NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Great-O-Khan
Four B Block matches are set for today’s NJPW G1 Climax 35 event in Hiroshima.
In the main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. faces Great-O-Khan. It’s the fourth career singles meeting between the two, with Sabre winning all three previous matchups. O-Khan is part of a four-way tie atop B Block with 8 points, while Sabre has 6 points in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Block.
Drilla Moloney and his 8 points face Konosuke Takeshita and his 6 points in today’s semi-main event in a first-time singles meeting between the two.
Shingo Takagi takes on El Phantasmo in another tournament bout on today’s show. Both are tied for eighth place in B Block with 4 points. Shingo has won two out of three previous singles meetings with ELP.
YOSHI-HASHI and Shota Umino square off in today’s first tournament matchup. YH has 8 points, while Umino has 6 points.
Five tag team bouts previewing the next A Block matchups round out today’s undercard. The show begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World.
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Main Card – Tag Team Matches
Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young)
(Yano is underrated when it comes to matches like these: playing the fool so well that everyone thinks his comedy is part of the act, but it lets him outsmart others. That’s the secret of where the genius of his character lies. Also, though quite brief, the momentary exposure of Boltin and Newman leaves tomorrow’s A-Block matches enticing; it’ll be interesting how these young foreign NJPW talent fare one-on-one.)
Newman started off with some momentum against Boltin after some kicks, but a shoulder tackle and a Boltin Shake shook him off. Young equalized Yano and joined Newman in overwhelming Boltin. Yano tore the turnbuckle pad and threw it at Young. Feigning hurt against the exposed turnbuckle, Yano used Young’s momentum during an Irish Whip to drop and roll him up for the pin.
TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa) defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi
(Yasuda’s brilliance is budding, as seen in this match. Jackson selling for him despite being monstrous held the idea that the rookie could chip and tear at the beast to one day slay him. Good stuff.)
Evenly matched, Oiwa and Taichi wrestled to a stalemate. Hiroshima cheered Yasuda on as he attempted a flip on Jackson. Despite suffering the full weight of Jackson falling on him, Yasuda avoided Oiwa with a hurricanrana and dropkick.
Though their partners wrestled to another standstill, Yasuda gained some offense with high dropkicks on Jackson, and ate a burning lariat for his efforts. Jackson dropped courtesy of Taichi and Yasuda’s unified vertical suplex.
Jackson’s senton may have crushed Yasuda’s midsection, but his Jagged Edge gave him the pinfall over the Young Lion.
Shoma Kato & Yuya Uemura vs. House Of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
(Soon, Milano is going to have enough and beat somebody up if people keep involving him in their matches. The way the match went, in storytelling structure, it seems Uemura might triumph over SANADA tomorrow in the A-Block matches.)
A callous SANADA battered Uemura, dragging him into the crowd (and through Milano Collection, again). Abandoned for a hopeful 20-count, Uemura sprinted to beat the timer. Kato may have started with spirit against Kanemaru, but the veteran was wiser and merciless in his approach, dropping the upstart repeatedly on the mat.
Locking in a Boston Crab, Kanemaru dragged Kato into the center. Pulling back and sinking low, he forced a tap-out by the Young Lion.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima defeated Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji
(Some nice levity to this match. The flex-off, Murashima having too much fun with the air guitar, it added to the fun. Tanahashi and Tsuji should have a nice match tomorrow. Tonight reads that we’ll see the Ace pass the torch to another Reiwa Musketeer.)
Following a flex-off, Tanahashi’s seasoned expertise saw him topplle Tsuji with a flying crossbody. The Ace and Murashima then teamed against Nagai; Murashima was so amped up about it that he got carried away with the air guitar pose that Tanahashi had to calm him back down.
Several spiteful chops and a dropkick by Nagai wore down on Murashima. Using Murashima’s momentum against him, Nagai planted him with a Spinebuster. Murashima barreled into a comeback, pouncing on Nagai. Tanahashi intercepted Tsuji with a Dragon Screw Legwhip. Together, Tanahashi and legal man Murashima held Tsuji and Nagai in Boston Crabs; Murashima sank his Crab in deeper upon a crawling Nagai to tap him out.
House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)
(Thankfully a short House of Torture match. However, credit where it’s due, the aftermath of the Bullet Club Civil War added to the match’s drama, especially in those closing moments.)
No time was spared in this match, as EVIL and Finlay reignited their Bullet Club war to the Hiroshima crowd. Don Fale played equalizer, taking out Finlay on the outside. Togo and EVIL tormented Gedo, where Fale joined them. Gedo pounded Togo with a Fistdrop. Togo ripped away the turnbuckle pad and EVIL whipped Finlay into it.
Fale and Togo held Finlay down as he locked eyes with EVIL who tapped Gedo out with a Darkness Scorpion.
G1 Climax B-Block Matches
Shota Umino defeated YOSHI-HASHI
(Hiroshima loved this one and I appreciate it as well. Umino’s quietly been putting on classic G1 performances, contrasting his rough early 2025.)
YOSHI-HASHI withstood Umino’s early fire, sending him across the barricades. Increasingly confident, YOSHI-HASHI fell victim to Umino targeting his knee. Basement dropkick by YOSHI-HASHI brought Umino’s trajectory to a screeching halt.
Umino applied pressure to an STF, to which YOSHI-HASHI could barely crawl out of. YOSHI-HASHI planted Umino with a Canadian Destroyer. A right-handed lariat cut the head off of YOSHI-HASHI, with a knee to drop him. YOSHI-HASHI reversed Umino’s Northern Light’s Suplex with a DDT. After an intense trade of lariats and kicks, each more devastating than the last, Umino pinned YOSHI-HASHI after a Second Chapter.
Shingo Takagi defeated El Phantasmo
(After a solid opener, Takagi and ELP elevated the show with a classic. Starting with goofy banter, the pair quickly heated up the scene with a display that left Hiroshima in applause.)
Phantasmo interacted with the audience for an extended period, soon wearing out Takagi’s patience. Tijeras courtesy of Phantasmo flipped Takagi over, giving way to offense on the blue steel guardrails at ringside. Takagi’s right hand stopped Phantasmo’s floaty offense with a quick yet effective punch. He flipped the Canadian with a Driver onto the ring apron.
While Takagi did incur a Step-Up Enzuigiri, he delivered a Pumping Bomber. Unidentified Flying Opponent sent Takagi crashing back down. The heat of the match began to boil, as Takagi planted Phantasmo with Made in Japan. Phantasmo swung a comeback with a Poisonrana and a CR2. Failing a Sudden Death, Phantasmo soared from the top rope but narrowly suffered a sliding Pumping Bomber.
CR2 by Phantasmo was reversed into poisonrana, followed by a Pumping Bomber. Takagi stole a CR2, hit Phantasmo with another Pumping Bomber, and sealed the deal at last with a Last of the Dragon.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Drilla Moloney
(The match was already a great watch, but that final stand fueled on pure rage and hate elevated this. Moloney embodied a protagonistic fire and spirit that made it all the more heartbreaking when Takeshita stopped his endeavors.)
Moloney and Takeshita immediately went to war, soon spreading to the audience and into the chairs surrounding. Takeshita endured chops and promptly downed Moloney with a stiff forearm. Moloney barreled Takeshita out of the ring and into the barricade. Exploder suplex by Takeshita stopped Moloney’s control, with a Brainbuster providing additional damage.
Takeshita rolled out of the way of an elbow drop, resulting in Moloney landing loudly and painfully on the mat. Blue Thunderbomb by Takeshita added more salt in the wound. Moloney slammed Takeshita with a Spinebuster, and succeeded with a fruitful Elbow Drop. Invoking the name of the injured Gabe Kidd, Takeshita incurred Moloney’s wrath that ended with a powerful lariat. Takeshita survived a Drilla Killa, ending the match in a Raging Fire for the win.
Main Event G1 Climax B-Block
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Great-O-Khan
(What an excellent, unique showcase! Sabre had to cut away Khan’s most powerful asset, his arms, to take the win from Khan. Had he not have succeeded in wearing down Khan’s arm, Sabre would not have eked out this victory. Khan’s matches have this flair of an unstoppable force, but in this, his kryptonite cracked his skin. This is the ruthless Zack that should have had his defenses since his first NJPW World Heavyweight Championship reign.
Cautiously dancing around the other, Sabre and Khan grappled to a few impasses. Even when they got physical, they were evenly matched, with both men working the other’s arms and both men falling after boots to the faces at the same time. Khan implemented his Claw during a Cobra Twist. Sabre grounded Khan with a cross-armbar.
Finding a sweet spot in Khan’s left arm, Sabre battled with Khan for control until a back suplex broke his hold. Sabre prevented Khan’s Mongolian Chops but wound up slammed mid-air and flung around like a ragdoll.
Firmly ensnaring his limbs around the arm of his opponent, Sabre was raised up and slammed. The aches of the arm-targeting were evident in Khan’s half-Mongolian Chops to Sabre. Enduring strikes in succession, Khan brought his forearm into Sabre’s midsection, momentarily downing him. Bristling past Sabre’s Tornado-DDT, Khan blasted him with an Eliminator. Following an unsuccessful Zack Driver, Sabre held Khan in an armbar.
(Each B-Block match tonight brought something new that told a different story, each of which still commanded full attention. Heading over halfway into the tournament, and everyone is becoming more pronounced in their viability as a potential finalist. As I type this, I’m finding myself changing my favorites to win.)
