Ryohei Oiwa Says His Ideal Scenario Is Defending IWGP Heavyweight Title Against Zack Sabre Jr. At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21

Ryohei Oiwa lays out his vision.

Ryohei Oiwa emerged victorious from the NJPW G1 Climax 36 tournament. With the win, he secured himself a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

On September 27th, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji will defend the belt against Hirooki Goto at Destruction in Kobe. The winner of that bout will go on to defend against Oiwa at King of Pro-Wrestling on October 12th.

At Oiwa’s post-G1 press conference (via Tokyo Sports), he said his ideal scenario is to win the title on 10/12 and then go on to Wrestle Kingdom 21 to defend against his T.M.D.K. stablemate, Zack Sabre Jr.

“My ideal scenario is for Zack (Sabre Jr.) and me to headline the Tokyo Dome. Since we didn’t get to face each other in this G1 either, I’d like to win at Ryogoku and challenge him. I’ve lost to him three times in the New Japan Cup and once in a TV Title match, so I want revenge—and I want to win there to repay him.”

Wrestle Kingdom 21 is scheduled for January 4th, 2027 at the Tokyo Dome.