Ryohei Oiwa Wins G1 Climax 36 Final In Match Of The Decade Classic

In one of the greatest matches you will ever watch, Ryohei Oiwa defeated Yuya Uemura to become the first man to win the G1 Climax after reaching the tournament through the play-in. The match took place in the main event of NJPW’s final stop on the G1 Climax 36 tour at the famed Ryōgoku Kokugikan, an arena that has hosted some of professional wrestling’s greatest matches.

Oiwa was accompanied to the ring by his TMDK compatriots Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson, while Uemura was backed by El Desperado and Taichi. There was palpable electricity throughout the arena from the moment the bell rang, with more than 7,000 fans chanting for both men.

The match began with fiery grappling exchanges, with both men using the same strategies that had carried them to this point: Uemura weakening Oiwa’s left shoulder while Oiwa targeted Uemura’s neck. Uemura took the early advantage by trapping Oiwa in a brutal-looking arm and shoulder hold that lasted several minutes. Oiwa tried to escape, but Uemura kept his grip firm and maintained the hold. Eventually, Oiwa trapped Uemura in a headscissors across his lower jaw, wrenching back while giving his own arm a chance to recover.

The story of this match followed the same track for quite a while, but it simply never got old. In fact, perhaps because we as fans have become so accustomed to matches where wrestlers throw everything and the kitchen sink, the way these two told a perfectly cohesive story with an armbar and a headlock was simply sublime. These two men didn’t just want to win the G1 Climax and challenge for Yota Tsuji’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship; they needed to win. It felt like either man was willing to die for the privilege of holding the trophy at the end of the night.

Every time Uemura wrenched back on an arm hold or twisted and ripped at Oiwa’s shoulder ligaments, you could feel the impact. Every time Oiwa regained control and chipped away at Uemura’s neck with another headlock or manoeuvre aimed at the area, you felt that too. These two men trusted the fans in the arena and those watching on NJPW World to follow the physical story they were telling. They made professional wrestling look so easy, grabbing the fans’ attention and never letting go.

German suplexes felt like life or death. Arm drags felt like potential match-enders. When Uemura went to the top rope and hit his High Fly Flow, with Tanahashi watching from ringside, the crowd exploded with anticipation. When Oiwa countered an Irish whip and locked in a headlock, I could hear the workers at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan holding onto the roof because it was about to be blown off its base. We sometimes hear people say that “Nature is Healing” whenever we see a previously endangered species return to prominence; this match felt like wrestling was healing, and with every move these guys hit, that truth became more palpable.

After Uemura finally escaped the headlock, he struck Oiwa with a Deadbolt Suplex, followed by a Shining Elbow. When he went up to attempt a Lion’s Shiner, Oiwa somehow got out of the way and reapplied his trusty headlock. He would fail to lock in The Grip and instead fall into another armbar, but somehow, Oiwa was able to summon all his strength and hit Uemura with a Tenzan Suplex, with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, his longtime mentor, sitting next to Tanahashi at ringside.

With the last bit of fighting spirit he had, Oiwa locked in a devastating headlock down on the Cerulean Mat. With his arms and legs flailing as he tried to catch his breath, Uemura finally tapped out at 35:10. Ryohei Oiwa won the G1 Climax, the greatest pro wrestling tournament in the world, with a headlock on the mat. Truly beautiful stuff.

This G1 Climax was an absolute triumph in a lot of ways. It brought back that feeling that NJPW has lacked for much of this decade. It gave us several new bonafide stars in Oiwa, Uemura, Yota Tsuji, Oleg Boltin, and Callum Newman. These guys feel like the present now. The era of Tanahashi, Okada, Naito, and Omega is long gone, but the kids are alright. If a guy who had to wrestle his way into the tournament and a guy who used to tag with Joe Hendry in TNA can wrestle with this much love and passion, then the sky is the limit. This G1 truly felt like the beginning of a new, exciting era for NJPW.

Oiwa will now prepare for October 12, when he will challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW’s King of Pro Wrestling, which will also take place at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.

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

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