Yota Tsuji and Ryohei Oiwa Advance to NJPW G1 Climax 36 Semifinals
Wrestlers Yota Tsuji and Ryohei Oiwa have secured semifinal spots in the NJPW G1 Climax 36 tournament, finishing the A Block round-robin campaign with 12 points apiece following a three-way tie on August 12.
A Block Tiebreakers and Semifinal Qualification
The A Block concluded with a three-way deadlock at the top between Tsuji, Oiwa, and Konosuke Takeshita, who all finished with identical 6-3 records and 12 points. According to tournament results, Tsuji and Oiwa advanced due to holding vital head-to-head victories over Takeshita. Oiwa punched his ticket directly to the weekend’s final four by defeating Takeshita in the main event.
While Tsuji defeated Jake Lee to finish his block at 6-3, he required outside interference to seal his advancement. Great-O-Khan secured a countout victory over Oleg Boltin, handing Boltin a crucial loss that halted his tournament run at 10 points and eliminated his semifinal chances.
Tournament Standings and Schedule
The final round of B Block matches is scheduled for August 13 to determine the remaining semifinalists who will challenge Tsuji and Oiwa.
Following the conclusion of block action, the tournament observes a rest day on August 14 before the G1 Climax 36 semifinals commence on Saturday, August 15. The tournament finals take place on Sunday, August 16. The stakes for the winner remain clear: if Tsuji does not claim the tournament crown, the eventual G1 winner earns an automatic championship opportunity against the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Final Block Standings Breakdown
A Block finished with Yota Tsuji and Ryohei Oiwa leading at 12 points (6-3), followed closely by Konosuke Takeshita at 12 points (6-3). Oleg Boltin finished fourth with 10 points (5-4). Hirooki Goto, Shingo Takagi, Yuto-Ice, and SANADA all finished with 8 points (4-5). Jake Lee and Great-O-Khan rounded out the bottom of the block with 6 points (3-6).
B Block remains tightly contested heading into the final night of round-robin matches. Ren Narita, Callum Newman, Yuya Uemura, Gabe Kidd, and Drilla Moloney are deadlocked with 10 points. HENARE, OSKAR, Aaron Wolf, and Zack Sabre Jr. trail closely with 8 points, while Shota Umino withdrew from the tournament earlier due to injury.