By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 12”
August 5, 2025, in Osaka, Japan, at Intex Osaka Hall5
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Rocky Romero provided commentary. This is a small arena; the lights are low so I can’t really 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 seventh tournament match. El Phantasmo, at 1-5, has been eliminated, but everyone else is still alive. 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. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Jakob Austin Young vs. Taichi and Yasuda. Callum beat up Yasuda early on. Yasuda hit a dropkick at 3:30. Taichi tagged in and hit some kicks on Newman. Young tagged in at 5:30 and battled Yasuda. Young hit the “Jakob’s Ladder” (Sliced Bread out of the corner) to pin Yasuda.
Jakob Austin Young and Callum Newman defeated Taichi and Yasuda at 7:58.
2. “House of Torture” EVIL and Dick Togo (w/Don Fale) vs. Boltin Oleg and Toru Yano. Before the bell, EVIL invited Boltin to join the House of Torture, and he handed Oleg a T-shirt. Oleg put it on! However, he hit a shotgun dropkick on EVIL, and we’re underway. Oleg flipped Togo around in his arms, and Rocky laughed, saying, “he picked him up like a child!” Oleg easily hit a gut-wrench suplex, and he finally ripped off the HoT T-shirt. Togo hit a senton. EVIL entered, and he choked Oleg with a chain. Yano entered at 3:30, and he removed turnbuckle pads, and Togo crashed hard into the exposed corner. Fale hopped on the apron, but Oleg clotheslined him back to the floor. Oleg hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Togo. Yano hit a low-blow uppercut on Togo, rolled him up, and got the flash pin.
Boltin Oleg and Toru Yano defeated EVIL and Dick Togo at 5:00 even.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima vs. “House of Torture” Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Sanada and Tanahashi went to open, but Kanemaru attacked Hiroshi from behind. Sanada and Hiroshi brawled into the crowd. In the ring, Sanada hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 3:30, but he missed a moonsault, and Tanahashi immediately hit a Sling Blade clothesline. Murashima entered and hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Kanemaru for a nearfall. Kanemaru applied a half-crab and kept the leg tied up until Murashima tapped out.
Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima at 6:27.
4. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa vs. Shoma Kato and Yuya Uemura. Oiwa and Yuya opened with basic reversals. Hartley got in and hit a running splash in the corner on Yuya at 3:00. Yuya and Shoma hit a team back suplex on the massive Hartley for a nearfall. Hartley hit his big crossbody block on Kato, then a senton for a nearfall, but Yuya made the save. Hartley hit a clubbing clothesline for a nearfall, then the Jagged Edge (Death Valley Driver) to pin Kato.
Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Shoma Kato and Yuya Uemura at 5:58.
5. Yota Tsuji and Daiki Nagai vs. “Bullet Club” David Finlay and Gedo. Daiki and Gedo opened. Finlay entered and hit a senton at 1:30 on Nagai, and he tied him in a Boston Crab. Yota got the hot tag at 4:00 and battled Finlay. Finlay hit the Northern Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee. Nagai hit a dropkick on Finlay at 5:30. Finlay hit the Oblivion (neckbreaker over his knee) for the pin on Nagai.
David Finlay and Gedo defeated Yota Tsuji and Daiki Nagai at 6:35.
6. Shota Umino (8) defeated Gabe Kidd (0) via forfeit in a B Block tournament match. Again, just putting this here to keep track of everyone’s points. So, after a slow start, Shota improves to 4-3 and remains in the playoff mix.
7. Yoshi-Hashi (8) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (8) in a B Block Tournament match. Takeshita hit a flying forearm. They rolled to the floor at 2:00, where Takeshita whipped him into the guardrails. In the ring, he put Yoshi-Hashi in a half-crab. Stewart said this is a first-time-ever singles match. Konosuke applied a standing Cobra Clutch and dragged Y-H to the mat. Yoshi-Hashi hit a basement dropkick to the knee as the 5:00 call was spot-on, and he hit a standing neckbreaker. Takeshita began targeting Yoshi-Hashi’s knee. Yoshi-Hashi hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker at 8:00. They began trading chops and forearm strikes. Yoshi-Hashi hit a Dragon Suplex.
Takeshita hit his jumping Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall at 10:00, then a decapitating clothesline. Takeshita went for Raging Fire, but Yoshi-Hashi turned it into a DDT! Nice move! Yoshi-Hashi hit a standing powerbomb with a jackknife cover for a nearfall at 12:00. Takeshita hit an Exploder Suplex, then a second one, for a nearfall. Yoshi-Hashi hit a neckbreaker over his knee and a fisherman’s buster for a believable nearfall at 13:30. He hit a hard clothesline and was fired up. He hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall! When’s the last time he did that? Takeshita caught him with a running knee for a nearfall at 15:00, then the Raging Fire (twisting Falcon Arrow) for the pin. That was really good. Takeshita is the first person in the tournament to reach 10 points!
Konosuke Takeshita (10) defeated Yoshi-Hashi (8) at 15:21.
8. Ren Narita (w/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (8) vs. Great-O-Khan (6) in a B Block tournament match. O-Khan came out first; Ren ran up behind him and attacked, and I started the stopwatch at first contact. They made their way to ringside, and Narita whipped him into the guardrail, then into rows of chairs. They got in the ring and we had a bell to officially begin at 2:30. Ren stomped on a damaged left knee, and O-Khan was defenseless on the mat. O-Khan got up and tossed Narita across the ring at 6:00, but he collapsed and sold the pain in his knee. O-Khan applied an Anaconda Vice on the mat; the bell rang at 8:00 and O-Khan let go of the hold, but of course, it was just a House of Torture Trick. Narita went back to targeting the damaged left knee as he twisted it on the mat.
O-Khan hit a scoop Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall, and they were both down at 10:30. Kanemaru distracted the ref, and Narita hit O-Khan in the back of the leg with his push-up bar. Narita twisted the leg and O-Khan was about to submit. The bell rang again at 12:20, but this time it was Jakob Austin Young who did it! O-Khan nailed a Flatliner, but he couldn’t hit the Eliminator. O-Khan pushed Narita away, and Ren accidentally struck the ref. Young battled Kanemaru, keeping him from interfering. Narita sprayed whiskey in O-Khan’s face, hit a low blow, and the Double-Cross (X-Factor) for a believable nearfall. Narita reapplied a leg lock, and this time, O-Khan tapped out. Maybe my least favorite match of the entire tournament. Rocky said that O-Khan “never got started tonight.”
Ren Narita (10) defeated Great-O-Khan (6) at 15:09/official time of 12:39.
* Walker Stewart now acknowledges what I wrote the other day — El Phantasmo is mathematically eliminated. As I explained previously… due to Gabe Kidd’s 0-9 record, it guarantees that at least five competitors will finish 5-4 or better, so ELP, at 2-5, was eliminated.
9. El Phantasmo (2) vs. Drilla Moloney (8) in a B Block tournament match. They charged at each other at the bell, and ELP hit a huracanrana, then a dive through the ropes onto Moloney. ELP hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on a standing Moloney. He went for a Lionsault, but Moloney got his knees up, and Drilla hit a Gore for a nearfall, and he set up for the Drilla Killa, but ELP escaped. Drilla hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Drilla hit a second-rope Cradle Shock for a nearfall. ELP again avoided a Drilla Killa and they traded rollups. Drilla hit a sit-out piledriver at 3:30. ELP hit some superkicks and a second-rope Canadian Destroyer, then the CR2 (modified Styles Clash) for a believable nearfall. ELP hit a second CR2, then a Jay Driller. He nailed the Thunderkiss 86 (springboard frogsplash) for the pin. After the slog of the prior match, this was just a sprint!
El Phantasmo (4) defeated Drilla Moloney (8) at 5:12.
10. Zack Sabre Jr. (8) vs. Shingo Takagi (6) in a B Block tournament match. They immediately traded fast-paced reversals on the mat. They got to their feet at 2:00, and Shingo hit some forearm strikes. Shingo began twisting his left ankle. Sabre tied up the legs in a pretzel as they’ve kept this mostly on the mat in the early going. Shingo hit a DDT at 8:00, and they were both down. He peppered Sabre with punches in the corner and hit a snap suplex and a senton. He went for a sliding clothesline, but Sabre caught the arm and snapped the elbow between his ankles at 10:00, and they were both down. Sabre stomped on the damaged elbow and took control, and we heard some boos!
Sabre now snapped Shingo’s neck between his ankles. Shingo hit a second-rope superplex, and they were both down at 13:30. Shingo hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head, then the Made In Japan (pumphandle powerbomb) for a nearfall, but he sold the pain in his knee. Sabre nailed the Zack Driver. He hit a series of punt kicks to the chest, but Shingo hit his own Zack Driver, then a Burning Dragon (Death Valley Driver) for a nearfall at 16:30. Sabre hopped on his back and applied a sleeper (that’s how he beat Takeshita!), and Shingo fell backward to the mat, but Sabre kept it locked on.
Sabre hit a kick to the head and a tornado DDT, then a second Zack Driver for a nearfall. He applied a mid-ring knee bar at 18:00, but Shingo got to the ropes. They got up and traded clotheslines and the 20:00 call was spot-on. Shingo hit a diving forearm and a decapitating clothesline. Shingo nailed the Last of the Dragon for a believable nearfall, but a second later, Sabre rolled him over and got the flash pin! That’s a shocking reversal. Walker noted that Shingo is eliminated; even if he wins out, he won’t advance due to tie-breakers.
Zack Sabre Jr. (10) defeated Shingo Takagai (6) at 20:52.
* In a rarity, Sabre grabbed his belt and stormed to the back… he didn’t address the crowd like the winner of the main event almost always does. Backstage, Sabre gave a profanity-filled promo, vowing he was winning the G1.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event. In my ‘pick-em pool,’ I actually had Shingo finishing this year’s tournament at 4-5, just because I figured Kidd, Sabre, Takeshita, and Umino were going to have winning records. That said, I thought Shingo was pulling this win off to keep him alive for another day. I can’t reiterate enough how quickly that changed, from Shingo hitting his finisher, Sabre kicking out, and immediately getting the rollup win. The crowd so desperately wanted Shingo to win, they were dumbfounded and shocked. Takeshita continues to bring out the best of every opponent, and that was the case here against Yoshi-Hashi.
The O-Khan-Narita match was dull. The beatdown just went on, for minute after minute, with O-Khan getting almost no offense in. Throw in the usual HoT shenanigans, and I just couldn’t wait for it to end. O-Khan is essentially a heel, so the crowd just sat there and didn’t rally for him. If you have a heel-heel match, they just need to slug it out…. you aren’t going to garner sympathy in a beatdown.
After an off-day, the tournament returns to Korakuen Hall in Tokyo (which means the return of Chris Charlton!) on Thursday, with the A Block in action and a headlining match of Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay.
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