Ryohei Oiwa Credits His Style to Bret Hart and Ricky Steamboat, Says He Hopes Kaito Kiyomiya Wins NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY 2026

By: Ian McCord

G1 Climax 36 winner Ryohei Oiwa has been the talk of the town since winning New Japan Pro Wrestling’s hottest event of the summer back on August 16th.

The TMDK member’s performance in the G1 Final against Yuya Uemura caught the attention of many in the wrestling world. His emphasis on traditional strong style techniques has been refreshing in the ever-changing landscape that is professional wrestling.

Oiwa’s technical style was molded during his excursion to Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2023, where he learned from the legendary Yoshinari Ogawa. Oiwa was able to hone those skills while working alongside Kaito Kiyomiya, who he became close with while Kiyomiya was competing in the G1 Climax back in 2023. It would be at the end of that year’s tournament that Kiyomiya would ask Oiwa to join him back in his home of Pro Wrestling NOAH.

In a new interview with NJPW, it was noted that Kiyomiya was in the building for Oiwa’s G1 Climax victory, making the win feel like a full circle moment. Oiwa would go on to say that his excursion to NOAH was a very special time in his life, mentioning that he gets emotional just thinking about that time. Oiwa then stated that he hopes Kaito Kiyomiya, who is set to compete in NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY, can go on to win the round-robin tournament.

From Ryohei Oiwa:

“I could get pretty emotional thinking about it. I learned so much from Kiyomiya, just like with Yoshinari Ogawa in NOAH. I know the N-1 Victory tournament is starting up over there so I hope he comes through and wins it.”

Prior to chatting about his time with Kiyomiya and Ogawa, Oiwa credited his wrestling style to watching American stars such as Bret Hart and Ricky Steamboat:

“I learned a lot from watching old school guys in America as well, Bret Hart and Ricky Steamboat.”

When asked about wearing sunglasses during his entrance in the G1 Final, Oiwa simply stated:

“That was a Bret Hart tribute.”

It is safe to assume that Oiwa will have his eye on Kiyomiya in NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY which is set to begin on September 12th.

However, more importantly, he will have his eye on the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match between Yota Tsuji and Hirooki Goto on September 27th at NJPW’s Destruction in Kobe. Oiwa will face either Tsuji or Goto at King of Pro-Wrestling on October 12th at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo.

Image Credit: New Japan Pro Wrestling