wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 14 Review
Image Credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night Fourteen
August 9th, 2026 | G Messe Gunma in Takasaki, Gunma | Attendance: 1,615
We’re really nearing the ending of this tournament, which has been…okay.
A Block: Jake Lee [6] vs. Ryohei Oiwa [8]
These two had meetings while Oiwa was on excursion in NOAH, so Lee came out rocking his old NOAH gear and to his old theme. Due to that, he wrestled without many of the antics he’s become known for. That made for a relatively straightforward match and while I appreciate the lack of shenanigans, a straight Jake Lee match is a reminder that he’s pretty dull. Of course, that meant he had to bring out the paint and goofiness after the fight spilled outside. However, once they got back to the ring, Oiwa made him submit with no drama in 12:47. Of all the matches I’ve seen, that was one of them. [**¼]
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita [10] vs. SANADA [6]
SANADA has mostly been the only House of Torture guy to not have wacky matches in this G1. I think he’s only done it once or twice. This was another without the antics and the end result was a solid match. SANADA was able to go back and forth with Takeshita and he even busted out his own version of Raging Fire. He also countered Takeshita’s Raging Fire attempt with an inside cradle and I actually bit on that finish. I know how much Gedo likes ties going into the final night, so a Takeshita loss was plausible. Alas, Takeshita put him down with Raging Fire after 14:02. I think that went a bit long given who was involved but it was pretty good. [***]
A Block: Great-O-Khan [4] vs. Yota Tsuji [8]
Yota needs a win to stay in contention. Great-O-Khan is at EVIL levels of awful these days. This has been a terrible G1 for him and he’s a genuine slog to get through. Going up against the top champion didn’t change that. He’s hit a point where I’m not going to give him the effort since he doesn’t either. This was more of the same from him and Yota beat him with a trio of Gene Blasters in 13:14. I hate watching his matches these days. [*½]
A Block: Boltin Oleg [10] vs. Hirooki Goto [4]
Boltin Oleg is coming off a massive win over Yota Tsuji. Goto is at the bottom of the block. Again, knowing Gedo’s booking tropes, this was obvious in terms of the result, so it lacked drama. That said, the action was solid. They were having a NEVER Openweight Title style match, since that’s what works for both of them. They hit each other hard, threw some big bombs as time went on and neither man gained a clear edge at any point. The crowd wasn’t really reacting to any of it (they hadn’t been good all night), which didn’t help. Goto hit GTR to win after 15:20 in a match that was good but underwhelming. [***]
A Block: Shingo Takagi [8] vs. Yuto-Ice [6]
An odd choice for the main event but here we are. Shingo needs to win to tie Boltin, Yota, and Ryohei entering the final night. The two charged at the bell and immediately wailed on one another. Interestingly, Yuto kept getting the upper hand to the point where a frustrated Shingo tossed a chair into the ring. The fans finally got into something as the second half of this match featured bigger moves like knee strikes and the Pumping Bomber. They came unglued when Yuto kicked out after a Burning Dragon as they were truly into this. The closing stretch saw them trade headbutts as Yuto looked to finally come out on the better end of a knockout situation. A stiff knee strike got him there as he pulled out the win in 20:25. The best thing on the show and another strong performance for both men. [***½]
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Konosuke Takeshita | 12 (6-2) | Gabe Kidd | 10 (5-2) |
| Boltin Oleg | 10 (5-3) | Callum Newman | 10 (5-2) |
| Yota Tsuji | 10 (5-3) | Ren Narita | 10 (5-2) |
| Ryohei Oiwa | 10 (5-3) | HENARE | 8 (4-3) |
| Shingo Takagi | 8 (4-4) | Yuya Uemura | 8 (4-3) |
| Yuto-Ice | 8 (4-4) | Drilla Moloney | 8 (4-4) |
| SANADA | 6 (3-5) | OSKAR | 8 (4-4) |
| Jake Lee | 6 (3-5) | Aaron Wolf | 6 (3-4) |
| Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-5) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-4) |
| Great-O-Khan | 4 (2-6) | Shota Umino | 0 (0-9) Injured |
