NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura
NJPW’s G1 Climax 35 tournament continues today in Kagawa with A Block action.
In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi looks for his 100th career G1 match victory against Yuya Uemura. Tana enters the bout with just 4 points in the tournament, while Uemura has 6 points in a crowded four-way tie for second place in the Block. Tanahashi has won both prior career singles matches against Uemura.
In the semi-main, A Block leader Yota Tsuji and his 8 points face Taichi, who stands at 4 points.
Boltin Oleg and his 6 points will face last place David Finlay and his 2 points in the third tournament bout of the night.
EVIL and Ryohei Oiwa match up in another A Block battle, with both currently sitting at 6 points.
SANADA vs. Callum Newman in a matchup of two competitors with 4 points each kicks off the evening’s tournament bouts.
A series of tag team matches previewing the next B Block show fill out today’s undercard.
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Main Card – Tag Team Matches
Katsuya Murashima & Shota Umino defeated Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI
(Loved the conviction from Kato in this match and how well Umino sold it.)
Kato and YOSHI-HASHI exhausted Murashima for an early advantage, keeping him isolated from his partner. Umino gained control with a Headhunter, but YOSHI-HASHI regained momentum with a lariat. A confident Kato landed a suplex and hoped for another, but ate a lariat courtesty of Umino, leading to a quick pinfall.
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori) defeated The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero)
(I feel this was meant to up the hype for Takeshita versus Moloney in the upcoming Block B matches this weekend, but there didn’t seem to be much of that to really sink my teeth into. There could’ve been more of them, for sure. Perhaps they’re just saving what they can do. Also, kudos to them for managing to brawl in the dark with minimal lighting—I imagine fighting in one of those Hollister stores would’ve been like that.)
Moloney and Takeshita sought to collide with one another, but both were pulled out by their respective tag partners. The Alpha and Romero cut Ishimori away from Moloney’s side of the ring, working the Bone Soldier’s arm. Ishimori saved himself with a shoulderbreaker to Romero. Takeshita and Moloney each teased their finishers, ultimately Moloney succeeded with a Brainbuster. Moloney and Takeshita brawled on the outside, tumbling into the blue steel of the guardrail. La Mistica tapped Romero out courtesy of Ishimori.
Post-match: Moloney and Takeshita continued battling each other in the darkness of the crowd.
El Phantasmo & Jado defeated Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi
(The humor alone in this callback to 2022 adds the right amount of silliness for ELP and Takagi’s Block A match on August 2nd. Poor Nagai.)
Harkening back to KOPW 2022’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” Match, Phantasmo let Takagi know he was the daddy now. Perplexed in this new development of fatherhood status, Takagi had little time to process as Nagai broke up the proceedings.
Jado and Phantasmo punished Nagai in the corner. Spinebuster by Nagai gave him an edge against Phantasmo. Takagi sought to interrupt, but Jado grounded him several inches away as Phantasmo bullied Nagai. An Unidentified Flying Opponent dropped Nagai on his back, and Phantasmo gained the pinfall.
TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)
(The contrast in styles between always leaves me salivating for more with the sporadic ZSJ and Khan matches we do get. Their match is going to rock.)
Khan overwhelmed Sabre with his might, even seeking a pin early. Eventually, he grabbed Sabre with a Claw, which was reversed into a sleeper. Jackson was too much for Young, who called upon Khan for additional firepower. Sabre and Khan traded Cobra Twists, leading Khan to flip the former over with a Gutwrench Tuck. Jackson pinned Young after a Jagged Edge.
G1 Climax A-Block Matches
Callum Newman defeated SANADA
(Newman’s excelling in this year’s G1. Though he still evokes Ospreay with the Oscutter, he’s starting to find his own path in his own structure and formula in these matches.)
Newman wasted no time, flying over the top rope to lay out SANADA. The Kagawa crowd dispersed as SANADA tossed Newman around in the crowd (and also into Milano Collection, who also got thrown into the fans). Newman swung a comeback thanks to a dropkick, grasping dominion of hte match whilst evading SANADA’s high volume offense.
Thinking he’d capitalize with an Oscutter 2.0, Newman accidentally planted the referee, casually pushed into harm’s way by SANADA. Newman thwarted SANADA’s Skull End with a roll-up, but no one could count the pin. Dropping SANADA with a beheading lariat and dragging the referee to action, Newman’s dreams were crashed by a 2-count.
The pair evaded each other’s finishers, but Newman rendered SANADA incapacitated with a kick, knee, and vertical suplex for the pinfall.
EVIL defeated Ryohei Oiwa
(Loved the match, hated the finish. Well, halfway. The match built into something incredible, lending itself to the trend of House of Torture comeuppances as of late. Doing something new breaks the monotony, no matter how cathartic.)
Ready for EVIL’s underhanded tactics, Oiwa prepared his best strengths, his power to prevent as much of his shenanigans as possible. Soon, EVIL gained sway over the match by slamming Oiwa into the barricade and distracting Referee Marty Asami. Don Fale and Dick Togo could provide additional torture on the outside. Oiwa downed EVIL with a DDT and an Elbow Drop.
Togo screeched Oiwa’s trajectory to a halt with a chairshot, followed by a bodyslam from Fale. EVIL tried a Darkness Falls, but Oiwa kicked out at 1 and swung EVIL into an exposed turnbuckle. Singlehandedly trouncing Togo and Fale’s interference, Oiwa finally had assistance from Hartley Jackson who dragged Fale away. Battering EVIL in the exposed turnbuckle, he reached for a German Suplex into a Chaos Theory; Asami evidently tired of being struck, steered clear. EVIL pied Oiwa in the face with powder and tapped him out with a Darkness Scorpion hold.
David Finlay defeated Oleg Boltin
(I’m a big Boltin fan. That said, Finlay needed this win, and the elation on his face sold how much he needed this save, giving him some much needed points.)
The pair circled each other, with Boltin’s strength and resilience keeping Finlay on his toes. Soon, Finlay found an opening in the foreign waters of ringside, where he sent Boltin into the crowd. Boltin charged into Finlay, spiraling both out of the ring. He struck Finlay’s chest and suplexed him, dizzying him with a Boltin Shake.
Finlay snuck in a Northern Irish Curse and Oblivion to take jurisdiction of the match away from Boltin. The Kazakh wrestler clutched a comeback with a Kamikaze. He unleashed one more on Finlay, but a subsequent one transitioned into Finlay’s capture pin, costing Boltin the match
Taichi defeated Yota Tsuji
(Both men needed this win. Tsuji, score-wise. Taichi, character-wise. Overlooked for the last time, he demands to be taken seriously, having had to earn his way to the G1 tournament to begin with. Great match, with the appropriate drama.)
Tsuji landed a tope suicida to bring this match to his favor early on. Taichi fired back, with a devastating Axe Bomber Lariat giving him some breathing room. Despite this valiant comeback, Tsuji kicked him back onto the mat with a resounding clap. Steadied for a Gene Blaster, Taichi instead transitioned into a Black Mephisto, which itself reversed into a running powerbomb. Another lariat by Tsuji, this time countered into a Gedo Clutch.
Once more going for a Gene Blaster, Tsuji fell instead to a Dangerous Backdrop. In a snap, Tsuji ended Taichi’s wrist control with a quick, short-range Gene Blaster. Taichi respondded with a Dangerous Backdrop and a Black Mephisto to put Tsuji away in front of a raucous Kagawa audience.
Main Event G1 Climax A-Block
Yuya Uemura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
(Uemura just accrued an impressive accolade, important to his young career—taking down Tanahashi in the G1. He gave it his all, too. The selling of his knee stayed nearly consistent. Giving hope to fans of the Ace, just to prove that he was better on this night. Uemura’s path in the G1 Climax puts him closer to higher legacy.)
Uemura struggled against Tanahashi in the beginning lock-ups, having his leg propped up and knee targeted by the Ace. Despite this agony, Uemura managed two dropkicks. Again ensnared by Tanahashi’s knee focus, Uemura was left writhing, suffering a prone Dragon Screw Legwhip. A Texas Cloverleaf rubbed further salt into the wound.
Turning this match around, Uemura matched the Ace’s energy by centering on his arm. Risking his knee health, Uemura attempted a Deadbolt Suplex pin, but it gave out, much to his frustration. Reverse Slingblade and a regular Slingblade gave way to two High Fly Flows, one of which missed. A prolonged forearm exchange led to Tanahashi once more attacking Uemura’s knee. Enzuigiri by Uemura dazed the Ace, leading to a Deadbolt Suplex pinfall.
(Taichi and Yota Tsuji was the most emotionally compelling story to come of this, but Uemura’s victory over Tanahashi is worth noting. Callum Newman’s triumph over SANADA also made for a gripping watch. No barn-burners, but a fun show nonetheless.)