By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 17”
August 14, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. Korakuen Hall is a sellout tonight.
* The round-robin portion of the G1 Climax is over! We have just six wrestlers in the playoffs. EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr., as winners of each Block, received byes into the semi-finals. So, we have two elimination matches tonight.
1. Taichi and Satoshi Kojima vs. Shoma Kato and Yoshi-Hashi. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Kojima wrestle in Japan. Taichi and Shoma opened. Kojima got in and traded blows with Kato. Kojima accidentally hit Taichi! He hit rapid-fire chops in the corner on Yoshi-Hashi at 4:30. Taichi accidentally hit Kojima! Charlton questioned how accidental that was! Kato hit a suplex on Kojima for a nearfall. Kojima hit a clothesline and pinned Kato. Taichi refused a post-match handshake from his teammate and left.
Taichi and Satoshi Kojima defeated Shoma Kato and Yoshi-Hashi at 7:02.
2. “House of Torture” Sanada, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Jado, El Phantasmo, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway, and they worked over Yano. Boltin finally tagged in and flipped Sanada around in his arms and hit his gut-wrench suplex at 4:30. Narita hit Jado in the back of the leg with his push-up bar, applied a leg lock, and Jado tapped out.
Sanada, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Jado, El Phantasmo, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano at 6:55.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Katsuya Murashima vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, and Callum Newman. Charlton and Stewart talked about Tanahashi being in a cage match at Forbidden Door. Charlton said the “designated jumper’ coming off the cage is Darby Allin. Funny. Tanahashi and O-Khan opened. Murashima hit a flipping senton. He got fired up doing air guitar until the UE snuck up behind him and attacked. Good humor. Yuya battled Newman, with Callum hitting a pump kick to the chest and a superkick at 6:00. Yuya hit a dropkick. Murashima hit a powerslam on Newman. Newman hit a top-rope doublestomp to the chest to pin Murashima.
Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, and Callum Newman defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Katsuya Murashima at 8:37.
4. Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai vs. “Bullet Club” Taiji Ishimori and Drilla Moloney. Ishimori opened against Nagai. Shingo hit a series of punches and jabs in the corner on Moloney at 4:00. Ishimori hit his Crucifix Driver on Nagai, applied the Bone Lock (modified crossface), and Nagai tapped out.
Taiji Ishimori and Drilla Moloney defeated Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai at 7:38.
5. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “House of Torture” EVIL, Douki, and Don Fale. Our first time seeing Douki on this tour. Everyone brawled to the floor at the bell, with EVIL battling Sabre. Charlton and Stewart noted that we could have an EVIL-Sabre final. Sabre tied Fale in a cross-armbreaker in the ropes. Sabre and EVIL traded offense in the ring, with Zack getting an O’Connor Roll for a nearfall. Fale and Hartley tagged in at 5:30 and traded massive shoulder blocks. Hartley tried to life Fale but couldn’t get him onto his shoulders. Hartley hit a senton on Fale for a nearfall. Douki hit Hartley in the head with a pipe. Fale hit a big elbow drop to pin Hartley!
EVIL, Douki, and Don Fale defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa at 7:03.
6. Konosuke Takeshita (w/Rocky Romero) vs. David Finlay (w/Gedo) in a G1 Climax elimination match. An intense lockup to open, and they switched to forearm strikes. They brawled to the floor, where Finlay speared Takeshita into the guardrail at 1:30, and that got a pop. He set up two tables on the floor. Takeshita hit a Mafia Kick to the face. In the ring, Finlay hit a chop block to the back of the knee, and he began working over Takeshita’s left leg. He hit a bodyslam with Takeshita’s leg landing on the ropes at 5:00. He hit a release suplex and applied a half-crab. Takeshita hit a brainbuster at 7:00, and they were both down.
Takeshita threw Finlay shoulder-first into the ring post; Stewart and Charlton talked about Finlay’s shoulder injuries in the past. Takeshita went for a top-rope senton splash, but Finlay got his knees up. David immediately hit a Northern Irish Curse (backbreaker over his knee) at 9:00. Finlay hit a clothesline to the back of the head for a nearfall. They got onto the ring apron, standing above the two tables that were set up early in the match. Takeshita CLOCKED Finlay with a forearm strike that popped the crowd. Finlay powerbombed Takeshita through both tables (side by side, not stacked) at 11:30. The ref began counting! Stewart said Finlay will gladly advance via countout!
Takeshita dove in at the 19-count. However, Finlay hit a Buckle Bomb, then a second one, at 14:00. Takeshita flipped Finlay into the corner, then he hit a Poison Rana and a Power Drive running knee for a nearfall. Finlay hit the Oblivion (neckbreaker over his knee), but Takeshita kicked out at one, so Finlay hit a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall. (The 15:00 call was late.) Finlay went for Overkill, but Takeshita blocked it. Konosuke hit a hard Mafia Kick. He nailed a standing powerbomb and another Power Drive, then the Raging Fire (twisting Falcon Arrow) for the pin. What a match!
Konosuke Takeshita defeated David Finlay at 17:12 to advance to the semifinals.
7. Yota Tsuji vs. Shota Umino in a G1 Climax G1 Climax elimination match. They twisted each other’s left arm early on. Shota hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Tsuji, then some European Uppercuts. They traded forearm strikes, and Tsuji hit a headscissors takedown, then a dive through the ropes onto Umino at 4:00. He whipped Umino into the guardrail, and they fought into the crowd. Tsuji got in first; Umino was selling a lower back injury as he rolled back in. Tsuji immediately hit a bodyslam and a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 6:00. He hit a gutbuster over his knee for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Shota hit a basement dropkick on the knee at 8:00.
Umino backed him into a corner and hit a series of strikes, then a running back elbow and a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he applied a crossface on the mat. Tsuji hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over the knee at 11:30. Umino went back to a Crossface, and he slammed Yota’s knee against the mat. Tsuji finally reached the ropes at 14:00 to break the hold. Tsuji hit a corner moonsault to the floor on a standing Umino, and this time, the 15:00 call was spot-on. Back in the ring, Tsuji dropped him with a hard, open-hand chop, then another.
Tsuji went to climb the ropes, but he slipped and sold the pain in his knee. Umino immediately slammed the knee, then he hit a back suplex and a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 18:30. Tsuji hit a headbutt, and they were both down. He hit a flipping powerbomb for a nearfall at 20:00, and he tied Umino in a Boston Crab and repeatedly sat down on the lower back, but Umino eventually reached the ropes. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Yota hit a Flatliner and a German Suplex at 24:30. He hit the Marlowe Crash (top-rope Stomp to the head) for a nearfall.
Tsuji set up for the Gene Blaster, but Umino side-stepped it and hit a German Suplex, then a hard running knee, then a running Shining Wizard for a nearfall. Tsuji got a backslide for a nearfall. He slammed Shota face-first and stomped on his head. Shota hit a clothesline, then another, for a nearfall at 27:00. Umino hit a shotgun dropkick. Tsuji hit a Gene Blaster (spear) for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it! They fought on the ropes, and Tsuji hit a Sliced Bread, then another Gene Blaster for the pin! Another excellent match.
Yota Tsuji defeated Shota Umino at 28:17 to advance to the semifinals.
* Yota got on the mic and said he needs to believe in himself. He told Umino that he knows they will do this again. He vowed, “I will carry New Japan Pro Wrestling.”
Final Thoughts: Two fantastic main events. I fully expected Tsuji to win, but I felt either Takeshita or Finlay could have won. The undercard was fine, but nothing really stood out, either.
The tournament takes a day off and resumes with the semifinals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.
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