Ryohei Oiwa On His G1 Final vs. Yuya Uemura: Not Everyone Can Do What Uemura & I Did

Ryohei Oiwa shares his respect for his peers following New Japan’s G1 Climax.

This past Sunday in Tokyo, the G1 Climax 36 final took place, with Ryohei Oiwa squaring off against Yuya Uemura for the coveted trophy. In a match highly praised by fans and critics alike, Oiwa came out on top, submitting Uemura with his Big Rock headlock. Following his successful tournament, which began with a play-in qualifier, Oiwa appeared in front of the media at the post-G1 press conference. With the trophy by his side, “The Grip” had plenty to say about his opponents and rivals throughout the tournament.

Speaking at the post-G1 Climax 36 press conference, Oiwa reflected on his G1 Climax 36 final against Yuya Uemura. He also explained how the different styles of his opponents help elevate professional wrestling, praising the likes of Boltin Oleg and Yuto-Ice for bringing their own unique styles to the ring.

“(Yuya) Uemura and I wrestled a match like only we can. I was confident we could fire up Ryōgoku, and it really proved to myself that I was right in my choice of style and my way of wrestling. We went over 30 minutes with headlocks, takedowns and armdrags. That is professional wrestling in my view; that’s the essence for me. Not everyone can do what Uemura and I did. Pro-wrestling is at its best when everybody is different. I hate Yuto-Ice, but he has his strikes and his way of fighting. (Oleg) Boltin is a monster. Uemura and I do what we do. I’m proud of my way, but I think everyone should fight in their own way.”

-Ryohei Oiwa

Both Oiwa and Uemura recorded their best-ever tournament finishes by reaching the final. Oiwa also won the fan-voted award for Best Technique, while finishing in the top three for both the Fighting Spirit and Outstanding Achievement awards. Yuto-Ice won the Fighting Spirit award, while Boltin Oleg took home Outstanding Achievement.

Thanks to his tournament triumph, Ryohei Oiwa will challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at King of Pro Wrestling in October. Current champion Yota Tsuji must first defend the title against Hirooki Goto.

Elsewhere during the G1 Climax 36 Final show, Jeff Cobb made his return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, shockingly joining Unbound Co. rather than reuniting with United Empire. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Ryohei Oiwa’s future and all the fallout from New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s G1 Climax 36 as soon as we hear more.

H/T to NJPW for the translation and transcript.