AEW’s MJF And NJPW G1 Climax Winner Ryohei Oiwa Exchange Heated Words On Social Media

While the vast majority of the wrestling world has praised Ryohei Oiwa for winning this year’s G1 Climax tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling, former AEW World Champion MJF has been anything but congratulatory towards the NJPW star. 

Following Oiwa’s win over Yuya Uemura in the tournament final on August 16, MJF went on a social media crusade against Oiwa, NJPW, people who watch NJPW, and virtually anyone who had anything remotely positive to say about the G1 winner. Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s sly jabs at Oiwa continued when he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) during ROH Death Before Dishonor 2026, praising Adam Brooks for beating up NJPW star ELP and stating that Brooks was better than everyone in New Japan, especially Oiwa. It was this comment that tipped Oiwa over the edge and led to this response:

新日本なめんな
来年のG1に出るのが怖いなら、俺がそっちのリングまで乗り込んでやる

No. 1ヘッドロックレスラー決めようや

— 大岩陵平　Ryohei Oiwa (@njpw_ryoheioiwa) August 21, 2026

Oiwa wrote, “Don’t underestimate New Japan. If you’re scared of stepping into G1 next year, I’ll come storming into your ring myself. Let’s decide the No. 1 headlock wrestler.” 

Clearly not impressed by Oiwa’s comment, MJF responded by claiming he would fight the G1 winner anywhere, except for the G1 itself.

Nobody knows who you are in America, chief.

AEW Collision rating: How did last Thursday’s show perform with an hour running against TNA Impact?

You’re a boy talking to a man who is the best professional wrestler in the WORLD.

Don’t chat me up about your shitty little mark tournament.

I’ll fight you anywhere.

And I’ll beat you with a headlock takeover.

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman (@The_MJF) August 22, 2026

It’s unknown whether this social media rivalry will actually lead to MJF and Oiwa meeting in the ring, though if anything does end up happening, it will be the first time either man crosses the line into each other’s company. Oiwa has never appeared in AEW, nor has he wrestled in the United States during his career, while MJF has never wrestled in Japan during his career, though he has technically appeared under the NJPW banner thanks to the series of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-views he has wrestled at over the years. With that said, he has never wrestled for NJPW officially, and judging by his long history of verbally blasting the company, he doesn’t want to either.