wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night Three Review 07.19.26
Image Credit: NJPW
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Location: Hokkaido
Venue: Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Commentators: Walker Stewart (flying solo)
[B Block] Drilla Moloney [4] vs HENARE [2]
Lockup to start, and Drilla holds his own against HENARE. Drilla works out of a headscissors, and they trade forearms. Shoulder tackle from HENARE knocks Moloney down. But Moloney comes right back with a shoulder tackle of his own. Kick to the spine pisses HENARE off, dropkick to the chest sends him to the outside. Drilla tries a baseball slide out, but HENARE catches him and drives him into the ringpost before slamming him on the apron. Moloney is back in the ring at 17, and HENARE meets him with a series of stomps. Snapmare and a kick to the spine from HENARE, into the senton, and a cover for 2.
Step-up enziguri from Moloney rocks HENARE, and he shortly follows up with a brainbuster. HENARE rolls to the floor once more, and this time Drilla nails the wrecking ball dropkick. Back in, Drilla hits the top rope elbow for a 2 count. Big boot from HENARE right into a Maori Drop! 1, 2, no. Chops exchanged, stereo lariats, Drilla misses the ripcord, and HENARE comes back with a big lariat for 2. Rising knee in the corner, but Drilla instantly shakes it off and delivers a powerbomb! 1, 2, no. HENARE with the hammer head, 1, 2, NO.
HENARE looks for a powerbomb, countered with a spin kick from HENARE, and Drilla hits a cutter! 1, 2, NO. Gore! Moloney lifts HENARE up, looks for Drilla Killa, but HENARE counters and delivers a headbutt followed by a sit-out powerbomb for the 1, 2, 3.
Winner: HENARE
Time: 13:29
Rating: **3/4 – For the most part, this felt somewhat by-the-numbers, but they brought the drama in the closing minute.
[B Block] OSKAR [4] vs Gabe Kidd [2]
Edgelord Kidd tells OSKAR to ‘suck your fucking German mom’ as he enters the ring, and I roll my eyes. They come right out of the gate with hard shots and slaps. Rebound lariat from Kidd! Goozle from OSKAR turns it into a biel across the ring. Running elbow in the corner, body slam, and OSKAR is cooking. They head out into the crowd as OSKAR tosses Kidd into one of the sections of chairs. Headbutts from Kidd, and he grabs a chair and runs towards OSKAR with it poised, only for OSKAR to boot it back in his face. In the ring, OSKAR misses a leg drop, allowing Kidd to hit the O-Knee. And again! 1, 2, no.
Kidd tells OSKAR to remember the dojo days and delivers more headbutts, goes for another rebound lariat, but OSKAR catches him with a back body drop. Leg drop! 1, 2, no. Goozle, chokeslam, and OSKAR covers for a close 2 count. Nightmare sleeper locked in, but Kidd counters with a mat return. PILEDRIVER…but OSKAR stays on his feet and slowly gets right back up!! Double chokehold, but Kidd manages to drop down and hits another piledriver! 1, 2, 3!
Winner: Gabe Kidd
Time: 7:35
Rating: *** – A pretty physical affair, bringing the intensity for 7 minutes. OSKAR looked like a monster standing up out of that piledriver, and I do think he has a real chance to make a name for himself during the tournament, as he brings a unique presence that isn’t really replicated elsewhere on the roster.
*Gabe Kidd taunts Taichi (who has been on Japanese commentary) at ringside after the match, and Taichi has to be held back. Kidd walks back to the staging area, which is adorned by all the faces of G1 competitors, finds the picture of Aaron Wolf (whom he’ll be facing next in the G1) and gives it a little hump. How charming.
[B Block] Callum Newman [4] vs Ren Narita [2]
Big boot from Newman gets the jump on Narita, and they immediately spill to the outside. Newman holds his chin out, asking for Narita to hit him, only for Ren to rake the eyes instead. Newman directs traffic in the crowd, clearing a section of fans, sitting Narita on a chair, and taking a run-up… but Dick Togo gets in the way to cause a distraction. Narita downs Newman among the chairs and heads back in the ring to look for a countout. Newman is back up and back inside at 14, but his previously injured left shoulder is bothering him, and Narita smells blood. Narita stomps the shoulder, delivers a lariat, and applies a hammerlock. Newman is driven into the corner, where Narita has removed the turnbuckle padding off-camera. He wraps the arm around the top rope now, pulling back, until the ref breaks it up, but the ref is distracted now, allowing Togo to get in some cheap shots.
Newman manages to sweep the legs and deliver a knee to the midsection to turn the tables. Mounted punches, and Narita rolls to the floor to escape. Newman follows, tosses a chair to Narita, and boots it in his face. Back out into the crowd, Dick Togo tries to get involved once more, but Zane Jay is there to hold him down, allowing Newman to dive OVER Togo and deliver the dropkick to Narita in the chairs. Back in the ring, Excalibur connects for a 2 count. To the apron, Narita hangs the arm over the ropes and applies a rope-assisted octopus stretch but has to break it before the referee’s count. Enziguri from Newman sends Narita plummeting from the top rope back inside the ring. Double underhook, denied, Narita with a choke, Newman rolls through, big boot from Narita, and Newman catches him with a sleeper. The bell rings…but it was just Dick Togo pissing around. Newman thinks he’s won, so he relinquishes the hold, and that allows Narita to lock in the hammerlock once more…oh FFS, now Zane Jay is the one to ring the bell for the distraction – turnabout’s fair play, I guess! Newman with a lariat, and the Prince’s Curse connects, 1, 2, no. Another lariat, 1, 2, no. PK, Newman muscles Narita up, but his shoulder is giving out. Narita wrenches the arm, drop toe hold into the ropes, dust in the eyes, low blow, double cross, 1, 2…Zane Jay pulls out the ref. Dick Togo in to attack Zane Jay, Togo then turns his attention to Newman. Magic Killer from House of Torture. Ref makes his way back in, 1, 2, kickout. Hell’s Guillotine and Narita locks in the Cattle Mutilation, forcing Newman to tap.
Winner: Ren Narita
Time: 15:30
Rating: * – Good GOD, that was everything I hate about House of Torture, and it absolutely has no place in the G1. Just a horrendous amount of BS that makes Narita matches such a chore. Way too much work in the crowd too, especially when we’d just seen a fair amount of the exact same stuff in Kidd/OSKAR. 15 minutes felt like 50.
[B Block] Yuya Uemura [2] vs Zack Sabre Jr [2]
Feeling out process as both men gingerly look to gain an early advantage. Sabre impressively rolls through on a hammerlock attempt to break it. Full Nelson applied, Uemura escapes, snapmare into an armbar, but ZSJ counters and wrenches the arms back behind Uemura. This goes back and forth, as both men seem to have an answer for everything they try, ultimately reaching a stalemate. Zack shouts that he’s having fun. Uemura gets an arm drag; Sabre responds with one of his own, but it’s Uemura who locks in a headscissor. ZSJ grounds him and goes for a bow and arrow. Uemura flips into a brief cover. Another arm drag from Uemura, and he begins to work over the arm to soften Zack up for the Deadbolt.
Uemura looks for another armdrag, but Zack puts the brakes on and locks in an octopus! Nice. Uemura counters, ZSJ gets him on the mat and delivers the neck crank. European uppercut to Uemura, Yuya comes back with a forearm, but ZSJ catches him in a cravat hold. Arm drag, and a dropkick from Uemura connects, he dives with a crossbody to the floor, but Sabre again catches him in the cravat! Back up to the apron, Zack delivers another neck crank. Yuya works over the arm again, locking his feet around the arm to deliver an ‘arm crank’ in a similar way to Zack’s neck crank. Arm wringer, wearing down ZSJ, but Zack applies a sleeper, only for Uemura to escape with a back drop suplex. Cross-armbreaker. Sabre Jr locks his hands so it can’t be fully locked in. Triangle submission applied by Uemura now, but ZSJ flips over into a cover for 2.
Uppercuts from Zack, forearms from Yuya. Boot from Zack is caught, Yuya folds Zack up for a 2 count. Prawn hold attempt, but ZSJ knows every counter to that, and he locks in a rear naked choke. British claw locks Yuya’s shoulders to the mat for 2. Back to their feet, they go head to head, ZSJ putting a little more mustard behind his uppercuts. Zack Driver attempt, Uemura slips behind, Sabre grounds him, but Uemura gets a wrist lock…ZSJ tries to reverse but can’t! He again rolls through for an escape, but Uemura is right there with him, keeping the pressure on. But Yuya gets cocky with it, and that allows Sabre Jr to hit the Zack Driver! 1, 2, NO.
Series of kicks to the chest by ZSJ as we enter our twentieth minute. Enziguri from Uemura, and he hits a Yuya Driver. Uemura up top…but misses the Lion Shiner, and Zack capitalizes with a headscissors, trapping the arm too. He grabs the leg and transitions into…I don’t even know what to call that- an STF with the legs around the head? And Yuya reaches the ropes, somehow! To their feet, Uemura gets a hold of the arm and goes for more wringers, German connects! Zack is back up, kick to the chest, Dragon suplex by Uemura, 1, 2, NOOO! Deadbolt attempt is denied, Sabre Jr ties him up in an octopus, nope, Pele kick to the arm. RELEASE DEADBOLT! Uemura is back up top…High Fly Flow! 1, 2, NO. Uemura is back up to the top again…LION SHINER! 1, 2, 3!!!
Winner: Yuya Uemura
Time: 25:21
Rating: ****1/2 – Delightful graps to start with some impressive technical displays from both men. The best part that MASSIVELY put over Uemura was when Sabre Jr was attempting to use his technical prowess to escape submissions, and Yuya had the better of him, putting a stop to every escape attempt. Zack has long been positioned as ‘Mr Technical Wrestling,’ so he was very giving towards Yuya there, and the fact that Uemura walked away with the victory is a huge deal. Many will complain about New Japan not creating new stars, but this is exactly how you do it – with more standout performances like this, Uemura is a made man.
[A Block]
Hirooki Goto – 2-0-0 [4 points]
Yota Tsuji – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Ryohei Oiwa – 1-0-0 [2 points]
Jake Lee – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Yuto-Ice – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Great-O-Khan – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Konosuke Takeshita – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Boltin Oleg – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Shingo Takagi – 1-1-0 [2 points]
SANADA – 0-2-0 [0 points]
[B Block]
OSKAR – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Callum Newman – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Drilla Moloney – 2-0-0 [4 points]
HENARE – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Ren Narita – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Yuya Uemura – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Gabe Kidd – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Aaron Wolf – 2-0-0 [4 points]
Zack Sabre Jr – 1-1-0 [2 points]
Shota Umino – 0-1-0 [0 points]
