Konosuke Takeshita & Boltin Oleg Steal G1 Weekend With MOTY Contender

New Japan Pro-Wrestling delivered two exciting nights of G1 Climax action over the weekend. The shows featured nine G1 matches in total, including another impressive Oleg Boltin performance and an entertaining underdog showing from Aaron Wolf.

Night 6’s tournament action began with Hirooki Goto looking to regain momentum after suffering a shocking defeat to Jake Lee in his previous match. This time, he faced the enigmatic Great-O-Khan in what was a difficult contest that ended after 10:42, with GOK putting the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion away with his patented Eliminator. Both competitors now sit at 2-2 with four points.

Luckily, the show picked up somewhat with the following match between Jake Lee and SANADA. While the contest was fairly basic, it exceeded expectations considering the concerns surrounding both competitors heading into the tournament. SANADA delivered a clean performance, while Jake Lee had some strong heel moments throughout. The match ultimately ended with SANADA winning via count-out, but it was still an enjoyable encounter. Like the previous match, both competitors now sit at 2-2 with four points.

While the first two matches ranged from disappointing to solid, the following three contests were absolutely fantastic and delivered some of the best action of the night. Oleg Boltin, who has been my tournament MVP up to this point, took on Konosuke Takeshita in another highly anticipated encounter. The two have shared several singles matches throughout their careers, with each one delivering strong results, but this may have been their best meeting yet.

Takeshita started the match at a frantic pace, overwhelming Boltin with a barrage of strikes before taking flight with a tope con giro to the outside. After more impressive grappling exchanges from the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Boltin was able to tap into his seemingly endless fighting spirit and eventually outlasted “The Alpha,” using a series of powerful lariats to turn the tide.

It took everything within Takeshita’s reserves to finally keep Boltin down for the three-count. In fact, it required not one but two Wagamama Knee strikes before he was able to put Boltin away with a devastating Raging Fire.

This match was simply incredible from bell to bell and currently stands as my match of the tournament, while also being a strong contender for NJPW’s Match of the Year. The two competitors complemented each other perfectly, with Boltin serving as the ideal powerhouse challenge for Takeshita, while Takeshita represented the ultimate test for Boltin to overcome.

Despite Takeshita earning the victory and moving to six points, Boltin arguably gained just as much from the performance, showing the rest of his block that he remains an incredibly difficult opponent to put away in his current form. If you watch one match from this show — or even this entire tournament so far — it should be this one.

Having to follow something as impressive as Takeshita vs. Boltin was always going to be a difficult task, but Ryohei Oiwa and Yuto-Ice were able to deliver a strong performance of their own. Before making their way to the ring, Oiwa sat at 2-1 with four points, while Ice entered the match at 1-2 with two points.

The two had previously met in singles competition once in 2026, with Oiwa defeating Ice in the first round of the New Japan Cup back in March. A month later, Ice and OSKAR successfully defended the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. in another excellent encounter.

This singles match may not have reached the same heights as Takeshita vs. Boltin, but it was still an excellent encounter between two of NJPW’s young talents. Both men came out firing on all cylinders, delivering hard strikes, chaotic moments on the outside, and a genuine sense of animosity throughout the match.

Back inside the ring, Oiwa overwhelmed Ice with a relentless barrage of strikes, forcing the Knockout Brother to rely on counters and resilience to stay alive. A Bomboclat Knee strike gave Ice a much-needed momentum shift, but that advantage began to fade as his taped-up neck became an increasing issue.

Oiwa looked to capitalize on his opponent’s condition, but in a more emotional moment than a calculated one, he missed a potential match-ending discus lariat. Ice immediately took advantage of the opening, hitting a devastating Cruella to complete the comeback victory.

Night 6’s main event saw two members of Unbound Co. collide as IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji took on Shingo Takagi, with both men looking to build some much-needed momentum in the tournament.

After several minutes of feeling each other out, it became clear that both competitors had a strong understanding of one another, with Tsuji’s lucha influence and Takagi’s power and defensive counters initially separating them. Takagi focused on grounding Tsuji with headlocks and heavy strikes, attempting to slow down the champion while maintaining the respectful gamesmanship between the two.

Tsuji, meanwhile, approached the match with a far more serious mindset, rarely taking a moment to acknowledge the crowd as he focused entirely on dismantling his opponent.

The match continued with neither man willing to give the other an opening to land the decisive blow. Takagi came incredibly close to victory at one point after delivering a devastating Takagi Driver ’98 on the outside, attempting to leave Tsuji unable to answer the referee’s count.

However, Tsuji was able to make it back into the ring before the count of 20, much to the delight of the fans inside Ota Ward. After surviving more punishing offense from the former World Champion, Tsuji eventually gained his revenge by hitting Takagi with his own Made in Japan, using the veteran’s signature move against its creator to secure the victory.

Takagi survived a Boston Crab that seemed to last for over a minute before responding with a vicious lariat that came across with incredible force. After both men engaged in a gripping strike exchange, which featured a brutal series of headbutts from each competitor, Tsuji looked to take control with a pair of German suplexes before being flattened by a devastating Pumping Bomber lariat from Takagi.

However, through sheer resilience and the overwhelming fighting spirit that has become a trademark of his performances, Tsuji was able to withstand the assault just long enough to hit the Fire Blaster and secure the victory.

Night 7’s tournament action began with Aaron Wolf taking on OSKAR. Wolf entered the match looking to bounce back after his previous defeat to Gabe Kidd on July 22, while OSKAR was searching for his first victory since July 11.

Wolf displayed plenty of fighting spirit throughout the contest, but he was ultimately unable to overcome the German powerhouse’s overwhelming size advantage. That challenge was understandable, considering OSKAR is the tallest opponent Wolf has faced in singles competition. OSKAR eventually put Wolf away after a brutal Tombstone Piledriver followed by a Sleeper Hold, forcing him to fade out in 9:50 and earning two crucial points in the process.

The second match of the evening saw House of Torture’s Ren Narita take on United Empire’s HENARE. Narita targeted HENARE’s leg throughout the contest, attempting to limit the powerful offence of his opponent, while HENARE responded by trying to overwhelm Narita with his physicality.

However, HENARE’s momentum was repeatedly disrupted by Dick Togo, who remained at ringside and provided constant interference on behalf of his House of Torture teammate. Despite Narita coming close to stealing the victory thanks to that assistance, HENARE was able to channel his frustration and fighting spirit to finally put him away with the HENARE Bomb in 10:59.

Drilla Moloney and Callum Newman were up next in the event’s semi-main event. Both Englishmen entered the contest looking to join HENARE at the top of the standings with eight points, although Drilla arguably had the greater momentum after defeating Yuya Uemura in his previous tournament match on July 22.

The two had a solid back-and-forth encounter that began with a physical exchange on the outside before spilling back into the ring. The match eventually descended into some chaos, with Zane Jay in Newman’s corner and Daiki Nagai supporting Moloney, but it was Drilla who emerged victorious after 14:12.Mo

Moloney’s victory marked another impressive result for the former War Dog, earning him two crucial points and moving him level with HENARE at the top of the table with eight points.

Finally, the show concluded with a major main event clash between Zack Sabre Jr., who had not won a match since Night 1 in Chicago, and Gabe Kidd, who entered the contest riding a two-match winning streak.

The two have faced each other five times in singles competition throughout their careers, with three of those encounters taking place in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Their most recent meeting came during the 2024 G1 Climax, where ZSJ emerged victorious in a match that many regarded as one of the highlights of that year’s tournament.

While this encounter did not quite reach the same heights as their 2024 classic, it was still a strong main event that delivered a compelling clash between two very different styles.

After initially attempting to out-grapple ZSJ, Kidd shifted his approach and brought a more violent edge to the contest, choking Sabre with his boot in the corner. The match soon spilled to the outside, where Kidd has often thrived, and he took full advantage by driving Sabre head-first into one of the ring posts.

Kidd threw Sabre back into the ring and began mocking his opponent, but the decision would ultimately come back to haunt him. The time Kidd spent taunting allowed ZSJ to recover, and the momentum quickly shifted as the reigning champion dragged Kidd into deeper waters with his relentless submission offence.

Probably the biggest turning point of the match came minutes later when Kidd found an opening on the apron and delivered a neck-crunching piledriver onto the “hardest part of the ring.” While Zack was able to survive for a little longer, it was clear that the damage from the move had significantly reduced his chances of victory.

Sabre continued to throw everything he had at Kidd, but the younger wrestler was able to withstand the champion’s submission attacks and weather the storm long enough to hit a decisive piledriver for the victory. With that, Kidd secured his third consecutive win and continued his impressive run in the tournament.

Following his victory backstage, Gabe Kidd called out fellow AEW talent and former NJPW star Katsuyori Shibata, challenging his former mentor to return to Japan for a match against him for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. However, it remains to be seen whether anything will come from Kidd’s challenge.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling will return for Night 8 of the G1 Climax on Wednesday, July 29, from Yamato Arena in Osaka, Japan. The event will feature five tournament matches, including Oleg Boltin vs. Jake Lee, Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi, and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji vs. Yuto-Ice.

For more coverage from the tournament and everything surrounding New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WrestlePurists will keep you updated.

G1 Climax 2026 – Current Standings:

A Block:

Konosuke Takeshita – 6 points (3-1)

Great-O-Khan – 4 points (2-2)

Hirooki Goto – 4 points (2-2)

Jake Lee – 4 points (2-2)

Oleg Boltin – 4 points (2-2)

Ryohei Oiwa – 4 points (2-2)

SANADA – 4 points (2-2)

Yota Tsuji – 4 points (2-2)

Yuto-Ice – 4 points (2-2)

Shingo Takagi – 2 points (1-3)

B Block:

Drilla Moloney – 8 points (4-1)

Gabe Kidd – 8 points (4-1)

HENARE – 8 points (4-1)

Callum Newman – 6 points (3-2)

OSKAR – 6 points (3-2)

Aaron Wolf – 4 points (2-2)

Ren Narita – 4 points (2-2)

Yuya Uemura – 4 points (2-2)

Zack Sabre Jr. – 2 points (1-3)

Shota Umino – 0 points (0-9)

NOTE – Shota Umino withdrew from the competition after suffering a concussion and forfeited his remaining tournament matches.