By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 14”
August 8, 2025, in Kangawa, Japan, at Yokohama Budokan
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. The host venue is a small arena; the lights were low, making it difficult to see the crowd.
* This year’s tournament features two Blocks with ten wrestlers per Block. It is a round-robin tournament, so each competitor will have nine singles matches over 19 shows in about a month. The top THREE in each Block will advance to the playoffs; the winner of each Block will have a first-round bye. Different this year is that A2 will face B3 in the playoffs, while B2 will face A3. (Last year, A2 faced A3 in a repeat of a match they could have had just days earlier, so I think this is a better format.) Wins are worth two points, and a draw is one point.
* Today, just the B Block is in action, plus preview tags. This is everyone’s eighth tournament match. El Phantasmo has been eliminated, and we’ll probably see one or two more eliminations today. Again, last year, wrestlers did reach the playoffs via a tiebreaker at 5-4, and I expect that will happen this year as well. A reminder that we only have four B Block matches because Gabe Kidd injured his leg on the opening night and has forfeited his final eight matches.
1. Taichi and Yasuda vs. Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg. Oleg worked over Yasuda early on. Boltin picked up Taichi for the Kamikaze, but Taichi escaped. Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick. Yano finally entered at 6:00 and battled Yasuda. Yasuda hit a Michinoku Driver. Yano hit a suplex. Taichi and Yaduda hit a team suplex on Yano. Yano rolled up Yasuda for the pin. Meh.
Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg defeated Taichi and Yasuda at 7:36.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “House of Torture” Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Oiwa and Sanada brawled into the crowd. In the ring, Hartley battled Kanemaru. Oiwa splashed onto Sanada, and Hartley hit his massive senton on Sanada for a nearfall at 6:30. Sanada hit a low-blow mule kick on Hartley. He got his guitar but did the ‘Eddie spot,’ tossing the guitar to Hartley and collapsing to the mat. The ref turned around, saw Sanada down and Hartley holding the weapon, and called for the bell.
Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa via DQ at 7:20.
3. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Jakob Austin Young vs. Yota Tsuji and Daiki Nagai. Stewart said Newman vs. Tsuji will be another first-time-ever matchup, and those two opened this match. Newman worked over Nagai. Tsuji entered and hit a splash on Callum. Tsuji hit a Gene Blaster (spear) to pin Young. Callum and Yota brawled after the bell.
Yota Tsuji and Daiki Nagai defeated Callum Newman and Jakob Austing Young at 5:33.
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima vs. “House of Torture” EVIL and Dick Togo. EVIL and Tanahashi opened. The HoT worked over Murashima; Stewart and Togo noted how the HoT fought fair and weren’t cheating. EVIL locked in a Sharpshooter, and Murashima tapped out. EVIL stood across from Tanahashi and offered a handshake, which was accepted. Will EVIL fight fair on the final night of G1?
EVIL and Dick Togo defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima at 5:42.
5. “Bullet Club” David Finlay and Gedo vs. Yuya Uemura and Tomoaki Honma. Finlay and Yuya opened. The BC worked over Honma. Yuya put Gedo in a cross-armbreaker, and Gedo tapped out.
Yuya Uemura and Tomoaki Honma defeated David Finlay and Gedo at 5:26.
6. Great-O-Khan (8) defeated Gabe Kidd (0) via forfeit due to injury. I’ve written this before, but Katsuya Murashima should have replaced Gabe Kidd for these final eight matches. They could have all technically been “exhibition” matches, with the points already in place for the G1 participants, but that would have been a better scenario.
7. Yoshi-Hashi (8) vs. El Phantasmo (4) in a B Block tournament match. They shook hands, and Yoshi-Hashi dropped him with a shoulder tackle. They fought to the floor. ELP missed a moonsault from the apron to the floor, but he landed on his feet, and he sold pain in his ankles. They got back into the ring at 3:00, and Yoshi-Hashi hit some chops. ELP hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes at 7:00, and Phantasmo hit a tornado DDT. He dove through the ropes onto Yoshi-Hashi. In the ring, he again went for a Lionsault, but Y-H got his knees up to block it, and they were both down.
Yoshi-Hashi hit a Dragon Suplex and a clothesline for a nearfall at 9:00, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. ELP dropped him with a superkick at 11:00. He hit a CR2 (modified Styles Clash) for a nearfall. ELP hit a Burning Hammer, then the Thunderkiss 86 (springboard frogsplash) for the pin. ELP has the forfeit win coming, so he will finish at 4-5 (8 points).
El Phantasmo (6) defeated Yoshi-Hashi (8) at 12:29.
8. Drilla Moloney (8) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (10) in a B Block tournament match. There were standing switches to open as they twisted each other’s left arms. They had a test of strength in a knuckle lock, and this was an extended feeling-out process. Drilla hit a powerslam at 5:00, and Sabre immediately rolled to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Sabre hit a series of European Uppercuts; Moloney dropped him with one hard forearm strike. Sabre snapped Drilla’s neck between his ankles at 7:30, then he locked in a straitjacket sleeper on the mat. Drilla caught him with a superkick at 10:00.
Moloney hit a jumping piledriver but didn’t make a cover! He hit a Gore for a nearfall. Sabre kicked him in the face and hit a series of European Uppercuts, then the Zack Driver for a nearfall at 12:30. He switched to a double armbar and twisted the left wrist. Moloney set up for a Drilla Killa, but Sabre blocked it. Sabre locked in a Triangle Choke, and Moloney tapped out. Sabre is the first person to reach 6-2.
Zack Sabre Jr. (12) defeated Drilla Moloney (8) at 14:13.
9. Ren Narita (w/Yoshinobu Kanemaru)(10) vs. Shingo Takagi (6) in a B Block tournament match. The HoT attacked Shingo as he walked to the ring. They got in the ring and we had a bell at 00:28 to officially begin. They went right back to the floor, where Narita whipped Shingo into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Shingo hit a senton at 2:30, and he applied a leg lock around Ren’s waist. Kanemaru pulled Shingo to the floor and attacked him. Ren and Shingo brawled into the crowd. Kanemaru jabbed a chair into the back of Shingo’s leg. Narita threw Shingo back into the ring at 5:30 and kept him grounded, wrapping the damaged leg around the ring post.
Shingo fired up and clotheslined Narita over the top rope to the floor at 8:00, and he now whipped Narita into the guardrails. In the ring, Shingo hit some jab punches in the corner and a suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. He hit a twisting neckbreaker at 12:00, then a top-rope superplex, and they were both down. Narita tied a leg lock on the mat, but Shingo reached the ropes at 14:00. Narita had a bloody nose. Shingo hit a standing powerbomb. Narita went for a Double-Cross (X-Factor), but Shingo avoided it, and Shingo hit a sliding forearm, and he went back to a rear-naked choke on the mat.
The bell rang at 15:30, and Shingo let go of the hold, but of course, it was just a Kanemaru trick. Shingo argued with the ref, thinking he had won. He blocked a Narita low blow, and he hit a Made In Japan (pumphandle powerbomb), but Kanemaru dragged the ref to the floor. Narita hit a Double-Cross. Shingo clotheslined Kanemaru. He hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Narita, then the Last of the Dragon (modified DVD) for the pin. Good action.
Shingo Takagi (8) defeated Ren Narita (10) at 17:37/official time of 17:09.
10. Shota Umino (8) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (10) in a B Block tournament match. They immediately tied each other up on the mat. Takeshita hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker at 3:30. Umino hit a fisherman’s suplex at 5:30. Umino stomped on him in the corner. He tied Takeshita in an STF at 8:00. Takeshita hit a DDT onto the ring apron at 11:00. They fought away from ringside, where Takeshita hit a brainbuster on the floor at 12:30. They got back into the ring, where Takeshita nailed a clothesline for a nearfall.
Umino hit a half-nelson suplex; Takeshita popped up and hit a German Suplex. Umino hit a tornado DDT at 17:00, and they both went down. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Takeshita nailed a Helluva Kick at 19:30, then a second-rope superplex. Umino hit his own second-rope superplex, then an enzuigiri and a running knee for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a forearm to the back of the head, and he applied a rear-naked choke on the mat. Takeshita let go of the hold to get a nearfall at 22:00, then he hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
Takeshita went for a running knee, but Umino blocked it. Takeshita hit a Tombstone Piledriver. Umino knocked him down with a clothesline, then another one for a nearfall at 24:30. Are we headed to a time-limit draw? Takeshita hit another brainbuster, and they were both down. Takeshita went for Raging Fire, but Umino got a rollup for a nearfall. Umino hit his own brainbuster for the pin! As hard-hitting and intense as promised.
Shota Umino (10) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (10) at 25:45.
Final Thoughts: An excellent main event, and I really started thinking around the 18-minute mark that we might see our first time-limit draw of the tournament. Sabre-Moloney was the technical, mat-based bout we all figured they would have. And Shingo got a needed win to at least get him to four wins. With just one day left in the round-robin Block action, the only guarantee we have is that Zack Sabre Jr. has made the playoffs at 6-2. Meanwhile, Narita, Takeshita, and Umino are all at 5-3 (10 points), so a win may get them into the playoffs, depending on tiebreakers. (Takeshita will face Narita, so the winner will also reach 12 points and get in.) Meanwhile, Shota will face Great-O-Khan; if Umino loses, I presume it opens the door for someone else to grab the third playoff spot.
The tournament takes an off-day on Saturday, then the A Block is back in action for their final tournament match on Sunday. The playoffs will take place over the course of next week.
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