Tag: njpw g1 results

NJPW G1 Climax 35 finals results: Takeshita vs. EVIL

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Ariake Arena in Tokyo hosts today’s G1 Climax 35 finals with a shot at NJPW immortality at stake in the tournament’s conclusion.

Konosuke Takeshita, the third place finisher in B Block, will face EVIL, the first place finisher in A Block, in today’s finals. The winner will earn a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Zack Sabre Jr.

Tradition would say that today’s winner will challenge for NJPW’s top prize at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, 2026, but that tradition was bucked just last year by Sabre, who won the G1 and then cashed in his title shot at King of Pro Wrestling last October, where he went on to defeat Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Takeshita defeated David Finlay in the quarterfinals, then Sabre in yesterday’s semifinals. EVIL earned a bye into the semifinals where he defeated Yota Tsuji yesterday.

EVIL is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, holding the now-retired title for 48 days in 2020. Takeshita has not held IWGP gold, but held NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Championship for 162 days earlier this year.

Neither Takeshita nor EVIL have won the G1 before, meaning that first-time winners will be crowned in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2007 to 2013 stretch where there were seven consecutive first-time winners.

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Zane Jay & Masatora Yasuda vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto & Shoma Kato

We kick things off with some Young Lions action. Basic, non-flashy start by Jay and Masatora working over Matsumoto. Matsumoto finally hits a big dropkick on Jay to get the hot tag. Kato starts a house of fire and even gets a pin attempt off a scoop slam of all things. Jay escapes a vertical suplex attempt and shoots Kato into the corner with a dropkick of his own. Yasuda tags back in and locks a Boston Crab on Matsumoto, eventually forcing him to tap out. This marks Zane Jay’s first win in NJPW in the U.S.

Match Result: Zane Jay & Masatora Yasuda defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto & Shoma Kato

Satoshi Kojima & Taichi vs. Katsuya Mirashima & Togi Makabe

TAKA Michinoku is out with Kojima and Taichi. Taichi and Mirashima start out and exchange blows immediately. Kojima tags in he and Mirashima and they trade rapid-fire chops in the corner. Kojima follows up with an elbow drop off the turnbuckles for a two-count and Makabe tags in. A 10 punch series in the corner is followed by a lariat for a two count by Makabe.

Kojima tags in Taichi and they try for a double clothesline, but Makabe floors them both with a double clothesline of his own. Young Lion Mirashima gets to try his luck against Taichi and hits a power slam against one falf of the IWGP Heavyweight tag team champion for a two-count. Makabe is back in and Taichi hits a head kick, followed by a stunner from Kojima.

Mirashima almost gets the win against Taichi with a small package, but eats and Axe Bomber lariat for his troubles. Another lariat by Kojima and a back drop driver by Taichi seals the fate of the Young Lion for tonight, but I see great things in the future of young Mirashima in New Japan.

Post-match: Taichi shakes Kojima’s hand after the bout when the music of the Bullet Club War Dogs hits and Dave Finlay walks out and pauses on the stage, calling out some backup. It is the return of Young Blood: Yuto Nakashima and OSKAR Leube. We see those two back in NJPW for the first time since New Year Dash in 2024, after their European excursion in RevPro and wXw and a brief interlude in New Zealand over the summer. Nakashima now has white hair and is dressed in all-white while OSKAR is dressed in black. They promptly destroy Kojima, Taichi and Michinoku, ending things with a kick assisted jumping tombstone piledriver on Taichi. They pose with Taichi’s tag team title, making their intentions very clear, as they War Dogs pack seemingly just grew by two very aggressive and violent puppies.

Match Result: Satoshi Kojima & Taichi defeated Katsuya Mirashima & Togi Makabe

Master Wato, Toru Yano & Yoh vs. El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI

Desperado and Yoh start off with Phantasmo getting the better of the exchange. Yano and YOSHI-HASHI are next and Yano immediately removes a pad from the corner and slams YOSHI-HASHI back first into it. Master Wato tags in and works over YOSHI-HASHI, who finally manages to tag in Taguchi.

Taguchi runs wild with hip attacks, almost taking Wato’s head off with a running hip attack in the ropes. Yoh tags back in, but both him and Wato get taken out by another springboard flying hip attack. All six men are in and it boils down to Desperado vs. Yoh before Wato flies in to take out Desperado, then immediately dives onto everyone else on the floor. Yoh hits the double underhook DDT and pins Desperado, potentially earning himself a future shot at the the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship.

Match Result: Master Wato, Toru Yano & Yoh defeated El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI

El Phantasmo, Oleg Boltin & Tiger Mask vs. House of Torture (Don Fale, SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

We get our first taste of House of Torture for the night, as SANADA comes out with the broken guitar, that recently was smashed over the head of Drilla Moloney.

Phantasmo and SANADA start, as Phantasmo looks for guidance to Milano Collection AT at commentary on how to correctly apply the Paradise Lock. Fun times don’t last long as SANADA drags Phatasmo into the crowd and hits him in the head with a water bottle. Kanemaru is in next and applies some nasty head scissors on Phantasmo, who finally makes the ropes but it takes the referee’s intervention to finally break the hold. Phantasmo sends him to ringside, then hits a hurricanrana on SANADA but his partners get dragged off the apron as he is about to make the tag.

He finally manages to tag in Boltin, who clears house on SANADA and Kanemaru but runs into Fale. The big men clash and Boltin gets beaten down, necessitating a tag to Tiger Mask. Fale comes in for the other team and briefly gets tripple-teamed.

Kanemaru hits a blatant kick to the nether regions with the referee distracted, followed by a Shining Wizard by SANADA and an elbow drop by Fale for the win. Post-match, Fale and Boltin clash, with Boltin getting the better of the exchange and hitting a big splash on Fale to send House of Torture packing for the time being.

Match Result: House of Torture defeated El Phantasmo, Oleg Boltin & Tiger Mask

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Tanahashi and The Great-O-Khan start out with some mat wrestling before getting the crowd going with opposing chants. The President hits a cross body, then attacks the throat and poses over Khan in the corner, before getting kicked by Newman and Young.

It is now Great-O-Khan’s turn to pose over his opponent in the corner, as he strums the air violin, instead of the air guitar. Young is in next, holding his own against Tanahashi. New man is in next, but falls victim to a Dragon Screw by Tanahashi. Shota Umino is in next and sends Newman spinning with a shoulder block, before Great-O-Khan eats a dropkick and is sent to the outside. A fisherman’s suplex against Newman scores a two-count.

After Newman escapes a tornado DDT, Umino hits it on the second attempt, before both men are down and make tags respectively to Young and Uemura. Young with a rana, a sling blade and twisting suplex for a two-count. Jacob Austin Young briefly holds hiw own against all three opponents, before getting wiped out by a triple dropkick.

Chaos briefly ensues as everyone comes in at rapid succession trading moves, before Uemura pins Young with a dead bolt suplex. Tanahashi and Great-O-Khan have words as United Empire exits, as the announcers plug Tanahashi’s final match in the UK next week in the Lights Out cage match at AEW Forbidden Door.

Match Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura defeated United Empire

Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gedo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

Nagai is pumped and gets into the faces of the War Dogs, who laughed him off. Gedo starts out with him, using cheap tactics to keep the Young Lion in check. Hiromu and Ishimori are in next, with Hiromu using Nagai to gain the advantage. Ishimori hits a handspring somersault kick to take Hiromu out, as Finlay takes over. Moloney is in next, as Hiromu is in trouble.

Ishimori is in next as things look dire for Hiromu, who finally makes the tag to Tsuji. Finlay is on the other side, who hits the Irish Curse on Tsuji. They go back and forth, until Finlay hits a spear. Moloney and Nagai are in next and trade blows, with the Young Lion not backing down. Shingo comes in for some backup, allowing Nagai to hit a spinebuster and a sliding D by Shingo.

Moloney hits a gore on Shingo, before a powerbomb, a buckle bomb by Finlay, another gore and the Drilla Killer seal the fate of Nagai and gives the War Dogs the victory.

Post-match, Moloney and Shingo further get into it, before Shingo sends Moloney and Gedo packing. Shingo asks for the mic and challenges Gabe Kidd for the NEVER Openweight title, telling him he should vacate the title if he can not defend it and vows to take care of all the War Dogs.

Match Result: Bullet Club War Dogs defeated Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

House of Torture (Douki, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

SHO cuts a promo before the match, insulting the crowd. Fujita grabs it but instead of a cutting a promos of his own, attacks SHO. After some brief action with Fujita, Oiwa and Douki in the ring the action spills to ringside as everybody brawls outside.

Douki and Oiwa return to the ring, with Oiwa receiving more punishment at the hands of SHO and Narita. With the ref distracted, House of Torture hits Oiwa on the outside with chairs, bats and whatnot. Takahashi is in with Oiwa, who finally hits a suplex and manages to tag in Zack.

The IWGP Heavyweight loses no time going on offense, before trading abdominal stretches with Narita. They keeb things mat-based, trading holds and hooks, as Narita locks in a nasty guillotine. Zack finally comes back with a PK and tags in Hartley Jackson, who steamrolls Narita with a running cross body. He misses a senton and finds himself trapped in a desperation knee bar before making the ropes.

The senton hits on the second attempt and Sho needs to make the save. Narita and Takahashi double team Jackson as the ref is distracted, but Oiwa comes in to clean house. Narita hits Jackson in the knee with a wrench, the push up bar is brought into play and Jackson gets hit with yet another foreign object, allowing Narita to hit Hell’s Guillotine for the pinfall victory.

Immediately post-match, ZSJ flies in to lock in a rear naked choke on Narita, but gets triple teamed right away. HoT is looking to hit ZSJ with a pipe before Fujita makes the save and then makes it very clear, he wants a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight tag team titles held by Douki and SHO. Zack then grabs a chair and goes on the hunt for Narita.

Match Result: House of Torture defeated TMDK

G1 Climax 2025 Finals: Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Rocky Romero) vs. EVIL (w/ Dick Togo and House of Torture)

Before the match, five-time G1 Climax winner Masahiro Chono comes out to hype the crowd and asks them, if they are ready for the finals. A video package then shows how we got here. EVIL in the finals feels very underwhelming, but I’ll try to keep an open mind. All the seconds get sent away from ringside, let’s see if they stay there.

EVIL with a side head lock to start things off, Takeshita escapes and hit a shoulder block to send EVIL to the mat. Roman knuckle lock and a test of strength follows, with some back and forth, like it’s Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior in 1990. EVIL locks in an abdominal stretch but Takeshita throws him off right away.

Three minutes in and here is the first interference of House of Torture with an attack by Dick Togo. EVIL distracts the referee and everyone beats down Takeshita on the outside, while EVIL already poses with the G1 trophy in the ring. EVIL works over Takeshita’s left knee as we reach the five minute mark. Takeshita misses an enzuigiri and EVIL locks in the STF, as Masa Chono looks on stoically from the commentary position, before Takeshita makes the ropes.

Takeshita is visibly hurt as his knee buckles under pressure and he again has to fend off House of Torture, which he does, even hitting a vertical suplex on Fale and hitting a dive on some of the rest. Rocky meanwhile drags some other members of HoT to the back with he help of some Young Lions.

Back in the ring, Takeshita flies at EVIL with a spinning punch, then hits a Yakuza kick in the corner before locking in the cross face chicken wing. Narita pulls Red Shoes out of the ring, who for some reason does not disqualify EVIL. He is about to hit Takeshita with the push -up bar but Zack Sabre Jr. comes in and drags Narita away by the ankle. Takeshita and EVIL trade punches, with Takeshita getting the better of the exchange, before EVIL kicks him in the knee again.

A lariat by EVIL scores him a two count. EVIL has Takeshita on his shoulders for Darkness Falls, but Takeshita hits a Gotch-style tombstone piledriver, then dead lifts EVIL for a wheel barrow suplex. Both men hit lariats at the same time, and for the first time, this match feels like a G1 finals, about 13 minutes in. Both are back up, hit synchronized lariats again, this time not leaving their feet, Takeshita misses a fling knee in the corner and tumbles over the ropes, hurting his knee some more. EVIL hits a superplex for another two-count, then locks in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Takeshita gets tot he bottom rope.

EVIL hits Darkness Falls for another close two-count. Takeshita evades Everything is Evil and eventually counters with an exploder. Takeshita counters Everything is Evil with an “Everything is Alpha” (as the announcers called it) of his own and gets a two-count. He hits a huge Blue Thunder Bomb for another close near-fall, then hobbles to the corner and wills himself to the top rope for a big senton off the top, but still only gets a two count.

EVIL hits his spinning face buster for a two, then follows up with another Scorpion Deathlock. Takeshita manages to crawl to the ropes after a long time. EVIL goes for another Everything is Evil, but Takeshita’s knee gives out and he collapses before EVIL can hit the move. Takeshita blocks the move a second time and receives a hard right to the jaw for his troubles. Takeshita still comes back with a huge suplex, even bridging with just one leg, but it only gets him a narrow two-count.

Takeshita hits a flying knee for another two, then takes his knee brace off to hit another one, but collapses again during the sprint. Red Shoes checks on Takeshita, allowing EVIL to hit a low blow from behind and a lariat for the sure victory. But Takeshita KICKS OUT ONCE MORE!!!

Takeshita counters Everything is Evil into a back slide, then hits a huge Last Ride. He does for another knee, but EVIL catches it. Takeshita hits a knock-out punch and follows up with Raging Fire for the victory. The second half of the match delivered and I am glad we got no more HoT shenanigans after its mid-point.

Konosuke Takeshita has won the G1 Climax 35 in 26:26 and will go on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, presumably at Wrestle Kingdom 2026.

It is time for the ceremony and Takeshita is in tears as he receive the trophy and the G1 flag. He is still crying as he starts his promo, talking about achieving his dream and making dreams come true. He tells everyone who wants to become a professional wrestler, that he is the best professional wrestler there is. He says that the wrestling world has seen nothing yet and declares himself the Alpha once more.

Match Result: Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Rocky Romero) defeated EVIL (w/ Dick Togo and House of Torture) to win the 2025 G1 Climax

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Semifinals

Posted on by Corey Michaels

The NJPW G1 Climax 35 tournament reaches its penultimate night with semifinals action.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. and Konosuke Takeshita square off in the main event with a place in Sunday’s finals hanging in the balance. Sabre earned a bye into the semis with his first place finish in B Block, while Takeshita earned his way in with a win over David Finlay in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Tonight’s other semifinals bout features EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji. EVIL earned his spot in the semis by finishing with the highest point total in A Block, while Tsuji defeated Shota Umino in Thursday’s quarterfinals to move on.

The winners of tonight’s bouts will square off tomorrow in the G1 finals with a spot in the Wrestle Kingdom main event potentially on the line. Last year’s G1 winner Sabre chose to cash in his title shot at King of Pro Wrestling last October rather than wait for the traditional January 4 Tokyo Dome challenge. Sabre defeated Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World title last October.

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  • El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino, YOSHI-HASHI & Yuya Uemura defeated Master Wato, Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, Toru Yano & YOH
  • House of Torture defeated Oleg Boltin & Tomoaki Honma
  • United Empire defeated El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima
  • Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi defeated War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)
  • House of Torture defeated War Dogs
  • House of Torture defeated TMDK
  • EVIL defeated Yota Tsuji
  • Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

Main Card – Tag Team Matches

El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino, YOSHI-HASHI & Yuya Uemura defeated Master Wato, Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, Toru Yano & YOH

(Fun 10-man tag to open the show. Everyone hit their best strengths. Kojima and Taichi’s moments were a real chuckle, on par with Yano and Taguchi’s comedic proclivities.)

Uemura and Taichi locked up, with the former eating a big boot from the latter. Deep arm drag by Uemura saw Taichi dragged into the corners, with Umino soon on the receiving end of a kick. Kojima and Taichi had an awkward intense stare after Yano tagged himself in. Kojima eventually made it in, were he rained down chops on Umino’s chest.

YOSHI-HASHI and Desperado bore down on Kojima, who escaped to YOH. Suplexing Desperado, YOH dropped to one himself. Taguchi delivered two Funky Weapons to topple Wato. YOSHI-HASHI nearly tricked Taichi into taking out Kojima, who repeatedly tried shaking Taichi’s hand. Uemura and Umino coordinated to plummet Wato to the mat. Taguchi hit Wato with a Bomaye.

Desperado assisted Taguchi by slingshotting Wato and YOH onto the top rope. Wato fell down, while Desperado pulled YOH by the leg. Taguchi took advantage of the situation by rolling up Wato. Three taps later and Taguchi won the match for his comrades.

House of Torture (Don Fale & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Oleg Boltin & Tomoaki Honma

(With his recent, crushing loss to EVIL in the G1 Climax A-Block coupled with this loss, there might be a slight change in Boltin. With commentary mentioning to keep an eye on Boltin’s post-match comments in the night, I wonder what it could be.)

A bitter Boltin didn’t even bother taking off his shirt or NEVER Openweight Championship; he charged Fale in the corner and chopped him down. Fale fired back with strikes but stumbled to his opponent’s dropkick. Fale dropped him with a charging lariat and tagged Takahashi in. Honma tagged in after his partner stunned Takahashi with a shotgun dropkick.

Takahashi rolled out of the way of Honma’s Kokeshi. Boltin halted Fale’s rampage for Honma to deliver one Kokeshi. Mid-Kokeshi, Fale caught Honma by the throat, hit him with a stiff clothesline, and an elbow drop for the pinfall.

Post-match: Fale and Takahashi dispatched an irate Boltin, with Fale faux-pinning his downed former opponent.

United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young) defeated El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima

(Newman’s being positioned as the big star of this triumvirate while Khan’s longer tenure glues the group’s dynamics in place. This match was emblematic of that in the wake of departures like Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, and Aussie Open’s. Murashima is coming to his own, displaying more than intensity and drama; he’ll go far in NJPW.)

Khan grappled with the Ace, ultimately driving him into the corner. Tanahashi rebounded with a flying crossbody with further assist from Phantasmo and a senton by Murashima. Tanahashi, Phantasmo, and Murashima did an air guitar pose, the latter of which had such a good time doing it that he didn’t notice Young and Newman taking out his partners. After singlehandedly dispatching United Empire, Murashima resumed excitedly playing the air guitar until Tanahashi calmed him down.

Khan sat atop Tanahashi’s shoulders on the top rope, pressing his full weight. He pulled the Ace to the ring’s center for Mongolian chops that instantly fell his opponent. Phantasmo soared into the United Empire on the outside, dragging Khan back into the ring for a Senton + Lionsault combo. Scouting Phantasmo, Khan caught his Canadian opponent with a punch. Sturdy as he was, Newman flipped in the air by Murashima’s power, landing to Tanahashi’s Slingblade and Murashima’s bulldog powerslam.

Newman charged for Murashima, with some trouble. However, he inevitably sent the Young Lion on his back with a crushing Firebolt. This earned Newman and his United Empire co-horts the win.

Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi defeated War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

(Unafilliated (LIJ) coming to Nagai’s aid more and more keeps me invested in this new iteration of the group. Post-Naito and BUSHI, its as though Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, and Yota Tsuji are filling a void left behind and the hungry Nagai could be that foil.)

Finlay swiftly dragged Nagai to the ropes, where the pair struck the other with elbows in repetition. Ruthlessly, Finlay battered the Young Lion and hit him with a Senton. Spinning around Nagai atop his shoulders, Finlay dizzily stumbled to a tag with Gedo.

Nagai struggled back to his feet, grounded firmly by Gedo’s neck hold. Takagi tagged in, but had little luck when Gedo and Finlay unified their sights on him. Nagai came to Takagi’s aid, resulting in a plancha to Finlay. Gedo hit the ground stunned after Takagi’s Dangerous Driver. WAR Special locked in, Gedo submitted to the merciless hold of Takagi.

House of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)

(House of Torture win, but at least I got a kick out of Ishimori noticeably taking out Kanemaru on the outside away from the camera. Combined with the whiskey spray from the War Dogs and the sound the guitar made on Moloney popped me. That said, I hope the resulting blood wasn’t too serious. He staggered off in the end as it streamed down his face.)

SANADA was dressed from head to toe in a full-body reflective suit. Glimmering in the light, he looked like a human disco ball.

Both teams wasted no time as they brawled before and after the bell. Moloney and Ishimori went to work on Kanemaru in the corner. SANADA pulled Moloney away, bashing him against the hard, blue steel guardrails near the crowd. Kanemaru and SANADA applied pressure with their legs, driving Ishimori into the corner turnbuckle. Ishimori leapt to a comeback with a dropkick to Kanemaru.

Moloney with the tag, scouted SANADA’s each move temporarily downed him. Kanemaru prevented any follow-up courtesy of a leg pull. Ishimori equalized Kanemaru on the outside, loudly and off-camera. SANADA clutched the referee when Moloney hoped to suplex him. Kanemaru sought to spray whiskey in Moloney’s eye but he ducked in time. The War Dogs imbibed the whiskey, spraying it into the House of Torture. SANADA blasted Moloney’s skull with his guitar, deeply embedding it. This earned House of Torture a pin.

House of Torture (DOUKI, Ren Narita & SHO) defeated TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa)

(Fujita and Oiwa didn’t get much time, but Jackson put up a valiant effort. I wasn’t a fan of this match once it became clear and predictable, try as everyone might.)

House of Torture struck Fujita and Oiwa, but had a hard time with Jackson. SHO and DOUKI bullied Fujita on the outside. Narita added to this in the ring, driving Fujita’s head along the rope. DOUKI overwhelmed the exhausted and worn Fujita, capitalizing with a double-stomp. Wearily, Fujita turned the tables at last with a dropkick.

Oiwa blasted off with a fury, dropkicking Narita and punishing him with utmost focus on the left arm. Even though he raked Oiwa in the eye, he found himself again in the throes of agony courtesy of another arm hold. SHO joined Narita to torment Oiwa, both men dropped to a double-clothesline.

Jackson threw his weight at Narita. Suffering knee targeting, Jackson’s friends aided him into landing a senton on Narita. Clinging the referee to the rope, Narita distracted him so SHO might harm Jackson more with a wrench. Thanks to this, a poke in the eye, and DOUKI’s pipe, House of Torture quelled Jackson’s Jagged Edge. Narita locked in a figure-four leglock to tap Jackson out.

G1 Climax Semifinal Matches

EVIL defeated Yota Tsuji

(Disappointed with the finish. It feels like a crime. And voice my misgivings as I might, I think there’s nothing stopping NJPW from booking EVIL versus Zack Sabre Jr at Wrestle Kingdom 20.)

Tsuji got the better of EVIL initially, but Dick Togo pulled him into the steel guardrail outside. EVIL flung him into it, toppling over someone in a production desk. Wrapping a microphone around Tsuji’s neck, EVIL demanded he declar him the winner. Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai joined Tsuji’s side to urge him back up. There htey stayed through the match.

EVIL hoped to take advantage of the recent woes he inflicted on Tsuji, but he persevered. Sinking in a figure-four leglock, EVIL inevitably relinquished his hold. Hurling his opponent in the corner, he powerbombed the limping Tsuji. The two battled for a vertical suplex, with Tsuji grittily pulling through.

In his spirited comeback, Tsuji chopped down EVIL. In his ire, EVIL beamed Tsuji into and over the steel guardrail. Dick Togo kicked Tsuji’s leg into the barricade and fled behind Don Fale after Shingo Takagi gave chase. EVIL cinched in a deep Darkness Scorpion. Red-faced and unrelenting, Tsuji dramatically gripped a rope break.

Tsuji curb stomped EVIL, earning him enough time for a reprieve. A Spanish Fly begat an urgent rebound by Tsuji, leading EVIL to fling the referee in the way of a Gene Blaster. With the referee incapacitated, Fale and Togo frantically took out Nagai and Takagi so they could assault Tsuji. EVIL’s allies and Tsuji’s allies gave each other low blows. Tsuji and EVIL traded counter after counter. Attempting to send EVIL from the top rope, Tsuji tragically fell to Fale’s low blow. EVIL locked in one last Darkness Scorpion, enough to render Tsuji unconscious.

Post-match: Referee Kenta Sato rejected Takagi and Nagai’s appeals to overturn the finish, as Tsuji hadn’t tapped out.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

(Takeshita pulled out a miracle here. Off the cusp of the last match, he became Western fans’ last hope against EVIL with this win. Admittedly, NJPW should be investing more in their younger stock; they’ve quite an impressive crop to do so with. However, Takeshita makes his NJPW dates, and does more than I think most people realize. He is contracted to NJPW, after all. Him winning the G1 and potentially the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship would not be a bad call.)

Sabre started off this rematch by getting the best of Takeshita. However, the Alpha reversed this with a shoulder hold of his own. Sabrearms were tied around his neck as he struggled to maintain calmness. Soon, Sabre shouldered Takeshita to send him down. There, he cranked the arm of his opponent and bent his fingers back. Takeshita wriggled to a rope break.

Sabre aimed for a Penalty Kick on the ring apron, but Takeshita countered him with a DDT to the floor ringside. A German Suplex rendered Sabre momentarily stunned, and a flying shoulder tackle brought him back down. Sabre dodged Takeshita’s knee, kicking the back of it as he did so. To rub salt in the wound, he tied Takeshita’s weak leg against a bottom rope. Following a modified stretch to agonize it further, Sabre stomped on the knee.

Takeshita’s adrenaline propelled him to demolish Sabre with two consecutive exploder suplexes. Sabre snatched a comeback as he clutched an armbar. This essened the affect of a lariat. Out of nowhere, Sabre survived a Blue Thunderbomb to engage a triangle choke. Takeshita wept for frantic rope break attempts as Sabre tied his legs together. A loud clap followed a Rolling Elbow from Takeshita. He stole a Zack Driver to no avail. Desperately, Sabre tried many different holds and pins, but Takeshita escaped via a German suplex.

Sabre avoided a knee, landing a Zack Driver followed by an armbar. He maintained this with urgency as Takeshita miraculously earned a rope break. A lariat overturned Sabre’s Penalty Kick. The men sparred with Sabre slapping the taste out of Takeshita’s mouth. On the top turnbuckle, Sabre maintained a hold on Takeshita’s left arm but fell to the mat in Takeshita’s transitioned Raging Fire. A Powerdrive Knee and another Raging Fire tore Sabre apart for the pinfall.

Post-match: The entire House of Torture spilled to ringside. EVIL teased entering the ring, but smugly backed away and his lackeys joined him.

(I stress again the urgency of elevating the young, hot talent. So many could’ve qualified for the playoffs, semifinals, and finals. EVIL, no matter what his popularity in Japan may or may not be, should not be in this position in 2025. Hope beyond hope, Takeshita’s NJPW schedule could see him be a bigger deal in AEW and NJPW. The stars of the past cannot be relied on forever, especially in today’s wildly changing wrestling climate.)

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Playoffs begin

Posted on by Marc Quill

The NJPW G1 Climax 35 Playoffs begin today with the quarterfinals matchups in a sold out Korakuen Hall.

The main event features the second place finisher in B Block facing the third place finisher in A Block, with Shota Umino taking on Yota Tsuji. The winner advances to the semifinals on Saturday to face A Block winner EVIL.

Both began their careers in the NJPW Dojo system as Young Lions around the same time, so they have met 12 times previously with Umino holding a 10-2 edge.

In today’s semi-main event, the second place finisher in A Block faces the third place finisher from B Block, with David Finlay taking on Konosuke Takeshita. The winner will face B Block winner and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. in the semifinals on Saturday.

Finlay has won the only prior career singles meeting against Takeshita.

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

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– We began things with the opening video highlighting our A & B Block winners, as well as the men who will battle it out tonight in the two playoff matches we’ll see just ahead.

– We were welcomed for our English commentary by Walker Stewart & Chris Charlton as we got ready for our preliminary bouts to get underway.

YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato vs. Satoshi Kojima & Taichi

This tag match got under way with Kato and Taichi kicking things off for their respective sides. Kato tried to strike at Taichi with repeated running forearms, but struggled to lift Taichi up for the slam. After some effort, Kato finally managed to hit a slam on Taichi as he had the upper hand early. Taichi grounded Kato with a side kick as he pushed him towards his team’s corner, so that Kojima could enter the match with a tag.

Kojima delivered a neckbreaker on Kato, but only got a two count in the process. Kato recovered and got into an exchange of strike with the veteran Kojima, who got the best of the Young Lion. Kojima tagged in Taichi as the two tried for a double team. Kojima ended up accidentally hitting Taichi after Kato dodged a strike. This allowed YOSHI-HASHI to finally enter the match with a tag.

YOSHI-HASHI felled Kato with a running strike in the corner, followed by a DDT for the near fall. The two foes got into a strike exchange, but Kojima entered the match once again and trapped YOSHI-HASHI in the corner to hit his signature machine-gun chops. YOSHI-HASHI fought back as he and a now-legal Kato attempted the double team on Kojima.

In the ensuing chaos, Taichi was asked by Kojima to hit a double team move on Kato, but ended up on the receiving end of an accidental strike from his partner. Kato avoided the running elbow from Kojima and nearly won it after a roll-up pin. However, Kojima picked up the victory after a second attempt of the elbow and the pin.

Post-match, Taichi refused a handshake from his partner, undoubtedly after the friendly fire we saw.

Satoshi Kojima & Taichi def. YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato via pinfall

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House of Torture (Yoshinobu Takemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, SANADA) vs. Toru Yano, Jado, El Phantasmo, Boltin Oleg

We got things started with the House of Torture attacking their opponents right away. In the ring, ELP had to contend with the faction’s combined might early on, but seemed to have a handle on things as he took three of them down with a dropkick. He tagged in the enigmatic Yano, who immediately exposed one of the turnbuckles. He got taken down by a quadruple kick from HoT.

Takahashi threw Yano into the exposed turnbuckle as he got a near-fall. Takemaru got the tag as he continued to work away on the back of Yano with a knee being driven to it. Narita entered the match and maintained the HoT’s advantage on Yano.

Yano hit the inverted atomic drop on SANADA, which allowed Boltin Oleg to enter the match. He got his trademark Boltin Shake on the former IWGP World Champion. Narita grabbed at Oleg’s leg, which allowed SANADA to take a momentary advantage. The attempted double suplex failed as Oleg slammed SANADA and Narita with a suplex instead.

ELP and Jado looked good with the double team, but Phantasmo took himself out with an attempted dive to the outside. In the ring, Jado fell victim to a cheapshot to the knee by Narita while the ref was distracted by SANADA trying to bring in a guitar. This allowed Narita to pick up the win for the House of Torture with a leglock submission on Jado.

House of Torture def. Jado, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, & El Phantasmo via submission

A decent opener, but like with most of the House of Torture’s oeuvre of matches, your mileage may vary with how you feel about the faction and their heel antics.

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United Empire (Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuya Murashima, Yuya Uemera

The commentary mentioned Tanahashi’s involvement in the huge eight-man tag Lights Out Steel Cage match at AEW’s Forbidden Door show as The Ace made his entrance.

The two teams size up one another before the bell rang, as Tanahashi and Great-O-Khan kicked things off for their teams. O-Khan had Tanahashi locked into the corner as he hit a two-handed chop on him, followed by another one. Tanahashi responded with a crossbody as Murashima took out J.A.Y. and Newman.

In the ring, Tanahashi, Uemera, and Murashima hit a trio of diving splashes on O-Khan before J.A.Y. and Newman recovered and took the former two out. This left Murashima to be taken out by a United Empire triple-team attack.

As things settled down for a bit, O-Khan tagged J.A.Y. into the match as they seemingly had Tanahashi at their mercy. Young took down Tanahashi with a Slingblade, but only got a two-count. Newman entered the match and maintained control for the United Empire until a knee from Tanahashi flattened him.

Uemera got the hot tag as he held his own against the United Empire trio. A fast-paced series of reversals from Uemera and Newman ended with a suplex from Uemera, as Murashima got the tag for his team. Newman recovered, but immediately got sent flying by a running shoulder charge from Murashima. The powerslam from Murashima wasn’t enough as Newman just managed to kick out.

Murashima locked in the Boston Crab on Newman, but Great-O-Khan broke it up. O-Khan had Murashima and Tanahashi trapped in dual Iron Claws, but the two men escaped. Newman recovered and hit the running knee on Murashima, and he ultimately secured the victory with a Prince Devitt-styled Coup de Grace for the pin and win.

United Empire def. Katsuya Murashima, Yuya Uemera, & Hiroshi Tanahashi via pinfall

A fun trios tag match and it’s clear that a sea change is coming within the United Empire. That should be interesting to see.

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Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Taiji Ishimori & Drilla Moloney)

Nagai and Ishimori opened the match as the two traded offense in the early stages of the bout. Nagai dropped Ishimori with a shoulder block, but got sent to the outside after a failed suplex attempt. On the outside, Drilla threw Nagai into the barricade as Ishimori exited the ring and did the same to his foe.

The War Dogs maintained control of the match as they kept Nagai isolated from Takagi. Moloney got the tag into the match and he blasted Nagai with a hard chop to the chest. Nagai showed some fighting spirit, but a big elbow from Moloney kept him grounded. Moloney tried for a slam, but Nagai escaped as Takagi finally got the tag.

Takagi struck Moloney with strikes, and was met with some offense from Drilla in the process. Moloney took a bit too long to taunt and got hit with a back elbow from Takagi as a result. Takagi and Nagai showed great team chemistry as they hit a double team scoop slam on Moloney, but that didn’t end the match.

It was spine on the pine with Moloney crushing Takagi with a hard spinebuster. Nagai and Ishimori tagged in for their respective teams. Suplex by Nagai only got a two count, as he had the Boston Crab immediately applied on Ishimori. Moloney broke it up and tried for the Drilla Killa, which Nagai managed to fight out of.

With the ref’s back turned, Ishimori hit Nagai with a low blow kick, as he then followed that up with the running crucifix and the Bulldog submission hold for the victory.

Bullet Club War Dogs def. Taiji Ishimori & Shingo Takagi via submission

I quite enjoyed this one, and the rivalry between Moloney and Takagi has me interested in seeing these two in singles action in th near future.

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House of Torture (EVIL, DOUKI, Don Fale) vs. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa)

The House of Torture, of course, struck first with an ambush on their opponents. Outside the ring, Sabre Jr. and EVIL mixed it up, while inside the ring, it was DOUKI and Oiwa who got things started officially.

Oiwa had the hammerlock applied on DOUKI, as he then slammed him down hard on the mat afterwards. DOUKI hung on to the referee after an attempted Irish whip by Oiwa, which allowed EVIL to pull at his leg to maintain the House of Torture’s advantage. We got successive tags from Don Fale and then EVIL, who continued to punish Oiwa in their corner.

Outside the ring, DOUKI hit Oiwa with a weapon while EVIL had the referee distracted. Oiwa finally stopped the advance of EVIL with a dropkick as Sabre Jr. got the tag. The IWGP World Champion held his own as he had EVIL grounded, followed by applying an arm submission on Don Fale.

Sabre tried for the power slam, but EVIL raked at the eyes of his opponent. EVIL then followed that up with a fisherman suplex, but got a near-fall. He choked away at Sabre Jr. but the Champ turned it around momentarily. A bridged pin from Sabre couldn’t put the match away as he took down EVIL with a kick to the test.

It was time for big meaty men slapping meat as Hartley Jackson and Don Fale entered the match. In the power battle, Jackson got the best of Fale with Oiwa’s help, but that wasn’t enough. A distraction from Dick Togo on the outside allowed DOUKI to strike Jackson with a weapon to the face. This gave Fale the pinfall win in the usual House of Torture manner.

In the stands, the action seemed far from over as Sabre Jr. had EVIL trapped in a submission as the battle raged on. EVIL hit the IWGP World Champion with a lowblow as he briefly glanced at the title belt itself before he left with his House of Torture allies.

House of Torture def. TMDK via pinfall

Perhaps having two House of Torture matches that end in the same manner of distraction finish that the faction is infamous for might’ve been a bit too much. The post-match stuff between ZSJ and EVIL was at least interesting.

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G1 Climax Playoff Quarterfinal Match: David Finlay vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Gedo was the cornerman for Finlay, while Takeshita’s Don Callis Family ally Rocky Romero stood in his corner.

The two men locked horns in the ring to start before they started trading blows. As Takeshita headed up top, he got sent outside by a shove from Finlay. At ringside, Finlay hit a running shove on Takeshita that sent him over the barricade. Finlay taunted Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was on Japanese commentary, before he pulled out the infamous Japanese-grade tables from under the ring.

Finlay looked like he wanted to put Takeshita through the tables, but The Alpha turned it around and threw him into the barricade before he blasted Finlay with a knee to the face. The action spilled back into the ring with Takeshita appyling a rear chinlock on Finlay for a moment before the broken. The back of Takeshita’s knee was targeted with a chop block from Finlay, which gave him the opportunity to continue the attack on the vulnerable target.

Finlay further damaged Takeshita’s knee as his slam caused it to hit the bottom ropes hard. The Rebel Savior threw down Takeshita before he applied a single-leg crab, again targeting the injured knee of his opponent. Takeshita mustered up strength to break the hold by reaching the ropes in time.

Takeshita recovered and hit a vertical brainbuster on Finlay, which created some much-needed breathing room for him. He powered through his bum knee as he threw Finlay shoulder-first into the square turnbuckle coverings repeatedly. Takeshita headed to the top rope and tried for the senton, but Finlay got the knees up.

Finlay lifted Takeshita up for the Northern Irish Curse backbreaker, but that wasn’t enough to put this match away. Finlay attacked Takeshita with clubbing blows to the back of the head, followed by the running elbow, but again, Takeshita refused to go away quietly. With evil intentions, Finlay dragged Takeshita to the apron and looked to once again put him through the tables. Takeshita stunned Finlay with a strike and attempted a back suplex through the tables. Finlay escaped as he then threw Takeshita through the tables with a fierce powerbomb.

Finlay rolled back into the ring and wanted to win via countout, but Takeshita found the strength to make it back in before the count of 20. Finlay lifted Takeshita onto the top turnbuckle and bit at his forehead before attempting a superplex. Takeshita fought back with a headbutt and tried for a sunset powerbomb, to no avail.

Finlay got the upper hand with repeated buckle bombs that targeted Takeshita back. However, The Alpha recovered a poison rana, followed by the Power Drive knee. One, two… Finlay just kicked out at two. Takeshita attempted the Raging Fire, but Finlay countered into a ushigoroshi, followed by the powerbomb. Somehow, Takeshita kicked out at two after all that.

Finlay wanted to finish this with a little Overkill, but he got flattened by a hard knee from Takeshita. We got a wild sequence of reversals that ended with a powerbomb and a Power Drive from Takeshita. In the end, Takeshita picked up the victory with one final Raging Fire, as he punched his ticket to the G1 Climax Semifinals and a match with Zack Sabre Jr.

Konosuke Takeshita def. David Finlay to advance to the G1 Climax Semifinals

Solid, solid stuff between Finlay and Takeshita, especially as the match intensified near the end. The ZSJ vs. Takeshita semis match should make for a fun one, especially given the history between these two men.

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G1 Climax Playoff Quarterfinal Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Shota Umino

Tsuji and Umino got into a test of strength early on, with neither man winning out. Tsuji eventually got Umino in a standing headlock, as he then took him down with a shoulder block. Umino responded with a running shoulder block of his own that brought Tsuji to the mat.

Umino attacked Tsuji with repeated European uppercuts, but he failed to connect with a kick, as Tsuji deftly dodged it and mocked his foe by standing on him derisively. Tsuji now had the momentum as he blasted Umino with strikes of his own. He hit an impressive running hurricanrana that sent Umino to the outside. Tsuji followed that up with a suicide dive on Umino. At ringside, Tsuju threw Umino into the barricade and continued his attack in the stands.

Tsuji stomped at Umino before he headed back to the ring and seemed like he wanted to win via countout. However, instead, he was challenging Umino to stand up and fight by getting himself back in the ring. As Umino entered the ring, Tsuji dropped him with a scoop slam, then following that up with hard chops to the chest.

Tsuji continued to taunt Umino with nonchalant kicks, but the Roughneck tried to fight from underneath. Umino created a needed opening with a down-low dropkick on Tsuji’s knees. In the corner, Umino delivered a blast of strikes to “Gene Blast” in the corner. Umino connected with a dragon screw to keep Tsuji grounded. He targeted the leg of Tsuji with another dropkick.

In the corner, Umino zeroed in on Tsuji’s hurt right knee with repeated attacks on it. He lifted Tsuji up for a powerbomb, but couldn’t capitalize. Tsuji literally turned that around into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Umino.

Umino countered Tsuji’s attempt at a Boston Crab with a modified STF. Tsuji found himself pulled into the middle of the ring as Umino locked in the STF again. After a long struggle, Tsuji managed to break the hold by reaching the bottom rope. Umino targeted Tsuji for a DDT, but got sent outside instead. Tsuji climbed on the middle turnbuckle strut and hit a standing diving moonsault on Umino at ringside.

With the action once again back in the ring, Tsuji struck Umino with a series of particularly hard chops to the chest. He planted his boot on the face of the downed Umino in the corner. As Tsuji tried to head to the top, his knee buckled on him, which gave Umino a much-needed opening. Powerbomb from Umino only got a near-fall.

With a second wind, Umino tried for a running lariat, but he once again found himself on the backfoot after a headbutt to the jaw from Tsuji. The Boston Crab was finally applied by Tsuji, but Umino refused to give up. Through the pain and struggles, Umino tapped into his fighting spirit and reached the bottom rope to barely escape the Crab.

Tsuji looked down on Umino, who slowly got himself back to his feet and struck his foe with a elbow to the face. Tsuji hit back with an elbow before the two traded elbows in this war of attrition. Tsuji tried to chop Umino down, but he couldn’t take him down.

Umino rolled through a German suplex by Tsuji, but he got taken down with a clothesline. He somehow kicked out of that. Tsuji connected with his top rope curb stomp, but Umino again kicked out at two. Umino intercepted a Gene Blaster attempt and hit a running knee. That, miraculously, was not enough for the win.

Tsuji hit his curb stomp and sized up Umino for another Gene Blaster attempt. Umino met that with a hard lariat, as he then hit another successive lariat. Tsuji finally managed to nail the Gene Blaster on Umino. One, two… 2.999999999!!! Tsuji hoisted Umino up top and hit the Guerrero Special before he finally dashed the G1 hopes of Umino with one final Gene Blaster and the victory.

After the match, Tsuji addressed Umino and told him that everyone can be great in their own way. He stated that he and Umino will have to do this again in the future. Tsuji talked about how he had belief in his own self and that he’s put his life in the ring every time he steps in it. He promised to be the one to carry New Japan Pro-Wrestling now and into the future.

Yota Tsuji def. Shota Umino via pinfall

That was an incredible semifinal main event, and the story of Shota’s underdog run in the G1 really brought this match together. I was on the edge of my seat, especially as the match winded down. Just great stuff from both G1 quarterfinal matches we saw today.

G1 Climax Update

  • Semifinal 1: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Konosuke Takeshita (8/16/25)
  • Semifinal 2: EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji (8/16/25)
  • Finals: Winner of ZSJ/Takeshita vs. Winner of EVIL/Tsuji (8/17/25)

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: B Block’s final night

Posted on by Corey Michaels

The G1 Climax 35 playoffs will be set following today’s final night of B Block action in Hamamatsu.

The top three in B Block following today’s show will advance to the playoffs, with the top points total earning a bye into Saturday’s semifinals. Seven competitors remain mathematically alive heading into the show, with only one wrestler having secured their playoff spot in the Block.

In today’s main event, Konosuke Takeshita faces Ren Narita. Both stand at 10 points entering today, and the winner is guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Shota Umino (10 points) faces Great-O-Khan (8 points) in the semi-main event. Umino makes the playoffs with a win, while O-Khan needs a win and help to make the next round.

Zack Sabre Jr. takes on YOSHI-HASHI in tonight’s second tournament bout. Sabre has already secured a playoff spot and will be wrestling for a bye, while YOSHI-HASHI is mathematically eliminated from contention.

Shingo Takagi (8 points) and Drilla Moloney (8 points) square off in tonight’s first tournament bout. Both need to win and need help to have a chance at the playoffs.

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  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi
  • TMDK defeated United Empire
  • Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated House Of Torture
  • Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji defeated Shoma Kato & Yuya Uemura
  • House Of Torture defeated War Dogs
  • Shingo Takagi defeated Drilla Moloney
  • Zack Sabre Jr. defeated YOSHI-HASHI
  • Shota Umino defeated Great-O-Khan
  • Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ren Narita

Main Card – Tag Team Matches

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi

Taichi spent the early half dominating Murashima. Yasuda continued that offense, but Murashima laid him flat for a hot Tanahashi tag. Taichi kept the Ace occupied at ringside. Meanwhile, Yasuda grounded Murashima with a Lion Tamer. Murashima slammed Yasuda and tapped him out with a Boston Crab.

TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young)

(Either it’s temporary frustration or a change in personality for Newman, but I do wonder what’s coming next for him. He needs a shakeup so maybe this disappointment is what’s needed to mix things up.)

Newman’s injuries and exhaustion from the G1 Climax kept him slow against the spry Oiwa. Young attempted to keep Jackson away, resulting only in stunned confusion; Newman kicked him to ringside. Jackson made a hot tag, squashing Newman under his own girth. Young too sustained this damage from Jackson after Oiwa offered a scoop slam. Jackson pinned Young following a Jagged Edge.

Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated House Of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

(This finish was the perfect combination of Boltin’s Superman and Yano’s Deadpool. Using their chemistry made this an entertaining short bout.)

House of Torture immediately cut down their opponents. Kanemaru took advantage of Yano’s turnbuckle antics to attack his knee. Elsewhere, SANADA left Boltin in a heap of chairs amid the audience. Boltin double-suplexed SANADA and Kanemaru, swinging the former in his patented Boltin Shake. SANADA attempted a Skull End and an inside cradle, but both failed as Boltin lightly tossed him through a side suplex. Unwisely, Kanemaru sought a flying crossbody, but Boltin caught him and lent him to Yano for a roll-up pinfall.

Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji defeated Shoma Kato & Yuya Uemura

(This was the right move, keeping Tsuji on track and giving hope as opposed to sowing doubt. As for Uemura, he sold the dejection of delivering everything to the tournament just to fail, so well.)

Nagai and Tsuji kept Kato isolated, keeping him flat while knocking Uemura from the corner. A spirited comeback for Uemura saw Tsuji bulldogged onto the mat. Kato made a desperate crawl to escape a Boston Crab, but Tsuji transitioned it into a stretch that tapped out the Young Lion.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) defeated War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

(I’m not asking for much, just that we get a Finlay win over EVIL. Or at least a clean finish in their upcoming Block-A match. I know that’s like throwing a wish to a brick wall, but I’m begging.)

House of Torture abused the War Dogs before the bell could ring, with EVIL driving Finlay through the chairs in the crowd. Don Fale joined the affair, battering Finlay on the barricade. EVIL choked Finlay with the tag rope. Finlay swung a comeback with a Northern Irish Curse. EVIL sought to interrupt Gedo’s momentum, but was choked by Finlay instead. Fale hit Gedo with his Grenade, giving Togo the pinfall.

G1 Climax B-Block Matches

Shingo Takagi (10) defeated Drilla Moloney (8)

(The match did well to position Moloney as a next-up guy. Meanwhile, shining Takagi up as a legend who still has a fire burning deep within his soul is the move at this point. Excellent B-Block opener before the playoffs. Moloney was on fire for this year’s tournament.)

Moloney showed glimpses of hope after the bell, but Takagi got the upper hand at ringside, throwing the War Dog into barricades. The men then battled in the sea of chairs hastily abandoned by the crowd. Evenly matched, the seasoned Takagi unsheathed a lariat, returning control to his favor. A wrathful Moloney quelled Takagi’s momentum with a Spinebuster. Takagi struck Moloney with a Made in Japan. Evading a lariat, Takagi struck with a sliding Pumping Bomber to Moloney’s back. He responded to Takagi with a Piledriver. Having dropped Moloney with a Pumping Bomber, Takagi followed with a Last of the Dragon to defeat Moloney.

Zack Sabre Jr. (14) defeated YOSHI-HASHI (8)

(Well done. Very well done. YOSHI-HASHI’s been an underrated part of the G1 Climax, even after being eliminated. Paired with the personal story of avenging Hirooki Goto against the man who won the title back from him, YOSHI-HASHI put on a match of the night contender.)

Right out of the gate, YOSHI-HASHI and Sabre collided. Sabre soon gained control of YOSHI-HASHI’s legs. YOSHI-HASHI agonized during Sabre’s transition to torturing his wrist. YOSHI-HASHI turned the tides, eventually impacting Sabre with a dropkick. They fought across the barricades outside. YOSHI-HASHI returned the match in his favor with a Headhunter.

Sabre worked YOSHI-HASHI’s arm. YOSHI-HASHI landed a stiff lariat that rattled the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. YOSHI-HASHI scored a nearfall with a Kumagoroshi. Sabre wrenched YOSHI-HASHI’s arms back. Ushigoroshi and a superkick rendered Sabre mat-prone, punctuated by Loose Explosion. YOSHI-HASHI snared Sabre’s arm in an extensioned, but the Brit reversed it, ultimately pulling it back until YOSHI-HASHI submitted.

Shota Umino (12) defeated Great-O-Khan (6)

(Fine match. The Hamamatsu, Shizuoka crowd wasn’t as on-fire for this one as the previous two B-Block matches tonight. That said, this match was what it needed to be, a settling between Umino and Khan, not demanding to be some epic.)

Khan overwhelmed Umino quickly, with the latter narrowly escaping an Eliminator. At ringside, Khan delivered Mongolian chops prior to slingshotting Umino to the blue steel guardrails. As though that were not enough, he sent Umino through the chairs before a dispersed crowd. Khan continually slammed Umino, maintaining a lock on his neck. Umino finally rebounded with a Tornado-DDT.

Khan recovered with a Tenzan Tombstone to daze Umino. Though Umino withstood a flying right hook, he escaped Khan’s claw to discharge a powerbomb. Khan turned Umino’s Northern Lights Suplex to a cradle. Umino turned the page to a Second Chapter for the win over Khan.

Main Event G1 Climax B-Block

Konosuke Takeshita (12) defeated Ren Narita (10)

(This may be one of my favorite House of Torture comeuppances. Takeshita was a warrior, through and through. At times, this match left me breathless. By no means was it Omega/Okada or Steamboat/Flair, but it was a thrill. Credit to Walker Stewart as well, for he brought out something akin to Jim Ross. He truly helped elevate the match. Fantastic main event.)

True to House of Torture fashion, Narita found a prompt advantage with his allies battering Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero of The Don Callis Family. Somehow holding a stoic rage, Takeshita charged in, but fell back to Narita’s boot.

Takeshita fired back with repeated knees to Narita’s jaw. Within the sea of the Hamamatsu crowd, Narita tormented Takeshita, tossing him into chairs. He even slammed Takeshita’s knee with a steel chair. Unsatisfied, Narita swung Takeshita’s knee into the ringpost, where his co-horts added to the damage.

Returning to his technical roots, Narita held his opponent in a submission, to which Takeshita countered into a Brainbuster. Sneakily stealing the control of the match, Narita resumed abusing Takeshita’s knee. The Alpha rallied back with a lariat. Aiming for a German suplex, Takeshita instead was sent into the referee. Don Fale struck Takeshita with a chair whereas Dick Togo choked him with a wire. Romero dispatched both men.

Takeshita downed Narita with an elbow. A tope suicida decimated Narita and his legion of horribles. An Exploder Suplex toppled Narita, as did a Powerdrive Knee. Yoshinobu Kanemaru jammed a bottle of whiskey into the back of Takeshita’s knee. Narita once more returned to stretching Takeshita’s leg. Tapping one time for adrenaline, Takeshita broke the hold with a hasty rope grab. Refusing to stay down, Takeshita plummeted Narita with a Last Ride. Showing great ring awareness, Takeshita yanked his arm from a Kanemaru intrusion and ducked a mist of whiskey to choke Narita into unconsciousness with a Crossface Chickenwing for a triumphant victory.

G1 Climax Playoff Update

Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji face off on August 14. The winner of that match will face EVIL on August 16.

Konosuke Takeshita and David Finlay face off on August 14. The winner of that match will face Zack Sabre Jr. on August 16.

(With the exception of Shota Umino versus Great-O-Khan, the B-Block matches tonight were a blast. YOSHI-HASHI’s last stand against Sabre was an emotional thrill, whereas Takeshita overcoming the odds of House of Torture provided a catharsis to end the night. Those are the matches to watch in terms of quality; Shingo Takagi versus Drilla Moloney is just an added bonus.)

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: A Block’s final night

Posted on by Corey Michaels

NJPW G1 Climax 35 reaches the conclusion of A Block matches on today’s show in Hamamatsu.

The top three competitors in A Block will advance to the playoffs, beginning Thursday. The Block winner receives a bye into the semifinals set for next Saturday.

Eight of ten competitors in A Block have some chance of advancing to the playoffs entering today’s show. Only two competitors can seal their own fate with a victory.

Yuya Uemura (10 points) faces David Finlay (8 points) in today’s main event. If Uemura wins, he’s in the playoffs. Finlay needs to win and get help to advance.

EVIL (10 points) faces Hiroshi Tanahashi (8 points) in the semi-main. EVIL is in the playoffs with a victory. Tana needs to win and get help to make the playoffs.

Yota Tsuji (8 points) and Callum Newman (8 points) meet in the third tournament match of the show. Each needs to win and get help to advance.

Ryohei Oiwa (8 points) faces SANADA (6 points) in the second tournament bout tonight. SANADA is eliminated from contention, while Oiwa needs to win and get help to remain alive.

Boltin Oleg (8 points) vs. Taichi (6 points) is today’s tournament opener. Taichi is eliminated, and Boltin needs to win and get help to keep his playoff hopes alive.

**********

  • War Dogs defeated Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi
  • TMDK defeated Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI
  • United Empire defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shota Umino
  • House of Torture defeated The Don Callis Family
  • Oleg Boltin defeated Taichi
  • SANADA defeated Ryohei Oiwa
  • Yota Tsuji defeated Callum Newman
  • EVIL defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • David Finlay defeated Yuya Uemura

Main Card – Tag Team Matches

Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori) defeated Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi

(Moloney has the killer instinct, and matches the power presented by Takagi. This will make their upcoming B-Block matches interesting with both men currently tied at 8.)

Moloney and Takagi locked horns until a shoulder tackle gave the latter control. Ishimori and Moloney isolated Nagai from his partner. Nagai blasted Ishimori with a Spinebuster. Moloney ate a lariat from Takagi. Ishimori held Nagai deep with a Bone Lock, which ultimately resulted in the Young Lion tapping out.

TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI

(Only a brief taste of Sabre and YOSHI-HASHI. Very brief, I might say. The story I saw coming out of this is that despite Jackson getting the better of him, Kato’s heart wouldn’t let him stay down for long, no matter what size his opponent is. Plus, he changed tactics early on whereas some Young Lions might’ve stubbornly stuck to the same method.)

Jackson swiftly leveled the playing field with both YOSHI-HASHI and Kato lain flat. Sabre worked on the neck of young Kato. YOSHI-HASHI drove Sabre into the mat with a DDT. Kaito unwisely attempted to flip Jackson over his shoulder but changed strategy to a leg hold that knocked down the girthy giant. Jackson compressed Kato’s midsection with a devastating senton. In the center of the ring, Jackson flattened Kato with a Jagged Edge, warranting a pinfall.

United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young) defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shota Umino

(Young was almost a non-factor in the match following his August 8 tag with Callum Newman against Yota Tsuji and Daiki Nagai. Khan’s much maligned ruined knees during this tournament didn’t deter him, however.)

Khan denied a thirsty Umino of a chance to lock up, lending a still-hurt Young to suffer his knee to the Roughneck. To give his weakened partner more of a chance, Khan laid ruin unto Umino, hurling him into the barricade. Mongolian chops and his patented top rope sit-down may have rocked Murashima, but the Young Lion sent him flying with a pounce. He aligned with his more senior partner to level Khan. Tenzan Tombstone Driver and a vice grip wrought enough agony for Murashima to tap out.

House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero)

(Standard House of Torture fare, albeit without weapons or the accursed interference. Romero sold believably. Takeshita was presented as formidable and likely to handle Narita in the B-Block, but even the numbers game may prove too much for him.)

House of Torture struck first after the bell, with Narita disposing of Takeshita into the chairs in the crowd. He and Kanemaru targeted Romero’s knee. Takeshita returned, sending Narita downward with an exploder suplex. Romero briefly had control on Narita, but his knee gave out during a Sliced Bread attempt. Narita tapped Romero out with an Indian Deathlock.

G1 Climax A-Block Matches

Oleg Boltin (10) defeated Taichi (6)

(Boltin’s matches excite when he’s up against someone who is either more cunning than him or relatively close in strength. Taichi was just that, so seeing how Boltin had to pull through on sheer will made this a battle for survival that tested the merits of his tenacity.)

The more-experienced Taichi controlled the early goings, but a Dangerous Backdrop, Boltin Shake, and backbreaker incurred a deep woe into Taichi’s ribs. Boltin’s momentum came to a screeching halt after an enzuigiri laid him out. A Dangerous Backdrop lent Taichi a moment to recuperate. Boltin landed a short-range Kamikaze, softened by his worn back and hobbling knee. Taichi rocked Boltin with a roundhouse kick. Boltin swung a brief comeback through a Kamikaze. He then unleashed another, full-force Kamikaze to pin Taichi.

SANADA (6) defeated Ryohei Oiwa (8)

(SANADA played spoiler to Oiwa’s last chance to stay in the G1 so dirtily. At least he can live in the solace that he dragged Oiwa down with him; neither man advance in the tournament. Foreshadowing this in the tag match against Oiwa and Hartley Jackson on August 8, it paid off in a different way for the House of Torture member. I may not like it, but we move on.)

Try as he might, SANADA struggled to escape Oiwa’s headlocks. Even when he tried a Side Headlock Takedown, SANADA found himself in Oiwa’s grasp. SANADA ruined Oiwa’s neck following a DDT to the floor from the ring apron. Oiwa transitioned SANADA’s Skull End to another headlock. Firmly locking hands across SANADA’s waist, Oiwa flung his opponent about with suplexes. After some Eddie Guerrero-esque shenanigans with his guitar, SANADA blasted Oiwa with the musical instrument for the pinfall.

Yota Tsuji (10) defeated Callum Newman (8)

(Selling not just the wear and tear of the G1 Climax, but the disappointment of elimination, Newman did admirably here. Walker Stewart on commentary mentioned a Tsuji win may cost Oleg Boltin the oturnament here, so in any event this match still gives hope to someone moving forward in the tournament at this juncture in tonight’s show.)

Newman, having been told he was eliminated from the finals, sourly and halfheartedly struck Tsuji. Soon, it annoyed Tsuji so much that he pitched Newman into a row of chairs. Sensing Newman’s exhausted state and his strength in fast-paced action, Tsuji slowed the match to a crawl as he worked his opponent’s neck. As Newman steadily gained momentum, Tsuji quelled it with a double-stomp. Spanish Fly by Newman thwarted a potential Gene Blaster.

From the top rope, Newman crushed Tsuji’s midsection with a double-stomp. Tsuji unsheathed a Gene Blaster, short-range, leaving Newman retching by the ropes. Marlowe Crush from Tsuji punished Newman to the point of collapse. Seventeen Crosses gave Tsuji the vital three seconds to win.

EVIL (12) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (8)

(Deflating. Heartbreaking. And yet expected. The August 8 tag match where EVIL swore to make the match fair and honorable didn’t carry over. I wouldn’t have minded the loss had it been clean. However, the silver lining is that this win helps push Yota Tsuji further in the tournament as well.)

A Flying Crossbody provided confidence to Tanahashi, but EVIL suplanted this by stealing the Ace’s Dragon Screw Legwhip. He then focused on Tanahashi’s notoriously spent knees. Hope was within Tanahashi’s clutches after a senton, but EVIL caught him in a Figure Four Leglock. EVIL dropped Tanahashi with Darkness Falls. Tanahashi crawled for a rope break to stop a Darkness Scorpion. Twist’n’Shout and a Slingblade incapacitated EVIL, but not enough to roll away from a High Fly Flow.

Dick Togo and Don Fale strutted to hand EVIL a steel chair. He implored them to leave, to which Tanahashi assisted by handing the referee the chair. Distracted, the referee missed EVIL throwing powder into Tanahashi’s face. House of Torture assaulted Tanahashi. EVIL pinned Tanahashi with Darkness Falls, thus eliminating him from the tournament.

Main Event G1 Climax A-Block

David Finlay (10) defeated Yuya Uemura (10)

(Match of the night. I’m gutted that Uemura is out, but Finlay’s had an incredible year. Already a fan of these two, my appreciation for each grew in this match. The desperation, the drama, it oozed right out of the screen, where their deepest desires and biggest moves were pure adrenaline made manifest. Making an insane comeback earlier in the tournament, Finlay’s underdog story continues, but where will it take him?)

Uemura sent Finlay into the barricade at ringside and worked his shoulder in the ring. Finlay got revenge by sending Uemura into the barricade. Uemura wriggled to a rope break in an escape from Finlay’s rear naked choke. Finlay tossed out a lariat that sent both men to the outside; the War Dog then lobbed Uemura into the ring post.

Northern Irish Curse courtesy of Finlay slammed Uemura on the mat. He flew too close to the Sun, however, as he tried sending Uemura to the outside but was ironically flung there himself from a rope-assisted hurricanrana. Uemura writhed in pain after a Backbreaker, yet he escaped a pin from Finlay’s Dominator. Fully extending Finlay’s arm, Uemura maintained pressure, pulling back as far as he could. In this tormenting stretch, Uemura even pulled Finlay’s leg.

Finlay plummeted Uemura with two Pop Out Powerbombs and an Oblivion. Uemura tried a Dragon Suplex and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow, to no avail. Finlay saved himself with two Overkills to put away Uemura.

(This was an important night in this year’s G1 Climax. Oleg Boltin was out despite his victory. Callum Newman’s disappointment carried into his match with wrinkles added to his personality. SANADA spoiling Ryohei Oiwa left a bad taste in my mouth. Hiroshi Tanahashi’s loss would’ve done the same, had it not meant Yota Tsuji would progress. EVIL’s win meant so much in the layout of the G1 Climax, as did the winner of David Finlay versus Yuya Uemura. With the three winners of the A-Block settled, B-Block will settle that section.

The G1 Climax is nearly at its end, and so much is on the line with the future of New Japan Pro Wrestling.)

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shota Umino

Posted on by Corey Michaels

The NJPW G1 Climax 35 tournament reaches the home stretch today with a B Block show from Yokohama Budokan.

Konosuke Takeshita faces Shota Umino in the main event of today’s show, the next-to-last night of B Block action. With only the top three point totals advancing to the playoffs, Umino needs a victory to control his tournament future. He enters the bout with 8 points in a four-way tie for fourth place. Takeshita has 10 points as part of a three-way tie atop the B Block.

Shingo Takagi faces Ren Narita in the semi-main event today. Shingo enters the bout with 6 points in a two-way tie for eighth place in the 10-person block. Narita has 10 points.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. and his 10 points take on Drilla Moloney and his 8 points in tonight’s second tournament bout.

YOSHI-HASHI with 8 points faces the mathematically eliminated El Phantasmo and his 6 points in tonight’s first tournament matchup.

A series of tag matches previewing Sunday’s A Block card fill out today’s undercard. The show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

  • Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi
  • House Of Torture defeated TMDK by disqualification
  • Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji defeated United Empire
  • House Of Torture defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima
  • Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura defeated Bullet Club War Dogs
  • El Phantasmo defeated YOSHI-HASHI
  • Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Drilla Moloney
  • Shingo Takagi defeated Ren Narita
  • Shota Umino defeated Konosuke Takeshita

Main Card – Tag Team Matches

Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi

(Taichi convincingly looked dejected, despite striking hard and true. Boltin certainly looks more confident in the G1 Climax since last year.)

Taichi led Yasuda in a united front against Boltin, but he overpowered his way out. Yano removed a turnbuckle pad, propelling Yasuda into its corner. It wasn’t easy, but Yasuda toppled Boltin with a hurricanrana and a dropkick.

Taichi directed a kick to Yano, who tumbled out of the ring. Boltin unleashed a belly-to-belly suplex to Taichi. An Axe Bomber was his response. Yano sent Yasuda down with a slam. Yasuda silently agreed to Taichi slamming him onto Yano. Yasuda fell victim to a successful schoolboy pin, losing the match.

House Of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa) by disqualification

(I admit, I’m a sucker for the classic Guerrero style antics.)

Oiwa outwrestled SANADA’s grapple attempts. Offering his hand to shake, SANADA watched as Oiwa was taken to the barricade by Kanemaru whereas Jackson retaliated against SANADA. Into the crowd SANADA dragged Oiwa, ruthlessly beating him with a defenseless water bottle.

Kanemaru and SANADA clobbered Oiwa in the corner. Jackson attempted to garner a comeback with a Jagged Edge but SANADA pulled the referee in to complicate it. Evoking the spirit of Eddie Guerrero, SANADA slapped his trusty acoustic guitar, tossed it to Jackson, and lay on the mat. The referee caught Jackson holding the guitar (despite sheepishly hiding it behind his back. TMDK was then disqualified.

Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young)

(I’m stoked for Newman and Tsuji on August 10’s series of A-Block matches. Here’s to hoping nothing too worrisome is afflicting Young.)

Newman had the advantage with high speed and lucha libre offense, yet fell onto Tsuji’s knees once caught. Nagai maintained his team’s control with a dropkick to Young. He retorted with one of his own. Tsuji dropped Newman with a scoop slam and jumped on his prone opponent. A Gene Blaster by Tsuji put Young away for the pinfall.

Post-match: United Empire attacked Tsuji and Nagai. Tsuji dragged Newman to the front. Young was already taken to the back; he had to be checked on earlier in the match.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima

A generous EVIL offered to fight fair for Tanahashi’s final G1 Climax season.

(Okay, they actually did it. House of Torture put on a clean match. I fully expect this to not be the case tomorrow and will probably be proven wrong. But for all intents and purposes, this was an enjoyable change of pace with a huge subversion of expectation.)

Seemingly true to his word, EVIL asked Togo not to interfere in the early goings. Tanahashi and Murashima took turns tagging in to work Togo’s arm. Murashima caught Don Fale attempting to distract him, to which EVIL instructed Fale to back away. Togo nearly resorted to underhanded tactics, but thought better of it.

Murashima hoped to work EVIL’s leg, but ate a lariat for his efforts. Togo kept Tanahashi on the outside as EVIL locked in a Darkness Scorpion to Murashima, tapping him out.

Post-match: EVIL shook Tanahashi’s hand as Fale and Togo evacuated. Both teams parted ways amicably.

Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

(Finlay’s epic G1 comeback clashes against Uemura’s strong performance thus far come August 10. Their interactions may not have invested me in this match, but this head-to-head clash still compels me to wait in anticipated breath for the next round of A Block matches.)

Uemura looked to have Finlay’s number, wearing him down for Honma’s Kokeshi, which ultimately failed. Gedo worked on Honma’s face, but he and Finlay missed their own stolen Kokeshi. The veteran finally landed a Kokeshi on both fallen opponents. Finlay plopped Uemura with a Backbreaker, lending him to Gedo for his patented Gedo Clutch.

Uemura pulled Gedo in for a Deadbolt, but he escaped only for a deep arm drag. Armbar then in place, Uemura tapped Gedo out for the victory.

G1 Climax B-Block Matches

El Phantasmo (6) defeated YOSHI-HASHI (8)

(There wasn’t much sauce to this match. Both are entertaining wrestlers, but there was no heightened drama or stakes, nor any levity. The Kanagawa fans in attendance may have enjoyed this, but I did not so much. Not bad by any stretch, just painfully average.)

YOSHI-HASHI locked in with Phantasmo, leading to a struggle between the two. Phantasmo kicked YOSHI-HASHI to the outside and followed with a plancha. He leapt to a moonsault from the top rope to YOSHI-HASHI on the outside, who evaded just in time. This rattled Phantasmo’s legs momentarily.

Phantasmo confidently planted YOSHI-HASHI with a Brainbuster. YOSHI-HASHI turned the tide with a dropkick and a baseball kick to render Phantasmo horizontal. Phantasmo fired back with a springboard senton and a springboard moonsault. YOSHI-HASHI returned fire with a dragon suplex and a lariat. He aimed for an Ushigoroshi but failed.

Panic settled in the wrestlers as they urgently pulled out their deepest moves. Phantasmo landed a CR2 to no avail. He then plummetted YOSHI-HASHI with a Burning Hammer. A Thunderkiss ’85 put away YOSHI-HASHI for good, gifting Phantasmo the pinfall.

Zack Sabre Jr. (12) defeated Drilla Moloney (8)

(Sabre’s mixture of technical wrestling, mocking attitude, and cunning makes him dangerous and this match exemplifies this. Moloney’s a powerful beast, but when up against calmer, out-thinking opponents, that won’t account for much.)

Moloney powered out of Sabre’s rapid succession of holds after the bell. However, Sabre regained and maintained control with utmost flexibility with a headlock takedown. Moloney suplanted this with headscissor holds and a short piledriver.

Sabre mockingly tossed his forearm repeatedly into Moloney’s jaw, resulting in the latter throwing in a louder, thunderous forearm to stagger him. Moloney attempted to counter a Zack Driver, only to have his neck twisted by Sabre’s ankles.

The maintained control held by Sabre soon ended with a sit-out piledriver and a Gore. Baiting Moloney into a forearm exchange, Sabre surprised him with a Zack Driver and moved to working onhis arm. In the nick of time, Moloney caught a Penalty Kick, using it to land a powerbomb. He sought to do another one, but Sabre took advantage of Moloney’s weakened bicep, tapping him out in a triangle hold.

Shingo Takagi (8) defeated Ren Narita (10)

(So much happened in this match and I only covered half of it. Takagi and Narita had an action-filled thrill ride that commanded full attention the whole way through.)

Yoshinobu Kanemaru shocked Takagi from the darkness to batter him on the outside.

Enjoying this reversal of fortune, Narita flung Takagi into the chairs before the fans. He clobbered Takagi’s knees with steel chairs and left him for dead in a canyon of chairs. Desperately hobbling to the ring, Takagi collapsed once more thanks to Kanemaru attacking the leg en route to the ring.

Narita tied Takagi’s leg to the rope, pulling hard to strain the knee. Fortunately for him, Daiki Nagai came to his aid by pulling Narita to the outside. Referee Marty Asami fell into Takagi as he hyped up the crowd. Kanemaru took advantage of this with a chair shot. Takagi dropped Narita from the top rope as blood cascaded from his nose. Narita quelled Takagi’s providence with a hold to aggravate the already soft knee.

Takagi nearly choked out Narita for the win, had it not been for Kanemaru ringing the bell. A low-blow and Made in Japan almost gave Takagi the win, but Kanemaru pulled Asami away from the pin. He then attempted to spray whiskey in Takagi’s eyes. Nagai stopped Narita from using his board. Takagi successfully pinned Narita after a Last of the Dragon.

Main Event G1 Climax B-Block

Shota Umino (8) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (10)

(Takeshita has more than proven his ability to deliver classic matches in NJPW. But here, Umino felt like a star. His perseverance and heart won out after a grueling battle where tenacity overcame the stoic, yet raging wildfire that is Takeshita.

Takeshita quickly proved indominatable against the tenacity of Umino. He then went to work on Umino’s neck. Umino turned the tables with a fisherman’s suplex but the Brainbuster he took the prior day took effect. He sent Takeshita a-whirling with two dragon screw legwhips. Takeshita endured stomps to his knee and stumbled mid-Irish Whip.

Umino went for a facelock and drove Takeshita’s knee into the mat. Takeshita caught Umino and wrenched control with a powerbomb and an STF. At ringside, Umino dispatched Takeshita’s knee onto the floor and delivered a hateful lariat across the barricade. Takeshita dropped Umino on the hard blue floor among the crowd with a Brainbuster. Narrowly beating the 20-count on way to the ring, Umino was instantly greeted with a lariat.

Umino heaved Takeshita with a fisherman’s suplex, met by a German suplex by Takeshita. A Tornado-DDT gave him further room for control. Takeshita weathered a heated forearm exchange to send Umino spiraling from the top rope. Umino replied with a superplex in the corner. Snapping Umino’s neck, Takeshita reeled his opponent in for a Crossface Chickenwing. Faded, but not out, Umino weakly kicked out of a pin. A Blue Thunderbomb couldn’t even do the trick.

Catching Takeshita’s leg mid-kick, Umino knocked Takeshita down with a lariat. Takeshita countered Umino’s Second Chapter into a Brainbuster. A second attempt at a Second Chapter did the trick, with Umino getting the win over the Alpha.

(The B-Block stumbled at first, but each match progressively improved on the last. If Umino continues with matches like this, I’ll be a fan again.

NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Posted on by Joseph Collins

Osaka hosts today’s NJPW G1 Climax 35 event featuring four B Block matches.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. faces Shingo Takagi in today’s main event. Sabre is part of of a seven-way-tie for first in B Block with his 8 points, while Shingo stands alone in eighth place in the Block with 6 points. Shingo must win to have any hope of advancing to the B Block playoffs. Sabre holds a 4-3 edge in their seven previous singles matches.

In the semi-main, Drilla Moloney faces El Phantasmo. Moloney is part of the logjam at the top of B Block with 8 points, while ELP is one of two wrestlers (Gabe Kidd, out injured) mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Great-O-Khan takes on Ren Narita in a matchup of two wrestlers with 8 points each in today’s second tournament bout.

YOSHI-HASHI (8 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (8 points) kicks off today’s tournament action.

A series of tag previews for Thursday’s A Block show fills out today’s undercard.

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

Live from Osaka, INTEX Osaka Hall 5. 

Walker Stewart & Rocky Romero were on English commentary. 

Jakob Austin Young & Callum Newman defeated Taichi & Masatora Yasuda (11:45)

Newman and Taichi had a striking battle that Taichi ended with a nice lariat. The young lions squared off, and Yasuda caught Young with a dropkick. Yasuda went for a submission with a Boston crab. While Taichi and Newman brawled on the floor, Young came back with a twisting vertical suplex, and then finished off Yasuda with Jakob’s Ladder (a Sliced Bread #2) to get the pinfall. Newman taunted Taichi after his victory. 

Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg defeated Dick Togo & EVIL (w/ Don Fale)

EVIL invited Oleg to join the House of Torture by giving him a t-shirt. Oleg put on the House of Torture t-shirt, then dropkicked his oppoents anyway to start the match. Fale squashed Oleg against the ring barricades on the floor. EVIL choked out Oleg with a tag rope. Yano got the tag and the ref got bumped. With the ref down, Fale came in and the House of Torture team triple-teamed Yano. Oleg broke the triple team up and clotheslined Fale to the floor. Oleg caught Togo with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Yano hit Togo with a low blow and rolled him up for the pinfall. 

Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA defeated Kaysuta Murashima & Hiroshi Tanahashi (6:25)

SANADA left Tanahashi laying after they brawled into the crowd. Tanahashi made it back to the ring before behing counted out. SANADA missed a moonsault and Tanahashi caught him with a slingblade. Tags were made on both sides. Murashima overpowered Kanemaru with a suplex and a powerslam for a nearfall. Kanemaru went after Murashima’s injured knee with kicks and a single leg crab. Kanemaru switched to a figure-four leglock. SANADA held back Tanahashi from making the save, and Murashima tapped out. 

Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa defeated Shoma Kato & Yuya Uemura (5:59) 

The opening sequence between Uemura and Oiwa was tremendous. Jackson blocked a double suplex from his opponents. They softened him up with a double dropkick and were able to get the double suplex on a second try. Jackson squashed Kato with a senton for a near fall. Oiwa hit Uemura with a nasty lariat. Kato tried a couple of roll-ups on Jackson but couldn’t hold him down. Jackson floored Kato with a lariat, then hit a death valley driver for the pinfall.

Gedo & David Finlay defeated Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji (6:32) 

The young lion Nagai tried to step up to Finlay and it did not go well. Nagai fared much better against Gedo. Finlay and Tsuji had a brief exchange. Nagai hit Finlay with a great dropkick. Finlay blocked a monkey flip, but Nagai caught Finlay with a crossbody for a near fall. Finlay blocked a small package attempt and turned it into Oblivion and got the pinfall. 

Konosuke Takeshita (5-2, 10 pts) defeated YOSHI-HASHI (4-3, 8 pts) in a G1 Climax 35 B Block Match. 

Takeshita worked over YOSHI-HASHI’s back early. YOSHI-HASHI caught Takeshita with a dropkick to the knee. YOSHI-HASHI hung Takeshita up in the ropes and hit a dropkick for a near fall. Takeshita hit a boot and dropped his opponent with a backbreaker. YOSHI-HASHI escaped a suplex with a hangman’s neckbreaker. Takeshita and YOSHI-HASHI exchanged strikes. Takeshita got a near fall with his inverted tombstone. YOSHI-HASHI countered a suplex attempt with a vicious swinging DDT. 

YOSHI-HASHI hit an avalanche clothesline in the corner. He went to the top but was way too slow getting there, and Takeshita caught up with him. YOSHI-HASHI hit a sunset powerbomb out of the corner and got a nearfall with a jackknife cover. Takeshita came back with a pair of exploders for two. YOSHI-HASHI blocked a knee strike and caught Takeshita with an inverted driver for another near fall. The crowd really started to get behind YOSHI-HASHI, and he floored Takeshita with a lariat. YOSHI-HASHI hit a swanton bomb for another near fall. Takeshita came back with a knee strike for a near fall. Takeshita then hit the Raging Fire for the pinfall. Takeshita is the first to 10 points in the tournament with this victory.

Ren Narita (5-2, 10 pts) defeated Great-O-Khan (4-4, 8 pts) vs.  in a G1 Climax 35 B Block Match (12:38)

Narita attacked O-Khan on the floor before the bell could ring. Nariata took him into the crowd and went after his knee. Narita grabbed the bell hammer while the referee tended to O-Khan. Narita hit O-Khan with the hammer. O-Khan finally got into the ring and Narita went to work on his leg. O-Khan hit overhead chops, but Narita went to the leg again to take control. 

Narita kept working over the knee. O-Khan caught Narita with a shoulder throw and immediately crumpled into a pile on the mat. O-Khan managed a fireman’s carry and an overhead belly to belly suplex. O-Khan went to a head and arm choke. All of sudden, Yoshinobu Kanemaru rang the ring bell, but there was no submission. O-Khan thought he won, and while the ref checked on Narita, Kanemaru snuck in from behind and hit O-Khan in the knee with his whiskey bottle. 

O-Khan went for a claw slam, but Narita countered into a knee bar. While Kanemaru distracted the ref again, Narita hit O-Khan in the knee with a push-up bar and locked in another knee bar. The bell rang, but O-Khan hadn’t submitted. This time it was Jakob Austin Young ringing the bell. This distraction allowed Khan to take control. O-Khan took out Narita and the ref with a claw slam. Kanemaru tried to interfere again, but Young cut him off. O-Khan and Narita went to the top where Narita spat whiskey in his face. Narita hit a low blow, then locked in one more kneebar to get the submission. What an overbooked mess. 

El Phantasmo (3-5, 6 pts) defeated Drilla Moloney (4-3, 8 pts) in a G1 Climax 35 B Block Match (5:14)

Phantasmo was playing spoiler here. Phantasmo came out quickly with a running dive and a moonsault to the floor. He tried for a springboard senton, but Moloney got his knees up and hit a gore for a near fall. Moloney folded Phantasmo up with a powerbomb for a near fall. Moloney went to the top, but Phantasmo cut him off. Moloney went for the gore again, but Phantasmo blocked it. Moloney went for a dominator, but Phantasmo countered by landing on his feet. Moloney hit ELP with a piledriver. Phantasmo caught Moloney with a Canadian Destroyer and the CR2 for a near fall. ELP hit a second CR2 and then a piedriver. Phantasmo hit the Thunderkiss 86 Splash and got the pinfall. I’m not sure why this only got half the time of the House of Torture mess.

IWGP World Champion Zack Sabre, Jr. (5-2, 10 pts) defeated Shingo Takagi (3-4, 6 pts) vs. in a G1 Climax 35 B Block Match (20:48)

This was a tremendous main event. Takagi was eliminated from winning the tournament with a loss. 

Lots of great mat work to start with neither man gaining an advantage. Takagi caught Sabre with a knee in the midsection. Sabre went to work on Takagi’s leg. Takagi went for a scorpion deathlock, but Sabre countered with a kneebar as Takagi stepped through. Sabre ground his heel into Takagi’s knee. 

Sabre went for a spinning toehold. Takagi kicked him away and caught Sabre with a DDT. Takagi hit an avalanche clothesline, suplex, and a senton for a near fall. Takagi got the crowd to rally behind him. He tried for Made in Japan, but Sabre blocked it. Takagi went for the sliding lariat, but Sabre countered it and snapped Takagi’s arm. 

Sabre went after Takagi’s arm. Takagi tried to counter with a coke, but Sabre countered. Sabre locked in a modified octopus, then transitioned into a knee bar. Takagi got to the ropes to break. Sabre went for a Zach Driver, but Takagi countered with a twisting suplex. Takagi hit a superplex but was too hurt to make a cover. Takagi hit Made in Japan for a near fall. Takagi tried for Last of the Dragon, but Sabre blocked it. Sabre hit a Zach Driver but the impact had both men down at the fifteen minute mark. 

Sabre and Takagi started to exchange headbutts, but Sabre put an end to that with a running kick. Sabre hit a series of kicks, then went back to the arm. Takagi hit a Zach Driver of his own, and then a Burning Dragon for a near fall. Takagi drove in some elbows. Sabre went for a sleeper. Takagi fell back to break the hold, but Sabre locked it right back in. Takagi went for a cradle to escape, but Sabre countered with his own cradle. Sabre hit a DDT out of the corner and a Zach Driver for a near fall. Takagi kicked out, but Sabre went right into a knee bar. Takagi struggled to get out to the ropes, and just when it looked like he’d have to tap out, he rolled himself into the ropes to break. 

Sabre hit three lariats on Takagi, who wouldn’t go down. Takagi hit a pumping bomber and Sabre went down. Takagi hit a sliding forearm and another lariat. Takagi hit the Last of the Dragon, but Sabre turned into Takagi’s pin attempt with a cradle of his own and got the pinfall, ending Takagi’s chances in this year’s G1.

So as the night ends in B Block, Konosuke Takeshita, Ren Narita and Zach Sabre Jr. in a three way tie in at the top with 10 points. Drilla Moloney, Great-O-Khan, YOSHI-HASHI and Shota Umino have 8 points. Shingo Takagi and El Phantasmo only have 6 points and are eliminated.






NJPW G1 Climax 35 results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Posted on by Corey Michaels

Night eight of the NJPW G1 Climax 35 tournament takes place today in Osaka with four B Block matches on the card.

In the main event, Zack Sabre Jr. faces Konosuke Takeshita in a first-time-ever singles meeting.

Sabre, the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, is off to a rough start in the G1, tied for seventh place in the 10-man B Block with just 4 points. Takeshita, the former NEVER Openweight Champion, is part of a four-way tie for third place with his 6 points.

Shota Umino and Shingo Takagi will square off in the semi-main event. Shingo is in ninth place in the Block with just 2 points thus far, while Umino has 6 points.

Ren Narita, tied for first place in the B Block with his 8 points, faces Drilla Moloney and his 6 points in the second tournament bout of the night.

Great-O-Khan (6 points) and El Phantasmo (4 points) kick off today’s tournament action.

Five undercard tag matches previewing Friday’s A Block show begin today’s card. The show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

Main Card – Tag Team Matches

Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji defeated Masatora Yasuda & Taichi

(This moreso emphasized the growth of Nagai and Yasuda, so they may possibly graduate soon. I can’t wait to see how they develop later on.)

Nagai cornered Taichi early on, who tagged in Yasuda. Tsuji got the better of Yasuda who escaped after bringing out a hurricanrana. Taichi endured a Backbreaker and curb stomp to release a lariat on Tsuji. Nagai sent Yasuda soaring with a Monkey Flip following some fast-paced grappling. A dropkick by Yasuda gave him control once more. Nagai sank in a Boston Crab on Yasuda, successfully dragging him to the middle of the ring for a tap-out.

Yuya Uemura & Shoma Kato defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima

(Murashima has been earning accolades of his own, undoubtedly one of the most impressive of this recent crop of Young Lions. That said, Kato shows promise as he’s got the timing down and the in-ring awareness. Some in-ring psychology and some charisma and he’s set.)

Uemura and Tanahashi grappled after the bell, with the Ace coming out on top after a drop toehold. Murashima whittled Kato down, with he and Tanahashi taking turns slamming their opponent. Withstanding the unforgiving offense of Tanahashi, Kato toppled him with a dropkick. Uemura with a hot tag sprang with a fiery flurry of his own including a dropkick of his own. Dragon Screw Legwhip by Tanahashi gave him enough time to tag in Murashima. In rampaging fury, Murashima charged Uemura, who turned things around by targeting the Young Lion’s arm. Armbar fully locked in, Uemura tapped Murashima out.

House Of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young)

(If anyone would want to create a highlight reel for Callum Newman, this match would give ample footage for it. Presented as the most effective member of this match, he came off like a star.)

Unsurprisingly, House of Torture intercepted their opponents before the bell for an underhanded assault. SANADA tossed Newman across the crowd area, toppling several chairs. Newman, back in the ring, quickly dispatched Kanemaru and SANADA with kicks. SANADA attempted thwarting this momentum with a Skull End, reversed only by a resounding kick by Newman. Young spiked Kanemaru, but SANADA prevented him capitalizing on it. Whiskey Mist by Kanemaru gave him a Gedo Clutch pinfall victory over Young.

TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL)

(A classic House of Torture comeuppance bout, Jackson and Oiwa played to their strengths well. Nothing groundbreaking, as expected for an early half match on a G1 night, but not bad, either.)

Despite House of Torture’s typical antics of pre-match ambushes, Jackson survived a Senton by Togo and choke by EVIL. Sent outside to some bullying by HoT’s Don Fale, Jackson equalized him by reversing an Irish Whip to the barricade. Though Oiwa brought his might, struggled with Kanemaru courtesy of an EVIL interference; Jackson dispatched EVIL. His vertical suplex on Togo allowed Oiwa to work his arm in a Juji-gatame.

Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

(Rather than exemplify the impressiveness of Finlay and Boltin, they saved it for later. In its place was a hilarious match not too dissimilar to a Bugs Bunny classic cartoon.)

Finlay brought the heat to Boltin, and he returned it in kind, capping it off with a Boltin Shake. A vengeful Finlay proceeded to target Boltin’s knee. Landing a Senton to Boltin, Finlay then taunted Yano on the rope. With Boltin wore down and horizontal in the ring, Gedo hoped for an easy win, only for the Kazakh wrestler to kick out of a pin leading to Finlay to tag back in. Distracting Gedo with the turnbuckle pad, Yano rolled Gedo up for a 2-Count. In a tug-of-war with hair and facial hair, Yano attempted another roll-up. Launching Gedo into the exposed corner, Yano hit Gedo with a Low Blow and won the match with a roll-up.

G1 Climax B-Block Matches

Great-O-Khan defeated El Phantasmo

(A nearly great match. This was intense as the match approached its closing stretch. Phantasmo having the bulk of the fight in his favor, only for Khan to pull out a devastating move at the last moment capped off a bout that felt like either man’s game to win.)

Khan’s power had an edge over Phantasmo, but a Tope Suicida sent him over the guardrails and into the crowd. Teasing dropping Khan onto Yamato Arena’s exposed floor, Phantasmo instead found himself ringside, battered on the guardrail. Pressing all of his weight on Phantasmo, Khan followed up his comeback by flipping his opponent over his shoulder. Phantasmo regained control with a crossbody and a moonsault.

Using his claw over Phantasmo’s face, Khan spun him around to disorient him. Phantasmo retaliated with a lariat, leading both men to collapse after a simultaneous lariat onto one another. Unidentified Flying Opponent courtesy of Phantasmo further wore on Khan. A desperate yet effective Tornado-DDT + Sudden Death brutalized Khan, but couldn’t keep him down. Khan’s Super Eliminator from the top rope devastated Phantasmo for the three crucial seconds, giving the United Empire member a victory.

Drilla Moloney defeated Ren Narita

(This wasn’t just a House of Torture comeuppance. This was survival by a one-man army. Moloney superseding Kanemaru and unleashing pressure on Narita, unrelenting, gave a heat to this match that will be an underrated match in the G1 Climax catalog.)

Yoshinobu surprised Moloney during the entrance, giving Narita an early advantage. To make matters worse for Moloney, Narita bit into his forehead, drawing blood. Kanemaru continued to aid Narita from the outside, softening Moloney. Fed up, the War Dog swung a comeback by catching Narita’s low blow and blasting him with a Spinebuster. German suplex by Narita scrambled Moloney for a chokehold. Moloney caught Narita mid-air for a powerbomb. A mighty and wild succession of offense by Moloney incapacitated Narita with a Drilla Killa gifting the War Dog a pinfall.

Shingo Takagi defeated Shota Umino

(Wow. For all the struggles Umino has had in recent years regarding fan perception, it cannot be denied how skillful he is. The action, the drama, the intensity ramped up increasingly, outright demanding a viewer’s attention.)

Umino and Takagi locked up, with the latter grabbing control with a shoulder tackle. In an instant, Umino earned a reprieve, trapping Takagi’s leg in the guardrail, swinging it against the blue steel. Back in the ring, Umino worked Takagi’s leg, with a Fisherman Suplex bringing more damage. Takagi, after much flinching and cringing, reversed Umino’s Dragon Screw Legwhip with one of his own. A sliding lariat lent Takagi more of an advantage.

Umino evaded a Made in Japan for a Dragon Screw Legwhip in the corner. STF locked in, Umino dragged Takagi deep as he sunk in the torment. A couple of Exploder Suplexes by Umino rendered he and Takagi immobile. From the top rope, Takagi flung Umino to the center of the ring and made a spirited comeback with a Made in Japan. Tornado-DDT by Umino returned Takagi back to the mat. Umino temporarily staggered during a forearm exchange but came out of it with a Strike-Knee and a Decapitation Lariat. Last of the Dragon by Takagi destroyed Umino, but unfortunately Umino’s targeting of the knee slowed him down. This cost him a Pumping Bomber victory as well. Ultimately, however, a Burning Dragon sealed the deal, making Takagi the winner.

Main Event G1 Climax B-Block

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Konosuke Takeshita

(What a match! Takeshita started out unfazed by the holds and submissions, calmly ekeing out of whatever Sabre threw at him. Sabre’s irritation at reaching for a rope break causing him to change tactics and be ruthless gave him all the edge. It was only a waiting game from there, and all Sabre had to do was hold on. Fantastic story.)

Sabre and Takeshita grappled to a stalemate, with the latter calmly dancing around the former’s technical offense. Grounded by a headscissors hold, Sabre wriggled dearly for a rope break despite his misgivings on them. Springboard dropkick by Sabre cut off Takeshita at the top rope, ruining his left leg. Sabre continued to target that leg, particularly the knee region. Contorting Takeshita like a pretzel, Sabre tied his opponent’s arm into his leg for a nasty bend.

On the outside, Takeshita reclaimed control of the match via a Brainbuster on the floor. Back in the ring, Sabre resumed work on Takeshita’s leg, and eventually arm. Eventually, Takeshita fired back with lariats and kicks. Cobra Twist by Sabre stretched Takeshita some more, but he fought out with a suplex. Reversal after reversal, the pair traded pins until Takeshita relented so he could deliver a knee. A Blue Thunderbomb by Takeshita and a Zack Driver by Sabre nearly finished the other. Sabre loudly slapped the neck of Takeshita, sent momentarily reeling, only to collide headfirst with Takeshita’s knee. Clinging tightly around Takeshita’s neck, Sabre held on even through a drop to the outside, maintaining control the whole way through. Unable to escape, Takeshita tapped out.

(The tag matches continue to paint a glimpse to the next night of Block A matches. Tonight’s G1 matches were incredible, progressively growing in match quality and they were all better than good.)

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night 17 live results: Playoffs begin

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Two playoff matches on today’s NJPW G1 Climax 34 show will decide the semifinals set for Saturday, August 17.

In the main event, Yota Tsuji will face Konosuke Takeshita in a B Block battle. Takeshita won the previous singles meeting between the two earlier in this year’s tournament. The winner will advance to Saturday’s semifinals to face top B Block scorer David Finlay.

In the semi-main, Shingo Takagi takes on Great-O-Khan in a matchup of the second and third place finishers in A Block. The winner will face top A Block scorer Zack Sabre Jr. in the semifinals on Saturday. Shingo is 4-0 in his career against O-Khan, including a victory in this year’s tournament.

The undercard today:

  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson vs. David Finlay & Gedo
  • Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado vs. EVIL, Ren Narita & Dick Togo
  • Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI vs. HENARE & Callum Newman
  • Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira vs. Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma & Katsuya Murashima vs. SANADA, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku

**********

Undercard Results

SANADA, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma & Katsuya Murashima

Taiji Ishimori challenged DOUKI for the IWGP Junior Championship

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee defeated Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira

HENARE & Callum Newman defeated Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI

EVIL, Ren Narita & Dick Togo defeated Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado

Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson defeated David Finlay & Gedo

**********

Shingo Takagi defeated Great-O-Khan

Shingo was the first man to establish control by driving O-Khan into the corner and dropping him with a tackle. A suplex from O-Khan allowed him to take control from Shingo. O-Khan then used targeted holds and strikes to begin wearing down the arm of Shingo, perhaps to prevent the pumping bomber later in the match.

A DDT from Shingo opened the door for a rally. This lasted for a while, but O-Khan fired back with more grappling and more targeting limb work.

A quick side suplex from Shingo reset the match. Shingo followed up with a superplex. He then tried for Made in Japan but couldn’t get O-Khan up. After that didn’t work, he tried for pumping bomber, and each time, his targeted arm prevented the move from properly connecting. O-Khan then grabbed the arm and carried Shingo to the mat.

A pump kick from O-Khan opened the door for an Eliminator attempt. Shingo slipped free and hit the pumping bomber, but O-Khan kicked out. O-Khan then clubbed Shingo with a lariat and tried for a lariat again, but again, failed to connect.

Shingo tried for another bomber but was stuffed, leading to back-and-forth headbutts. O-Khan caught Shingo with a punch and transitioned into an arm breaker in the middle of the ring, nearly forcing the submission.

O-Khan went for an Eliminator attempt that Shingo reversed into a DDT. Shingo hit a German suplex and a pumping bomber with his other arm for a nearfall. He then landed Last of the Dragon and pinned O-Khan to win the match.

Shingo advances to face Zack Sabre Jr. in the Semi-Finals.

Yota Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita secured an early lead, which he used to work over Tsuji on the mat. He tried following up with a senton from the top, but his injured knee slowed him down, allowing Tsuji to reverse and take control of the match. Tsuji then launched into an all-out attack on the knee after the door was opened.

Tsuji’s deliberate offense kept Takeshita grounded. Takeshita used Tsuji’s own speed to catch Tsuji with a lariat to reverse the match’s momentum. Takeshita followed up with a superplex before covering Tsuji with chairs and landing a senton to the floor.

Tsuji caught Takeshita with a backbreaker and a tope to re-assert his control. Takeshita fired back with a German before a double lariat left both men grounded.

Tsuji landed Raging Fire for a nearfall. He tried to close with Gene Blast, but Takeshita cut him off with a knee strike. Takeshita then climbed to the top, where Tsuji met him. Takeshita won out with a lariat, scoring him a nearfall of his own.

Takeshita tried for multiple lariats, but Tsuji refused to fall. Tsuji fired back with his own lariat and knee strike, followed by a barrage of slaps, a headbutt, and a curb stomp. When Tsuji tried his top rope stomp, Takeshita reversed into the blue thunder bomb.

Takeshita tried for Raging Fire, but Tsuji slipped free and hit the Gene Blaster. Takeshita used the rope to escape the pin, keeping his G1 alive. Tsuji tried for another, but Takeshita sidestepped it and hit a German. Before Takeshita could follow up, Tsuji bounced back, hit a second Gene Blaster, and won the match.

Tsuji will face Finlay in the semi-finals.

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night 16 live results: Final B Block matches

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The G1 Climax 34 playoffs will be set following today’s final night of B Block action.

The top three B Block finishers will be entered into the playoff bracket, with the top B Block finisher earning a bye to the semifinals.

In the main event, Jeff Cobb (10 points) takes on Yota Tsuji (8 points). In the semi-main, Ren Narita (10 points) faces Konosuke Takeshita (8 points). David Finlay (10 points) takes on El Phantasmo (6 points), and Hirooki Goto (8 points) face HENARE (6 points) in the other tournament matches tonight.

HENARE, ELP, Oleg Boltin, and the injured Yuya Uemura are mathematically eliminated, while the other six competitors all have a shot at the playoffs as B Block enters its final night.

Today’s undercard:

  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman
  • EVIL & Dick Togo vs. Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma
  • SANADA & TAKA Michinoku vs. Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee
  • Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato

**********

Undercard Results

Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato

Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee defeated SANADA & TAKA Michinoku

Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma defeated EVIL & Dick Togo

Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman defeated Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI

**********

B Block Results

HENARE defeated Hirooki Goto

There were so many feed issues with this match that I wouldn’t recommend it for that reason alone. What I did see of the match wasn’t particullarly great.

After a typical opening exchange, Goto fled to the floor, where HENARE slammed him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Goto answered HENARE’s early lead with a lariat. Goto followed up with a series of power moves, ending with an ushigoroshi.

A strike battle in the middle of the ring fired up both men. Goto won out in the end by landing a lariat. When Goto tried to follow up, HENARE reversed into the Bezerker bomb for a sudden nearfall. A knee strike in the corner and punt set up the Streets of Rage, but Goto reversed into a choke.

Goto landed a punt of his own followed by GTW for a nearfall. HENARE bounced back with a sudden Rampage, scoring a nearfall of his own. At this point, the NJPW world feed cut (a problem that has been occurring all night). When the feed returned, HENARE was pinning Goto to win the match.

David Finlay defeated El Phantasmo

This match opened with back-and-forth strikes that spilled to the floor. ELP landed a plancha on the outside, gaining an early lead, which he used to whip Finlay through the barricades. ELP then carried Finlay to the crowd, only for Finlay to drive him into the seating.

Back in the ring, Finlay took his time picking apart ELP, paying special attention to the back. ELP fired back with a rana that sent Finlay to the floor and a tope that sent Finlay crashing into the barricade. The follow-up senton and moonsault scored ELP a nearfall, but a sudden backbreaker from Finlay put him right back in the driver’s seat.

Finlay hit Oblivion for a nearfall. After ELP survived, a short strike battle followed, but another backbreaker kept Finlay ahead. ELP tried to answer with a pair of quick pins and an Oblivion of his own. ELP hit Sudden Death for a two count which he followed with a CR2 attempt. Finlay powered through, landing a powerbomb.

ELP reversed the second attempt at a powerbomb into one of his own. He then hit a Thunderkiss 86, but Gedo pulled the referee to the floor before he could finish the count. This led to an altercation between the referee and Jado (yes, Jado), allowing Finlay to hit ELP with his shillelagh. Finlay then hit Overkill and pinned ELP to win the match and advance to the playoffs.

After the match, ELP assumed Jado was to blame for his loss. It seems he has lost another friend.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ren Narita

Takeshita’s performance in the match was really great, but God, it was a hard watch overall. The opening act was nothing, the HoT spots were too much, and Narita didn’t carry his weight, in my opinion.

The match began with House of Torture carrying Takeshita to the ring. They then offered Takeshita to Narita, allowing him to brutalize the leg as the opening bell sounded. He continued this attack on the floor, taking full advantage of the injury.

Takeshita tried to rally multiple times, landing suplexes and leg sweeps, but Narita brought him to the ground repeatedly with a single strike to the leg. Takeshita eventually hit a lariat from the corner to gain some footing. As he tried to follow up with a Blue Thunder Bomb, Narita reversed into a kneebar. Once the hold was dropped, Narita climbed to the top, where Takeshita cut him off and hit him with a superplex.

Takeshita landed a Bastard Driver as Narita tried to end his advance. This led to HoT hitting the ring, bumping the referee, and attacking Takeshita. After a prolonged attack, Takeshita began to fight back against HoT. He cleared the ring of Togo and EVIL just in time to eat a pair of guillotine knees from Narita. Takeshita managed to kick out of the pin attempt that followed.

Takeshita dropped Narita with a forearm to keep his G1 alive. Narita attempted to cut him off with some dirty offense, but Takeshita answered with a massive powerbomb. Narita answered with a kneebar, taking the match back to the mat. Takeshita powered through with a German and a world-class elbow strike to win the match.

With this win, Takeshita advances to the playoffs.

Yota Tsuji defeated Jeff Cobb

Cobb dropped Tsuji early with a shoulder check. This led into a strike exchange ending with a pounce from Cobb. Cobb followed up with deliberate offense to maintain his early control, slowly picking apart Tsuji.

Tsuji reversed a standing moonsault attempt, which opened the door to a quick rally. Tsuji landed a curb stomp for a two-count but Cobb answered with a hammer-and-sickle to put Tsuji back on the back foot. A quick back and forth followed, with both men trying for their finish, ending with a partial Gene Blaster spear for a Tsuji nearfall.

Cobb reversed a Tsuji curb stomp with a strike to the chest. The follow-up F5000 scored Cobb a nearfall. When Cobb tried for Tour of the Islands, Tsuji cut him off with a headbutt. Tsuji attempted Gene Blaster, but Cobb reversed into a lariat. As Cobb went for more, Tsuji tried for Gene Blaster again and landed it. Tsuji then went for Gene Blaster one more time, hit it again, and pinned Cobb to win the match.

Tsuji is set for the playoffs.

**********

G1 Playoffs

Opening Round

Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan | Yota Tsuji vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Semi-Finals

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Winner of Takagi/O-Khan | David Finlay vs. Winner of Tsuji/Takeshita

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night nine live results: Shingo vs. Sabre

Posted on by Chick Fritts

G1 Climax 34 action continues today with five A Block matches, including Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event.

Shingo is 2-3 with 4 points in the tournament, while Sabre is 4-1 with 8 points. It will be the fifth career singles meeting for Shingo and Sabre, with each holding two victories and two losses.

In the semi-main, 3-2 Shota Umino takes on 2-3 SANADA.

2-3 Tetsuya Naito vs. 3-2 Gabe Kidd, 1-4 Great-O-Khan vs. 5-0 EVIL, plus 2-3 Callum Newman vs. 1-4 Jake Lee round out today’s G1 Climax tournament matches.

Today’s undercard bouts:

  • Yota Tsuji & BUSHI vs. Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • El Phantasmo & Jado vs. Yuya Uemura & TAKA Michinoku
  • Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. David Finlay & Gedo
  • Shoma Kato, Katsuya Murahsima, Tomoaki Honma & Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francesco Akira

Today’s show streams on NJPW World beginning at 2 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

Recommended Matches

Tetsuya Naito vs. Gabe Kidd – I would consider this a very good Naito match, which is becoming rarer by the day. They played into Kidd’s strengths and covered Naito’s weaknesses quite well. This isn’t a must watch match, but if your here, it might be worth checking out if you’re a fan of either guy.

Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – This was one of the best matches of the tournament. It was filled with intense sequences, slick transitions, and fantastic work on a narrative level. Not a second of your time will be wasted here either. This match was efficient, well paced, and an all-round breezy watch. This one is definitely worth going out of your way for.

**********

Undercard Results

Konosuke Takeshita, Francesco Akira, HENARE & Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki Goto, Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato & Tomoaki Honma

Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated David Finlay & Gedo

TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura defeated El Phantasmo & Jado

BUSHI & Yota Tsuji defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

**********

G1 Climax Results

Jake Lee defeated Callum Newman

This worked well enough. Newman tried his best tog be dazzling, Lee kept it simple in response. Would I recommend seeking this out? No. But was this a fine match. Sure.

This match opened fast, but neither man could connect with offense. After the early whiffs, they turned to more basic wrestling in an attempt to get the action started. A boot from Newman sent Lee to the floor, which he followed with an attempted dive. Lee interrupted the dive, opening the door to an assault on the floor.

Lee maintained his control from the floor inside the ring with basic offense. With a strong lead, he taunted Newman, allowing him to take free, unprotected shots. This backfired, as Newman was given time to recover, which he used to deliver a double stomp to the back to a prone Lee.

Newman filled his rally with his typical flashy offense. In response, Lee threw Newman to the floor. Newman quickly responded on the outside with a dive, maintaining his momentum before returning to the ring.

Newman’s lead lasted until he attempted the OsCutter. Lee reversed the finish and hit a choke slam for a near fall. When Lee tried to follow up, Newman launched into another short rally, only for Lee to catch him with a Face Break Shot. Lee then pinned Newman to win the match.

This win puts Lee at 4 points.

Great-O-Khan defeated EVIL

This was an impressively bad match. The constant interference is one thing, but it was followed by a totally unearned finish.

EVIL opened the match by rushing O-Khan, grabbing him by his braid, and throwing him to the floor. On the outside, EVIL dominated O-Khan, slamming him into the barricades and the seats. After a moment of interference from Togo, O-Khan barely beat the referee’s count. Once O-Khan was back in the ring, EVIL distracted the referee by threatening to choke him with a shirt, only to choke him with a wire once the official’s back was turned.

O-Khan eventually landed a quick suplex to reverse the momentum of the match. He then drove EVIL into the corner before securing a hold in the middle of the ring. EVIL freed himself by bitting O-Khan, reversing the momentum with underhanded tactics again.

When EVIL attempted Darkness Falls, O-Khan reversed into a throw. O-Khan locked in another hold, but EVIL pulled down the referee, allowing Togo to hit the ring. Togo attacked O-Khan with a chair before offering him back to EVIL. EVIL then locked in a sharpshooter, forcing O-Khan to the ropes.

When EVIL attempted Everything is Evil, O-Khan reversed, driving EVIL face-first into the mat. O-Khan then wrestled EVIL to the mat and locked in an arm hold in the center of the ring. When EVIL looked to be in trouble, Togo pulled the referee to the floor and launched into a full-fledged beatdown, ending with a Magic Killer.

O-Khan kicked out of their tandem finish, only for Togo to interfere again moments later. O-Khan responded with a plancha to Togo before returning to the ring. Back inside, EVIL whipped him into an exposed corner twice and hit a lariat for a nearfall. EVIL attempted his finish again, but O-Khan escaped and hit the eliminator. O-Khan then pinned EVIL and won the match.

O-Khan also advances to 4 points.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Gabe Kidd

This was easily the match of the night so far. They worked around Naito’s weaknesses excellently while maintaining a lot of the intensity that makes Kidd matches so great. Very good.

Kidd opened the match by clubbing Naito with heavy strikes before taking action to the floor. On the outside, Kidd kept up his pressure for a moment before taunting Naito. When Kidd attempted to bring Naito back in the ring, Naito returned the favor, rolling out of the ring, baiting Kidd, and mocking him in typical Naito fashion. This strategy allowed Naito to take control of the match.

The match spilled to the floor, where Kidd was able to retake control. He threw Naito into the sea of chairs, where he continued to mock the IWGP World Champion. Kidd then piled up chairs and barricades, which he attempted to suplex Naito into. Naito reversed the suplex and threw Kidd into the chairs himself. Kidd fired back by dropping Naito onto the apron and spitting in his face.

Back in the ring, Kidd took mount and unloaded on Naito with heavy closed fist strikes, forcing the referee to intervene. Kidd then locked in a Boston crab in an attempt to humiliate the champion. When Kidd tried to follow up, Naito reversed into an awkward partial Destino.

A leg sweep sent Kidd crashing into the corner. Naito followed up with a kick and Esperanza. As Naito looked to escalate, Kidd answered with a nasty suplex that resulted in a match reset.

Naito spat in Kidd’s face, returning the favor from earlier in the match. Naito then landed a strike, which Kidd was quick to answer. Kidd tried for the Mad Man Bomb, but Naito reversed with a rana. Naito then unloaded on Kidd’s neck and went for Destino. Instead of delivering his finish by driving Kidd on his head, Naito trapped Kidd with a schoolboy roll-up and won the match.

Naito heads towards the top of the pack with this win, leaving him with 6 points.

SANADA defeated Shota Umino

After a quick opening sequence, SANADA threw Umino to the floor. On the outside, SANADA utilized the barricades to gain and maintain control over Umino before returning to the ring. Back inside, he preserved his lead with simple offense.

A sudden dropkick from Umino allowed him to challenge SANADA’s lead. Umino upped the intensity significantly, landing much more impactful moves after securing the lead, culminating with a DDT to the apron that sent SANADA to the floor. A dropkick from the top rope and an exploder suplex scored Umino a two count.

A SANADA dropkick ended Umino’s offense, allowing SANADA to connect with some of his own. SANADA landed a plancha before throwing Umino back in the ring. SANADA then set up the Skull End. Unfortunately for SANADA, this left Umino in the perfect position for his reverse twist and shout.

SANADA attempted a shining wizard, but Umino caught him in the STF. SANADA escaped by reaching the ropes and challenged Umino’s followup with a magic screw. SANADA then hit the shining wizard, but Umino blocked the rounding body press with his knees.

Umino landed a knee strike to the back of SANADA to jumpstart his rally. He missed the follow-up blaze blade, leading to a back-and-forth. SANADA landed the shining wizard again, but Umino held on. This push and pull continued until Umino landed his DDT for a nearfall. Umino managed to follow up with a blaze blade, only for SANADA to reverse into the O’Connor roll. This pin trapped Umino, leaving SANADA with the win.

SANADA advances to 6 points as well, making it very crowded toward the upper-middle of the block.

Shingo Takagi defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

This match was great. This was the best Shingo performance in ages and a fantastic outing from ZSJ. It built perfectly to the end and was an absolute breeze. One of the best matches of the tournament.

The feeling out process of this match opened hot, with both men trying to gain the upper hand without slowing down. Once the match did slow down, ZSJ was able to grapple his way into a suplex, but Shingo answered with a tackle. Shingo followed up with a suplex of his own before taking control on the mat.

A neck crank followed by a dropkick to the head from ZSJ allowed him to take the momentum from Shingo. ZSJ then took Shingo to the mat, working him over with various chokes before Shingo fired back with a suplex.

Shingo forced ZSJ in the corner and unloaded on ZSJ with strikes. Shingo kept up the pace with high-impact offense until ZSJ reversed a sliding lariat into an arm crank. ZSJ then began to focus the arm, perhaps to prevent the threat of Shingo’s pumping bomber.

Shingo dropped ZSJ to retake the lead after receiving a lot of attention on his arm. He then lifted ZSJ to the top rope and delivered a superplex to cement a lead. Shingo landed a sliding lariat, but the follow-up from Shingo failed as his targeted arm slowed his response.

ZSJ then took advantage again and focused solely on the arm. Shingo was forced to answer with a pumping bomber, but it did as much damage to him as to ZSJ. ZSJ tried to respond by keeping up the attack, but Shingo caught him with Made in Japan, resulting in a nearfall.

Shingo tried for a pumping bomber again, but ZSJ reversed into the Zack Driver; Shingo kicked out. This was followed by a striking battle that Shingo ended with a pumping bomber. Shingo attempted to follow up on his finish, but ZSJ reversed into the sleeper. ZSJ transitioned into an arm breaker and a triangle when the sleeper failed. With Shingo fading, the referee walked away, looking like he would call the match. Shingo responded by pulling the referee down, powering up, and landing Last of the Dragon. Shingo then pinned ZSJ to win the match.

Another man joins the 6 point club with Shingo’s win.

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night four results, updated standings

Posted on by F4W Editors

Night four of NJPW’s G1 Climax took place in Kagawa on Thursday with the B Block in action.

Among the highlights were Yuya Uemura staying undefeated and Konosuke Takeshita and HENARE both being dealt their first losses. Here are the full results and updated standings:

NJPW G1 Climax night four results —

  • B Block: Yuya Uemura defeated Konosuke Takeshita
  • B Block: David Finlay defeated HENARE
  • B Block: El Phantasmo defeated Yota Tsuji
  • B Block: Ren Narita defeated Jeff Cobb
  • B Block: Hirooki Goto defeated Oleg Boltin
  • Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi defeated EVIL & Dick Togo
  • Jake Lee & Gabe Kidd defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
  • Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Francesco Akira defeated Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma & Shoma Kato
  • SANADA & TAKA Michinoku defeated Toru Yano & Katsuya Murashima

Current standings —

A Block —

  • Zack Sabre Jr. (3-0): 6 points
  • EVIL (3-0): 6 points
  • Shingo Takagi (2-1): 4 points
  • Gabe Kidd (2-1): 4 points
  • Callum Newman: (1-2): 2 points
  • SANADA (1-2): 2 points
  • Shota Umino (1-2): 2 points
  • Tetsuya Naito (1-2): 2 points
  • Jake Lee (1-2): 2 points
  • Great-O-Khan (0-3) 0 points

B Block —

  • Yuya Uemura (3-0): 6 points
  • Konosuke Takeshita (2-1): 4 points
  • HENARE (2-1): 4 points
  • Ren Narita (2-1): 4 points
  • Jeff Cobb (1-2): 2 points
  • El Phantasmo (1-2): 2 points
  • Yota Tsuji (1-2): 2 points
  • Hirooki Goto (1-2): 2 points
  • Oleg Boltin (1-2): 2 points
  • David Finlay (1-2): 2 points

The tournament picks back up on Saturday with an event featuring A Block matches:

Night five lineup —

  • A Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL
  • A Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jake Lee
  • A Block: Shota Umino vs. Great-O-Khan
  • A Block: SANADA vs. Gabe Kidd
  • A Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Callum Newman
  • Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yota Tsuji & BUSHI
  • David Finlay & Gedo vs. Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Yuya Uemura & TAKA Michinoku vs. Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira
  • El Phantasmo & Jado vs. Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano
  • Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima vs. HENARE & Konosuke Takeshita

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night one live results: Naito vs. Shingo

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW’s G1 Climax 34 tournament kicks off today with 10 tournament matches in Osaka.

Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemates Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi will square off in the main event in an A Block battle.

The meeting is just the second career singles bout between Naito, the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and Shingo, a former IWGP World title holder. Naito won their first and only meeting in the G1 back in 2019.

Every match in Saturday’s lineup is a G1 tournament bout.

Saturday’s full card:

  • A Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
  • B Block: Yota Tsuji vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • A Block: Gabe Kidd vs. EVIL
  • B Block: Yuya Uemura vs. David Finlay
  • A Block: SANADA vs. Jake Lee
  • B Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
  • A Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • B Block: El Phantasmo vs. HENARE
  • A Block: Shota Umino vs. Callum Newman
  • B Block: Oleg Boltin vs. Ren Narita

***********

Oleg Boltin defeated Ren Narita

This match was a blast. The shenanigans from Narita made Oleg look super sympathetic. The structure worked very well. Good stuff.

Oleg came to the ring wearing new gear, showing off Kazak colors. It’s no longer a question; Oleg is no young lion.

The match began with Narita jumping Oleg. Oleg tried his best to fight off Narita but was cut off with a chair attack. From there, Narita started to work the arm, targeting it with objects and general offense.

Oleg eventually fired back with a dropkick. This slowed Narita’s somewhat, but an armbar put Oleg back on the defensive. Oleg powered through the armbar and landed a verdict. He followed up with the kamikaze to win the match.

Oleg is on the board with two points.

Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino

This was a fairly breezy call-and-response match.

This match opened with a striking battle. From there, both men ran at each other before Umino dropped Newman with a kick. Newman fired back with a Boston crab. Once Umino slipped free, he landed another dropkick before locking in a dropkick to slow down this fast start.

After Umino landed another dropkick, Newman responded with a quick kick. From here, both men traded quick strikes until Umino managed to land a cutter. Newman answered with a couple of quick pin attempts before landing a Spanish fly for a nearfall.

A dropkick to the back of Umino left him prone to a stomp to the back. Newman followed up with an OsCutter and pinned Umino to win the match.

In a bit of a surprise, Newman earns his first two points in the opening round.

HENARE defeated El Phantasmo

HENARE forced ELP into the corner after the opening bell. ELP fired back by sending HENARE to the floor, where he landed a tope. Back in the ring, the pair traded strikes, allowing HENARE to establish control for the first time.

HENARE attempted to land a lariat, but ELP reversed into one of his own. When ELP tried to follow up, he was cut off with a knee and a bezerker. The pair then traded strikes again, leading to an intense back and forth.

A sudden Sudden Death from ELP scored him a nearfall. He followed up with a burning hammer and a splash for another.

HENARE fired back a drop and a tackle for a nearfall of his own and a reset in his favor. He then landed Streets of Rage and pinned ELP, winning the match.

HENARE starts off strong with two points.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Great-O-Khan

This was one of the best O-Khan performances in ages. The opening of this match was off the wall, and the rest of it held up quite well. Another solid watch.

A quick scramble opened the match before O-Khan dumped ZSJ to the floor. On the outside, O-Khan challenged ZSJ, which led to some exciting grappling. O-Khan escaped ZSJ’s hold by slamming him into the barricade, leading to a brawl in the crowd as the referee’s count climbed. O-Khan dropped ZSJ with a body shot, nearly forcing the cutout.

Back in the ring, ZSJ managed to reverse momentum with some of his signature offense. O-Khan fired back with a bit of wrestling of his own, utilizing throws to ground ZSJ. A hook to the throat of ZSJ floored him, and the follow-up German only cemented O-Khan’s lead.

ZSJ tried catching O-Khan in a hold, only for O-Khan to reverse into a powerbomb. O-Khan managed to lock in his claw to set up the eliminator. When he attempted the move, ZSJ reversed into the DDT. He then landed the Zack Driver, winning the match in mere moments.

ZSJ’s G1 begins with a win and two points.

Jeff Cobb defeated Hirooki Goto

This was a good big-man sprint.

Both men traded strikes to open the match. A short clothesline from Cobb left him ahead of Goto, which he used to land more substantive offense. Goto fired back by clubbing Cobb with more strikes, eventually dropping Cobb with a clothesline of his own.

Goto landed an ushigoroshi for a two-count. Cobb then blocked the GTR attempt but failed to follow up, leading to a scramble for control filled with quick pins and failed moves. From the chaos, Cobb managed to land Tour of the Islands, winning him the match.

Cobb earns his two points.

Jake Lee defeated SANADA

As an outspoken SANADA skeptic and Jake Lee naysayer, I can’t say I hated this. In fact, I’d say I really liked it. It was bold and left me wanting more.

This match opened up with basic wrestling that Lee ended with a choke slam. SANADA fired back with a magic screw and a rounding body press, effectively taking control of the match.

Lee cut off SANADA’s Shining Wizard attempt and barely escaped the follow-up pin attempt. Lee then hit Face Break Shot, his kick in the corner, and pinned SANADA.

In under five minutes, Jake Lee pinned SANADA to earn two points.

Yuya Uemura defeated David Finlay

Compared to everything else on the card so far, this match felt the most like a classic New Japan match.

Uemura opened the match by taking Finlay to the mat. When he tried standing up, Finlay fired back, throwing Uemura to the floor and slamming him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Finlay maintained his lead, picking apart Uemura with focused offense.

Uemura eventually landed a dropkick to reset the match. He then hit a bulldog before dragging Finlay to the top rope only for Finlay to reverse into a superplex. Finlay then hit a backbreaker running at Uemura, opening the door for a reversal.

Uemura landed a dive to the floor once Finlay attempted to retreat. A chop from the top rope and a follow-up backdrop scored Uemura a two-count. Uemura kept up the pressure with a crossbody and a range before attempting another pin.

Finlay landed a sudden powerbomb for a nearfall. He followed up with a Dominator, which resulted in a convincing nearfall. Uemura responded with a pair of suplex, each scoring a nearfall of his own.

With the end in sight, both men began trading blows. Finlay then hoisted Uemura up and hit him with two turnbuckle powerbombs. When Finlay attempted a third, Uemura reversed into a hurricanrana pin, from which Finlay couldn’t escape.

In another slight surprise, Uemurea wins his first-round match, earning two points.

EVIL defeated Gabe Kidd

This was one of the best EVIL matches in years. It was probably the best match he’d had since joining BULLET CLUB. Fantastic. Even the interference felt intentional and earned. Color me impressed.

Before the match could even begin, Kidd landed a tope con hilo to the floor, taking out Togo and EVIL. He then focused on EVIL, landing andother dive before throwing him into the barricade and grabbing chairs.

EVIL managed to take advantage of Kidd’s chairs, slamming one into Kidd’s face before taking his head off with the other. He then entered the ring, marking the official start of the match.

In the ring, EVIL whipped Kidd into an exposed corner, but Kidd fired back with a head butt and an intense flurry. EVIL answered with a fisherman suplex, keeping Kid on the backfoot.

EVIL landed a massive lariat, only for Kidd to kick out at one. He followed up with a backdrop for a two-count. EVIL tried for a referee assist, but Kidd resisted, landing another lariat for another two-count. A frustrated Kidd threw the referee to the floor, opening the door for HoT interference.

With Kidd in the lead, Togo hit the ring and began to choke him with a wire. EVIL then landed a magic killer with aid from Togo. Once the referee re-entered the ring, EVIL hit Everything is Evil and won the match.

EVIL is on the board with two points.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yota Tsuji

No doubt the world will be raving about this one. It was exactly what you expect from these two: an action-packed sprint.

The match opened with some basic grappling and strikes before Takeshita landed a tope to the floor to establish a lead for the first time. He then slammed Tsuji into the barricade before returning to the ring, where he kept up the pressure with more intense offense.

Tsuji cut off Takesthia’s lead with a rana, which led to a dive of his own. Back in the ring, Tsuji returned the favor, hitting Takeshita with a variety of high-impact offenses.

Once Takesthia had a moment to respond, he caught Tsuji with a brainbuster. The follow-up knee and suplex scored Takeshita, which scored him a convincing nearfall.

The pair eventually worked their way to the top rope. On the top, Takeshita fell to the mat twice. Tsuji then hit Takesthia with a Spanish Fly from the top for a nearfall. Tsuji tried to follow up with the Gene Blast, but Takeshita reversed it into another suplex and a poison-rana. Tsuji answered with a pump kick and a sit-out powerbomb for a match reset.

A striking battle at the fifteen-minute mark ended with a sudden roll-up attempt from Tsuji. Once Takesthia kicked out, he landed a headbutt and a stomp for another nearfall. Tsuji tried to get Gene to blast again but was cut off by a Takesthia knee. Takesthia then hit a Blue Thunder Bomb and Raging Fire before pinning Tsuji to win the match.

Takeshita starts his G1 career off strong with two points.

Shingo Takagi defeated Tetsuya Naito

The opening feeling out process began before the opening bell sounded as Shingo rejected Naito’s LIJ salute. Once the match actually began, the two treaded lightly until Shingo sent Naito to the floor where he whipped him into the barricades, establishing a strong control over the IWGP champion. Back in the ring, Shingo maintained his lead with basic holds and deliberate strikes.

Naito dropped Shingo over his knee for a quick switch in momentum. From here, Naito began to focus on the neck, utilizing all of his typical moves.

After a substantial amount of time on the back foot, Shingo landed a DDT, which he followed with a sliding lariat and a powerbomb. This left Shingo ahead for a moment, but Naito fired back with more neck-based attacks as soon as there was an opening.

Shingo landed a massive STAY DREAM from the top rope after cutting off an overly ambitious Naito. Naito managed to survive, leading to a back-and-forth strike exchange. Shingo won out by dropping Naito with a Pumping Bomber. He followed this with Made and Japan, but Naito managed to kick out.

Shingo hoisted Naito onto his shoulders, only for Naito to slip into a Destino variation. Naito then placed Shingo on the top rope and tried for the Frankensteiner. After hitting it, Naito landed a follow-up tornado DDT before trying another Destino. An awkward back-and-forth followed as both men tried to close the match, ending with a Kawada Driver from Shingo. Naito kicked out. Shingo then hit Last of the Dragon to win the match.

Shingo not only earned two points with this win, but he also pinned the leader of his own faction and the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.