NJPW G1 Climax 36 Final Results: Ryohei Oiwa wins the tournament, calls title shot for October – POST Wrestling

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Ryohei Oiwa submitted Yuya Uemura to win G1 Climax 36 on Sunday, completing a run that began in the tournament’s qualifying stage.

After his win, Oiwa stated his intention to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling on October 12.

Earlier in the show, Jeff Cobb made a surprise return to New Japan and joined Unbound Co.

The announced attendance at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo was 7,260, a lower attendance than the semifinals the previous day, which featured Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s retirement match.

Full results

HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, DOUKI & Yujiro Takahashi) def. YOSHI-HASHI, El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi & Masatora Yasuda [6:50]
Togi Makabe & Toru Yano def. Francesco Akira & Zane Jay [5:57]
TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita) def. Boltin Oleg, Master Wato & Tatsuya Matsumoto [11:53]
United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE) def. Unbound Co. (Daiki Nagai, OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) [11:50]
Shingo Takagi & Drilla Moloney def. Gabe Kidd & Wheeler Yuta [13:31]
HOUSE OF TORTURE (Shun Skywalker, SANADA & Ren Narita) def. Konosuke Takeshita, Taichi & Satoshi Kojima [10:57]
Yota Tsuji & Taiji Ishimori def. Hirooki Goto & YOH [8:20]
G1 Climax 36 Final: Ryohei Oiwa def. Yuya Uemura [35:10]

Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yuya Uemura

Oiwa entered wearing the mountain horns associated with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who retired one night earlier and joined commentary for the final.

In the opening exchanges, Uemura repeatedly used Oiwa’s favored headlock strategy against him before turning his attention to the left arm.

Uemura maintained wrist control and attacked the shoulder, seeking to weaken The Grip and Oiwa’s headlock offense. Oiwa eventually changed approach, using his size advantage to hit a shoulder tackle before applying the Big Lock.

A Doctor Bomb shifted the momentum after Uemura had continued controlling the arm. Both men then traded suplexes, with Oiwa incorporating a Tenzan Suplex in tribute to his former mentor.

Uemura answered with German and Dragon suplexes before hitting the Lion’s Shiner for a near fall.

Uemura hit the Deadbolt and a Shining Elbow, but missed another Lion’s Shiner. He then countered The Grip into an armbar and returned to the damaged wrist.

A second Tenzan Suplex allowed Oiwa to escape. The Grip connected, but Uemura kicked out.

Oiwa went back to the Big Lock and continued applying pressure as Uemura searched for an escape. This time Uemura could not break free and submitted at 35:10, giving Oiwa the victory.

Oiwa celebrated with his TMDK stablemates and addressed Tenzan at commentary, saying he was particularly happy to win in front of him one day after his retirement.

The 27-year-old then announced that he intends to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at King of Pro Wrestling on October 12 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall.

Oiwa entered G1 Climax 36 through the qualification tournament before finishing the A Block at 6-3. He defeated Callum Newman in Saturday’s semifinal.

His victory also established a new record for the shortest time between a wrestler’s debut and winning the G1. Oiwa won the G1 four years and 11 months after his professional debut in August 2021, surpassing Hirooki Goto’s previous mark of five years and one month.

Jeff Cobb returns and joins Unbound Co.

Earlier, Jeff Cobb returned to New Japan following United Empire’s victory over OSKAR, Yuto-Ice and Daiki Nagai.

Newman pinned Nagai with Make Way and continued attacking him after the match. He eventually produced his sword before Gedo intervened.

Cobb then made his entrance for his first NJPW appearance since leaving the promotion in April 2025.

Newman appeared to offer his former United Empire stablemate an opportunity to reconcile and make the group’s hand gesture. Cobb instead knocked Newman down with a shoulder tackle before joining Gedo and Unbound Co.

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Backstage, Cobb said he had continued following NJPW while away and criticized what United Empire had become under Newman. He said his immediate objective was to deal with his former stablemate.

The match also saw OSKAR and Yuto-Ice pose with Great-O-Khan and HENARE’s IWGP Tag Team Championship belts, signaling their interest in facing the titleholders.

Shun Skywalker wins first NJPW match

Shun Skywalker competed in his first NJPW match one day after joining HOUSE OF TORTURE.

Skywalker teamed with SANADA and Ren Narita against NJPW World Television Champion Konosuke Takeshita, Taichi and Satoshi Kojima.

HOUSE OF TORTURE interference factored into the finish. Yoshinobu Kanemaru sprayed Kojima with whiskey before Yujiro Takahashi struck him with his cane, allowing Skywalker to hit a standing moonsault knee drop for the pin.

Skywalker continued targeting Takeshita afterward and declared his intention to face him.

Takeshita later responded backstage by offering Skywalker the opportunity to challenge for the NJPW World Television Championship.

Goto and Ishimori target championships

Sunday’s show produced two other apparent championship programs.

Taiji Ishimori pinned IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion YOH after the Bloody Cross and subsequently called for a title opportunity.

Hirooki Goto confronted IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji after their match. Goto defeated Tsuji during A Block competition on July 18 and cited that victory as the basis for his challenge.

Tsuji later said backstage that he would accept. Neither championship match has been formally announced.

Drilla Moloney and Gabe Kidd continue rivalry

Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney defeated IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd and Wheeler Yuta.

Kidd and Moloney resumed the tensions between the former War Dogs partners, fighting around ringside while Takagi and Yuta also brawled outside.

Takagi eventually pinned Yuta following Last of the Dragon.

Kidd waved his the Global Heavyweight Championship toward Moloney afterward, continuing to point toward a future singles match between them.

Kosei Fujita calls out Aaron Wolf

NEVER Openweight Champion Aaron Wolf missed Sunday’s show due to illness.

Fujita instead teamed with Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson against Boltin Oleg, Master Wato and Tatsuya Matsumoto. He stopped Matsumoto with a front necklock.

Fujita again made clear afterward that he wants to challenge Wolf for the NEVER Openweight Championship.