Yuya Uemura Stuns Zack Sabre Jr. In G1 Climax Night 3 Showdown

New Japan Pro-Wrestling returned to the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo for Night 3 of its annual G1 Climax tournament on Saturday, July 18.

The show featured four B Block clashes and was headlined by an all-TMDK showdown between former G1 Climax winner Zack Sabre Jr. and his protégé, Yuya Uemura.

The two looked destined to fight to a 30-minute draw, but Uemura managed to outlast his leader, connecting with the Lion’s Shiner crossbody twice to secure a crucial victory and move to four points. Meanwhile, the loss leaves Zack Sabre Jr. on two points, with his only win so far coming against Shota Umino on Night 1.

Prior to the main event, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Callum Newman, accompanied by Zane Jay, faced HOUSE OF TORTURE’s Ren Narita, who had Dick Togo in his corner. The match unfolded exactly as many NJPW fans would have expected, featuring plenty of outside interference, attacks from both Togo and Jay, and ultimately ending when Narita trapped Newman in a Cattle Mutilation—a move he frequently used before joining HOUSE OF TORTURE—to force the submission. With the win, both men now sit on four points with 2-1 records.

The show also featured a quick bounce-back victory for IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd over OSKAR, just one day after his loss to Drilla Moloney. Elsewhere, HENARE picked up a key victory over Moloney in the opening tournament match of the evening.

The G1 Climax will continue on Tuesday at Sendai Sun Plaza Hall in Sendai, where Shingo Takagi will look to secure his second victory of the tournament against Oleg Boltin, who will be aiming to do the same.

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 – 2-0 (4 points)

Great-O-Khan – 1-1 (2 points)

Jake Lee – 1-1 (2 points)

Konosuke Takeshita – 1-1 (2 points)

Oleg Boltin – 1-1 (2 points)

Ryohei Oiwa – 1-1 (2 points)

Shingo Takagi – 1-1 (2 points)

Yota Tsuji – 1-1 (2 points)

Yuto-Ice – 1-1 (2 points)

SANADA – 0-2 (0 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.