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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 36: NIGHT 1 REPORT
JULY 11, 2026
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS AT NOW ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Chris Charlton, Walker Stewart, Rocky Romero
(1) AARON WOLF (0) vs. HENARE (0) – B Block Match
Wolf put Henare in a headlock before they started trading shoulder tackles. Henare sent Wolf out of the ring with a forearm strike, only for Wolf to catch him off-guard with chops to the chest. Henare went for a gut punch and drove Wolf head-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Henare knocked Wolf off his feet with a shoulder tackle, setting him up for a senton and a two count. Wolf withstood Henare’s lariats and blocked a couple with axe handles before laying him out with a Xploder. Wolf blasted Henare with a corner clothesline and a snap suplex, followed by an elbow drop for a two count. Henare evaded a power move and shut Wolf down with a leg lariat.
Wolf blocked the Rampage and started a forearm shot exchange with Henare. Henare shocked Wolf with a gut punch and tried to go for the Ultima Full Nelson. Wolf broke the hold with a couple of judo throws, but Henare countered an Olympic Slam with Ultima. Wolf held his hands tight to stop the full extent of the hold and reached the ropes with his chest. Henare tried to go for Rampage, only for Wolf to plant him with a snap powerslam. They exchanged chops to the chest, until Henare overpowered Wolf with a flurry of strikes and a hook kick. Wolf caught Henare off-guard with a headbutt, but Henare fired up and knocked him down with a lariat. Wolf caught a flying move and put Henare down with an Olympic Slam, followed by an inverted Olympic Slam for the win.
WINNER: Aaron Wolf (2 pts) at 9:00 (***1/2)
(Pomares’ Analysis: I understand the purpose of Wolf working with House of Torture to start his run, but I’m so happy to finally see him face the rest of the roster. He looked great against Yoshi-Hashi a few weeks ago and this was another great showing for him. Very hard-hitting match that really felt like a struggle until the end. Also credit to Henare who was a strong first opponent for Wolf and worked the exact type of opener to fire up the crowd.)
(2) SHINGO TAKAGI (0) vs. JAKE LEE (0) – A Block Match
They locked up and pushed each other to the ropes, until Takagi caught Lee with a shoulder tackle. Takagi Irish-whipped Lee into the guardrail and smashed his head into the mat. Lee caught Takagi off-guard with a big boot on the apron before mocking him with his dance. Back in the ring, Lee dropped Takagi with a back suplex and mocked him with kicks to the chest. Takagi caught Lee with a back elbow, only for Lee to catch him with a knee to the chest and a front facelock. Takagi managed to take Lee down with a snap suplex, followed by a barrage of right hands. Lee hung Takagi on the top rope and knocked him out of the ring with a pump knee. Takagi blocked a Penalty kick and swept Lee face-first onto the apron before putting him down with a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Back in the ring, Takagi sat Lee on the top turnbuckle and laid him out with a superplex for a nearfall.
Takagi fired up and tried to go for Made in Japan, only for Lee to shock him with a knee to the abdomen and a Penalty kick. Lee nailed Takagi with another knee to the chest, but Takagi countered the Facebreak Shot with a dragon screw. Takagi missed a corner splash, allowing Lee to take him down with a German suplex. Takagi surprised Lee with a clothesline, but he kicked out at two. They traded a couple of kicks, until Takagi shut Lee down with a lariat and laid him out with the Last of the Dragon for a close nearfall. Lee blocked Burning Dragon and withstood a load of jabs. Lee gouged Takagi’s eyes, only for Takagi to take him down with a lariat. Takagi avoided a big boot and dropped Lee with a German suplex, but Lee shocked him with the Facebreak Shot in the corner for the win.
WINNER: Jake Lee (2 pts) at 10:14 (***1/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Not the biggest fan of Jake Lee’s usual matches, so I was happy that this was shorter and didn’t feature as many of his mannerisms. A much faster pace and some good chemistry with Shingo made for a fun match with a sudden, but still well-done finish.)
(3) OSKAR (0) vs. REN NARITA (0) – B Block Match
Narita nailed Oskar with a dropkick to the back of the knee before the bell rang and targeted his knee with a bunch of stomps. Narita pulled Oskar’s knee into the apron and smashed it into the ring post. Oskar managed to send Narita out of the ring with a shoulder tackle and smashed his head on the apron. Oskar clobbered Narita with a chop to the chest, but missed a big boot over the guardrail. Narita hyper-extended Oskar’s knee into the guardrail and crushed his leg with a chair shot behind the referee’s back. Back in the ring, Narita nailed Oskar’s damaged leg with a seated senton into the ropes and kept on stomping it down. Narita put Oskar in a Figure 4 leg lock, forcing him to reach for the ropes. Narita caught Oskar with a dropkick to the knee, only for Oskar to plant him with a back body drop. Oskar struggled to do a bodyslam, but managed to kick Narita away and finish the move.
Oskar missed a leaping leg drop, allowing Narita to trap him in a modified Figure 4 leg lock. Narita tried to smash Oskar’s knee on the mat, but Oskar kicked him away. Narita evaded a big boot and shut Oskar down with a chop block. Oskar grabbed Narita by the throat and knocked him off his feet with a chop. Narita surprised Oskar with a kick to the legs, setting him up for a Guillotine Choke. Oskar managed to break the hold and punch Narita before putting him in a sleeper hold. Narita kicked Oskar’s damaged knee and countered a Choke Bomb with a roll-through into an ankle lock. Narita transitioned into a knee bar, but Oskar managed to reach the ropes. Oskar blocked the Hell’s Guillotine and clocked Narita with a big boot. Oskar trapped Narita in a sleeper hold and swung his body around, until he passed out.
WINNER: Oskar (2 pts) at 9:43 (***1/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: So used to seeing Narita do the typical House of Torture bout filled with a dozen run-ins and shenanigans galore that I was baffled seeing him do a clean-ish match. Narita played a straight-up heel that targeted Oskar’s injury from his match against Yujiro from earlier in the week. Just some good heel work to make Oskar’s comeback look more impressive. I doubt we’ll get more of this Narita once the G1 returns to Japan, but at least it was fun to see him without so much nonsense.)
(4) YUTO-ICE (0) vs. THE GREAT-O-KHAN (0) – A Block Match
O-Khan tricked Yuto by leaving the ring and stomped him down. O-Khan attacked Yuto with Mongolian chops, only for Yuto to shut him down with a kick to the chest. Yuto prepared to go for the Bomboclaat knee strike, but O-Khan rolled out of the ring. O-Khan smashed Yuto’s head into the apron and nailed him with a chair shot to the abdomen and back. O-Khan laid Yuto’s head inside an open chair and blasted it away by swinging another chair at it. Back in the ring, Yuto tried to go for a forearm shot, only for Yuto to knock him off his feet with a Mongolian chop. O-Khan spat at Yuto and put his hands on his back while daring him to strike him. Yuto went for a forearm shot, but O-Khan moved out of the way, making him fall flat on the mat. Yuto managed to block a lariat with a kick to the abdomen before slamming O-Khan on his back.
O-Khan withstood a pair of strikes and bit Yuto’s head, only for Yuto to shut him down with a kick to the stomach. Yuto maintained control over O-Khan with a series of kicks and stomps, setting him up for the Bomboclaat knee strike and a two count. O-Khan blocked a Penalty kick and bit Yuto’s head. O-Khan caught Yuto with a pump kick, only for Yuto to take him down with a roundhouse kick and a Penalty kick for a nearfall. Yuto slapped O-Khan twice, but O-Khan evaded a roundhouse kick and shoved him into the referee. O-Khan hit Yuto with a low blow, setting him up for a spinning inverted side slam and a nearfall. O-Khan shocked Yuto with a straight punch and stomped him down. Yuto blocked the Eliminator with a jumping knee and knocked him out with a running knee strike.
WINNER: Yuto-Ice (2 pts) at 11:11 (**1/2)
(Pomares’ Analysis: The Great-O-Khan is a very hit-or-miss wrestler for me and unfortunately this was much closer to a miss. I rarely got into O-Khan’s offense when on top and this was the main idea for the match. I understand that Yuto is supposed to be more of a newbie in singles action, but the choice of him being dominated for the majority of this match just didn’t make for an entertaining watch personally. Hopefully Yuto’s next matches give us a stronger look of him as a singles wrestler.)
(5) SHOTA UMINO (0) vs. ZACK SABRE JR (0) – B Block Match
They traded wrist locks, until ZSJ kicked Umino away. Umino avoided a Penalty kick and kicked ZSJ to block a neck twist before shutting him down with a dropkick to the knee. ZSJ put Umino in an abdominal stretch and caught him off-guard with a neck twist using his feet. ZSJ smacked Umino with a series of uppercuts and tied his legs, setting him up for a tight bow-and-arrow lock. Umino withstood ZSJ’s kicks to the chest and knocked him off his feet with a dropkick. Umino pummeled ZSJ with a series of chops to the chest, following it with a corner uppercut and a fisherman suplex for a two count. ZSJ tried to go for a pinning combination, only for Umino to trip him into the ropes and spike him with a slingshot DDT.
Umino put ZSJ down with a jackknife powerbomb, but he kicked out at two. ZSJ blocked a superplex attempt and put Umino in an abdominal stretch atop the turnbuckle. ZSJ cracked Umino with a headbutt and floored him with a sunset flip powerbomb. Umino blocked a Penalty kick and clobbered ZSJ with a forearm strike, followed by a back elbow and an enzuigiri. ZSJ caught Umino off-guard with a Penalty kick, only for Umino to retaliate with a Tornado DDT. ZSJ countered the Second Chapter with a modified Fujiwara armbar. Before Umino could reach the ropes, ZSJ picked his other arm and pulled it back while twisting his wrist. ZSJ added a headscissors lock, but Umino managed to put his boot on the ropes. ZSJ kicked Umino’s chest, only for Umino to surprise him with Zack Driver, leaving both men down.
Umino clobbered ZSJ with a jumping knee in the corner, setting him up for Strike Knee and a close two count. ZSJ blocked a lariat with a pump kick and nailed Umino with a Pele kick to the arm. ZSJ hit Umino with a Penalty kick and a bunch of forearms, until Umino shocked him with a lariat. Umino tried to go for a Second Chapter, only for ZSJ to shock him with a Zack Driver for a nearfall. ZSJ countered an O’Connor Roll with a sleeper hold before planting him with a Zack Driver for the victory.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr (2 pts) at 16:10 (***3/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: At this point doing ZSJ versus Umino feels like pulling out ‘Old Reliable’. Ignoring the obvious exception, this has consistently been a fun encounter with great sequences and strong nearfalls. Tonight’s match was no exception, becoming the latest addition in their series. Umino not being able to bounce back after the major loss to Gabe Kidd and dropping his first ever tournament match against ZSJ makes for an interesting start to his campaign.)
– Sanada made his way to the ring wearing a suit and sombrero completely covered in gold mirrors.
(6) HIROOKI GOTO (0) vs. SANADA (0) – A Block Match
Goto pushed Sanada to the ropes and knocked him off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Sanada caught Goto with a dropkick to the knee and wedged his ankle in the guardrail before kicking it. Back in the ring, Sanada picked Goto’s legs and trapped him in the Paradise Lock, setting him up for a basement dropkick. Goto caught Sanada off-guard with a clothesline, followed by Muramasa and a back suplex for a two count. Sanada nailed Goto with a dropkick to the knee before laying him out with Ushigoroshi. Sanada planted Goto with a Magic Screw from the apron to the floor.
Goto managed to return to the ring in time, only for Sanada to hit him with another Magic Screw. Goto evaded a moonsault and took Sanada down with Ushigoroshi. Sanada tried to go for the Skull End dragon sleeper, but Goto immediately broke the hold. Sanada shocked Goto with a Shining Wizard before receiving a reverse GTR and a clothesline. Goto blocked the Skull End with an arm drag, but Sanada caught him off-guard with a moonsault into the Skull End. Sanada stopped his hold and flattened Goto with a moonsault for a nearfall. Goto blocked the Deathfall, only for Sanada to knock him away with a back elbow. Sanada maintained control over Goto, until Goto shut him down with GTW. Sanada surprised Goto with a backslide and a Shining Wizard. Goto caught Sanada with a headbutt, only for Sanada to get a nearfall with an O’Connor Roll. Sanada tried to block GTR with his right hands, until Goto put him in a hammerlock and completed the move for the win.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto (2 pts) at 12:04 (***)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Solid match to give Goto a decent spot in the crowd and continue Sanada’s seemingly losing streak after returning from injury. So far, this and the Takeshita match at Dominion have shown us Sanada matches with much less House of Torture foolishness which have made for much more bearable bouts. This one wasn’t anything that special, but still a decent start for both men.)
(7) YUYA UEMURA (0) vs. CALLUM NEWMAN (0) – B Block Match
They immediately got into a forearm strike exchange, until Uemura knocked Newman down with a couple of arm drags. Uemura avoided a kick and knocked Newman off his feet with an arm drag into a shoulder lock, targeting his damaged shoulder. Newman avoided a clothesline and shut Uemura down with a running big boot. Newman sat Uemura into a row of chairs in the crowd before blasting him with a running dropkick. Uemura returned to the ring in time, only for Newman to shock him with a kick to the face. Uemura evaded Kiss the Crown and crushed Newman with a corkscrew crossbody.
Before Newman could react, Uemura clobbered him with a chop and laid him out with a butterfly suplex. Uemura immediately put Newman in a double wrist lock, forcing him to reach the ropes. Newman countered a running strike with a sudden sleeper hold, until Uemura turned it into a pinning combination. Uemura avoided a roundhouse kick and dropped Newman with a German suplex. Newman kicked Uemura’s face and Uemura shut a running move down with a dropkick, leaving both of them down.
Uemura countered Make Way with a suplex, following it immediately with a cross armbreaker. Newman tried to go for a roll-up, only for Uemura to kick out and trap him in a modified Fujiwara armbar. The referee checked on Newman due to his damaged shoulder, but Newman shoved him away and spat at Uemura. Uemura drove Newman into the corner with a dropkick, but Newman was able to retaliate with the Prince’s Curse for a nearfall. Newman laid Uemura out with a lariat, only for Uemura to counter Make Way with a release Deadbolt suplex. Uemura crushed Newman with a diving splash for a close two count. Uemura missed a high crossbody, allowing Newman to crush him with the Excalibur double stomp for a nearfall.
Newman tried to go for Kiss the Crown, but Uemura ducked it. They hit each other with a roundhouse kick and a Pele kick, until Uemura hit Newman with a hurracarrana for a nearfall. Uemura laid Newman out with a dragon suplex, but he kicked out at two. Newman blocked the Deadbolt Suplex before receiving a headbutt. Newman countered the Deadbolt Suplex with Kiss the Crown for a nearfall. Before Uemura could react, Newman shut him down with Make Way to pick up the win.
WINNER: Callum Newman (2 pts) at 15:42 (***3/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A pretty strong follow-up to the pair’s New Japan Cup finals match with some good nearfalls to really tease the Uemura win. I was slightly surprised Newman to win to play up his injured shoulder more, but I don’t mind him winning his first singles match after dropping the world title.)
– Rocky Romero joined the commentary table.
(8) BOLTIN OLEG (0) vs. RYOHEI OIWA (0) – A Block Match
They locked up and tried to push each other down, until Oleg was able to ram Oiwa into the corner. Oleg crushed Owia with a shoulder thrust and planted him with a belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a big splash. They exchanged chops to the chest, until Oleg knocked Oiwa off his feet. Oiwa caught Oleg with a shoulder tackle and a senton for a two count. Oleg took Oiwa down with a hip toss, only for Oiwa to respond with an arm drag. Oiwa tied Oleg’s arm with his legs and transitioned into a wrist lock. Oleg attacked Oiwa with forearms, until Oiwa shut him down with an uppercut to the arm. Oleg knocked Oiwa off his feet with a shoulder tackle and crushed him with a corner splash.
Before Oiwa could react, Oleg tossed him away with a Boltin Shake, setting him up for a Boltin Bomb and a nearfall. Oiwa pulled Oleg’s arm into the ropes and tried to go for a Tenzan Splex, but Oleg chipped him away. Oiwa evaded the Kamikaze and drove Oleg shoulder-first into the ring post twice. Back in the ring, Oiwa put Oleg in a double wrist lock and knocked him off his feet with a headscissors takeover. Oleg managed to lift Oiwa to break the hold and plant him with a fireman’s carry slam.
Oleg put Oiwa down with The Vertidct and trapped him in a Torture Rack. Oiwa tried to break the hold, only for Oleg to flatten him with the Kamikaze for a nearfall. Oleg locked a Chaos Theory German suplex and dropped Oiwa with a German suplex of his own for a nearfall. During the kickout, Oiwa picked Oleg’s arm and hyper-extended it with a modified dragon screw. Oiwa put Oleg in a double wrist lock and climbed his back, until Oleg climbed the top turnbuckle and dropped his body back. Oiwa immediately locked the sleeper hold again and forced Oleg to tap out with the Ark Hold.
WINNER: Ryohei Oiwa (2 pts) at 13:28 (***3/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A much more technical affair than I expected, as I thought this would lean more into being a hoss fight. Instead, we saw Oiwa push Oleg to his limits and restrict the use of his power moves. The finish caught me off-guard somewhat because of the match’s length, but mostly because I genuinely didn’t expect Oiwa to be able to tap Oleg out. Will be interesting to see if Oiwa’s upcoming matches follow a similar pattern.)
(9) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (0) vs. YOTA TSUJI (0) – A Block Match
They exchanged wrist locks, until Tsuji put Takeshita in a headlock. Tsuji avoided the Takeshita Line and forced Takeshita to roll out of the ring with a headscissors takeover. Tsuji rammed Takeshita into the guardrail with a suicide dive and dropped him with a suplex for a two count. Takeshita tried to attack Tsuji with forearms, only for Tsuji to put him in a headlock. Tsuji clobbered Takeshita with massive chops to the chest before pummeling him with a flurry of elbow strikes. Tsuji nailed Takeshita with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, following it with a corner splash. Takeshita caught Tsuji off-guard with a jumping knee and crashed into him with a Tope con Hilo.
Back in the ring, Takeshita knocked Tsuji off his feet with the Takeshita Line. Takeshita avoided a Curb Stomp and laid Tsuji out with a Xploder for a two count. Tsuji caught Takeshita off-guard with a backbreaker and Curb Stomp combination. Takeshita knocked Tsuji away with back elbows, only for Tsuji to plant him with a double stomp to the face. Takeshita nailed Tsuji with the Bastard Driver, setting him up for a wheelbarrow German suplex. Tsuji blocked a lariat with a pump kick, only for Takeshita to lay him out with a Blue Thunderbomb for a nearfall.
Tsuji countered a pump knee with a Boston Crab before planting him with an inverted Styles Clash for a two count. Takeshita evaded a corner splash with a poison rana and blocked a short Gene Blaster attempt with a Power Drive Knee for a nearfall. Tsuji avoided Raging Fire and slapped Takeshita before cracking him with a headbutt. Tsuji evaded a forearm shot and put Takeshita down with the Silver Lining for a close two count. Takeshita stopped the Marlowe Crash by pushing Tsuji onto the turnbuckle. Takeshita attacked Tsuji with a quick flurry of headbutts atop the turnbuckle, setting him up for some sort of avalanche back slam.
Both men barely managed to get up in time to stop the referee from declaring the match a no contest. They got to their feet and traded forearm shots, until Tsuji knocked Takeshita down with a thrust kick. Takeshita knocked Tsuji off his feet with a massive elbow strike twice. Tsuji blocked a Power Drive Knee with a short Gene Blaster for a close nearfall. Tsuji shocked Takeshita with a Power Drive Knee for a shocking kickout at one. Takeshita tried to fire up with forearms, only for Tsuji to take him down with a Gene Blaster for a close nearfall. Before Takeshita could react, Tsuji finished him off with the Fire Blaster.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji (2 pts) at 20:52 (****1/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A top-notch main event where both men brought their A-game to win the first main event of the G1. A worthy follow-up to the criminally, but understandably underrated match from Wrestle Kingdom. Loved the ending sequence and Tsuji’s new finisher looks promising as he perfects it.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A mostly strong opening to this year’s G1 with a US crowd that seemed to be very into the action and actually cared for the modern New Japan roster. A huge recommend to the main event, as well as Newman/Uemura, ZSJ/Umino and Wolf/Henare. The only major low, at least from my point of view, was Yuto/O-Khan which is a shame because the crowd was hot for Yuto.
You can contact me at mauriciopomares@gmail.com, on Twitter @PomiWrestling or on BlueSky @pomiwrestling.bsky.social
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