The eyes of the world were fixed on Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan for the final of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax tournament, which took place on August 16. The two men competing in the final were Yuya Uemura and Ryohei Oiwa, and after a bout that lasted over 35 minutes, it was Oiwa who picked up the victory.
A new star has risen in Ryogoku. 🌟
Ryohei Oiwa defeats Yuya Uemura and wins G1 CLIMAX 36!#G1FINAL #njpw pic.twitter.com/lA6mU7sLmm
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) August 16, 2026
Despite both men finishing in second place in their respective blocks, Uemura overcame current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji to advance to the finals, while Oiwa got the better of Callum Newman in his semi final. They both had the chance to become first-time winners of NJPW’s signature tournament, and throughout the match, Uemura and Oiwa paid tribute to previous G1 winners, including Hiroyoshi Tenzan who retired from wrestling in the main event of the previous day’s show. Neither man left the ring throughout the entire match, wearing each other down with everything they had in their respective arsenals, but in the end, Oiwa finally got Uemura down with a Headlock and Uemura, with nowhere to go, tapped out to give Oiwa his first G1 crown.
After the match, Oiwa cut a promo to the live audience in Tokyo, thanking them for their support, as well as his TMDK stablemates for being by his side. Oiwa now has a guaranteed shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and much like Zack Sabre Jr. and Konosuke Takeshita, Oiwa is taking his shot early. Usually, the winner of the G1 Climax challenges for NJPW’s top prize at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, but a trend in recent years has been for the G1 winner to challenge for the title at the King of Pro Wrestling event in October, which is what Oiwa will do this year. That event will take place on October 12, also at Ryogoku Sumo Hall, where fans will find out who walks into the Tokyo Dome as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
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