cutter on Skywalker, then a clothesline for a nearfall at 10:30. Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Kojima’s eyes, and Yujiro struck Kojima with his cane! Shun immediately hit a moonsault knee drop to Kojima’s ribs for the tainted pin.
“House of Torture” Shun Skywalker, Sanada, and Ren Narita defeated Konosuke Taguchi, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima at 10:54.
7. Yoh and Hirooki Goto vs. “The Unbound Co.” Taiji Ishimori and Yota Tsuji. Even though he lost in the semifinals 24 hours earlier, Tsuji still had his ever-present wide smile. Goto and Tsuji opened. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee on Yoh at 2:00. Ishimori snapped Yoh’s neck between his ankles. Goto hit a back suplex on Tsuji for a nearfall at 4:00. Goto hit a face-breaker over his knee on Tsuji, then a hard clothesline, and they were both down.
Yoh and Ishimori both tagged in at 5:30, and Yoh hit a flying forearm and a snap suplex for a nearfall. Ishimori hit a rolling DVD, and he applied a Bone Lock on the mat, but Yoh quickly reached the ropes. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Ishimori. Yoh slammed Ishimori for a nearfall. Goto hit the neckbreaker over his knee on Tsuji at 7:30! Ishimori applied the Bone Lock on Yoh, then he nailed the Bloody Cross knee strike to the chest to pin Yoh. Good action.
“The Unbound Co.” Taiji Ishimori and Yota Tsuji defeated Yoh and Hirooki Goto at 8:19.
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan came to the ring and got a nice ovation. He’s still got a serious limp. I’ll reiterate that a hot, passionate crowd made his retirement match on Saturday against Satoshi Kojima rise well above my (admittedly low) expectations going in. He spoke to the crowd before sitting down at ringside. A video package then aired to set up the main event!
8. Yuya Uemura vs. Ryohei Oiwa in the G1 Climax 36 tournament final. The crowd POPPED at the bell! This is going to be special, just based on how engaged the crowd is. They cautiously tied up. (They were in opposite Blocks, so they have not met in this tournament.) Yuya applied a headlock as they set a slow pace early on. Oiwa knocked him down with some shoulder tackles at 6:00, and he applied his own headlock on the mat. Yuya hit an armdrag at 8:00 and tied up the left arm on the mat and into a cross-armbreaker. They remained grounded for several minutes with almost no action to describe.
Oiwa applied a leg lock around the neck at 14:00. He applied a standing cravat. Yuya hit a flying crossbody block at 18:30. Yuya snapped the elbow between his ankles at 20:00. Oiwa hit a Doctor Bomb for a nearfall at 21:30, and they were both down. Oiwa was selling the pain in his left elbow. Yuya hit a back suplex, but Oiwa also hit a back suplex. Yuya hit a German Suplex at 24:00, so Oiwa hit one. Yuya hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall, then a High Fly Flow (frog splash) for a nearfall. This crowd was LOUD now.
Oiwa hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall and he applied the headlock on the mat and slowed this back down. Yuya hit a back suplex at 26:30, but Oiwa kept the headlock in place. Yuya hit an enzuigiri and a Deadbolt suplex at 28:00, and he was fired up. He hit a flying elbow strike! He missed a top-rope crossbody block, and Oiwa immediately re-applied the headlock on the mat. Oiwa went for a discus clothesline, but Yuya caught the arm and applied a cross-armbreaker on the mat! He continued to twist the arm and wrist. Oiwa hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 31:30, but Yuya kept his hold on the arm while twisting the wrist.
Yuya again went for Deadbolt, but Oiwa avoided it, and Oiwa nailed a discus clothesline at 33:30. He hit a second discus clothesline for a believable nearfall. Oiwa again locked in the headlock on the mat and cranked back on Yuya’s head until Yuya tapped out! Wow! Charlton said it was a “G1 Climax like no other in history.” He pointed out that wrestlers never once left the ring. There were no flip dives to the floor, no brawling in the crowd. They barely even touched the ropes! “That is one of the finest professional wrestling matches I’ve ever seen in my life,” Charlton said, and he’s not known for hyperbole.
Ryohei Oiwa defeated Yuya Uemura at 35:10 to win the G1 Climax 36 tournament.
* Oiwa was presented with the trophy. He then spoke on the mic and announced he would seek his title shot in October.
Final Thoughts: Was the match methodical? Sure. They kept it in first gear for a while. But don’t read that as me saying it was “unwatchable” or “dull.” It was not. I noted pretty early on what Charlton said at the end — these guys kept it in the ring, with no flips, crazy dives, or brawls into the crowd. No weapons, no blood. They had a match that was intense and believable and felt like such an authentic fight, and they took the crowd on an emotional roller coaster.
I must go back two months. Only 16 names were announced for the tournament, and there would be four play-in spots. Oiwa had to win that match just to qualify. He was not on my list of the top six or so guys I thought would win this tournament. Again, don’t read that as me saying he is somehow “undeserving.” I just didn’t expect Gedo and NJPW to pull the trigger on elevating him this quickly.
In just the last few years, Tama Tonga and EVIL left to join WWE, while Ospreay, Jay White, Okada, David Finlay, Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher, Juice Robinson, and Kota Ibushi moved to AEW. Tetsuya Naito is suddenly champion in NOAH. It feels like Tomohiro Ishii, if he can get healthy, is more in AEW than NJPW these days too. And of course, Tanahashi retired. Point being, a large number of past G1 competitors have left.
Thus, this tournament was such a youth movement. Oskar and Yuto-Ice returned from an excursion and moved right into the main event mix. It was not that long ago that Oleg and Oiwa were Young Lions, either. Newman is really young. Drilla Moloney had a stellar tournament. It felt like Hirooki Goto, Sanada, and Shingo Takagi stood out as the few older guys in the field. NJPW needs to lock down this roster under contract for a few years, and they will be just fine.
Jeff Cobb is a welcome return. WWE never gave JC Mateo a chance. The name was bland, and WWE never put him in a position to have a notable match. I’m a big fan of him returning here. Likewise, the Shun Skywalker signing was needed, as he will fill a big hole at the top of the House of Torture that EVIL vacated.
This was a tremendous tournament. This was a tight field of 20 really good wrestlers. We didn’t have filler participants like Toru Yano, Chase Owens, Don Fale, or Yujiro Takahashi. Even with the loss of Shota Umino on night 1, the tournament played out well with thrilling matches. Nearly every main event was at the “four-star” level or higher, for those who score matches. Sure, Great-O-Khan and Jake Lee had their share of stinkers, but by and large, the matches were really good, led by the youth movement of guys who either debuted in this year’s G1 or have only appeared in one or two before now.
I still think 32 competitors (which NJPW did a few years ago) is the ideal tournament size, as it means four blocks of eight wrestlers. Thus, seven tournament matches for each competitor instead of nine. But more importantly, every show would feature eight tournament matches, and the wrestlers would have every other show off. (The A and B Blocks would be in action on Night 1, the C and D Blocks would be in action on Night 2, etc.) BUT… to do that, you need 32 wrestlers the crowd cares about. So, Gedo kept it to 20 because he would really have to hunt for overseas talent to fill out a tournament bigger than this.
Going full circle, it’s vital NJPW capitalize on Oiwa’s win. Newman briefly held the title but didn’t look ready for it almost immediately. He appeared in AEW and vanished into the background as Ospreay simply shined so bright that Callum disappeared. Point being, Oiwa just launched into the top tier. Now, he needs to stay there permanently.
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