SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NJPW G1 CLIMAX 36: NIGHT 4 REPORT
JULY 21, 2026
SENDAI, MIYAGI, JAPAN AT SENDAI SUN PLAZA HALL
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Walker Stewart, Henare
UNDERCARD TAGS
(1) TORU YANO & TAISEI NAKAHARA vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Dick Togo)
Togo held Yano’s legs on the ropes while Narita forced Nakahara to tap out with a Boston Crab.
WINNERS: House of Torture at 6:16
(2) YUYA UEMURA & MASATORA YASUDA vs. UNBOUND CO (Drilla Moloney & Daiki Nagai)
Nagai took care of Uemura with a suicide dive while Moloney planted Yasuda with a pop up powerbomb, setting him up for a thrust kick and three count.
WINNERS: Unbound Co at 7:11
(3) UNBOUND CO (Oskar & Gedo) vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Henare & Jakob Austin Young)
Oskar put Henare in a sleeper hold, until Henare managed to launch his body out of the ring. Henare clobbered Gedo with a gut punch and put him in Ultima before Young finished him off with Another One Bites the Dust.
WINNERS: United Empire at 7:31
(4) TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr & Hartley Jackson) vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Callum Newman & Zane Jay)
Jackson crushed Jay with a corner splash and a running crossbody before finishing him off with a senton and the Jagged Edge.
WINNERS: TMDK at 5:28
A BLOCK MATCHES
– Henare joined the commentary table for the tournament matches.
(5) HIROOKI GOTO (4) vs. JAKE LEE (2) – A Block Match
Goto blocked a kick and smacked Lee’s knee with an elbow strike before sending him out of the ring with a shoulder tackle. At ringside, they exchanged forearm shots, until Goto drove Lee into the guardrail. Goto missed a running body block into the guardrail, allowing Lee to drop him face-first onto the apron. Lee cleared the timekeeper’s table and dropped Goto face-first onto it. Back in the ring, Lee put on a glove and hooked his fingers on Goto’s mouth. Goto attacked Lee with chops to the chest before taking him out with a lariat. Lee blocked Muramasa, only for Goto to kick his hamstring and lay him out with a back suplex.
They exchanged elbow strikes, until Goto caught Lee with a reverse GTR and a lariat. Lee blocked GTR by gouging Goto’s eyes, only for Goto to pick his leg and crush it with GTR. Goto knocked Lee off the apron, damaging his knee in the process. New Japan’s trainer and Jakob Austin Young showed up to check on Lee, but Lee still chose to crawl back into the ring. Goto stomped Lee down, but the referee got in the way to let Lee recover. Lee immediately got to his feet and shocked Goto with a Facebreak Shot for the win.
WINNER: Jake Lee (4 pts) at 9:55 (**)
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was an average Jake Lee match up until the fake injury spot. I respect that it was something different and especially with Lee, not every match should be a 15-minute barn burner, but this was arguably the weakest match of the tournament. Just a long angle where you figured out Lee was faking the injury from very early on.)
(6) RYOHEI OIWA (2) vs. THE GREAT-O-KHAN (2) – A Block Match
O-Khan attacked Oiwa with a forearm shot before the bell rang, only for Oiwa to catch him with a dropkick to the knee. Oiwa targeted O-Khan with a series of elbow strikes and tried to tie his legs, but O-Khan targeted his damaged ribs to stop him. O-Khan Irish-whipped Oiwa into the guardrail and clobbered him with a pair of chair shots. Back in the ring, O-Khan tripped Oiwa off his feet and kicked his abdomen for a two count. Oiwa countered a lariat with a DDT before nailing him with a dropkick to the knee, a kneebreaker and an uppercut. Oiwa crushed O-Khan with a corner splash, setting him up for a delayed vertical suplex and a two count.
O-Khan pulled Oiwa’s hair and gripped his damaged ribs before dumping him out of the ring. O-Khan put Oiwa in a headlock and hurled his body into numerous rows of chairs and guardrails. The referee stopped O-Khan from using a chair as a weapon, only for O-Khan to grab another chair and nail Oiwa’s ribs with another chair shot. Oiwa managed to return to the ring in time, only for O-Khan to smack him with a pair of elbow strikes to the damaged ribs. O-Khan blocked Oiwa’s strikes with Mongolian chops and clutched Oiwa’s damaged ribs before clobbering him with a jab for a two count.
O-Khan attacked Oiwa with Mongolian chops, until Oiwa blocked one and knocked him off his feet with one of his own. Oiwa laid O-Khan out with a lariat and a Tenzan suplex for a two count. Oiwa put O-Khan in a headlock, but O-Khan shoved the referee in the way to avoid The Grip. O-Khan shoved Oiwa into the exposed turnbuckle and dropped him on top of it with the Eliminator for a nearfall. Oiwa avoided the Eliminator and drove O-Khan into the exposed turnbuckle before picking his legs and dropping into a pinning combination for the win.
WINNER: Ryohei Oiwa (4 pts) at 13:27 (***1/4)
– After the match, The Great-O-Khan tried to grab a chair, only for Ryohei Oiwa to knock him off the apron into the guardrail with a discus clothesline.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Easily the best O-Khan match of this G1 so far. Once they returned to the ring from the ringside shenanigans, they had some genuinely well-executed exchanges, all leading to an actually good finishing sequence. Still not high on O-Khan, but after this performance I’m more invested in Oiwa.)
(7) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) vs. YUTO-ICE (2) – A Block Match
They immediately started brawling on the ramp and into the crowd. Once the match officially started, Yuto stomped Takeshita down in the corner. They exchanged elbow strikes, until Takeshita took Yuto out with a jumping knee. Takeshita pulled Yuto out of the ring and planted him with a DDT on the floor. Yuto returned to the ring in time, only for Takeshita to blast him with a running knee strike and a DDT for a two count. Takeshita put Yuto in a headscissors lock, until he was able to reach the ropes. They attacked each other with forearm strikes, until Yuto slammed Takeshita’s back into the mat.
Yuto slapped Takeshita and stomped him down, setting him up for the Bomboclaat knee strike. Takeshita blocked a kick to the chest, but Yuto shut him down with an elbow strike. Takeshita caught Yuto off-guard with a lariat, followed by a Brainbuster for a two count. Before Yuto could get up, Takeshita put him in a crossface, until he managed to put his foot on the ropes. Takeshita clobbered Yuto with an elbow strike to his damaged neck. They started trading elbow strikes, until Yuto cracked Takeshita with a charged elbow shot. Yuto tried to go for a second one, but collapsed off his feet due to his damaged neck.
Yuto fired up and took off his bandages before getting into another strike exchange with Takeshita. Takeshita evaded a Penalty kick and floored Yuto with a Saito suplex. Takeshita smacked Yuto with a forearm shot, only for Yuto to shut him down with a roundhouse kick. Yuto whacked Takeshita with a Penalty kick, withstood an elbow strike and surprised him with a pump kick for a two count. Takeshita picked Yuto’s legs and floored him with a wheelbarrow German suplex. Takeshita took Yuto down with a lariat for a shocking kickout at one. They slapped each other numerous times, until Takeshita planted Yuto with a Xploder and clobbered him with a running knee for a nearfall. Takeshita immediately blasted Yuto with a Power Drive Knee and made him pass out with a deep sleeper hold.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (4 pts) at 12:04 (****)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Another match heavy on strikes that really allowed Yuto to showcase himself as a single guy. I liked how midway through the matches, Yuto’s body finally gave out after fighting from underneath in his first two G1 matches. Everything afterwards was Yuto fighting on instinct, until Takeshita finished him off in dominant fashion.)
(8) YOTA TSUJI (2) vs. SANADA (0) – A Block Match
Sanada avoided a clothesline and caught Tsuji with a dropkick to the knee. They avoided each other’s dive attempts and returned to the ring at the same time. Tsuji blocked a cheap shot and shut Sanada down with a clothesline. Tsuji crushed Sanada with a corner splash, setting him up for a vertical suplex and a two count. Sanada blocked the Paradise lock, but Tsuji quickly took him down with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Sanada surprised Tsuji off-guard with a dropkick to the knee and sent him out of the ring with another dropkick. Before Tsuji could react, Sanada pulled him to the apron and dropped him with a Magic Screw on the floor.
Back in the ring, Tsuji smashed Sanada’s head into the mat and crushed it with a Curb Stomp. Sanada avoided a corner strike and tried to go for the Skull End, but Tsuji escaped from it by using the turnbuckles as steps. Sanada caught Tsuji off-guard with a moonsault, transitioning into a fully locked Skull End. Before Tsuji could react, Sanada crushed him with a moonsault, but he managed to kick out at two. Tsuji avoided the Death Fall by doing a cartwheel and countered an O’Connor Roll with a pinning combination for a two count. Sanada landed on his feet off a German suplex and got a nearfall with a deep victory roll. Tsuji clocked Sanada with a knee lift and nailed him with a Curb Stomp. Tsuji blocked a hurracarrana attempt, only for Sanada to counter the Gene Blaster with the Death Fall for a close nearfall.
Sanada blasted Tsuji with a Shining Wizard to the back of the head, but Tsuji evaded a second one. Tsuji picked Sanada’s legs and trapped him in a Boston Crab. Tsuji lifted Sanada into a powerbomb position, only for Sanada to surprise him with a pinning combination for a two count. Sanada immediately blasted Tsuji with a Shining Wizard, but Tsuji avoided a moonsault and took him out with a Gene Blaster for a close nearfall. Tsuji tried to go for another Gene Blaster before Sanada blocked it with the Skull End. Sanada swung Tsuji’s body around the ring, but Tsuji managed to break the hold. Sanada shoved Tsuji in the referee’s way and hit him with a pop up low blow, setting him up for a Death Fall and the win.
WINNER: Sanada (2 pts) at 15:23 (****)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Not the biggest fan of the finish, but seeing Sanada work an almost fully clean match with a very hot crowd really caught me off-guard. These two have great chemistry and had some nearfalls that legit made me think the match was over. I don’t know how much of this Sanada we are getting, but I hope it lasts until the end of the G1. Last year, they teased Sanada working his G1 matches cleanly, only to fall back into House of Torture midway through.)
(9) BOLTIN OLEG (2) vs. SHINGO TAKAGI (2) – A Block Match
Oleg put Takagi in a headlock before they ran into each other with shoulder tackles. Oleg blocked a hip toss, but Takagi knocked him off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Takagi put Oleg in a headlock, until he reached the ropes with his foot. Oleg dropped Takagi with a snap suplex, only for Oleg to kick out at one. Oleg launched Takagi away with a belly-to-belly suplex and nailed him with a shoulder tackle. Takagi Irish-whipped Oleg into the guardrail, but Oleg immediately fired up and laid him out with a clothesline.
Back in the ring, Oleg crushed Takagi with a Vader Bomb, but Takagi quickly grabbed the ropes to break the count. Oleg put Takagi in a Bear Hug, until Takagi escaped with a series of Bell Claps. Takagi avoided the Boltin Shake and started an elbow strike exchange with Oleg. They moved on to trading chops to the chest, until Takagi caught Oleg with a quick flurry of jabs and a double chop. Takagi took Oleg down with a hip toss and a vertical suplex for a two count. Oleg shocked Takagi with a dropkick and launched him away with the Boltin Shake. Takagi stopped Oleg atop the turnbuckle with a series of right hands and headbutt, setting him up for a massive superplex.
They nailed each other with lariats, until Takagi knocked Oleg off his feet with one. Takagi immediately dropped Oleg with Made in Japan for a close two count. Takagi pummeled Oleg with elbows to the head and a sliding elbow strike. Oleg fired up and flattened Takagi with a short Kamikaze for a close two count. Oleg flattened Takagi with a Samoan Drop and laid him out with a Landslide for a two count. Takagi countered a powerbomb with a hurracarrana, but Oleg immediately shut him down with a lariat. Takagi countered the Verdict with a Tornado DDT, followed by a swinging neckbreaker.
They ran into each other with lariats before Takagi caught Oleg with strikes to the arms. Takagi tried to hyper-extend Oleg’s arm, but Oleg put him in a headlock. Takagi managed to break the hold with a Saito suplex and turned Oleg inside out with a Pumping Bomber. Before Oleg could react, Takagi put him down with the Burning Dragon for a close nearfall. Takagi beat Oleg up with a flurry of elbow strikes, jabs and a headbutt, until Oleg caught him off-guard with a pop up powerbomb. Oleg put Takagi down with two powerbombs, but Takagi held onto the ropes to block the Kamikaze. Oleg pulled Takagi off the ropes and knocked him out with the Kamikaze.
WINNER: Boltin Oleg (4 pts) at 19:10 (***3/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A strong main event to keep on establishing Boltin Oleg as one of the toughest guys in the roster. Both men gave it their all for nearly 20 minutes in a true battle of the heavyweights. With how he’s performed so far and how much he’s improved, I wonder if New Japan would consider booking Oleg as a legit contender to the playoffs.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A very strong series of matches to close another day of the G1. Oleg/Takagi, Takeshita/Yuto and surprisingly Tsuji/Sanada were standouts that you should go out of your way to watch. Just ignore the Lee/Goto match which might still be the worst of the tournament, unless House of Torture truly messes things up on the other block. So far, they’ve gone out of their way to keep the scores on both sides balanced and are making it somewhat tough to determine the winner. I’m betting on a Yuya Uemura win, especially with Umino out of the picture, but there’s still plenty of G1 for things to develop in surprising ways.
You can contact me at mauriciopomares@gmail.com, on Twitter @PomiWrestling or on BlueSky @pomiwrestling.bsky.social
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.