New Japan Pro Wrestling announces G1 Climax 36 lineup and holds Sagamihara event

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) disclosed 16 of the 20 wrestlers slated for the G1 Climax 36 tournament. The first 14 names were revealed at the Dominion pay‑per‑view, while Henare and Great‑O‑Khan earned spots after capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The tournament will feature a round‑robin format with two blocks of ten competitors each, beginning on July 11 in Chicago and concluding on August 16 in Tokyo. The remaining four entrants will be decided in play‑in matches: Taichi vs. Yuto‑Ice (June 23) and El Phantasmo vs. Ryohei Oiwa (July 6) for Block A, and Yoshi‑Hashi vs. Aaron Wolf (June 23) and Oskar vs. Yujiro Takahashi (July 6) for Block B.

On June 21, NJPW staged the Road to G1 Climax 36 – Tag 2 show at Sagamihara City Gymnasium in Kanagawa. Highlights included Hartley Jackson defeating Masatora Yasuda & Taisei Nakahara, House of Torture beating Six Or Nine, TMDK overcoming United Empire, and Aaron Wolf, Satoshi Kojima & Shota Umino prevailing over the Goto Revolutionary Army. Additional bouts saw El Desperado’s team defeat Unbound Co., United Empire win another match, and Togi Makabe’s homecoming side beat House of Torture.