By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 15”
August 10, 2025, in Gunma, Japan, at G Messe Gunma
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. The venue is a small arena; the lights are low, so I can’t really see the crowd. The lighting over the ring was good.
* 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 A Block is in action, plus preview tags. This is everyone’s ninth and final tournament match, so we’ll know by the end of this show which three competitors have reached the playoffs. So far, only two men (Sanada, Taichi) have been eliminated.
1. “Bullet Club” Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori vs. Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai. Shingo and Drilla opened. Nagai hit a spinebuster on Ishimori and went for a Boston Crab, but Ishimori blocked it. Ishimori put Nagai in a Bone Lock (modified crossface) and Nagai tapped out.
Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori defeated Shingo Takagai and Daiki Nagai at 7:26.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson vs. Shoma Kato and Yoshi-Hashi. Hartley hit a missile dropkick to open the match. Shoma tried to lift the massive Hartley but he couldn’t budge him. Sabre entered and immediately applied a half-crab on Shoma. Yoshi-Hashi got in and hit a clothesline in the corner on Sabre, then a DDT for a nearfall at 3:30. Sabre hit a Pele Kick to Yoshi-Hashi’s shoulder. Shoma tied up Hartey’s leg on the mat, but Jackson reached the ropes. Hartley hit his massive crossbody block at 6:00. He caved in Kato’s chest with a senton for a nearfall, then the Jagged Edge (Death Valley Driver) for the pin.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson defeated Shoma Kato and Yoshi-Hashi at 7:27.
3. Shota Umino and Katsuya Murashima vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young. Stewart explained all the tiebreakers that would get O-Khan into the playoffs, but it sure seems unlikely. Shota opened; O-Khan tagged out before he locked up. Young and Murashima fought in the ring. O-Khan whipped Shota into a guardrail at 2:00. Katsuya nailed a running shoulder tackle that sent O-Khan flying. Umino hit a fisherman’s suplex on O-Khan for a nearfall at 5:30. Katsuya hit a running Bulldog Powerslam on O-Khan. O-Khan hit a scoop Tombstone Piledriver on Katsuya, then tied him up on the mat, and Murashima tapped out.
Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young defeated Shota Umino and Katsuya Murashima at 7:32.
4, Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The HoT came out first; they attacked from behind as Takeshita entered the ring, and we’re underway. The HoT worked over Rocky in their corner. Takeshita entered and hit a flying clothesline on Narita at 3:30. Narita hit an Exploder Suplex. Rocky dropped Narita with a jumping knee at 6:00, but he couldn’t hit a Sliced Bread. Kanemaru hit a chop block on Rocky; Narita immediately tied Romero in a Figure Four, and Rocky tapped out.
Ren Narita and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero at 6:34.
* Hartley Jackson joined commentary. I’ve noted before that Hartley sounds exactly like you’d expect, with a deep gruff voice with that thick Australian accent. But I’ll note he often vanishes for long stretches at a time; Walker needs to constantly prod him to be part of a conversation. I’ll note that Gedo’s 50-50 booking style means a person trailing in points almost always wins on the final night… so virtually everyone will finish 4-5 or 5-4.
5. Taichi (6) vs. Boltin Oleg (8) in a B Block tournament match. Again, Taichi is already eliminated. Oleg is 1-0 in a prior match against Taichi. Oleg knocked him down early on. He flipped Taichi around in his arms and hit a gut-wrench suplex, then a backbreaker over his knee at 3:00. Taichi hit an enzuigiri and they were both down at 5:30. Taichi hit a back suplex, then an Ax Bomber clothesline for a nearfall at 8:00. Oleg hit a dropkick and a Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll).
Taichi popped up and hit a superkick to the chin. He hit a roundhouse kick to the head for a believable nearfall, and the 10:00 call was spot-on. Oleg hit an F5 Slam; Walker called it “The Verdict.” He again went for a Kamikaze, but Taichi escaped and got a few rollups. Oleg hit a standing powerbomb and another Kamikaze for the pin! I’m surprised, as I expected Gedo’s 50-50 booking to aid Taichi here. It is still unclear if 5-4 will get Oleg into the playoffs due to the tiebreakers…
Boltin Oleg (10) defeated Taichi (6) at 12:15.
6. Sanada (6) vs. Ryohei Oiwa (8) in a B Block tournament match. Another first-time singles match; a reminder that Sanada was already eliminated. Basic mat reversals early on. Sanada missed a plancha to the floor at 4:00. Sanada hit the Magic Screw (spinning neckbreaker) off the apron to the thin mat on the floor. He rolled Oiwa back into the ring and hit a regular Magic Screw off the top rope for a nearfall. Oiwa missed a top-rope frogsplash. Sanada went for a moonsault at 7:00, but Oiwa got his knees up to block it. Sanada went for Skull End, but OIwa escaped, and Ryohei hit a German Suplex for a nearfall.
Sanada hit a Shining Wizard to the back of the head, then another one to the face. He set up for Deadfall but Oiwa blocked it. The ref got bumped in the corner, and Sanada immediately hit a low-blow mule kick and got booed. He rolled to the floor and got a guitar. Oiwa applied a sleeper; Sanada kicked the ref, then hit a second low-blow mule kick. He cracked the guitar over Oiwa’s head and got the tainted pin. Lame finish and a deeply disappointing G1 for Sanada. I don’t just mean him going 4-5; a guy who was champion a year ago barely had a good match in nine opportunities. Oiwa is also eliminated at 4-5.
Sanada (8) defeated Ryohei Oiwa (8) at 10:36.
7. Callum Newman (8) vs. Yota Tsuji (8) in a B Block tournament match. Stewart said that with Oleg’s victory, Newman is eliminated, even if he wins here. Callum charged at the bell and attacked Yota. Yota hit a snap suplex on the thin mat at ringside, and he whipped Nemwan into the guardrail at 1:00, and they immediately went past the barricade and into the crowd. They got back into the ring, and Yota hit a sliding dropkick on Callum’s stomach. Newman immediately began selling pain in his ribs. Walker said this is yet another first-time-ever singles match; he reiterated that Callum is still just 22 years old.
Callum hit a running penalty kick for a nearfall at 4:30. Yota hit a Stomp to the head for a nearfall. Newman hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall at 7:30. Yota hit a short-distance Gene Blaster (spear) for a nearfall at 9:30 and they were both down. He hit a Marlowe Crash (top-rope Stomp to the head) and set up for another Gene Blaster, but Newman collapsed to the mat. Yota hit a spinning sit-out powerbomb for the decisive win. With Tsuji’s win, Oleg is now eliminated via the tiebreaker.
Yota Tsuji (10) defeated Callum Newman (8) at 11:17.
* At the conclusion of the preview tag on Friday, EVIL shook Tanahashi’s hand and seemed to indicate he would ‘fight fair.’ No one believes that, of course, but it adds a new wrinkle to this match.
8. EVIL (10) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) in a B Block tournament match. They immediately tied up each other’s left arms. An EVIL win would guarantee him a spot in the playoffs now, as only he and Yuya could possibly reach 12 points. EVIL hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 2:30, and he targeted Hiroshi’s legs. EVIL hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Walker just noted that the House of Torture has not broken a single rule in the first five minutes, playing up EVIL’s vow to ‘fight fair.’ Tanahashi hit his second-rope somersault senton. EVIL tied up Tanahashi in a modified Figure Four. He hit a Darkness Falls sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 7:30.
EVIL tied Tanahashi in a Sharpshooter. They got up and traded forearm strikes. EVIL couldn’t hit his Everything is Evil uranage. Tanahashi hit a sling blade at 10:00, but he missed a High Fly Flow frogsplash. Dick Togo and Don Fale headed to ringside and were heavily booed. “We don’t need this!” Walker shouted. They slid a chair into the ring, but EVIL doesn’t want it! EVIL threw powder into Tanahashi’s eyes! “Dammit! What is EVIL doing!” Walker shouted. The ref got bumped. Togo and Fale jumped in the ring and stomped on Tanahashi. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to the groin, and Fale hit the Grenade (heart punch). EVIL then hit the Everything is Evil (uranage) for the pin! “A heartbreaking loss,” Walker said. EVIL is in the playoffs!
EVIL (12) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) at 12:49 to advance to the playoffs.
* EVIL got on the mic and called Tanahashi an “idiot” for believing they would have a fair fight. “We’ve all been duped,” Stewart said. (No one over the age of 7 was duped, other than Walker Stewart. We all knew EVIL was going to cheat, right?) ALSO, Walker just confirmed that EVIL’s win has moved Yota Tsuji into the playoffs as well. (If Tanahashi had won, he would have eliminated Yota, as Tanahashi shocked me and everyone by pinning Yota earlier in this tournament.)
9. Yuya Uemura (10) vs. David Finlay (8) in a B Block tournament match. So, the final playoff spot comes down to the winner of this match. Standing switches to open; Walker said they’ve fought once before, in the USA in 2021. They briefly brawled on the floor, but got back in, and Finlay kept Yuya grounded in a chin lock. Yuya hit a second-rope crossbody block, and they were both down at 7:00. He hit some deep armdrags and a dropkick, and he was fired up. He hit a back suplex for a nearfall. He clotheslined Finlay over the top rope, and they both collapsed to the floor at 9:00.
Finlay hit a running powerbomb against the ring post, and that drew a crowd reaction. Yuya got in the ring before a count-out, but David kept him grounded and was in charge. Finlay hit an Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee at 11:30. He set up for a powerbomb over the top rope, but Yuya held onto the ropes, while David flipped over the ropes and crashed to the floor. Back in the ring, Yuya targeted the left elbow, and he applied a cross-armbreaker, but Finlay got an arm on the ropes at 14:30. Yuya hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. Finlay hit a second backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall.
Finlay nailed a Dominator (swinging faceplant) for a believable nearfall. He went for Overkill, but Yuya caught the knee and hit two Dragonscrew Legwhips, and he went back to a cross-armbreaker! Nice. Yuya switched to a Rings of Saturn at 18:00, and Finlay screamed in pain but refused to submit. Yuya switched to having one arm and one leg tied behind David’s back, but Finlay finally got to the ropes. (I feel this one could go either way at this point!) Yuya hit a double-underhook suplex at 20:00.
Finlay hit a pop-up powerbomb and a standing powerbomb for a nearfall, then Oblivion (neckbreaker over his knee) for a nearfall. Yuya nailed a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall, then a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall at 22:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. This has really been good. Yuya set up for a Deadbolt, but Finlay hit a headbutt to escape. Finlay hit two consecutive Overkills (pop-up knee strike to the sternum) for the pin! “David Finlay has done it!” Stewart shouted. A tremendous match.
David Finlay (10) defeated Yuya Uemura (10) at 22:58 to advance to the playoffs.
“What did I tell you guys,” Finlay said as he grabbed the mic. “This is the year the savage king takes his crown!” Gedo then said a few words in Japanese.
Final Thoughts: What a tremendous main event. I truly felt either man could win. With so much at stake – the final playoff spot! – both men elevated their game, and this crowd was 100% into it. Finlay started 1-4 and another loss would have eliminated him, but he went on a 4-0 run to complete his comeback. Wow.
Definitely some surprises here. I had in my mind, since the tournament brackets were revealed, that Tanahashi was going to win on the final night of his G1 career to keep EVIL out of the playoffs. I truly had not even considered for a second that EVIL would win that one! Likewise, I just expected Taichi to win so he wouldn’t be the only guy to finish at 3-6. Even though they didn’t reach the playoffs, Yuya and Boltin Oleg had good runs to finish at 5-4. (Again, Gedo’s parity booking means we had just EVIL at 6-3, four guys at 5-4, four guys at 4-5, and Taichi at 3-6). I’ll reiterate what I wrote before he uttered a word… Hartley just vanished for minutes at a time, forgetting he was there to provide insight and commentary. Luckily, Walker Stewart is so good, he carried the load.
The B Block has its ninth and final round-robin match on Wednesday featuring Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ren Narita; the winner will improve to 6-3 and guaranteed to join Zack Sabre Jr. in the playoffs. The playoffs will then begin as we barrel toward the finale.
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