NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yota Tsuji
NJPW’s G1 Climax 35 tournament continues today with an A Block show from Fukuoka.
Hiroshi Tanahashi faces Yota Tsuji in the main event tournament match. Tanahashi is part of a three-way-tie for last place in A Block, while Tsuji is part of a three-way-tie for first place. Tanahashi has 4 points, while Tsuji stands at 8.
The next G1 tournament win for Tanahashi will give him 100 for his unparalleled career.
David Finlay and his 4 points face EVIL and his 8 points in today’s semi-main event.
Yuya Uemura with 8 points and coming off a victory over Tanahashi, faces SANADA and his 4 points.
Taichi faces Ryohei Oiwa in a battle of 6 points on the show.
The other competitors with 6 points also square off with Boltin Oleg vs. Callum Newman.
A series of tag matches previewing the next B Block show on Tuesday round out today’s undercard. The show begins at 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World.
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Main Card – Tag Team Matches
The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero) defeated Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI
(YOSHI-HASHI, given his G1 record this year, doesn’t inspire hope in me to win this to enter the semi-finals, let alone the finals. The B-Block matches on August 5 may change that, but I look to Takeshita to maintain his dominance.)
Takeshita tossed YOSHI-HASHI around at ringside, while the nimble Romero used aerial kicks keep Kato down. Kato ran the ropes at Takeshita’s request, eventually knocking the Alpha down. YOSHI-HASHI kept up the momentum, but Takeshita’s shoulder drove him away. Romero pinned Kato after a Sliced Bread.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)
(Whether to instill further doubts in Khan or to sow seeds of an epic babyface comeback, Khan’s knee and arm injuries add drama to his G1 journey. Plus, it’s a smart plan by House of Torture—wear down your opponent so they’ll be easy to handle the next night. Khan sold his wounds well.)
Sensing the still-present damage to Khan’s arm courtesy of Zack Sabre Jr the previous night, Narita targeted his right arm. Kanemaru, meanwhile, later focused on Khan’s left knee. Young left Narita dazed after he gained control and floated into a Tornado-DDT. Kanemaru yanked the referee down while he applied utmost pressure to Young in a figure-four leglock. Narita kept Khan at bay while Young tapped out to the leglock.
Post-match: Kanemaru and Narita brought in a steel chair to add further punishment to Khan’s knee.
Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori) defeated El Phantasmo & Jado
(It’s hard to say who will walk away with additional points tomorrow. Moloney’s on a hot streak right now, but Phantasmo in 2025 has a certain flair about him.)
Ishimori suffered at the hands of Jado and Phantasmo, with the former landing a DDT. Moloney feigned a ripcord to subvert Phantasmo into a series of chops. Phantasmo aimed for a CR2 but rolled away to Jado after a Spinebuster. Ishimori played dead after Jado’s clothesline, only to pull him in for a roll-up for the win.
TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi
(Nagai came into his own in this match. Takagi’s support went a long way, too. With whatever happens with the remnants of Los Ingobernables de Japon, I hope Nagai finds his place with them.)
Sabre and Takagi wrestled to a standstill. Nagai had no such luck against Jackson. Sabre popped in for his own technical pressure on the Young Lion. Jackson returned for a senton, but Takagi saved Nagai. Together, they neutralized Jackson. Nagai even narrowly toppled Jackson with a Canadian Destroyer!
Sabre came to Jackson’s aid, but Nagai snatched him for a Spinebuster. Jackson’s girth prevented a powerslam by Nagai, and he responded with a senton. He then followed up with a Jagged Edge to Nagai.
G1 Climax A-Block Matches
Oleg Boltin (7) defeated Callum Newman (6)
(Boltin is his own beast, but Newman pulled out a hard-fought effort. Despite the back issues, he made Boltin fight for the win.)
Boltin rolled to the outside after a hurricanrana by Newman. Outside, he withstood the unforgiving blue steel barricades. Chops and slams by Boltin aggravated Newman’s injured back. Newman transitioned Boltin’s Kamikaze to a semi-successful hurricanrana. Boltin landed a standing Kamikaze.
Newman pressed into Boltin’s midsection with a stomp from the top rope. He rolled through Boltin’s suplex. With swiftness, Boltin caught Newman, who had full momentum, and planted him with a Kamikaze for the win.
Ryohei Oiwa (7) defeated Taichi (6)
(Taichi is 6-6 in his G1 win-loss record, so he can’t get too comfortable. While I support him, I’m also investing in Oiwa stock.)
Equally strong, Taichi and Oiwa repeatedly reached an impasse. Taichi broke this with a kick. Oiwa gained the upper hand, pummelling Taichi with a scoop slam and a senton. An enzuigiri handed Taichi a comeback. Oiwa escaped a Black Mephisto to drop Taichi with a Doctor Bomb. Dangerous Backdrop provided Taichi with a moment to breathe.
A weary war of stiff forearms wore weaker, but Taichi’s wrist control kept him in control. An Axe Bomber cemented it. Taichi cut off any offense Oiwa might have wanted with enzuigiris each time. However, in the nick of time, Oiwa sent Taichi falling with The Grip. This earned Oiwa the pinfall.
SANADA (6) defeated Yuya Uemura (8)
(Perhaps the only match I wasn’t fond of. Were it not for the House of Torture, this bout would’ve had the makings of a great match.)
Within minutes, SANADA had wrist control, but it shifted to Uemura. SANADA regained it, but a deep armdrag swung it back in Uemura’s favor. SANADA opted to other forms of offense, but Uemura would return wrist control in his favor with more arm drags. Shining Wizard by SANADA broke the cycle. Choosing something new, Uemura plunged SANADA with a back suplex.
Uemura tried for an armbar. SANADA propelled Uemura into Referee Marty Asami, leading him to proceed with a low blow. Uemura rolled out of the way of SANADA’s guitar shot. After Asami missed a capture pin, Yoshinobu Kanemaru slid into the ring to spray whiskey in Uemura’s face.
SANADA finally blasted Uemura with his guitar; Kanemaru took advantage of this by rolling Asami back over and directing his attention to SANADA’s pin. This lent SANADA the pinfall.
David Finlay (6) defeated EVIL (8)
(Surprisingly great. This naturally warranted a lack of referee during the more plunder-heavy moments of this match. Moreover, the odds stacked against Finlay gave the Bullet Club leader the support of fans needed to propel him to victory. Throughout his G1 journey, at this juncture, Finlay needed this win.)
Finlay cut EVIL’s entrance short as he drove him into the crowd. EVIL tubmled onto the floor as Finlay landed upright, clotheslining him to the outside. Don Fale and Dick Togo joined EVIL in tossing Finlay into the barricade, even knocking over a commentary desk. Both opponents traded profanities on the microphone as EVIL choked Finlay with the wire.
Referee Red Shoes prevented EVIL from using a steel chair, leading to the House of Torture leader to toss it to Gedo. This lent Fale and Togo to aid EVIL by removing the turnbuckle pad. Landing in the exposed iron of the padless corner, Finlay fired back with an Irish Curse. Fale attempted to squish Finlay in the corner but instead landed Red Shoes. He, EVIL, and Togo struck Finlay with a steel chair as a Young Lion carried Red Shoes to the back.
EVIL and his henchmen were singlehandedly thwarted by Finlay, with Fale shockingly sent back in a vertical suplex. Fueled by adrenaline, Finlay nearly spelt doom for EVIL with a powerbomb, stopped only by a low blow. EVIL grabbed a steel chain to choke Finlay and adorned his lariat with its unforgiving metal. Spear by Finlay downed EVIL. Gedo handed Finlay a shillelagh. Kenta Sato replaced Red Shoes as referee. Finlay defeated EVIL with an Overkill.
Main Event G1 Climax A-Block
Hiroshi Tanahashi (6) defeated Yota Tsuji (8)
(Hope for The Ace is on the horizon. Tanahashi gaining his 100th G1 win bolsters the heightened stakes of the tournament. Can he keep up this momentum? He’s made career history, but will he end his career on the highest note possible? This is what the G1 is about, beckoning fans to speculate where things will go from here.
As far as the match goes, Tanahashi had his undying charisma driving the match, fully weaving his age and weakening knees into the storyline and the match structure. Tsuji was no slouch either, making Tanahashi look like a billion yen. To fill his Gene Blasters with so much dread that they’re hardly seen, he had the potential of a threat, supplanted by the legend.)
Tanahashi clenched hold of Tsuji’s wrists, broken by a rope break. Tsuji worked Tanahashi’s knees, most painfully exemplified by a horizontal Dragon Screw Legwhip. Karma found Tsuji, as Tanahashi sprang his own Dragon Screw Legwhip. Scoop slam reintroduced Tsuji to the mat, followed by a top rope senton. Tsuji countered a Slingblade with a backslide and a knee to the Ace’s face.
Tsuji aimed to send Tanahashi reeling with a vertical suplex but fell to the mat after a Twist’n’Shout. Tanahashi ended a standoff by stopping Tsuji’s Gene Blaster with a Slingblade. The Ace countered another Gene Blaster into a Snapdragon Suplex. Despite his best efforts, Tsuji bore the brunt of three High Fly Flows and lost the match.
(All but one of the G1 matches hit on all cylinders. Whether it’s the youthful clash of Oleg Boltin and Callum Newman, the continuance of the War Dogs versus House of Torture between David Finlay and EVIL, Taichi falling behind Ryohei Oiwa, or Tanahashi gaining his 100th G1 win, there was much to enjoy. Sadly, the House of Torture had to get a win, with SANADA taking out Yuya Uemura, with interference. But that pales in comparison to the hype of the tournament as it heats up.)