SANADA Upsets Yota Tsuji In Semi-Main At G1 Climax 36 Night 4

Night four of New Japan’s G1 Climax took place inside Sendai Sun Plaza in Sendai, Japan, on Tuesday evening, drawing an attendance of 1,612 fans. The event featured five A Block tournament matches, with several notable results that could have a significant impact on the competitors’ strategies as the blocks progresses.

One of the evening’s biggest surprises saw Jake Lee rebound from his disappointing defeat to Konosuke Takeshita by scoring a major victory over Hirooki Goto. Goto entered the match looking to become the first wrestler in the A Block to reach three wins, doing so in consecutive matches, but Lee’s victory moved the former GHC and Triple Crown World Champion firmly into contention at the top of the block.

Ryohei Oiwa became the latest wrestler to reach four points in the A Block after defeating the enigmatic Great-O-Khan in 13:27. Following that result, Konosuke Takeshita secured his second consecutive tournament victory by defeating Yuto-Ice in 12:04, bouncing back after his opening-night loss on July 11. Meanwhile, the Knockout Brother Yuto-Ice finds himself with a surprising 1-2 record in the G1 Climax so far.

The evening’s semi-main event delivered another major surprise, as SANADA defeated reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji in 15:23. While SANADA is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion himself, few expected him to overcome Tsuji, making the result one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far. The victory earned the former Just 5 Guys member his first two points of the G1 Climax, moving him level with Great-O-Khan, Yuto-Ice, and Tsuji in the A Block standings.

Finally, in the main event, Oleg Boltin continued his strong G1 Climax campaign by defeating Shingo Takagi in 19:10. The reigning NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion now sits with two impressive victories in the tournament, having previously defeated Yuto-Ice via referee stoppage.

The next G1 Climax event will take place on Tuesday evening at Aore Nagaoka in Nagaoka, featuring matches between Gabe Kidd and Aaron Wolf, HENARE and OSKAR, Drilla Moloney and Yuya Uemura, and Zack Sabre Jr. and Callum Newman.

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:

Hirooki Goto – 2-1 (4 points)

Jake Lee – 2-1 (4 points)

Konosuke Takeshita – 2-1 (4 points)

Oleg Boltin – 2-1 (4 points)

Ryohei Oiwa – 2-1 (4 points)

Great-O-Khan – 1-2 (2 points)

SANADA – 1-2 (2 points)

Shingo Takagi – 1-2 (2 points)

Yota Tsuji – 1-2 (2 points)

Yuto-Ice – 1-2 (2 points)

B Block:

Aaron Wolf – 2-0 (4 points)

Callum Newman – 2-1 (4 points)

Drilla Moloney – 2-1 (4 points)

Gabe Kidd – 2-1 (4 points)

HENARE – 2-1 (4 points)

OSKAR – 2-1 (4 points)

Ren Narita – 2-1 (4 points)

Yuya Uemura – 2-1 (4 points)

Zack Sabre Jr. – 1-1 (2 points)

Shota Umino – 0-9 (0 points)

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