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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35: NIGHT 15 REPORT
AUGUST 10, 2025
TAKASAKI, GUNMA, JAPAN AT G MESSE GUNMA
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Walker Stewart, Hartley Jackson
UNDERCARD TAGS
(1) SHINGO TAKAGI & DAIKI NAGAI vs. BULLET CLUB (Drila Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)
Ishimori took Nagai down with La Mistica and forced him to tap out with the Bone Lock.
WINNERS: Bullet Club at 7:30
(2) YOSHI-HASHI & SHOMA KATO vs. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr & Hartley Jackson)
Kato tried to fire up, only for Jackson to take him out with a lariat and knock him out with the Jagged Edge.
WINNERS: TMDK at 7:25
(3) SHOTA UMINO & KATSUYA MURASHIMA vs. UNITED EMPIRE (The Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)
O-Khan countered Murashima’s inside cradle with the TTD and forced him to submit with an arm triangle choke.
WINNERS: United Empire at 7:32
(4) DON CALLIS FAMILY (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Narita knocked Romero off his feet and trapped him in a modified knee bar for the win.
WINNERS. House of Torture at 6:26
A BLOCK MATCHES
(5) TAICHI (6) vs. BOLTIN OLEG (8) – A Block Match
They started the match trading shoulder tackles, until Oleg knocked Taichi off his feet. Taichi clocked Oleg with a boot to the face and blocked an overhead throw attempt. Taichi managed to knock Oleg off his feet, only for Oleg to counter the Dangerous Backdrop with a takedown of his own. Oleg launched Taichi away with the Boltin Shake and dropped him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Oleg put Taichi down with a waist lock takeover and kept him in the hold, until he was able to reach the ropes.
Taichi targeted Oleg’s legs with a few kicks before receiving a knee to the abdomen. Oleg dropped Taichi with a bodyslam, but Taichi avoided a Vader Bomb and cracked him with an enzuigiri. Oleg crushed Taichi with a corner splash, only for Taichi to make him crash into the corner and floor him with the Dangerous Backdrop. They clobbered each other with lariats, until Taichi collapsed off his feet. Taichi caught Oleg off-guard with an Axe Bomber for a two count.
Oleg shocked Taichi with a shotgun dropkick and flattened him with a short Kamikaze, only for Taichi to fire up and knock him away with a thrust kick. Taichi blasted Oleg with a pair of strikes to the neck and a roundhouse kick for a close two count. Oleg lifted Taichi and withstood his strikes before laying him out with the Verdict. Taichi countered the Kamikaze with a pinning combination and poked his eyes, setting him up for a jackknife pinfall and a nearfall. Oleg took Taichi down with a powerbomb and immediately knocked him out with the Kamikaze.
WINNER: Boltin Oleg (10 pts) at 12:27 (***1/2)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A very good match up to start the show and end Oleg’s campaign on a strong note. I was surprised Oleg actually won since they could have easily had Taichi eliminate him without much fanfare. While I’m slightly disappointed Taichi didn’t get more, it’s still cool to see New Japan commit to keeping Oleg strong even if he doesn’t qualify.)
(6) RYOHEI OIWA (8) vs. SANADA (6) – A Block Match
They attempted to lock the other in various holds, until Oiwa shut Sanada down with a bodyslam, a dropkick and a headlock takeover. Oiwa planted Sanada with a hip toss and put him in a headlock again. Sanada managed to corner Oiwa, only for Oiwa to avoid a springboard move and put him in a headlock again. Sanada caught Oiwa off-guard with a dropkick to the knee and low-bridged him. Both men avoided back suplex, until Sanada dropped Oiwa with a back suplex on the apron.
Sanada dropped Oiwa with a Magic Screw on the floor, following it with another inside the ring. Oiwa blocked an inside cradle and put Sanada down with a vertical suplex, followed by a running splash for a two count. Oiwa missed a diving splash, but was able to block a follow-up moonsault with his knees. Sanada caught Oiwa with a boot to the face and went for a moonsault, only for Oiwa to counter his Skull End attempt with a German suplex. Sanada landed on his feet off a German suplex and cracked Oiwa with a Shining Wizard to the back of the head.
Oiwa blocked the Deadfall and got a two count with an O’Connor Roll. Sanada drove Oiwa into the referee and nailed him with a low blow. Sanada picked up his guitar, only for Oiwa to block a shot with it and put him in a sleeper hold. Instead of using the guitar, Sanada tossed it at him and faked being attacked. As Oiwa argued with the referee, Sanada shoved them down and knocked Oiwa out with a guitar shot to the head.
WINNER: Sanada (8 pts) at 10:54 (**3/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: An actually decent match, until the shenanigans-filled ending. I appreciate that there wasn’t any actual interference from the rest of the House of Torture, but that must have been the most by-the-numbers finish they could have done. A bizarre choice to have such a flat ending for a match on the final night of block A and a limp end to Oiwa’s first G1.)
(7) YOTA TSUJI (8) vs. CALLUM NEWMAN (8) – A Block Match
Newman quickly sent Tsuji out of the ring, only for Tsuji to block a plancha with an uppercut. Tsuji drove Newman into the guardrail and kicked him into a row of chairs. Newman managed to return to the ring in time, but Tsuji immediately took him out with a dropkick. Tsuji clobbered Newman with chops to the chest and stomped him down. Tsuji caught Newman with a flatliner and put him in a chinlock. Newman caught Tsuji off-guard with a forearm strike to the jaw, following it with a running boot to the face and a Penalty kick for a two count.
Newman clocked Tsuji with a kick to the abdomen and a vertical suplex for a close two count. They traded various right hands, until Tsuij blocked an OsCutter with a thrust kick. Tsuji dropped Nemwan with a facebuster, setting him up for a double stomp, a release suplex and a Curb Stomp. Newman leapt over Tsuji to counter a Gene Blaster with a double stomp to the back. Newman nailed Tsuji with a pair of quick strikes before shutting him down with a Spanish Fly for a nearfall.
Tsuji avoided a diving double stomp, only for Newman to crack him with a series of knees to the face. Newman crushed Tsuji with a diving double stomp for a close two count. Tsuji blocked a suplex and put Newman down with a short Gene Blaster, but he managed to grab the ropes. Tsuji clobbered Newman with a pump knee, setting him up for the Marlowe Crash. Before Tsuji could go for the Gene Blaster, Newman collapsed off his feet. Tsuji immediately planted Newman with 17 Crosses to pick up the victory.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji (10 pts) at 11:19 (***)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A solid match-up to put an end to Newman’s campaign as his body just kind of gave up on him. Tsuji looked dominant and even introduced a new finisher, but I was left hoping we would see more from these two.)
(8) HIROSHI TANAHASHI (8) vs. EVIL (10) – A Block Match
Evil put Tanahashi down with a headlock takeover, but Tanahashi quickly broke it up. Tanahashi caught Evil with a back elbow, followed by a corkscrew crossbody. Evil shut Tanahashi down with a dragon screw and smashed his knee on the mat. Evil tied up Tanahashi’s legs and dropped his body back to add pressure to them. Before Tanahashi could react, Evil beat him down with chops and laid him out with a fisherman suplex. Tanahashi caught Newman with a flying forearm strike and hit him with a bodyslam, followed by the somersault senton for a two count.
Evil avoided a clothesline and trapped Tanahashi in a modified Figure 4 leg lock. Tanahashi broke the hold before Evil put him down with Darkness Falls for a nearfall. Tanahashi blocked Everything is Evil and knocked Evil off his feet with a dragon screw. Evil caught Tanahashi with a lariat and put him in the Darkness Scorpion, until he was able to reach the ropes. They exchanged forearm strikes, until Tanahashi blocked Everything is Evil and took him down with a Twist-and-Shout.
Tanahashi dropped Evil with a sling blade, but missed a High Fly Flow attempt. Don Fale and Dick Togo showed up to distract the referee and introduce a chair into the ring. Tanahashi grabbed the chair and gave it to the referee, only for Evil to blind him with powder. Evil drove Tanahashi into the referee and Togo nailed him with a diving low blow. Evil put Tanahashi down with Everything is Evil to pick up the victory.
WINNER: Evil (12 pts) at 13:06 (***)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Thorn between praising the match for actually committing to a mostly clean Evil match or being annoyed at yet another HoT nonsense finish. At least, I got to see roughly 10 minutes of old Evil whom I actually really liked before the heel turn.)
(9) YUYA UEMURA (10) vs. DAVID FINLAY (8) (w/Gedo) – A Block Match
They locked up and traded pinning combinations, until Uemura took Finlay down with an arm drag. Uemura blocked a shot into the guardrail and Finlay crashed into it after missing a tackle. Back in the ring, Uemura took Finlay down with another arm drag, until Finlay punched him away. Finlay knocked Uemura off the apron, making him crash into the guardrail. Finlay Irish-whipped Uemura into the corner and put him in a Bulldog Choke, until he reached the ropes. Uemura withstood Finlay’s forearm shots and crushed him with a corkscrew crossbody.
They landed on their feet after trying to go for back suplexes, but Uemura was able to connect one. Finlay managed to knock Uemura away with back elbows and sent him out of the ring with a clothesline. Finlay drove Uemura’s back into the ring post with a running powerbomb. Uemura managed to return to the ring in time, only for Finlay to lay him out with a release suplex for a two count. Finlay withstood Uemura’s low-energy strikes and laid him out with a huge Irish Curse for a nearfall. Uemura countered a running powerbomb over the ropes and launched Finlay out of the ring with a hurracarrana.
Uemura crushed Finlay with a high crossbody on the floor, leaving both men down on the floor. Back in the ring, Uemura put Finlay in a double wrist lock, transitioning it into a cross armbreaker. Finlay managed to reach the ropes, only for Uemura to lay him out with a German suplex for a close two count. Finlay shut Uemura down with a backbreaker, followed by the Dominator for a nearfall. Uemura blocked the Overkill and nailed Finlay with a pair of dragon screws, setting him up for an arm drag and into another cross armbreaker.
Uemura put Finlay in a seated Fujiwara armbar before tying up both of his arms in the middle of the ring. Finlay barely managed to get out of the hold and reach the ropes. Uemura planted Finlay with a double underhook suplex for a close two count. Finlay managed to take Uemrua down with a pop up powerbomb and a Jackknife powerbomb, but he kicked out at two. Finlay took Uemura down with Into Oblivion for another nearfall.
Uemura countered the Overkill with an inside cradle and laid Finlay out with a dragon suplex for another two count. Uemura crushed Finlay with High Fly Flow, but Finlay managed to kick out at two. Finlay bit Uemura’s face to block the Deadbolt suplex before they started exchanging strikes to the chest. Uemura caught Finlay with a backslide and tried to go for the Deadbolt Suplex, only for Finlay to knock him out after two back-to-back Overkills.
WINNER: David Finlay (10 pts) at 22:36 (****1/4)
(Pomares’ Analysis: A top-notch main event that really put me on the edge of my seat, as both men had a realistic shot of going to the playoffs. Finlay’s performances have been consistently great and this was no exception, as he completed the comeback and has a good shot at winning the whole thing. Also, credit to Yuya Uemura who has been a very strong competitor throughout this G1 and should absolutely make it to the next round next year.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Aside from the great main event and the opening bout between Oleg and Taichi, this was a bit of a weak show. There were two matched that ended with House of Torture nonsense and Tsuji vs. Newman wasn’t as good as I hoped. Still, Finlay vs. Uemura is definitely worth a watch and a more than worthy ending to block A.
You can contact me at mauriciopomares@gmail.com, on Twitter @PomiWrestling or on BlueSky @pomiwrestling.bsky.social
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