New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 36 Night 10
August 1, 2026
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
Hiroshima, Japan
Watch: NJPW WORLD
The G1 Climax rolls into Hiroshima for a night of A Block action. The tournament continues to be watchable at worst, and brilliant at best. The main event was circled by many before the tournament began, but one match managed to outshine it.
Which one? Let’s find out!
G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match
Oleg Boltin [8] def. SANADA [4]
Clocking in at a pithy ninety seconds, this is likely to be the shortest match of the G1. Boltin has looked deadly, and will be in contention at the business end of the tournament. He’s carrying himself like an absolute killer, and a decisive victory here will certainly add to his danger factor later on.
SANADA put in another good performance. He knew he had to be quick, so he went straight for the knee in preparation for a moonsault. Of course, Boltin just launched him like a child and dropped the double powerbomb and the Kamikaze for the win. NR
G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match
Yuto-Ice [6] def. Jake Lee [4]
Yuto-Ice must have wanted to crawl into a hole and shut out the world.
Much of this match was based around some handcuffs that the zany Jake Lee brought to the ring. In fact, he brought two pairs. The referee confiscated one, but it seems like a second, more secret pair is exempt from the rules.
The plan was for Yuto-Ice to handcuff himself to Jake Lee, but there was some tape on the cuffs that needed to be removed. It took Yuto-Ice forever to remove the tape, even after enlisting the help of a Young Lion.
He managed to save some face, stomping on Lee and making it into a joke, but the damage was done. It just seemed silly, and obviously removed any momentum from the match.
There were elements of the work that were impressive. There were some great knees and Lee digging his teeth into Yuto-Ice’s damaged pectoral muscle was an interesting idea. Unfortunately, none of this was enough to cover the tape fiasco and this ended up being a match best left forgotten. **
G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match
Shingo Takagi [6] def. Great-O-Khan [4]
This match was an exhibition of the worst tropes in modern New Japan. It rejected any lip service to rules or sporting contests and was just a series of silly, unenjoyable spots.
They plundered their way into the bathroom, and GOK rubbed Shingo’s mouth on top of a urinal. It looked like a very clean bathroom, but it was still a germophobe’s nightmare. It was a DDT match without any heart.
Walker Stewart reminded us that the bell hadn’t rung. It smacked of “perfectly legal, Cole” and it was this kind of nonsense that turns many of us away from certain promotions.
GOK, as always, used chairs constantly and without reproach. It was boring when he started doing this routine, but now it’s just silly.
It was a relief when this was finally over. *
G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match
Yota Tsuji [8] def. Ryohei Oiwa [6]
It seems like a lot of people overthink wrestling. It often has to be bigger, piling complexities on top of complexities. Generally, though, wrestling is more effective when it’s focussed. The best matches let the little things sing. This match did just that, and it might end up being the best match of the tournament.
Oiwa has found another level. He exuded confidence as the bell rang, and it translated into a star aura that wasn’t there before this tournament. The pop for an early headlock was a joy, and speaks to the simple things being the most effective. He got a move over, and the crowd responded.
Oiwa worked the injured arm, and Tsuji worked the midsection. These interactions peppered the whole match, making everything a little more interesting. Tsuji locked in the Boston Crab, but couldn’t keep it locked in because of the injury. It was great storytelling, grounded in the medium.
Tsuji’s performance was fantastic. I don’t often see the big deal with Tsuji, but he impressed me here. He sold desperation brilliantly. Oiwa was so dominant, Tsuji knew he had to take advantage of any opportunity. He scrambled to the top rope, increased the speed whenever he could and screamed like he was trying to unlock some sort of primal strength.
The closing stretch was stellar, with great sequences worked around the deadly headlock. Oiwa snatched a headlock out of the jaws of a Geneblaster, and held on to it through a backdrop. Tsuji’s selling was great; he collapsed to the ground in a pained exhaustion.
I’d like to have seen Oiwa win so we could have a rematch with higher stakes. This was great professional wrestling. ****¾
G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match
Konosuke Takeshita [10] def. Hirooki Goto [4]
Nobody really needs a review of this match. It’s Takeshita and Goto in the main event. It was a brilliant match from two brilliant wrestlers.
When two wrestlers of this calibre face off, there’s a different energy in the air. Everything was so fluid yet raw at the same time. Nothing ever felt planned or contrived. Goto launching Takeshita onto the top rope and then dropping him down for a neckbreaker was made to look as easy as a wristlock.
Goto would block a knee leading to a back and forth of no-sold lariats and counters. It was edge-of-the-seat wrestling. They built anticipation expertly, then gave us satisfaction when one of them came out ahead.
Takeshista, as always, looked great. It’s a shame that most of his work in New Japan is spent wallowing with the TV belt as he was born for the main event. He has a different look in his eyes during matches like this, and he carried the momentum superbly.
Goto worked from underneath in the back half of this match, and it’s where he excels. The crowd were molten for his comeback spots, and I screamed along with him when he scrambled for the win.
The closing stretch was classic New Japan, and I loved it. ****½
Final Thoughts
As the meme says, they had us in the first half. Luckily, the top two matches delivered in a big way. They certainly deserved the Grade One moniker, and I would recommend both matches. It was wrestling at its best: simple, but devastatingly effective.
