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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35: NIGHT 1 REPORT
JULY 19, 2025
SAPPORO, JAPAN AT HOKKAIDO PREFECTURAL SPORTS CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton
-The yearly tournament comes at an interesting time, with Hirooki Goto losing his IWGP Championship back to Zack Sabre Jr. on a show that wasn’t even available to non-Japanese audiences in what seemed like a bizarre booking decision until it was confirmed that Goto is injured.
(1) YOSHI-HASHI vs. SHINGO TAKAGI – B Block match
Yoshi-Hashi missed the tournament last year, and this year earned his way in by winning one of four play-in matches. Takagi was among the favorites to win this tournament as recent as a few years ago, but has been deep in the undercard for most of the last couple of years and even with deep runs in the tournament, didn’t seem like a legitimate possible winner.
Charlton ran down the ever-changing rules of the tournament playoffs: This year the top three men in each block will advance, with the second and third finishers in each block in the quarterfinal matches to determine which two advance to face the block winners in the semifinals.
Takagi dominated Hashi early and hit a vertical suplex for two. Takagi set up his taunt into the camera, but Hashi recovered and dropkicked Takagi, and pointed into the camera and did the rest of the taunt himself. Hashi hit a German suplex and sized up Takagi from across the ring. The two met with lariats in mind to a stalemate, then a second. Hashi scored a superkick and another to take control. Hashi tried Karma but Takagi escaped and hit a sliding lariat. Hashi came back with a quick superkick, then a running lariat. He tried Karma again but Takagi rolled him up for two.
Takagi threw a series of forearms, and the two went to a strong style exchange until Takagi threw a hard lariat. Pumping Bomber lariat from Takagi. Hashi reversed a slam attempt into a crucifix bomb and got the flash pin.
WINNER: Yoshi-Hashi at 4:46. (*1/2)
(Wells’s Analysis: Very nice action in what turned out to be an extremely short match. When I got into New Japan, matches this short in the tournament were rarer than they are now, but I don’t mind a couple of them on ten tournament match shows)
(2) CALLUM NEWMAN vs. EVIL (w/Dick Togo & Don Fale) – A Block match
Evil jumped Newman before the bell as expected, and the ref just went with it and called for the bell. Action went outside immediately and Evil charged Newman hard into one barricade, then the one across the way. Evil got on the mic while stepping on Newman and laughed it up. Newman looked to be favoring a knee, but hopefully he’s just selling because there’s a lot of tournament to go. Evil choked Newman with the tag rope, and again the undercard ref just kind of let it go. Evil covered for two.
Evil charged Newman to a corner, where he did a Mr. Perfect bump over and out to the floor. Don Fale nailed Newman with a chair outside, and then Togo rolled Newman inside. Evil splashed Newman and followed up with a quick suplex for two. Evil taunted the crowd for a bit. Newman hit his feet and laid in a chop, then absorbed one. He asked for more and got it. He put his hands behind his back for another and Evil instead raked the eyes. Newman kipped up into an elbow strike and finally Evil was on the mat.
Newman ran the ropes fast and laid in a kick, then a kick to the chest of the downed Evil. Newman hit a plancha on Fale, and then one on Togo. He chucked Evil and hit him with one as well. Newman rolled Evil inside and then ran to the sky and missed the double stomp. He sold the worked knee and Evil chop-blocked him from behind. Evil went hard at the knee with elbow drops and kicks. He went for the Darkness Scorpion but Newman fought it off. Newman swept Evil’s leg and hit a superkick. Newman went up and this time hit the double stomp for two.
Newman hit Firebolt and got a long two. Newman fought off Everything is Evil and threw a couple of kicks. He went for The Prince’s Curse but Evil tossed him into the ref. Togo hit the ring with the garrote and choked Newman, who freed himself but got hit with Fale’s grenade, which somehow looks even worse than ever. Evil snapped on the Darkness Scorpion and Newman tapped.
WINNER: Evil at 9:03. (**)
(Wells’s Analysis: There were some enjoyable sequences of work here despite the usual House of Torture nonsense. This match actually felt like a sign that while this faction’s shenanigans aren’t going anywhere, they don’t have to permeate every moment of every match)
(3) THE GREAT-O-KHAN vs. DRILLA MOLONEY – B Block match
Charlton brought up Khan’s run last year that seemed like a hint he was being moved up the card, but didn’t really coalesce, or at least hasn’t yet. Moloney jumped Khan before the bell, and again, the ref said what the hell and called for the bell rather than get some order first. Moloney caught a charging Khan and hit a knee lift, then dumped Khan and went out of the ring with him. Moloney tied Khan’s long braid around the barricade, echoing a victory Toru Yano had over Khan some years ago in the New Japan Cup. Khan freed himself and reentered the ring at the count of eight.
Khan hit a snap suplex with a bridge for two, than caught a chargind Moloney with a backbreaker. Khan hit a double-underhook suplex that sent Moloney into the corner pad. There was a brief but loud “O-Khan” chant. Khan worked the small of the back with some forearms, slowing the match down. Atomid drop into a wristlock submission with trapped legs by Khan. Khan transitioned to a camel clutch and Moloney slowly inched toward the ropes. Khan wrenched Moloney’s head until Moloney reached the bottom rope.
Snap mare and a kick to the back by Khan. Moloney got in some rights and then ran himself right into a near-Eliminator by Khan. Khan hit the leaping chops and Moloney hit a quick suplex to finally get a breather. Khan nearly hit the Eliminator a couple more times but Moloney kept fighting it off. They exchanged chops, aand Moloney ran the ropes and they exchanged shots. Moloney hit a spinebuster and Khan kicked out quick at one, but sold agony.
Moloney ran at Khan, who caught him with a big right. Tenzan Tombstone Driver by Khan got a long two. Moloney rolled up Khan after another Eliminator attempt for two. Moloney hit the Gore for a long two. Moloney fired up and went for his finisher, but Khan snuck out the back. They reversed a few shots and Moloney hit the Gore and then hit the Drilla Killa for the win.
WINNER: Drilla Moloney at 9:11. (**3/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: Very satisfying and loud action here, as would be expected from these two. It’ll be very interesting to see if New Japan builds on Khan’s strong showing last year or if it was just a quick litmus test and they aren’t ready to go farther with him. Moloney is also a very interesting piece, as he was only recently promoted to the Heavyweight ranks but consistently shows up to a high level)
(4) YUYA UEMURA vs. BOLTIN OLEG – A Block match
Uemura was wrestling through injury last July and August and as a result had a pretty disappointing showing in the G1. Oleg is something of a budding favorite among fans and perhaps the booking team alike, but for me he’s still kind of a question mark as his ability to connect to the audience while in the ring remains weak.
Charlton put over Oleg’s two recent wins for the NEVER Openweight Championship over Konosuke Takeshita, and mentioned that Takeshita is a wrestler that many are picking to win the tournament. The two started slow with some wristlocks and grappling sequences. Uemura managed a snap mare and went right into an armbar. Oleg escaped and they ran the ropes a couple of times before Oleg laid out Uemura with a block. Oleg charged Uemura a couple of times in the corner and grounded Oleg and wrenched his arm, then dropkicked it. Uemura dropped a couple of elbows on Oleg’s arm and bridged back to add torque to a wristlock.
Oleg punched his way out of a hammerlock but Uemura dropkicked him and went right back to the arm. Uemura reversed a slam and held on, grounding Oleg again and wrapping up his arms. Oleg couldn’t manage a rollup so he lifted and slammed Uemura to finally break. Oleg hit a running splash in the corner, then tossed him with a high-release body slam. Splash by Oleg got two. Oleg did his Boltin Shake taunt/move and tossed Uemura aside. Oleg tried a driver of some kind but Uemura reversed and hit a dropkick to reclaim momentum.
Uemura managed a big side suplex for two. He went back to the arm yet again. He had Oleg teasing the tap but he finally kicked his way to the bottom rope to break. Uemura chopped Oleg in a corner, then charged him to the opposite one. Oleg caught a charging Uemura and worked a bear hug. Uemura double-underhooked, attempting the Deadbolt, but Oleg got the better of him and hit a belly-to-belly suplex.
The two fought to their feet and Uemura threw forearms. Oleg threw one big one that put Uemura on the mat. Uemura hit an enzuigiri but Oleg hit a suplex. They exchanged lariats. Oleg fired up and went for his finisher, but Uemura schoolboyed him for two. Crucifix got two. Oleg finally caught Uemura for his finisher, but quick as a hiccup, Uemura slipped through and hit the Deadbolt out of relative nowhere to finish.
WINNER: Yuya Uemura at 11:04. (***1/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: Hot finishing sequence here. Uemura dominating on the mat was an interesting way to tell this story as Oleg is truly a very accomplished wrestler, though I get that they’d rather present him as someone who strikes big when he finally strikes at all. During the waning moments they really had me convinced Oleg was going over, but I walk away from the match thinking Uemura might genuinely be in the mix to advance this year)
(5) SHOTA UMINO vs. EL PHANTASMO – B Block match
Umino walked down the ramp and not through the crowd for five minutes on the way to a loss. He’s got a pretty interesting relationship with the fans, but at least during his entrance, it seems like the cooling has done the intended as nobody was booing Umino. ELP was popular as usual and he vibed with some kids in the crowd on the way to the ring. Charlton mentioned that this is the first singles meeting of the two, and added that neither has had a winning record in this tournament to date.
They wrestled to a rope, where Umino released ELP with a clean break. They wrestled to another, where ELP made a clean break, but lightly tweaked Umino’s nipples. They went to some quick headscissor reversals on a mat, reset, then went to pinning combination reversals. they each fought off impact moves and reset once again across the ring from one another.
ELP made a “it was that close” motion with his fingers, then compared the size by putting it near Umino’s naughty bits. Umino shoved ELP, who shoved back and said “chiisai,” which means “small,” to laughs. They broke down a little and went to chops and palm strikes. Phantasmo clotheslined Umino over the top, then hit a tope suicida in the small space between ring and barricade. Phantasmo started brawling with Umino up and through the barricade. Referee Kenta Sato didn’t start a count for whatever reason, and they found their way back to the ring before long.
Phantasmo retained control and worked a chinlock, wrenching Umino’s head to one side. Phantasmo booted Umino a few times, and this time really tweaked Umino’s nipples hard, and when he broke, he wrenched on them. Umino hit a neckbreaker to get some relief. European uppercuts from Umino. He charged ELP into a corner and ran in with another uppercut. He covered for two. The two evaded a few shots until Umino hit an enzuigiri that showed a lot of light from our angle. ELP hit the Unidentified Flying Opponent and both guys sold on the mat.
ELP kipped up to cheers and then tuned up the band. Umino caught the kick and they exchanged some strikes. Umino hit a headbutt and charged, but ELP hit the Sudden Death superkick, then another, and covered for two. Umino hit a back body-drop to avoid another impact move. The two reversed some moves until ELP hit CR2 for a long two that had some audience members fooled. ELP missed the Thunder Kiss and Umino hit a flash knee for a long two. Umino screamed in determination and went for his finisher. ELP hit a half suplex, but Umino hit one right after. Umino hit a huge running lariat for two. There was a “Shota” chant, which wasn’t happening a year ago. Umino hit the Second Chapter and got the win.
WINNER: Shota Umino at 11:30. (***1/4)
The two shook hands and hugged afterward, shrugging off whatever chippiness they used to tell the story of the match.
(Wells’s Analysis: They’ve got a tightrope to walk with Umino here, as they’ve never seemed to waver from their position that Umino is the future of the company, but they risk turning off the fans a second time if they go too hard too soon again. The crowd reactions are very positive, though)
(6) RYOHEI OIWA vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo) – A Block match
Oiwa was kind of a background player for the past few months, and had to win his way into the tournament in a play-in match with Satoshi Kojima.
The two grappled roughly into a rope, where Finlay had the upper hand and he trash-talked Oiwa. He went for a cheap shot but Oiwa ducked and hit an arm drag and he worked the arm right after, charging it into a corner. They went hard at one another with rights in a corner, then kept up the pace with more strikes. Finlay hung up Oiwa on a rope, then hit him with a Russian leg sweep. Finlay threw a European uppercut and then kicked Oiwa’s head dismissively, saying “whatcha got?” He hit the Irish Curse backbreaker and covered for two.
Finlay hit a running forearm and then a suplex. He flexed to a fairly positive reaction despite his rotten persona. Oiwa threw some rights while selling the pain to his back. Rope run and Oiwa finally got into it with some back elbows and a dropkick. They both sold on the mat. Oiwa hit a suplex and covered Finlay for two as Charlton pointed out that every move Oiwa was hitting was causing a bad landing on his worked back.
Oiwa chopped Finlay against the rope and Finlay shoved Oiwa. Finlay hit a lariat that sent both guys outside. Kenta Sato tried to get them back in the ring but Finlay charged Oiwa’s back hard into the barricade and through the door. Finlay eventually rolled Oiwa into the ring, after another instance of a ref not feeling like counting the guys out. Finlay covered for two.
Oiwa jackknifed Finlay for two and trapped him a second time for two. Oiwa hit a DDT but yet again had to sell his back after the move. Oiwa wrenched Finlay’s arm, then dropped an elbow on it. He worked a brief submission but Finlay switched and snapped on a sleeper. Finlay hit another backbreaker and both guys sold for a moment again.
They fought to their knees and threw rights. They got to their feet as they continued the exchange. Finlay struggled against the ropes but got back into it and the exchange continued. Rope run and Finlay again hit the Irish Curse, then a buckle bomb, and then Oblivion for a long two. Finlay slowly went in, and Oiwa hit a small package for two. Finlay missed a right and Oiwa hit the Chaos Theory German suplex with a bridge and got two. He held on. Oiwa swung for his finisher but Finlay reversed. Oiwa fought off the finisher and they exchanged attempts at big shots. Oiwa hit Finlay with his lariat, The Grip, and it was good to finish.
WINNER: Ryohei Oiwa at 13:09. (***1/2)
(Wells’s Analysis: Finlay’s rough style isn’t my bag, although it’s a nice to have a different flavor in a match when he shows up. These two went to some really fun exchanges and a strong final minute with the reversals, and got some time to showcase what Oiwa can do. Charlton and Stewart really talked about Oiwa’s “injured” arm even after he won, so this could be a case where he isn’t going to win much in the tournament but he has some a big win to hang his hat on)
(7) GABE KIDD vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (w/Rocky Romero) – B Block match
Well, there shouldn’t be a thing wrong with this. Romero sat in on commentary and talked up Takeshita. Charlton shared a soundbyte by Takeshita, who said some people here might love New Japan Pro Wrestling more than he does, but nobody loves pro wrestling more than he does.
Takeshita compared their heights as the bell sounded. Kidd rolled his eyes and slapped Takeshita. They exchanged some early strikes and Takeshita got the upper hand. Takeshita grounded Kidd with a headlock, and Kidd tried to punch his way free. He escaped and hit a running lariat. Takeshita took a walk outside the ring, and Kidd rolled out after him. Kidd hit a running lariat on the floor. He woke up his ailing leg and ran Takeshita into a barricade. Kidd went inside and rolled into his cross-legged taunt. Referee Marty Asami started the count and reached eight when Takeshita ran into the ring. They both went for suplexes and ended up spilling over the ropes, both still locked in. Takeshita won this particular battle and hit a suplex on the floor. They both sold on the floor and Asami got in and checked on both men.
The count went out again and Asami didn’t get far before Takeshita rolled Kidd inside and followed. Takeshita hit a running boot and Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The five-minute call went out. Just five? Takeshita has a way of making time fly. Both guys missed lariats and Kidd hit a nasty exploder suplex. Takeshita hit one back and both guys sold again.
They had a brief stalemate on a lariat attempt and then ran at each other. Takeshita hit a hard lariat but had to recover on the mat afterward. Each guy wanted a suplex and finally Kidd instead hit a vertical drop brainbuster for two. They exchanged shots at piledrivers and Takeshita got the better of it, then held on for a deadlift German. He fired up, but Kidd hit him with a running lariat for two. Kidd got up and walked around, stalking Takeshita and saying “You brought this on yourself.” Kid threw palm strikes and Takeshita fell to his knees and buckled forward. Kidd hit a loud forearm and then they ran the ropes and Takeshita hit a hard forwardm for a long two. Kidd put his foot on the rope to break.
The two spilled outside again and as the count went out, they exchanged rights. Even as it went to 14, they were going at it. Takeshita hit a body slam at 18 and Kidd had to rush inside to beat the count. The audience bought into the false countout. They went back inside and the crowd was hot. Piledriver by Kidd got two. A “Kidd” chant went out. Kidd pulled the guard from his tattooed knee and went for a strike, but Takeshita blocked. He got one in right after, and another as Takeshita was falling over. They went to a series of grapple reversals and Takeshita violently twisted Kidd’s head. Takeshita trapped Kidd in a sleeper and put him out for the victory.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita at 13:20. (****)
Kidd recovered and wasn’t happy with the ref. He and Takeshita continued exchanging shots, setting up more between the two, whether in this ring or in an AEW ring.
(Wells’s Analysis: It’s no surprise that this is the match to beat tonight, and easily, they could have gone another 13 minutes if this had been in the main event spot. Takeshita and Goto were the wrestlers of the tournament last year in my view, and Takeshita is looking like he wants to take that spot this year as well. I was slow to warm to Kidd, but he’s just fire out there now also)
(8) YOTA TSUJI vs. SANADA – A Block match
Sanada has new, lively rock music that sounds more babyface, though his look is every bit as enigmatic as it’s been of late. The announcers suggested it was possibly a break away from House of Torture, but the ring announcer said he’s still part of the faction. Tsuji had a deeper shade of crimson on his entrance jacket and hat, and Charlton wondered if he was tapping into a darker part of himself.
Sanada went for a handshake. Tsuji smiled and shook it, knowing Sanada was up to something. Sanada charged Tsuji but ended up slipping out of the ring. Sanada grabbed his guitar and threatened to use it on Tsuji. Tsuji was headed out to face Sanada, who kicked up the rope for the nut shot. Sanada took Tsuji through a barricade and well into the crowd and smashed a water bottle over his head. A count finally got going and Sanada threw Tsuji into some chairs. The count got noticeably slower to give Tsuji time to reach the ring. Sanada dropkicked him when he did.
Sanada hit a shining wizard, then set up Deadfall. Tsuji fought it off. Sanada went for Skull End, but Tsuji fought that too and hit a tilt-a-whirl slam. Both guys sold on the mat. Tsuji hit a running knee lift in a corner. Tsuji went up for a move from the top but Sanada put a knee up into his nether region. Tsuji cartwheeled through antoher Deadfall attempt. Sanada hit a dropkick to the knee and ran and hit another shining wizard. Sanada went up and missed a moonsault. Tsuji nailed him with a Gene Blaster out of nowhere.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji at 5:09. (*1/2)
(Wells’s Analysis: There was some really good wrestling here, brief though it was. This could set up a redemption arc for Sanada but I’ve long since given up trying to figure out what Gedo wants to accomplish with the Sanada character. Tsuji could be poised for a big step forward here. This match’s placement on the card definitely suggests that one or both of them are going far here)
(9) ZACK SABRE JR. vs. REN NARITA – B Block match
I’m white-knuckling it here wondering if they’ll give us a real match between these two, which would be excellent based on what Narita was showing before the House of Torture affiliation. Narita swung his steel push-up bar into the barricade right in front of Stewart and Charlton, who were startled by it. Sabre had new music, kind of an EDM chillout that doesn’t quite fit with the punk thing he’s been doing, but I dion’t hate it, I guess. He was wearing the IWGP Championship belt he recently won back from Hirooki Goto. Charlton pointed out that only Mutoh and Sasaki won this tournament as champion.
The two grappled for a while to open, reversing everything the other threw their way. Sabre threw a big kick, and Narita ran and hit the floor. Narita stalled for a bit before finally entering slowly. Sabre ran in with a boot, but Narita was setting him up and he trapped it and worked his leg briefly. Narita went in and ran the ropes into a single-leg dropkick. Sabre trapped Narita’s arm over the top rope as they were on opposite sides of the rope, and wrenched it until the ref started the count. They went outside again and Narita whipped Sabre into a barricade, but Sabre exploded out with a lariat before selling the pain to the small of his back.
Sabre drove Narita into the barricade, then went for a boot and missed and got hung up over the barricade. Narita grounded Sabre and drove his knee into the floor. Narita used a chair to get a distraction for referee Red Shoes Unno, then used the push-up bar on Sabre. The ref counted to nine before Narita put Sabre in the ring and worked a leg around the post. Sabre took some time outside and sold the pain until 14 when he reentered.
Narita kept working the leg, wrenching it over the second rope, as Sabre got back to the ring. Narita hopped on the leg as it was draped over the bottom rope. Sabre threw a very loud pair of kicks to Narita’s chest. Narita caught the third to break up the hope spot, then hit a shin breaker and a second. Narita covered for two. Sabre reversed some moves and twisted Narita’s head with his feet from a standing position.
Sabre threw some European uppercuts, working stiff. After some reversals, Sabre hit a bicycle kick on the arm and threw a quick dropkick. The two went to some complicated leg submission reversals as the ten minute call went out. They finally separated and sold for a bit. Narita went out, got his push-up bar, and again smacked it against the barricade to mess with Stewart and Charlton. He entered with it and distracted Unno with it, then went for a low blow. Sabre cinched up his legs to block and then laid out Narita. Sabre threw a hard kick to the chest, then sold the leg. He repeated the spot a couple of times, then threw his cold-faced palm strikes, trying to wake up Narita, who went for a choke. Narita leaned in and Sabre threw a very loud right palm strike.
Sabre closed in, and Narita trapped him in a guillotine. Sabre teased that he was fading before a jackknife rollup for two. Zack hit a Zack Driver, but couldn’t cover right away afterward. Zack trapped Narita on the mat with an arm submission, then crucifixed him for two. Narita bit Sabre’s ankle to escape, but Sabre trapped Narita in a sleeper. Narita kicked back hard at Sabre’s knee, then got Unno turned around so he could finally hit his low blow. Narita went up and hit Hell’s Guillotine to finish.
WINNER: Ren Narita at 16:13. (***3/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: Some very good sequences interspersed with the right amount of chicanery from Narita. This one either sets up Narita for a huge run or gives him one huge win even if he ends up with a losing record. As the sitting champion in a six-person playoff year, I’m expecting Sabre to at least reach those playoffs, but this year really feels wide open)
(10) HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. TAICHI
This was supposed to be Hirooki Goto before the injury. Taichi, who lost a play-in match to Callum Newman, won a last-chance gauntlet to reach the tournament. With this now just being a rapidly-aging Tanahashi versus a guy who’s been losing the vast majority of the time for a year or two, it’s strange this was left in the main event slot, despite that just being the way New Japan does things.
There was a huge “Tanahashi” chant as he continues the run in his final G1 in his final year in the ring. I suppose a lot of it was for underdog Taichi also. The two locked up early and Taichi took Tanahashi to the ropes for a clean break. Taichi took Tana to a rope again and threw some rights. Tanahashi came back with some strikes until Taichi hit a thrust kick to take him down. There was a good-sized “Let’s go Taichi” chant. Charlton wondered if there could be a groundswell for Taichi like there was for Goto last year.
Taichi threw some kicks to the chest. Tanahashi caught the third and elbowed Taichi’s leg. Tana trapped Taichi in a corner and hit the dragon screw. Action spilled outside and Tanahashi trapped Taichi’s leg over a barricade, acted like he was making a clean break, and then dropkicked the trapped leg. He went in and posed, leaning into his heelish antics so far, always happy to let the underdog get the cheers if that’s what the crowd wants. Red Shoes counted to 15 and Taichi freed himself and got back to the ring.
Tanahashi kicked Taichi’s leg and dropped an elbow on it. Tana threw down some slaps and Taichi tried to fight from underneath, but Tana was dominating. Taichi reached a rope to break. Taichi kicked up and Tana grounded him again with some kicks. Tana ran station to station and Taichi moved, then laid in a kick to get some space. Taichi crumbled to the ring also and they both sold on the mat.
Taichi moved in with a kick, and Tana blocked it. Taichi got to his feet and got the crowd going with his pants toss. Taichi sidestepped a kick to the knee, then managed his own big kick to ground Tanahashi. Taichi stalked Tana, but Tana got a dropkick in to the leg as Taichi closed in. Tanahashi worked a cloverleaf but Taichi got to the ropes pretty quickly. Tana kicked Taichi’s bad knee repeatedly, still firmly working like a heel in this one. Tana ran the ropes and Taichi connected with a kick, but then missed one and Tana snapped on a textbook Texas Cloverleaf and the crowd started to buy that the finish could come anytime, as this match hasn’t been overly long, but Tanahashi isn’t what he was five years ago. Taichi reached a rope to break.
There was a long selling sequence before Taichi got in a series of strikes, with a big enzuigiri taking down Tanahashi. Taichi’s leg-slapping is always so comically loud. Taichi saluted to the crowd but Tana took him down with a sling blade, and then a lariat. Tana hit another sling blade for a long two. Tana went up for Aces High, but Taichi moved and Tana ate it on his ailing knees. Gedo Clutch by Taichi got a VERY long two, almost to a botch level as Tana kicked out late. Tana caught Taichi with another dragon screw, but Taichi hit right back with another dragon screw and both guys sold on the mat again. Taichi finally closed in for a cover and a two count.
Taichi fired up and set up Black Mephisto, but he buckled. Tana again hit a dragon screw, but Taichi hit a fighting spirit axe bomber lariat. Again, the crowd chanted, but their names are so similar I don’t know which they were favoring. Taichi hit a backdrop with a bridge but he again couldn’t dig in because of the knee, and Tana escaped at the last moment.
In a corner, Taichi set up Tana on the top for possibly a superplex, but he buckled and slipped as he went up himself. He finally composed himself and went up, and though it was looking like a superplex, Tana reversed to a splash, perhaps a type of Aces High, for two. High Fly…Flow? He hit the legs. Tana went up one more time and hit the High Fly Attack for two. Tana went up again and hit High Fly Flow to finish.
WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi at 20:21. (***)
(Wells’s Analysis: I’m glad Tanahashi is getting a grand retirement year story, but it probably should’ve happened before this year. Tana is so deteriorated that it’s occasionally disappointing seeing him unable to do what he could before his knees were Swiss cheese. The match was extremely basic in its moveset for the first two-thirds, but they did find a different gear late in the match, thankfully. I wonder how much needed to be changed with Goto out and Taichi in, because Taichi certainly isn’t going to be booked with a winning record, as Goto most certainly would’ve been as the IWGP Champion)
Tanahashi got on the mic afterward and put over the beautiful women of Sapporo, and then said what it was really about is the great food in Hokkaido. He says if you believe he can win the tournament, he’ll win it in a snap. He thanked everyone for coming.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It was an okay night of action – the G-1 is never going to be worse than at least somewhat good – but there were only a couple of super strong matches as many are still left on the table for the next month. I filled in tonight as one of our recappers came down with a pretty significant illness (get well soon!) but I’m scheduled for tomorrow as well, so I’ll see you then. Thanks as always for checking out the Torch’s coverage of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and we’ll be with you for every night of the tournament once again.
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