u/ProWrestleMachine

I’ve been building a video series called プロレス MACHINE where I use real Japanese pro wrestling journalism to teach Japanese.

This episode is built around a Tokyo Sports article covering Ryohei Oiwa vs Jake Lee from G1 CLIMAX 36 Night 14.

The idea is not just to translate the article into English. I’m trying to show how the Japanese works in the order it is actually written and understood, then use the wrestling context to make the grammar and vocabulary stick.

This one gets into phrases like:
真夏の祭典 — literally “the midsummer festival,” often used for the G1
苦言 — criticism / admonishing words
思惑が交錯する — different intentions or agendas intersecting
集中砲火 — concentrated fire, used figuratively for sustained attacks on one target

There’s also a 日本語脳 section where the sentence is broken down in Japanese word order before giving the natural English meaning, plus separate vocabulary and grammar teaching.

The source material is actual wrestling reporting rather than textbook dialogue, which is really the whole point of the project.

I’d especially appreciate feedback from Japanese learners on whether the source-order breakdown is useful, and from wrestling fans on whether the language explanation adds something without getting in the way of the match/story.
I’m still refining the format episode by episode.

I’ve been building a project called プロレス MACHINE that uses real Japanese pro wrestling reporting as Japanese study material.

The newest episode breaks down a Tokyo Sports report on Ryohei Oiwa vs Hirooki Goto.

Rather than just throwing an English translation underneath the Japanese, I’m trying to show how the Japanese sentence actually builds its meaning. In this one I’ve started color-matching Japanese sense groups with their corresponding English meaning, which I think is making the structure much easier to see.

There’s also a vocabulary/grammar section covering things like:

真夏 — midsummer
祭典 — festival / major event
残り — what remains
全力 — full power / everything you have
つもりだ — intend to / plan to

The source is Tokyo Sports article 398519, so the Japanese comes from actual wrestling journalism rather than textbook dialogue.

I’m still refining the format episode by episode, so feedback from either Japanese learners or puroresu fans is very welcome.

Source image/article: Tokyo Sports

If you already know the Oiwa/Goto story, I’d especially be curious whether this kind of Japanese/English semantic coloring makes the original Japanese easier to follow.

Yuto-Ice scores his second G1 Climax 36 win by defeating Ryohei Oiwa, and we use the Tokyo Sports coverage of the match to learn real Japanese through pro wrestling.

In this episode of プロレス MACHINE, we combine 日本語脳 and 語彙・文法 to break the article down from two angles.

日本語脳 follows the Japanese in its original order, clause by clause, so you can start recognizing how Japanese actually builds meaning instead of translating everything backward into English.

Then 語彙・文法 digs deeper into the vocabulary, grammar, contractions, and wrestling-flavored language hiding inside the story.

We look at expressions including:

火元
the “source of the fire,” both literally and figuratively

絡む → 絡めば
how the ～ば conditional works in natural speech

言う → 言わせる → 言わせない → 言わせねえ
a full morphology ladder from “say” to “make someone say” to the rough spoken negative

利用させてもらう
a construction that can carry the feeling of “I’m going to make use of this / you”

All of it comes from Japanese wrestling journalism and the language surrounding Yuto-Ice vs Ryohei Oiwa in the G1 Climax 36.

If you want to learn Japanese through NJPW, puroresu, Tokyo Sports, and actual wrestling stories, this is exactly what プロレス MACHINE is built for.

Learn the story. Hear the Japanese. See how the grammar works.

MY GUY OIWA comes into his G1 CLIMAX 36 match with Great-O-Khan carrying plenty of damage, but he keeps finding answers. Tokyo Sports frames the win around Oiwa’s toughness, strategy, and ability to steal the match with technique.

In this episode of プロレス MACHINE, we work through the Tokyo Sports article on Oiwa vs. Great-O-Khan using 日本語脳.

The episode follows the Japanese in source order, with furigana, English scaffolding, match footage, and visual context to make the article easier to follow as Japanese.

Some of the language we look at includes:

満身創痍 — battered all over / carrying injuries everywhere
技あり — a judo-derived expression used here to praise the skill and craft behind the win
作戦 — strategy / game plan
language for counters, defense, pressure, and turning the match around
Oiwa’s Roy Clutch finish and the way Tokyo Sports describes the closing sequence

Match: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Great-O-Khan
Tournament: G1 CLIMAX 36, A Block
Location: Sendai
Date: July 21, 2026
Source: Tokyo Sports, Article 396668

If you’re learning Japanese and following New Japan Pro-Wrestling, this is a way to spend more time inside the language wrestling media actually uses.

Learn Japanese through pro wrestling.

I have my tin foil hat completely on, and its okay.
If these guys win their matches, and I believe they're in this order tonight, that will unlock a 7 way tie at 10 points in the B Block.

A big tie is not unprecedented, 2004 A Block had a 6 way tie, and NJPW built a mini table of the ties wrestler's records, that boiled the tie down to Chono and Nakamura that were tied for overall record. That called for an extra match, Nak beating Chono- one of my personal favorite G1 thrill rides.

This year has potential for not only 7 way tie at 10 points, but all seven would stay tied based on record in a min league at 3-3. The rules state that we gotta have 2 B Block Winners- We'd have to have a 7 man match or something to decide B2.

Also interestingly, there aren't prelim tag matches on the card, seem like they'd have extra time.

The implications of United Empire guys facing off in the main event with HENARE able to fulfill the 7 way tie would really be something to behold.

I don't know if this is what will happen, but I can't wait to see. They all going to fall to my guy OIWA anyways.

watchnjpwworld has been giving me an UNDER MAINTENANCE since Saturday night when I tried to watch Dominion live. It still says this today when I checked. Anyone else have problem and know how to fix?