wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night Five Review 07.22.26
Image Credit: NJPW Global
Loading...Location: Niigata, Japan
Venue: Aore Nagaoka
Commentary: Walker Stewart (flying solo)
[B Block] Aaron Wolf [4] vs Gabe Kidd [4]
Walker Stewart mentions that Wolf and Kidd have never even been in the same ring as each other before tonight. Kidd is wearing a judo robe, and brings one for Wolf too. Kidd goads him in but Wolf is cautious…and Kidd bites the forehead before whipping him with his robe. Judo throw from Wolf! Hip toss takedown, and Kidd spills to the floor. Another takedown on the floor, and Wolf thinks about whipping Kidd in return with the robe but thinks better of it, knowing it’s disrespectful. Kidd whips Wolf into the barricade and bounces his head off the ringpost. Kidd takes a big run up, misses a lariat, and Wolf delivers a uranage/capture suplex on the floor.
Back in the ring, Wolf delivers a lariat and a snap suplex, elbow drop and a cover for 2. Kidd mocks Wolf, calling him a little cub, and Wolf delivers a snap fireman’s carry. Wolf eats some forearms before Kidd asks for some shots of his own. Chop, Kidd comes right back with a brainbuster. Kidd calls for Tanahashi, flips off the crowd, flexes, swears at the crowd and finally Wolf cuts him off on the ropes with a big strike. A little shaky but Wolf delivers a Landslide fireman’s carry off the middle rope. Head & arm choke by Wolf but Kidd appears to jam is outstretched arm low, and the ref breaks it up. Kidd spits in the face of Wolf, Wolf responds with an Angle Slam attempt, roll up for 2. Wolf with a lariat, Angle Slam again countered into a victory roll for 2. O-Knee and the piledriver gives Gabe Kidd the pinfall victory.
Winner: Gabe Kidd
Time: 9:51
Rating: ** – Kidd’s anti-NJPW stance is already wearing thin, and it ground the pace to a halt in this one. Wolf seemed unsure of himself too, not fully committing to his offense and feeling a step behind.
[B Block] OSKAR [4] vs HENARE [4]
Battle of the BIG BOYZ! OSKAR towers over HENARE and shoves him back, causing the strike fest to break out. Shoulder block takedown from OSKAR catches HENARE off-guard and he heads to the floor. OSKAR follows suit and whips him sternum-first into the barricade, but HENARE dodges a charge. To the apron, HENARE looks for a Full Nelson, OSKAR escapes but gets shoved off the apron to the floor.
A knee to the gut in the corner keeps HENARE in control. Senton connects, cover for 2. Back body drop by OSKAR to reverse a powerbomb attempt. Misses the leg drop! HENARE with a kick, caught, and OSKAR hits an elbow drop for a 2 count. Big boot from OSKAR, and both men begin to trade strikes again. Clubbing blows and chops to the chest. Lariat from HENARE doesn’t knock OSKAR down, but a second attempt does. HENARE Bomb attempt, OSKAR fights out of it and slaps the chest hard. Crescent kick, HENARE looks for a spear but OSKAR denies him with a spinning body slam and the leg drop for 2. Double Choke attempt, HENARE gets out of it, Full Nelson countered, Nightmare Sleeper! HENARE headbutts his way out of it, but OSKAR is right back to cinch it in deeper. Big boot from OSKAR, HENARE with the Hammerhead! 1, 2, NO. HENARE Bomb countered, headbutt from HENARE though, and now he does indeed hit the HENARE Bomb. 1, 2, 3!
Winner: HENARE
Time: 11:48
Rating: **3/4 – Perfectly decent encounter, with a slow start that built up with some nice strikes without ever feeling all that memorable.
[B Block] Yuya Uemura [4] vs Drilla Moloney [4]
Handshake exchanged between both men as the bell rings. Yuya is coming off the back of that fantastic match with Zack Sabre Jr this past Sunday. Uemura looks to get arm control early, before they go to a test of strength. Moloney wins it, tries to break the bridge of Uemura but can’t. Monkey flip, double pin and a double kickout. Floating arm drag from Uemura keeps his sights set on that arm of Moloney. Headscissors by Moloney, and he hits a short-range piledriver as Uemura attempts to escape, nice!
Rebound Crossbody from Yuya knocks down Moloney. Uemura looks for another arm drag but Moloney puts the brakes on to avoid. Both men have the same idea on arm drags, but it’s Uemura who rolls through and hits a dropkick. Single underhook suplex gets 2, and he transitions over into a cross-armbreaker attempt. Triangle submission, Moloney muscles him up and delivers a Death Valley Driver! Running shoulder thrust in the corner, Moloney goes up top, dives but rolls through and hits a spinebuster. Back to the top, Go To Hellbow, 1, 2, no. Uemura with a wristlock, Moloney whips him into the ropes to break it. Uemura looks for a Dragon suplex, Drilla elbows out of it, Yuya delivers a German instead! Drilla back up for a GOOORE! They exchange chops on their knees, battling to their feet, flying cross-armbreaker from Uemura, but Drilla again holds his hands tight to block it. Ripcord chop from Drilla, Pele from Uemura. Jumping thrust kick by Moloney, 1, 2, no. Drilla Killa attempt is countered, Yuya stacks him up, 1, 2, no. Pop-up powerbomb! DRILLA KILLA!! 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Drilla Moloney
Time: 17:50
Rating: ***1/4 – Passionate performance from Drilla, and Uemura is cooking right now, with a default level of busting out top notch work. Crowd were occasionally sitting on their hands which affected some of the drama, but the guys did well to bring them in for the finish.
[B Block] Zack Sabre Jr [2] vs Callum Newman [4]
ZSJ is fighting from the bottom here as the sole man in B Block with just 2 points. Hot start with both men going for big strikes, Zack avoiding some roundhouse kicks but barely. Hammerlock from Newman is reversed into a wristlock, but Newman reverses again into a strait-jacket choke. Neck crank from ZSJ, which is trouble for Newman with the injured shoulder and neck. Newman boots Sabre Jr off the apron and heads out after him, whipping him into the barricade. They trade big boots and now battle out among the fans. Newman takes the big run up, but instead of hitting the dropkick, he stops short and spits in the face of Zack. ZSJ bends the wrist of Newman around the barricade and traps it, then takes a page out of Callum’s back, taking a big run up and delivering a boot to the trapped hand against the barricade.
Newman gets back in the ring at 18 but Zack is ready for him and stomps the arm. He bends it back on the ring apron, stomping it for good measure. Hammerlock twist, working on the wrist and the shoulder there. Joint manipulation from Sabre Jr, and Newman tries to fight back with his other hand. Big boots traded once more, and they take each other down. Newman begins to build a head of steam with some kicks and knee strikes, drives Sabre Jr down with a suplex for 2. Excalibur double stomp delivered, 1, 2, no. Prince’s Curse attempt but no, ZSJ with a PK, Newman back up for the Make Way! ZACK DRIVER! We’re throwing bombs right now. Superkick by Newman! And he leaps into the sleeper. ZSJ breaks it by grabbing the wrist and rolls over into a submission, wrenching back both arms behind Newman. Additional pressure with the arm behind Zack’s head, but Newman rolls to get a foot on the ropes. Newman rips off the tape on his shoulders, but Zack is right there to boot him clean in the shoulder. Big slap in response. Series of kicks and strikes exchanged, EXCALIBUR! 1, 2, NO. Kiss the Crown! PRINCE’S CURSE! 1, 2, NO!
Newman gets ZSJ on his shoulders, looks for an F5 but ZSJ rolls right through into a crossface, transitions into an armbar! Triangle submission now… Newman to his feet, lifts him up, prawn hold! 1, 2, NO! Backslide by ZSJ, floats over into a tight cover, 1, 2, NOOOO!! Uppercut, kick from Newman, another F5 attempt, Zack counters once more, ZSJ kicks the arm, rollup by Newman!! Deep cover!! 1, 2, 3!
Winner: Callum Newman
Time: 20:12
Rating: **** – Newman is going to benefit tremendously from this year’s G1 if they continue to play up the legitimate story of him barely being cleared to wrestle before Night One. His shoulder is in bits, so it paints him as the underdog through the match, only for him to turn the cockiness way up in post-match promos when he somehow survives/thrives. Tight work from both men, with a fantastic focus on Callum’s shoulder in terms of strikes and submissions from Zack, and selling by Newman himself. And now Zack Sabre Jr will surely have a chip on his shoulder after that defeat.
[A Block]
Hirooki Goto – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Ryohei Oiwa – 2-0-0 [4 points]
Jake Lee – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Konosuke Takeshita – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Boltin Oleg – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Yota Tsuji – 1-2-0 [2 points]
Yuto-Ice – 1-2-0 [2 points]
Great-O-Khan – 1-2-0 [2 points]
Shingo Takagi – 1-2-0 [2 points]
SANADA – 1-2-0 [2 points]
[B Block]
Callum Newman – 3-1-0 [6 points]
Drilla Moloney – 3-1-0 [6 points]
Gabe Kidd – 3-1-0 [6 points]
HENARE – 3-1-0 [6 points]
Ren Narita – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Yuya Uemura – 2-2-0 [4 points]
OSKAR – 2-2-0 [4 points]
Aaron Wolf – 2-1-0 [4 points]
Zack Sabre Jr – 1-2-0 [2 points]
Shota Umino – 0-1-0 [0 points]
