New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/23/2026 Road to G1 Climax 36 Day 3

New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/23/2026 Road to G1 Climax 36 Day 3

El Desperado, Masatora Yasuda & Yuya Uemura vs. Taisei Nakahara, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano

Yano takes off a turnbuckle pad and boots Despy. Yano is sent into the exposed buckle. Yano hits him in the back of the head. Tai comes in and is back elbowed down by Despy. Tai hits chops on him and is dropped with a chop. Tai hits more chops and is chopped down again. 

Masa chops and slams Tai for 2. Tai hits chops on Yuya and is forearmed down. Tai boots him out of the corner and running forearms him. Tai dropkicks him. Togi tags in and shoulders over Yuya. Togi hits mounted corner punches on Yuya. Togi lariats him for 2. Togi and Yuya trade forearms.

Yuya armdrags Togi and dropkicks him. Yuya armdrags and dropkicks Yano. They trade forearms. Yuya hits chops then Togi lariats him. Yuya dropkicks Togi. Masa and Tai get in. Masa back elbows him and stomps him. Tai dropkicks him for 2. Tai slams him thne dropkicks Despy. Tai crabs Masa. 

Tai chops him and Masa back body drops him. Masa crabs Tai and submits him.

Thoughts: It wasn't too much of note. I liked the Yuya vs Togi section. Tai has some weak chops that he needs to work on. This was just average.

Yuya and Togi grab each other after. 

United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay) vs. Goto Revolutionary Army (Hirooki Goto, Tatsuya Matsumoto & YOH) & Ryusuke Taguchi

Zane teases starting this one but heads out. Young boots and clubs Yoh. Young chops him. Young's opponents make him run the ropes a few extra times then hit a double hip attack. RT hits hip attacks on Young. Zane messes up RT's hair and Rt is hit from behind. 

Khan throws Goto into the chairs. Lee puts RT in the paradise lock and kicks him in the butt for 2. Zane messes with RT's hair and counters his hip attack with an atomic drop. Zane then tries a hip attack and is atomic dropped. 

Goto comes in and running lariats Lee. He then suplexes Young onto him. Lee takes a running shoulderblock. Lee's back is triple clubbed by his opponents. Tat water wheel drops Lee for 2. Tat crabs him. Tat hits forearms on Lee. Jake knees him in the gut. Tat takes a triple fallaway slam (3 people hold him together and throw him). 

Tat side headlock takeovers Lee then rolls him up for 2. Lee running knees Tat. Khan then knocks Tat out with an iron claw.

Thoughts: It wasn't much. They had more people than time, so no one got to do much. Taguchi goofed around as usual and we barely saw any of Goto or Khan here.

Satoshi Kojima & Shota Umino vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa)

Oiwa hammerlocks Koji and Koji reverses it. Koji wristlocks him and they stand off. Oiwa shoulders him over. Koji hiptosses him and shoulders him over. Oiwa takes a double shoulderblock. Koji hits chops on Oiwa. Koji flying forearms him in the corner. Hart corner splashes Koji after he does it. Koji takes a double back elbow for 2. 

Hart clubs on Koji and elbow drops him for 2. Oiwa slams Koji and falling splashes him for 2. Koji hits mongolian chops on Oiwa. Koji cutters Oiwa. Shota comes in and flying back elbows Oiwa. Shota running forearms him. 

Shota hits forearms and chops on Oiwa. Oiwa forearms him back then gets pounded down into the corner. Shota running back elbows Oiwa and fisherman suplexes him for 2. Oiwa dropkicks Shota in the knee. 

Oiwa dragon screws Shota then figure fours him. Oiwa and Shota butt heads then trade forearms. Shota forearms him and is dropkicked in the knee. Oiwa kneebreakers Shota then Shota tornado ddt's him. Hart corner splashes Shota thne lariats him for 2. 

Hart powerslams Shota for 2. Hart lariats Shota and Shota lariats him down. Shota suplexes Hart and pins him.

Thoughts: It was an okay bout as expected. It's a shame it didn't get more time. The Shota/Oiwa exchanges were fun and Hart and Koji did what they do. 

House Of Torture (DOUKI, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Unbound Co. (Daiki Nagai, OSKAR, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji)

Yujiro slides out to avoid Oskar. He trips up Oskar and Oskar throws him in. Oskar chops down Yujiro and Yujiro blocks a slam. Yujiro is thrown hard into the buckles. Yota comes in and shoulders over Ren. Yota corner splashes him and is tripped from the outside. Yota is thrown out. 

Douki hits people with his cane outside then Shingo is thrown into the rails. Yota is triple teamed in the ring and has his face raked. Kanemaru yanks on Yota's leg then dropkicks him in the knee. Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Shingo flatliners Ren. Yota curbstomps Ren.

Shingo slams the heels. Kanemaru takes a suplex from Shingo for 2.  Douki stomps on Shingo. Shingo fights off a double team and double clotheslines the heels. Shingo chops Douki down. Douki uppercuts Nagai then gets pounced. Nagai corner dropkicks him for 2. Nagai slams him and Douki does the douki chokey. Oskar comes in and hits a slam. Yujiro bites Oskar's foot then Oskar facekicks him.

Nagai spinebusters Douki hard for 2. Nagai comes off the top, Douki does a douki chokey. Nagai has the ropes, Kanemaru breaks it, Douki puts the hold back on and wins.

Thoughts: It was a shorter one. That helped it and hurt it. We didn't get tons of HoT shenanigans because of it, but there were so many people involved that it didn't get the time. Nagai looked good here as he was fiery and he connected on his offense. Oskar also fired up a bit which was nice. It was average.

Yujro and Oskar tease fighting after.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Four Way Match - SHO vs. Master Wato vs. Francesco Akira vs. Kosei Fujita 

Sho talks on the mic before the match. Akira pulls him out and sends him into the rails. Kosei and Wato trade forearms. Sho trips Kosei from the outside and Wato facekicks Sho off the apron. Kosei step up enzugiri's Wato. Kosei kicks Wato in the back. 

Sho trips Wato chest first onto the apron. Kosei is stomped on by the heels. Wato is sent into the rails. Kosei takes a double back elbow for 2. Akira half crabs Kosei then Sho joins in. Wato double bulldogs them both. Wato flying back elbows Sho then he backdrops him for 2. 

Wato chops Kosei then tope con hilos Sho and Akira outside. Kosei springboard tope con hilos outside. Kosei and Wato trade forearms.  Kosei germans Wato. Wato TTD's Kosei for 2. We get a tower of doom spot with Kosei sending everyone down for 2. The four trade forearms.

Sho and Akira trade forearms. Kosei and Wato put stereo submissions on their opponents. Kosei lets go and slaps Wato to make him break his hold. Kosie and Wato slap each other. Kosei slaps Wato. Akira leg lariats Kosei. Wato slingblades Akira. Ren straightjacket piledrivers Wato for 2.

Sho hits forearms on Wato. Wato crucifix bombs him for 2. Kosei germans Akira for 2. Akira germans Kosei. Kosei germans him back. Wato lariats Kosei and Akira step up ennzugiri's Wato. Wato flips him with a lariat. Wato does a high german on Akira but Sho pulls the ref out so he can't count it. Douki comes in to help beat up Wato with Sho. Yoh tries to come in and is hit with a sign. Kosei hits Sho, Wato and Despy with the sign. Akira low blows Kosei then hits him with the sign. Wato cradles Akira. Akira meteora's Wato for 2. 

Akira buzzsaw kicks Wato then does an emerald flowsion match to win.

Thoughts: It wasn't the high flying juniors match you would expect. It was slower and it wasn't the most serious. We had some HoT interference as expected. I thought it went too long and was so-so.

Akira talks on the mic after and tells YOH to get in the ring. Yoh is out of it, comically and accepts a challenge from him. Akira then nails him and hits him with a title belt. Akira tells him his time is already over.

G1 Climax 36 Block B Play-In Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Aaron Wolf

Wolf trips him on an arm wringer attempt. Wolf backs him up on the ropes. Yoshi hits some chops. Wolf shoulder throws him and elbow drops him for 2. Wolf goes for the armbar and Yoshi ropebreaks. Wolf hits forearms and Yoshi bangs Wolf's leg off the post. Yoshi dropkicks Wolf's leg into the rails. 

Yoshi boots him in the leg inside then bangs his leg off the mat. They chop each other and Wolf shoulders him over. Yoshi dropkicks him in the knee then leglocks him. Yoshi chops him then Wolf powerslams him. 

Wolf running corner lariats him then suplexes him. Wolf elbow drops him for 2. Wolf slams him. Wolf misses a top rope splash. Yoshi basement dropkicks him. Wolf cradles him for 2. Wolf then does a low splash on him. 

Wolf throws him. Wolf hits a top rope splash for 2. Wolf does an anaconda vice and Yoshi ropebreaks. Yoshi gets a 2 count on him. They lariat each other. They do it again and Yoshi goes down. Wolf has him in the fireman's carry and swinging drops him. 

Yoshi forearms him then running lariats him. Yoshi superkicks him and suplexes him for 2. Yoshi switches to the legbar. Yoshi dragon screws Wolf's leg. Yoshi top rope swantons Wolf for 2. Yoshi dropkicks him in the knee and superkicks him. Yoshi running lariat s him for 2.

Wolf shoulder throws him into reverse triangle. Yoshi is out and Wolf wins.

Thoughts: It wasn't quite the epic it was made out to be, but it was okay enough here. Wolf worked the arm. Yoshi showed some fire and was solid as usual. It was nice to see Wolf with someone outside of House of Torture for a change. I'm not a big fan of the result. Yoshi's one of the best workers in the company and he would add a lot to the G1.

G1 Climax 36 Block A Play-In Match - Taichi vs. Yuto-Ice

They trade chops and forearms to start. They leg kick each other. Ice kicks him in the back then Tai kicks him in the back. Tai hits Kawada kicks then Ice hits Kawada kicks. They butt heads. Ice boots Tai in the corner. 

Tai superkicks him. Ice goes out and is sent into the rails. They go out and into the stands. Tai kicks him in the back there. They trade shots up in there aisle and Yoshi is kicked down the steps. Tai is sent into the post.

Ice running knees him in the face for 2. Tai hits leg kicks in the ring. Ice forearms him down and buzzsaw kicks him for 2. Ice slaps him and Tai blocks a kick. They trade forearms. Tai no sells his forearms then drops him with a big one. Tai hits spinning chops then chest kicks him.

Tai hits kicks to the back. They trade chest kicks. Tai enzugiri's him. Tai takes his pants off. Ice lariats him down and high kicks him. Ice barely hits a PK for 2. Tai hits a hard backdrop. They slap each other. Ice punches him down.

Yoshi forearms him down then running lariats him. Ice high kicks him. Ice pump kicks him from behind for 1. Tai brainbusters him. The ref does a 10 count on both but stops as there has to be a winner. They facekick each other. 

Tai buzzsaw kicks him and spinning forearms him. Tai hits a big lariat. Tai backdrops him for 2. Ice knees him in the face. Ice puts him in reverse tree of woe and kicks him as he hangs. Ice gets a 2 count on him. Ice running knees him for 2. 

Tai blocks a basement dropkick and sliding lariats him for 2. Tai gamengiri's him. Tai hits a big punch. Ice hits headbutts on him. Ice hits a big forearm. Ice pump kicks him and pins him.

Thoughts: It was acceptable but nothing more. It went too long, the pace was slow and they just never kicked it up to the next level. There was just too much strike trading here that didn't go anywhere. Like with Yoshi though, Taichi is now out of the G-1 and the G-1 will suffer because of it.

Ice talks on the mic after. He says he's happy to be a wrestler and has a smile on his face. He says he likes him a lot. He says Tai has a place and NJPW needs him. Ice tells Tai to keep an eye on his matches. Ice says it's his first G1 and says let's get high.

Overall thoughts: The first two matches were a waste of time. I liked what we got of Umino's tag match, but I would have liked to have seen it go about double the time it went. The House of Torture tag was average. The 4-way went long was nothing special. Wolf/Yoshi was okay enough. Taichi/Yuto went long and was only acceptable. I'd give it a 5 out of 10, but with some changes, it would have been higher. I thought it was average.