By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 35 – Night 19”
August 17, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Ariake Arena
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. The venue is on par in size with an NBA arena. Mid-show, Charlton estimated the crowd at 8,000 to 9,000, and I can’t argue with that figure.
* After 18 shows over nearly a month, we have reached the finals of the G1 Climax! EVIL was definitely a surprise winner over Yota Tsuji on Saturday, while Konosuke Takeshita defeated IWGP Champion Zack Sabre Jr. So, our main event is Sabre vs. EVIL! I never looked on the NJPW website on Saturday to see if a lineup was posted, so every match (except the finals!) will be a mystery to me.
1. Masatora Yasuda and Zane Jay vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto and Shoma Kato. Zane opened against Matsumoto, as Charlton and Stewart said Yota Tsuji will be in action tonight even though he was “knocked unconscious” at the end of his loss to EVIL a day ago. Zane applied a half-crab. Shoma entered and hit a bodyslam on Jay at 3:30. Yasuda hit a dropkick. He hit a suplex and was fired up. He put Matsumoto in a Boston Crab, and Tatsuya tapped out. Solid.
Masatora Yasuda and Zane Jay defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto and Shoma Kato at 6:26.
2. Taichi and Satoshi Kojima (w/Taka Michinoku) vs. Togi Makabe and Katsuya Murashima. Over the past two shows, they’ve told a story of Taichi and Satoshi teaming but accidentally hitting each other (and they feuded a decade ago.) Can they trust each other? Taichi and Murashima opened, with Taichi hitting some spin kicks to the thighs. Murashima knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Kojima and Murashima traded rapid-fire chops. Kojima hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall.
Togi entered for the first time at 3:00, and he repeatedly punched Kojima in the corner. Katsuya hit a flying shoulder tackle on Taichi, then a powerslam for a nearfall. Taichi and Kojima successfully worked together, and that got some cheers. Good humor. Taichi nailed a stiff clothesline on Murashima for a nearfall. Kojima hit his own clothesline on Murashima. Taichi then hit his back suplex on Murashima for the pin. This was far better than expected. Taka played peacemaker, and he got Satoshi and Taichi to shake hands. “They are just a couple of guys,” Charlton said. “Not again!” Walker replied. FUNNY.
Taichi and Satoshi Kojima defeated Togi Makabe and Katsuya Murashima at 7:13.
* Before Taichi, Kojima and Taka left the ring, David Finlay came out to his Bullet Club song. “Is he recruiting more?” Charlton asked. Instead, Finlay waved to the back, and out came “The Knock Out Brothers” Oskar Leube and Yuto Nakashima! These two have been on excursion in Germany for a year now. Yuto has cut his hair quite short and it is dyed white. He has a chain around his neck like he’s a rap artist. Leube’s hair is rather long now. Leube and Nakashima jumped in the ring and beat up Taka, Kojima, and Taichi. “These are David Finlay’s newest dogs,” Walker said.
3. Yoshi-Hashi, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yoh, Toru Yano, and Master Wato. Despe and Yoh opened and traded mat reversals; Yoh avoided the Stretch Muffler. Yoshi-Hashi and Yano tagged in at 1:30. Yoh’s team began working over Y-H in their corner. Taguchi tagged in at 3:30 and hit a buttbump on Wato, then he applied an ankle lock. He hit a springboard double-back-elbow. Despe hit a spinebuster on Yoh at 5:30. Yoh hit a jumping knee to Desperado’s chin. Wato hit a plancha to the floor on several guys. Yoh hit a superkick on Desperado, then the Direct Drive (double-arm DDT) to pin Desperado! Good action.
Yoh and Toru Yano and Master Wato defeated Yoshi-Hashi and El Desperado and Ryusuke Taguchi at 6:39.
4. “House of Torture” Sanada and Don Fale and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Tiger Mask and Boltin Oleg and El Phantasmo. The HoT attacked from behind, and we’re underway! ELP tied Sanada in the Paradise Lock and kicked Sanada in the butt. All six brawled to the floor. In the ring, Kanemaru tied a leg lock around ELP’s neck, and the heels worked over Phantasmo. Oleg was pulled off the apron at 4:00, so he couldn’t tag in. Oleg eventually got the tag and hit some shoulder tackles. He and Fale crashed into each other several times.
Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick on Fale, who then hit a clothesline to Oleg’s back. Tiger Mask entered and hit a butterfly suplex on Kanemaru at 5:30. Boltin hit a splash in the corner on Fale. Sanada hit a Shining Wizard on Tiger Mask, then Fale hit a running elbow drop to pin Tiger Mask. Oleg and Fale continued to brawl after the bell, and Stewart reiterated that Fale wants a shot at the NEVER Openweight Title.
Sanada, Don Fale, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tiger Mask, Boltin Oleg, and El Phantasmo at 7:10.
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young. Tanahashi and O-Khan opened, and O-Khan immediately hit a hard elbow strike on Tanahashi’s knee. Tanahashi hit a second-rope crossbody block. The UE backed Tanahashi into their corner, and they took turns working him over. Shota tagged in and hit some shoulder tackles, then a dropkick on O-Khan at 4:30, and he was fired up. Yuya and Young traded offense. Jakob hit a twisting suplex for a nearfall. Tanahashi hit a Sling Blade on O-Khan. Shota hit a decapitating clothesline on Callum at 8:00. Yuya hit the Deadbolt (double-underhook suplex) on Young for the pin. Walker noted it was “another crushing loss for the United Empire.”
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino defeated Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young at 8:24.
6. Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, and Daiki Nagai vs. “Bullet Club” David Finlay, Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Taiji Ishimori. Wow, Hiromu is already back in Japan after just appearing in AEW days ago. A cool entrance for the four guys of the former LIJ faction. Gedo and Nagai opened. Hiromu and Ishimori locked up at 1:30. Hiromu used Nagai as a weapon, shoving him into Ishimori, then Takahashi hit a basement dropkick. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-spin kick. Finlay entered, and he stomped on Hiromu in the corner. Hiromu hit a Falcon Arrow on Ishimori at 5:30, but Finlay cut off Hiromu from tagging out.
Tsuji finally got the hot tag and battled Finlay, as Walker reiterated that Yota was “knocked out completely” in his semifinal loss. (I’m highly doubtful of that claim.) Finlay hit the Northern Irish Curse (backbreaker over his knee) on Yota; Yota hit a Stomp to the head, but he couldn’t hit the Marlowe Crash. Finlay immediately hit a spear on Yota! Nagai and Drilla tagged in at 7:30 and traded forearm strikes. Nagai hit a spinebuster! Shingo entered and hit a sliding clothesline on Drilla. Ishimori hit a top-rope flying splash on Hiromu and suddenly everyone was down. Drilla hit a Gore. He powerbombed Nagai. Finlay picked up Nagai and hit a Buckle Bomb. Drilla hit a Gore on Nagai, then the Drilla Killa (swinging powerbomb) to pin Nagai. That was really entertaining.
David Finlay, Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Taiji Ishimori defeated Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, and Daiki Nagai at 10:11.
* Shingo and Drilla kept fighting after the bell. Shingo got on the mic and he taunted Gabe Kidd for not showing up again. (Gabe is clearly set to wrestle next week in the UK.) Shingo said Gabe should vacate his title. He vowed to take care of all the War Dogs! “Looks like we have a war on our hands, Walker!” Charlton said.
7. The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Sho. Ren got on the mic, then the HoT attacked, and we’re underway! Fujita fought Douki. The HoT worked over Oiwa in their corner. On the floor, Yujiro jabbed a chair in Oiwa’s gut at 4:00. Sabre entered, and he traded reversals with Ren. Zack snapped Ren’s neck between his ankles at 6:30. Walker noted that Sabre will face Nigel McGuinness next week.
Hartley entered and hit a running crossbody block, but he missed a splash, and Narita applied a leg lock, but Hartley reached the ropes at 9:30. Hartley hit his massive senton. Oiwa hit a gut-wrench suplex on Yujiro. Hartley went for the Jagged Edge, but Sho hit the back of Hartley’s leg with a wrench. Douki struck Hartley with his pipe! Ren nailed the Hell’s Guillotine (top-rope flying knee to the neck) on Hartley and scored the pin. Sabre and Ren continued to fight after the bell.
Ren Narita, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Sho defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson at 11:14.
* Fujita posed with the NJPW Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles and indicated he wants a title shot against the House of Torture. Meanwhile, Sabre had a chair in his hand, and he chased Narita to the back.
8. Konosuke Takeshita (w/Rocky Romero) vs. EVIL (w/House of Torture) in the G1 Climax 35 final. Maybe 7 or 8 HoT members accompanied EVIL to the ring. EVIL immediately applied a headlock to slow this down. They locked up in a test of strength. Yoshinobu Kanemaru jumped in the ring at 3:00 and attacked Takeshita. Konosuke was tossed to the floor, where several guys stomped on him. EVIL was handed the G1 trophy, and he posed with it in the corner. “This is a farce!” Stewart angrily said. The ref ejected the HoT, but I am confident in writing they’ll be back. EVIL tied up a leg on the mat and he locked in an STF at 5:30. The HoT returned; that didn’t take long!
Takeshita hit a double clothesline on two HoT guys, then he hit a massive suplex on Don Fale at 7:30, and that popped the crowd. He hit a flip dive to the floor on three guys, but was selling a knee injury. The ref again ejected the HoT guys. Rocky Romero helped push the heels to the back, and he enlisted the Young Lions to help. So, we are again just back to EVIL vs. Takeshita in the ring, and Konosuke hit a flying clothesline. He nailed a Helluva Kick as the 10:00 call was 20 seconds late. He put EVIL in a chokehold on the mat, but now Ren Narita pulled the ref to the floor, and he attacked Takeshita. Zack Sabre Jr. appeared and pulled Narita to the back at 11:30.
They got up and traded forearm strikes as Charlton talked about how much time Takeshita has spent in the ring this G1, and he could set a record today. Takeshita hit a Tombstone Piledriver and his wheelbarrow German Suplex. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 14:30. Takeshita missed a jumping knee in the corner and flipped to the floor. Stewart noted Takeshita was already dealing with a sore knee. EVIL hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall at 16:00, and he immediately locked in a Sharpshooter, but Takeshita quickly got to the ropes. EVIL hit the Darkness Falls (modified powerbomb) for a nearfall, and the crowd rallied for Takeshita.
Takeshita avoided Everything is Evil (uranage), and he hit an Exploder Suplex at 18:00. EVIL again couldn’t hit Everything is Evil; Takeshita hit one for a nearfall! (This crowd WANTS to see EVIL hit that move.) Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, and they were both down. Takeshita hit a top-rope flying senton for a nearfall; the 20:00 call was 10 seconds early. EVIL hit a swinging faceplant for a nearfall. EVIL again applied a Sharpshooter, and Takeshita teased tapping out, but stopped, and he eventually got the ropes. EVIL again tried to hit Everything is Evil, but Takeshita collapsed at 23:00. EVIL took off his elbow pad, and he CLOCKED Takeshita with a forearm.
Takeshita avoided another Everything is Evil and hit an Electric Chair drop! Takeshita hit his Power Drive running knee for a nearfall. He pulled down a kneepad! He charged, but his knee buckled and he fell to the mat. EVIL hit a low-blow uppercut and a clothesline for a nearfall at 25:30. Takeshita again avoided Everything is Evil, got a backslide, then a standing powerbomb. He went for a jumping knee, but EVIL blocked it. EVIL hit a headbutt. Takeshita dropped him with a forearm strike. Takeshita then nailed the Raging Fire (twisting Falcon Arrow) for the pin. What a match. This crowd was so into EVIL, and he delivered his best match in years. Charlton said Takeshita set the record for longest in-ring time in a tournament by a mere 10 seconds.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated EVIL to win the G1 Climax 35 at 26:26.
* Takeshita was presented with the trophy, and he posed with an executive. He got on the mic and cried as he said he’s glad he became a professional wrestler. He vowed that “we ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Final Thoughts: I really liked the main event. No, I didn’t think EVIL would be there, but it was as good of an EVIL match as I can recall, especially after all his HoT members were ejected… that last 15 minutes was great and the crowd started to make an “EEEE” sound every time he tried to hit the Everything is Evil… they wanted it so bad, and EVIL went for it maybe six times and just couldn’t hit it. Takeshita, like last year, probably was involved in the best match of the tournament for eight or so of his 11 opponents.
The return of Oskar Leube and Yuto was long overdue. They had their farewell matches in Germany’s wXw months ago, and I expected to see them here immediately. I like that we started some new storylines, too. Sabre and Narita are clearly going to have a match, and the former LIJ guys will now be battling the Bullet Club War Dogs. We have hints that the United Empire is on its last legs and could dissolve because they keep losing. When is Henare coming back? A lot to like here.
Worst G1 attendance in at least a decade. There’s nothing Tony Khan can’t completely fuck up in pro wrestling.