By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 2”
July 10, 2025, in Hokkaido, Japan, at Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is the second straight night in this arena, and it appeared to be packed. Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary.
* 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.
* Like on Night 1, all 20 competitors from both Blocks are in action!
* Gabe Kidd, who was slated to wrestle in the main event, came out of the back on crutches, and his knee was heavily wrapped. Charlton said Kidd hurt his knee on a dropkick from Konosuke Takeshita early in the match on Saturday, but they continued the match. (I truly didn’t notice anything beyond what I presumed was normal selling.) Kidd said his knee is hyper-extended and he can’t go out there at 100%, and he is pulling out of tonight’s show. Kidd made clear he is not withdrawing from the entire tournament, and if he feels 100%, he will be back in the ring. (Chris Charlton is a superhero for translating all of this to the crowd.)
1. Zack Sabre (2) defeats Gabe Kidd (0) via forfeit in a B Block tournament match. Just putting this in writing to keep track of everyone’s point totals. Both men lost on Night 1 and really needed a win. Last year, Great-O-Khan did advance to the playoffs with a 5-4 record, but I wouldn’t guarantee that 5-4 will be good enough this year. Charlton sat back down and said he wasn’t expecting to speak in his second language in front of all these fans; he is fantastic.
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi (2) vs. Callum Newman (0) in a B Block tournament match. Walker said this is a first-ever singles match. Hiroshi immediately targeted the left knee and tied up Callum on the mat. Callum hit a slingshot senton at 4:00, but sold pain in his leg from this assault. Callum hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, then a Sling Blade for a nearfall. Callum went to climb the ropes, but his knee briefly buckled; he still hit a top-rope doublestomp for a nearfall at 6:30. Callum hit a running knee to the face for a nearfall, then a “Prince’s Curse” suplex for the pin. That wrapped up suddenly.
Callum Newman (2) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (2) at 7:31.
3. Shota Umino (2) vs. Drilla Moloney (2) in a B Block tournament match. They immediately charged at each other and traded forearm strikes. Drilla hit a brainbuster. They traded forearm strikes and chops. Drilla hit a dropkick at 5:00. Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Moloney hit a Gore for a nearfall at 7:00. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. They got to their feet and traded slaps to the face that got harder and harder. Shota clasped his hands behind his back (why do you do that???) and let Moloney slap him some more.
Moloney hit a running knee for a nearfall at 10:00. Drilla hit a superkick. Moloney set up for the Drilla Killa (swinging piledriver), but Shota escaped and hit a headbutt. Moloney hit a regular piledriver, but Shota powered back to his feet and looked deranged! Shota hit another headbutt at 12:00 and was fired up. They hit stereo clotheslines, and Shota hit a second one to drop Moloney. Moloney nailed the Drilla Killa for the pin! That’s a big upset, and I’ll reiterate that no one in NJPW has EVER kicked out of that finisher.
Drilla Moloney (4) defeated Shota Umino (2) at 12:32.
4. Ryohei Oiwa (2) vs. Boltin Oleg (0) in an A Block tournament match. They traded fireman’s carries at the bell. Oiwa targeted the left arm and shoulder. Oleg hit a one-legged dropkick at 4:00 but sold pain in his arm. He hit a better-looking dropkick, and they were both down. Boltin hit a Vader Bomb for a nearfall. He flipped Oiwa around in his arms and hit a gut-wrench suplex. Oiwa hit a dropkick and a back suplex, and they were both down at 6:00.
Oiwa splashed his body down onto the damaged left arm. This one has been methodical. Oleg hit a modified Cradle Shock slam. He set up for Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll), but Oiwa grabbed the ropes to escape, and he applied a sleeper at 8:00, then he got a German Suplex on Boltin for a nearfall. Oiwa hit a sit-out powerbomb. However, Oleg hit the Kamikaze for the clean pin.
Boltin Oleg (2) defeated Ryohei Oiwa (2) at 9:09.
5. Yoshi-Hashi (2) vs. Ren Narita (2) in a B Block tournament match. Yoshi-Hashi got an upset win over Shingo Takagi to kick off this year’s tournament, while Narita got a big upset win over Zack Sabre Jr. Ren attacked on the floor, and I started my stopwatch. Ren dragged Yoshi-Hashi past the guardrail and whipped him into rows of chairs. (And THIS is why I start the stopwatch at first contact!)
Back at ringside, Narita whipped him repeatedly into guardrails. They got in the ring, and we had a bell at 2:02 to officially begin. Ren immediately tried a pin attempt. Yoshi-Hashi hit a superkick. Narita hit a low blow mule kick, and was loudly booed. Ren went for another low blow, but Yoshi-Hashi blocked it, rolled him up, and got the flash pin! He wins another quick one! Narita continued a post-match attack. Yoshi-Hashi hit a low blow, which got a crowd pop.
Yoshi-Hashi (4) defeated Ren Narita (2) at 3:28/official time of 1:26.
6. David Finlay (w/Gedo) (0) vs. Sanada (0) in an A Block tournament match. Sanada has cooled off so much since he left being the leader of Just 5 Guys to become a Bullet Club myrmidon. Both need a win here. Walker noted this is the first time these two have fought since the infamous cage match (it led to Alex Coughlin retiring and Henare suffered major blood loss!) A feeling-out process, and Finlay hit the Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee at 1:30, and that popped the crowd. Sanada collapsed and sold a knee injury that no one in the arena was buying. Of course, he hopped up and attacked Finlay from behind and threw David to the floor. On the floor, Sanada whipped him into the guardrail.
They got back into the ring with Sanada in charge. He hit a Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall at 4:30, then a dropkick on the knee. Finlay hit a second Irish Curse and a series of clotheslines in the corner. Sanada hit a springboard dropkick, and they were both down at 7:00. Sanada set up for Skull End, but Finlay escaped. Sanada did a moonsault and locked in the Skull End dragon sleeper upon landing. Sanada let go of the hold, pulled Gedo into the ring by his beard, and tied him in a Paradise Lock. Charlton (rightfully) questioned this strategy, as Gedo hadn’t gotten involved. Finlay ducked a guitar blow and hit a spear. Sanada hit a Shining Wizard, and he set up for Deadfall, but Finlay blocked it. Finlay nailed Overkill (pop-up knee strike to the sternum) for the pin.
David Finlay (2) defeated Sanada (0) at 10:20.
7. Shingo Takagi (w/Daiki Nagai) (0) vs. Great-O-Khan (0) in a B Block tournament match. Standing reversals to open. Shingo tried a shoulder block, but O-Khan didn’t budge, so Shingo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. O-Khan hit a backbreaker over the knee at 1:30. They went to the floor, and O-Khan whipped Shingo into the guardrail and tied his head in the guardrail. In the ring, O-Khan hit some Mongolian Chops at 4:00. Shingo hit a clothesline to the back of the head, then a senton, but he sold pain in his neck. O-Khan stretched Shingo and applied a Claw over the face. Shingo hit a back suplex at 7:30 and another clothesline to the back of the head.
O-Khan dropped him with a clothesline, then a Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall. Shingo hit a DDT, and they were both down. Shingo hit a second-rope superplex and a sliding clothesline, then a Made In Japan (pumphandle powerbomb) for a nearfall at 9:30. O-Khan hit a Flatliner. Shingo hit a Dragon Suplex, and they were both down. Shingo hit a clothesline, then a Pumping Bomber clothesline for a believable nearfall. O-Khan hit a Superman punch and another jab punch to the jaw. He hit the Eliminator (Claw to the face, slam to the mat) for the pin!! Best match of the show so far. Walker said it’s the first time O-Khan has beaten Shingo in a singles match.
Great-O-Khan (2) defeated Shingo Takagi (0) at 12:11.
8. EVIL (w/Dick Togo and Don Fale) (2) vs. Yota Tsuji (w/Daiki Nagai) (2) in an A Block tournament match. Yota came out in a long jacket and hat; is that his twin brother, Charlton wondered? EVIL attacked as Tsuji got in the ring, and we had a bell just seconds later. Don Fale rolled into the ring and helped stomp on Yota. Yota low-bridged the top rope to send Fale to the floor. Yota hit a Flatliner and a Stomp on EVIL, and he set up for the Gene Blaster, but EVIL quickly rolled to the floor. Yota dove through the ropes onto Fale, but Fale caught him and slammed him back-first into the ring post at 2:00! EVIL slammed Yota back-first into the guardrail.
In the ring, EVIL applied a half-crab, but Tsuji got to the ropes at 3:30. On the floor, Togo hopped on Fale’s back, and Fale stood on Yota’s back! In the ring, EVIL was in charge and kept him grounded. They brawled up the entrance ramp, far from the ring, and EVIL hit a snap suplex at 6:30. EVIL applied a Sharpshooter, then he got into the ring. Yota had to get past both Fale and Togo to get into the ring before a count-out! In the ring, Yota slammed EVIL for a nearfall. Togo hit Yota; Yota struck Togo, and Yota dove through the ropes onto both Fale and Togo at 8:30.
Daiki Nagai jumped in the ring but accidentally(?) speared Yota! Yota hit a jumping knee in the corner, then a top-rope Stomp on EVIL. EVIL sidestepped a Gene Blaster, and he hit the Darkness Falls (powerbomb off his shoulders) for a believable nearfall. EVIL set up for Everything is Evil, but Yota escaped and hit a Gene Blaster. Yota charged for another Gene Blaster, but EVIL caught him and hit a faceplant for the pin! That was unexpected.
EVIL (4) defeated Yota Tsuji (2) at 11:08.
9. Konosuke Takeshita (w/Rocky Romero) (2) vs. El Phantasmo (0) in a B Block tournament match. I’ll point out that Romero wrestled on Saturday’s (taped) AEW Collision, but here he is, days after that was taped on Thursday. Romero said a few words on commentary; he’ll be joining Walker Stewart on commentary on an upcoming night when Charlton is unavailable. Standing switches to open. Takeshita knocked him down with a shoulder block. ELP got a backslide for a believable nearfall, and he hit a CR2 (modified Styles Clash) at 3:00! ELP set up for Thunderkiss 86 (springboard frogsplash), but Takeshita rolled to the floor to escape. So, Phantasmo dove onto him.
ELP tried a springboard body block to the floor, but Takeshita caught him with a forearm to the jaw! Takeshita hit a brainbuster onto the thin mat at ringside as the 5:00 call was spot-on, and the ref began counting ELP down. Phantasmo got back into the ring, but Takeshita hit some forearm strikes and was in charge. Takeshita went for a senton off the ropes, but ELP got his knees up at 7:30. ELP hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb and they traded forearm strikes while on their knees. They fought on the ropes in the corner. ELP hit a Frankensteiner. He went for Thunderkiss 86, but Takeshita got his knees up to block it.
Takeshita hit Raging Fire (spinning Falcon Arrow) for a believable nearfall at 12:30, and the commentators weren’t sure if they had seen anyone kick out of it before. Takeshita hit a running knee for a believable nearfall. ELP got a rollup for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex; ELP popped up and hit a clothesline for a one-count. He again set up for a CR2, but Takeshita blocked it and hit a Tombstone Piledriver. ELP hit a Poison Rana and a Canadian Destroyer! He hit the CR2 for a believable nearfall! ELP hit a second CR2! He then hit a Jay Driller for the pin. That was an exhilarating final five minutes and a very good match overall.
El Phantasmo (2) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (2) at 15:02.
10. Taichi (0) vs. Yuya Uemura (2) in an A Block tournament match. They immediately traded chops. Zack Sabre joined Charlton and Stewart on commentary. This is Taichi’s hometown. Yuya targeted the left arm. Walker made clear that “Just 4 Guys is no more,” and they are all just part of the babyface core. They stayed in first gear and traded mat holds. Yuya hit a Divorce Court armbreaker at 10:30. Yuya did a Dragonscrew Legwhip and applied a Trailer Hitch-style leg lock. Taichi hit a Saito Suplex at 13:30, and they were both down.
They got up and traded kicks and enzuigiris, and they were both down again; the 15:00 call was spot-on. Taichi hit a decapitating clothesline. Yuya hit a belly-to-belly release suplex. Taichi hit a standing powerbomb with a jackknife cover for a nearfall at 17:30. Yuya set up for Deadbolt, but Taichi blocked it. Taichi caught him with a superkick, and he was fired up. He hit Black Mephisto (Air Raid Crash) for the clean pin. A very good match; it started slowly but built nicely.
Taichi (2) defeated Yuya Uemura (2) at 19:01.
* Taichi got on the mic and noted his match was supposed to be the semi-main event, but he has won main event matches before. He said maybe he will continue to be in the main events. He then checked on Yuya, and his wording made the crowd laugh. He said that Yuya is undoubtedly the future of NJPW. He asked that they play the “Just 5 Guys” theme song, and he helped Yuya to his feet. Charlton sang his own lyrics to the theme. “I regret them using this song now,” Sabre said in response to Charlton’s singing. FUNNY.
Final thoughts: ELP-Takeshita was fantastic, and it just kept building and building, and that’s my pick for the best match of the show. I’ll go with Shingo vs. O-Khan for second, ahead of the main event. Of the first half of the show, Oleg-Oiwa was the standout for honorable mention. Worth pointing out that both of Yoshi-Hashi’s matches have been shorter than five minutes; he’s just not compelling to watch, so they are wisely keeping it short.
INJURY RANT: The perfect size of the G1 Climax field is 32 participants, like we had a few years ago. It’s just ideal. You have eight tournament matches each show, and no preview tags. Four Blocks of eight wrestlers each. It means each wrestler competes in seven tournament matches, not nine. But it also means the A and B Blocks would be in action in one show, and the C and D Blocks are in action in the next show. No preview tags, and days off for the wrestlers between shows. It also would have meant that for an injury like Kidd suffered… he’d have a few days off to rest up before his Block was back in action. For instance, he would have had Sunday off, and there isn’t a show on Monday, so he would have been able to rest until Tuesday.
Now, I’m aware of the argument against it — “Do you really want to see Chase Owens, Toru Yano and Yujiro Takahashi back in the field?” Well, no, I don’t. But you could expand the field by bringing back Kaito Kiyomiya, or bringing in other established stars from other Japanese promotions. You could bring in a few more top AEW names. (Who would argue with having Claudio Castagnoli miss a month of AEW if it meant getting to see him in a G1?) You could also consider a top U.S. indy star. (Who would argue with seeing Calvin Tankman or 1 Called Manders in a G1?) Point being… the argument was that the field being expanded to 32 dilutes the competition too much, and I just reject that notion.
Okay, rant is over. The tournament takes a day off on Monday, and resumes on Tuesday with the A Block in action, with Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji in the main event.
Why not bring in wrestlers from CMLL and RevPro too? I’d love to see Hechicero in a G1.