Ryohei Oiwa has reached the biggest milestone of his NJPW career by winning the 2026 G1 Climax.

The 27-year-old emerged victorious from Sunday’s tournament final, defeating Yuya Uemura in a showdown between two wrestlers appearing in the G1 final for the first time.

Oiwa and Uemura delivered a hard-fought encounter that also paid tribute to the tournament’s history. The match featured callbacks to former G1 winners, including Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who wrestled his retirement match one night earlier, as well as Tatsumi Fujinami and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

As the match entered its closing stages, Oiwa repeatedly looked to secure a crossface submission. Uemura continued to fight his way out, but Oiwa eventually locked the hold in tightly enough to bring the contest to an end and officially become the G1 Climax 36 winner.

Following the victory, Oiwa addressed the crowd with a brief celebration speech before being joined by his TMDK stablemates.

Oiwa also wasted little time revealing what comes next.

Following a path similar to TMDK mentor Zack Sabre Jr. two years earlier, Oiwa announced his intention to challenge IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling in October.

This year’s G1 Climax began last month in Chicago, where Tsuji defeated 2025 tournament winner Konosuke Takeshita in the opening night’s main event.

The tournament eventually came down to Oiwa, Uemura, Tsuji and Callum Newman in the semifinals.

Uemura earned his place in Sunday’s final by defeating Tsuji, while Oiwa overcame Newman to secure the other spot. Newman would also find himself involved in another major development during the finals event when he came face-to-face with the returning Jeff Cobb.

For Oiwa, the tournament victory represents another significant step in what has been a rapid rise through the NJPW ranks.

He graduated from the NJPW Dojo in 2021 before taking a less traditional route for his excursion. Rather than heading overseas, Oiwa continued his development with Pro Wrestling NOAH.

He returned to NJPW and became part of TMDK in 2024, establishing himself alongside Sabre and the rest of the group. Oiwa later teamed with Sabre to capture the 2025 World Tag League and has also held the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship.

Now, Oiwa can add G1 Climax winner to his résumé, with an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Tsuji potentially awaiting him at King of Pro Wrestling.