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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35: NIGHT 11 REPORT
AUGUST 5, 2025
OSAKA, JAPAN AT INTEX OSAKA
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Walker Stewart, Rocky Romero
(1) TAICHI & MASATORA YASUDA vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young)
Taichi and Newman actually spent a lot of time in the ring, but at the end, they were brawling outside the ring as Young hit Jakob’s Ladder on the Young Lion Yasuda for the win.
WINNERS: United Empire at 7:59.
(2) BOLTIN OLEG & TORU YANO vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Evil & Dick Togo) (w/Don Fale)
Evil offered a House of Torture shirt to Boltin Oleg before the match and Yano led a “NO” chant. Oleg put it on, then of couse dropkicked both heels. The House of Torture did House of Torture things but Oleg cleared the ring and cornered Togo. Togo hopped off the corner after making the sign of the cross to laughs. Yano beat Togo after a low blow, because…When in Rome!
WINNERS: Yano & Oleg at 4:57.
(3) HIROSHI TANAHASHI & KATSUYA MURASHIMA vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Sanada & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Sanada was wearing a more muted outfit on the way to the ring, as he’s mostly been doing for the tags. A heavy percentage of the match was outside the ring nonsense, but they settled in and Kanemaru & Murashima had a nice wrestling sequence near the end. Kanemaru finished the Young Lion with a figure four.
WINNERS: House of Torture at 6:28.
(4) YUYA UEMURA & SHOMA KATO vs. TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson)
Uemura & Oiwa gave us a preview of their critical match at the next show to open. They worked the first full three minutes before tags started happening. Jackson finished off Kato with the Jagged Edge (Death Valley Driver).
WINNERS: TMDK at 5:59.
(5) YOTA TSUJI & DAIKI NAGAI vs. BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (David Finlay & Gedo)
Nagai & Gedo worked the first couple of minutes, as Tsuji & Finlay were largely kept apart ahead of their Korakuen Hall main event in a couple of days. Finlay beat Nagai after Overkill.
WINNERS: Bullet Club War Dogs at 6:36.
(x) SHOTA UMINO def. GABE KIDD by forfeit
(6) YOSHI-HASHI (8 points) vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8 points) – B Block match
Once they shot in, Takeshita forced Hashi to a rope for a clean break, though he postured cockily while doing it. Hashi did the same, then laid in a chop. Rope run and a block by Hashi, then Takeshita, then one by Hashi that laid Takeshita out. He looked annoyed with himself. I love his facial expressions. Takeshita absorbed a chop, laid in an elbow, and hit a beautiful running back elbow. Action went outside and Takeshita charged Hashi to one, then another, barricade. Referee Marty Asami left the ring to try to get them back in, and Takeshita complied.
Takeshita worked a half-crab for a surprisingly long time early in the match until Hashi reached a rope to break. Takeshita charged Hashi to a rope and then nailed his back with a forearm on the return. He repeated the spot. Takeshita worked a double wristlock and leaned on Hashi, forcing him to the mat. Hashi tried some shots to the midsection to break. Takeshita charged Hashi to the ropes on more time, but this time Hashi nailed him with a dropkick to the knees. Both guys sold for a bit.
Hashi hit a series of strikes and hit a neckbreaker, then fired up. He laid in a running chop and draped Takeshita over the top rope for a running dropkick. Hashi covered for two. Hashi went for a fisherman’s suplex, got thwarted, and then got caught with a backbreaker. Takeshita smirked and taunted. Hashi tried a suplex, and Takeshita hit his feet, so Hashi hit a neckbreaker instead. That spot is underutilized.
The two went to an exchange of rights. Chops from Hashi, forearms from Takeshita. Takeshita staggered Hashi and ran for a lariat, but they both hit one. Dragon suplex by Hashi. Takeshita hit a package powerbomb for two. Running lariat from Takeshita. They reversed a few times and Hashi got a rollup for a nearfall. Hashi thwarted Takeshita’s finisher with a DDT, and both guys sold on the mat.
Hashi nailed Takeshita with a corner lariat, then went high. Takeshita recovered and nailed him with a right, then met him on the second rope in the corner. Hashi tried to float over with a powerbomb, and after some effort, he managed it and hit a jackknife cover for a long two. Hashi fired up and ran into a boot. After some reversals, Takeshita hit an Exploder, then another. He covered for two.
Takeshita, somewhat frustrated, reset and ran in. Hashi caught him with a neckbreaker and a superkick. Kumagoroshi got two. Hashi hit a lariat and went high. Swanton got a long two. Hashi wanted Karma but Takeshita reversed. Power Drive flash knee by Takeshita got two. Takeshita hit Raging Fire to win.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita at 15:22. (***3/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: Very strong match between these two that didn’t kick into main event gear, but was a satisfying slugfest that allowed Yoshi-Hashi to continue looking like he belonged in the tournament although the 4-0 start was always a mirage. Takeshita now has Narita and Umino remaining as he looks to enter the playoffs for a second straight year)
(7) GREAT-O-KHAN (6) vs. REN NARITA (8) – B Block match
Narita attacked O-Khan on the ramp, then shot him into a barricade. Narita took Khan out to the crowd and tossed him into some chairs. Khan sold a bad knee and groaned in agony on the floor. Asami checked on Khan as Narita grabbed the ring bell hammer and nailed Khan with it. Narita casually went to the ring, but as Khan hobbled toward it, he charged and nailed his knee as he approached. Once they got to the ring, Asami called for the bell, and Stewart questioned the judgment call.
Narita battered Khan outside a little more and Khan sold the knee some more, and rolled back in when the count started. Narita made a Shibata-style seated cover for two. Khan got back into it with a trio of Mongolian chops. Narita nailed the knee again to retain control. Back elbow by Narita for two. Narita transitioned to a wrench of the left foot and put on more torque until Khan could reach a rope. Narita just continued battering the knee, dropping on it as it was draped over the bottom rope.
Khan fought off an attack and managed a judo toss to gain some separation. Khan threw some chops in a corner. He hit a fireman’s carry takeover and put his knee to the midsection. Khan hit a monkey flip and a belly-to-belly for two. Uranage by Khan into a head & arm choke. Yoshinobu Kanemaru banged on the bell to trick Khan (why do people keep falling for this?) and Khan broke the hold. Asami got hung up with Narita, and Kanemaru nailed Khan with a whiskey bottle to boos.
Narita worked a kneebar, still focusing on the left leg. Khan got to a rope, and Narita wouldn’t break until Asami made him do so. Narita went for Souled Out but Khan rolled him up for two. Backslide for two. Perfect Plex for two. Khan hit a Tenzan Tombstone Piledriver, sold his bad knee, and covered for two.
The two went to some finisher reversals, and Khan dragged Narita by his tights to break a hold. We got a pretty good look at Narita’s back porch right there. Kanemaru distracted Asami and Narita nailed Khan’s knee with the bar to boos. Narita worked a kneebar and the bell rang, but this time, it was Jakob Austin Young with the hammer to a good reaction after Narita thought he had won.
Khan and Narita jockeyed for position, and Narita hit an Eliminator that also bumped Asami, and Narita went rolling outside. Khan and Young took out Kanemaru, and Narita reentered the ring as Khan fired up. Khan took up Narita in a corner and wanted an Eliminator from the second buckle, but Narita had a mouthful of whiskey and he spat it at Khan. He hit the Double Cross and Asami recovered, but incredibly, the cover only got two. Narita transitioned to a kneebar and got the tap.
WINNER: Ren Narita at 12:38. (**1/2)
(Wells’s Analysis: As always, it’s difficult to rate a match that relies so heavily on cheating spots and rarely gets into an extended sequence of wrestling. It’s all the more frustrating considering that Narita can be one of the best wrestlers on the roster. That said, they very effectively loaded this up with heat and continued giving the crowd someone to cheer against. Great-O-Khan is hanging by a thread. He effectively has eight points as his forfeit win over Kidd is still to come, but tiebreakers do him no favors and I think he’s pretty well cooked)
(8) EL PHANTASMO (w/Jado) (2) vs. DRILLA MOLONEY (8) – B Block match
ELP has 4 points, really, as he too has a forfeit win over Gabe Kidd coming. He might be technically eliminated, though I’m not figuring out tiebreakers right now. Again, ELP stopped and posed for a photo with a kid and high-fived him on the way to the ring.
The two started quickly and Phantasmo dumped Moloney and hit him with an early tope suicida. ELP went to the top rope for a moonsault out to the floor. Charlton said he was dangerous because he had nothing to lose. Phantasmo floated over and ate knees, and Moloney hit a Gore for two. Moloney wanted Drilla Killa, but they went to a series of reversals. Powerbomb by Moloney for two.
The two went up in a corner and fought for position. Moloney caught Phantasmo for a Falcon Arrow from the top for two. Phantasmo fought off a second Gore and evaded a couple more moves, but they again went to a series of pin attempts for repeated two counts. Moloney hit a sit-out piledriver and they both sold on the mat.
ELP got a backstlide for a long two. He set up CR2 but it was thwarted. ELP hit a couple of superkicks, then a Canadian Destroyer. CR2 got a long two. He hit another, then set one up and hit a piledriver. Thunder Kiss ’86 finished.
WINNER: El Phantasmo at 5:12. (**)
(Wells’s Analysis: Nothing bad to say here, but as Walker Stewart said a couple of times, this was clearly a sprint. I suppose they’re loading up the minutes for the main event tonight, but with Phantasmo finally winning a match, you’d think he’d get a longer showcase.)
(9) SHINGO TAKAGI (6) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (8) – B Block match
There was a significant “Takagi” chant early on. They worked an early grapple session to a rope and referee Red Shoes Unno broke it up. Sabre took Takagi down on the mat but they reversed a few times there. They again went to a stalemate and reset to applause.
Sabre snapped on a cravat and reapplied after a brief flurry from Takagi. Takagi broke with a boot and the two laid in some forearms and kicks. They went to another stalemate and reset.
They got into another grapple and Sabre took control with a knuckle lock. Takagi floated under and hit a quick suplex to break it. Takagi laid in some kicks in the corner and then worked a leg submission briefly. When Sabre flipped over, Takagi dropped an elbow on his back. Takagi threw some kicks and then hit some knees to the midsection at the end of a run to the ropes. Sabre reversed a move and trapped Takagi’s legs and stomped his knees, causing Rocky to bring up Bryan Danielson.
The two went to a series of reversals on the mat and Sabre rolled through a scorpion death lock to work his own complicated leg lock. Takagi rolled to a rope to break. Sabre scraped Takagi’s worked knee with his boot, then dropped a knee on it. He wrenched the bad left knee again and again until Takagi caught him with a snap DDT to get some separation.
Takagi hit a corner lariat and laid in some rights. Takagi hit a snap suplex and a standing senton for two. Shingo did his taunt into the camera and the crowd got behind him. Takagi set up Made in Japan but Zack thwarted it. Takagi hit a snap mare but Sabre reversed a strike into a wrench of Takagi’s taped right arm.
Sabre worked Takagi’s digits and stomped down on a tied up arm. Sabre was getting a decent amount of boos as he worked a heelish match. Sabre wrenched Takagi’s arm over his own shoulder a few times and then trapped him in a brief abdominal stretch with his own personal flair. Sabre caught his leg again but Takagi reached a rope to break.
Sabre leaned on Takagi’s bad elbow with a boot. After some reversals, Takagi hit a snap suplex and immediately sold the work to his elbow. Takagi put Sabre up in a corner and followed, and hit a quick superplex. Takagi sold his worked left knee and couldn’t cover. He recovered and went for Made in Japan, and after a couple of reversals, he finally hit it for two. Again, both guys sold on the mat. He went for Last of the Dragons but Sabre fought it off. They went to more reversals and Zack hit the Zack Driver. He sold away from Takagi and couldn’t cover.
The two hit their knees and exchanged headbutts. They both staggered. Sabre hit a PK and then kicked Takagi’s arm repeatedly. Sabre slammed down on the digits and then hit a PK to the arm. Takagi hit a quick Falcon Arrow and a Burning Dragon. He hobbled over to a cover and a long three. It took a while, but they’re kicking into a nasty gear here.
Takagi slammed Zack backward onto the mat, but Sabre snapped on a sleeper right away. Takagi leaned back for two, but Sabre caught him with one of his fvorite trap pins for two. Tornado DDT and a Zack Driver got two. He transitioned right into a kneebar and Takagi sold hard and yelled in agony, teasing a tap over and over. Takagi rolled over and into a rope to finally break.
The two were slow to get back into it. When they finally did, Zack laid in some European uppercuts. He hit a loud lariat, but Takagi stood tall. He hit two more and got the same result. A pumping bomber from Takagi turned Zack inside out. The two kicked up to a faster gear and hit quick, loud shots. Takagi hit Last of the Dragons for a long two, but Sabre reversed and trapped Takagi with a pin to eliminate him from the tournament. Wow.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. at 20:54. (****1/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: This one had a lot for everyone, as they worked a long mat wrestling sequence to start, then worked up to some strikes and then finally went full strong style for a handful of minutes before Sabre took Takagi’s finisher and not only didn’t eat the pin, but transitioned into an immediate win. Takagi is way too good to be out this early, but that’s the way things break sometimes with a tournament as difficult to book as the G-1)
-Sabre had nothing to say, and strode to the back quickly, and he made some filthy, F-word laden post-match comments that put over Shingo Takagi as one of the best ever but strongly suggested that he’s still getting better and would win the G-1.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The B Block has been much more consistent throughout the tournament, even after the significant loss of Gabe Kidd to injury. This wasn’t their best show, but the Sabre-Takagi main event was worth the price of admission and the Yoshi-Hashi vs. Konosuke Takeshita affair was quite good as well (even if it was more than a little obvious that Takeshita would go over). The leaders of the block are now Narita, Sabre and Takeshita, though I think just two of these – plus Shota Umino – will end up moving on to the knockout rounds. I’ll be back for the semifinals 11 days from now, and I remain just as clueless as to New Japan’s plans this year as ever.
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