NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35 NIGHT 18 REPORT (8/16): Lansdell’s results and analysis of both semifinal matches of G1 Climax 35

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35 NIGHT 18 REPORT
AUGUST 16, 2025
ARIAKE ARENA
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary. Only two matches of note were on the show, the two G1 semifinals.

Results from the preview tags:

(1) TOGI MAKABE & TIGER MASK & TATSUYA MATSUMOTO beat SHOMA KATO & MASATORA YASUDA & ZANE JAY

(2) HOUSE OF TORTURE (Don Fale & Yujiro Takahashi) beat TOMOAKI HONMA & BOLTIN OLEG

(3) UNITED EMPIRE (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young) beat KATSUYA MURASHIMA & EL PHANTASMO & HIROSHI TANAHASHI

(4) SHINGO TAKAGI & DAIKI NAGAI beat BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (David Finlay & Gedo)

(5) HOUSE OF TORTURE (Sanada & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) beat BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)

(6) HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Sho & Douki) beat TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson)

A full house of returning talent for the bigger shows in Ariake Arena, as might be expected.

(7) YOTA TSUJI vs. EVIL – G1 Climax 35 Semifinal match

So here we go, the battle of young superstar-in-waiting against the number one antagonist in the promotion. Tsuji entered first, and his normal silhouette pose looked even cooler as he was flanked by Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai. Tsuji made the finals of the tournament last year, losing out to Zack Sabre Jr.

For his part, Evil came out with only Dick Togo and Don Fale. Not a soul in the building believed that it would stay that way of course. The six men squared off in the ring, sparing us the nausea-inducing camera shake that is normally part of Evil’s entrance.

Evil charged Tsuji before the bell, kicking his knee and wrapping it around the middle rope. The boos started immediately. Tsuji got a boot up to block a charge, and hit a facebreaker and a flying headscissors to send Evil scrambling for the sanctuary of the floor. Tsuji hit the ropes for a dive and was tripped by Togo. Evil went around the ring, choked Tsuji with the microphone cable, and trash-talked him over the PA system. As Evil and the ref got back in the ring, Togo got a cheap kick in for fun.

Back in the ring, Tsuji mounted a brief comeback but missed a running splash. Evil went back to focusing on Tsuji’s knee, damaged in his match with Shota Umino. Evil saluted and applied the Nagata Lock. Tsuji made it to the ropes, with Evil maintaining the hold until he was forced to break. Tsuji again got a boot up into the face of a charging Evil, but his attempted headscissors was countered with a powerbomb. Evil put a single boot on his chest for a cocky two-count at the five-minute mark. As the referee checked on Tsuji, Evil mocked the crowd. He went for a suplex, but Tsuji was able to block and reverse into his own suplex.

Tsuji recovered first but was already suffering the effects of his knee. He hit a Stinger splash, a scoop slam, and a running splash for a two-count. He laid in a succession of blistering slaps to the chest. Evil poked his eyes, threw him to the outside, and went for a tour of the ringside barricades. On the third whip, Tsuji went over the barricade and into the fans. The referee started his count with Evil recovering in the ring. Tsuji got to his feet at 13, but Togo kicked his leg as he tried to climb over the barricade. Tsuji still managed to limp and lunge under the rope at a count of 19 and a half. Evil greeted him with a fisherman’s suplex for a two-count, then applied the Darkness Scorpion in the middle of the ring. Somewhat surprisingly there was no real crowd chant for Tsuji. As we went past ten minutes, Tsuji inched his way towards the ropes as the fans finally came alive for him. Tsuji grabbed the bottom rope to force the break.

Evil lifted Tsuji for Darkness Falls, but Tsuji wriggled free. A combination backbreaker-face smash-curb stomp left both men down and breathing heavily. Tsuji backed Evil into a corner, positioned him on the top turnbuckle, and went up with him…Spanish Superfly! 1…2…no! Tsuji followed up with a falcon arrow for another near fall, then set for Gene Blaster. Evil pulled the referee into his path, but Tsuji was able to pull up short. Tsuji hit the ropes again, and again Evil tried to use a ref shield. Again Tsuji stopped himself, hitting a knee lift and a superkick. Evil fired back with an elbow and a discus elbow, then tried for Everything is Evil. Tsuji pushed him off, then went for a short-range Gene Blaster…this time wiping out the referee. And of course we know what that means…HoT Shenanigans (TM).

Togo and Fale knocked Shingo and Nagai off the apron, and played their “greatest” hits: Fale with the big corner splash, then the literal crotch chop from Togo. Fale called for the Grenade, with Shingo just standing on the outside watching. Finally he decided to get involved with a groinal uppercut to Fale. Togo did the same to Shingo, Nagai returned the favour to Togo, Evil nut-nailed Nagai, and Tsuji wrapped it up with a low blow to Evil. A second referee came to the ring with six men writhing in agony and clutching their nether regions. Tsuji was first to recover and hit a running knee lift in the corner followed by the Marlowe Crash for a two-count. Tsuji set for Gene Blaster, Evil blocked it and hit the Reverse Evil…no, Tsuji blocked with a handstand, then hit a curb stomp! Evil escaped a powerbomb and went for Everything is Evil, Tsuji flipped out of it and hit the alley oop for a very near fall.

Tsuji put Evil on the top for a super Guerrero Special, but Togo grabbed the referee’s leg. The ref actually stomped on Togo to break his grip, but not in time to stop Fale from coming in the ring and hitting a Razor’s Edge on Tsuji. Where were Shingo and Nagai, you ask? Great question. Evil locked in the Darkness Scorpion, and…the referee called for the bell? The crowd was dead silent for that finish.

WINNER: Evil via referee stoppage at 18:01. (**¼)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Oh for crying out loud. Once again we have a match that could have been excellent if not for the ludicrous amounts of interference, the glaring logic gaps, the stupidity of the babyfaces, and a possible very nasty bump on the back of his head for Tsuji. I am not sure if the finish was meant to be then and there, as Tsuji seemed to be very out of it after the bell, but either way we will have Evil in tomorrow’s final. The parts of this match that were one-on-one, and even some of the less-blatant interference like the trip in the early going, were really good. Evil is not a bad wrestler like some of his stablemates, and he is capable of excellence. I understand the need for heels, and for those heels to cheat, but is it too much to ask for some logic and consistency? Sadly this result all but confirms a Takeshita win in the main event. Not that I have an issue with that result, but it takes away a lot of the drama of the match. Let’s hope Tsuji is OK and is either very good at selling or just had his bell rung slightly.)

(8) ZACK SABRE JR vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA – G1 Climax 35 Semifinal match

Takeshita came out first, and it’s worth pointing out that the story in his playoff match was a bad knee. I hope we do not tell that story in this match as well, given that the last match had the same thread. ZSJ is of course the kind of wrestler who would be expected to target a known weakness. Takeshita came out with Rocky Romero, but ZSJ was alone. Fortunately that was unlikely to matter with these two. Even though I fully expected Takeshita to win, the match would in all likelihood be incredible.

ZSJ started the match by wrestling circles around Takeshita on the mat. They did a little dancing around off a double wrist clutch, ending in a stalemate. Each man landed a heavy running blow, with Takeshita getting the final laugh with a shoulder tackle. He applied a modified chinlock, transitioned into a top wristlock, then into a cross-armed sleeper. ZSJ tried to force his way free, only to have his nose clapped. That looked unpleasant. From the apron, ZSJ managed to grab an armbar dangling over the top rope. Having picked a target, he stomped on Takeshita’s elbow. A pair of European uppercuts felled Takeshita, and ZSJ went back to the arm. He bent back Takeshita’s fingers, causing a break.

With both men on the apron, ZSJ tried to stamp on Takeshita’s hands. Takeshita avoided the impact, but could not prevent a stomp to the elbow on the apron. ZSJ went for a running PK with Takeshita on the floor, Takeshita sidestepped it and swept out ZSJ’s leg. He followed up with a DDT off the apron to the floor, then rolled ZSJ back into the ring. Takeshita nailed a yakuza kick in the corner, followed up with a German suplex, then connected with a flying clothesline at the ten-minute mark. He called for the finish, but ZSJ escaped out the back of the attempted Raging Fire. A kick to Takeshita’s knee turned the tide back in ZSJ’s favour.

ZSJ went to work on the leg, wrapping it around the bottom rope. Back in the middle of the ring, he posted one foot in the back of Takeshita’s knee and pulled back on his foot, pulling Takeshita up to a handstand position. That looked very impressive but also remarkably painful. He released the hold and laid in a European uppercut. Takeshita fired back, they traded strikes, and Takeshita won the exchange with a very crisp elbow strike to the jaw. With ZSJ wobbling, Takeshita hit a knee lift and a pair of exploder suplexes for a two-count. The cover was weak, but so was the kickout. Takeshita reared back for a massive elbow strike, but ZSJ pounced and clamped on an armbar. Takeshita freed himself and hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall…and out of the pin, ZSJ applied a Fujiwara armbar at the 15-minute mark.

Takeshita rolled into the hold and kicked his way free…and in the process gave ZSJ access to the bad knee. Never one to miss an opportunity, ZSJ applied an ankle lock. He grapevine both legs, maneuvering to keep Takeshita away from the ropes. With a burst of energy, Takeshita scrambled to the ropes. ZSJ stayed on the attack, leathering Takeshita with a pair of Europeans, but went to the well one too many times. Takeshita countered into a powerbomb, ZSJ slipped out of it but got blasted with an elbow. Takeshita tried a Raging Fire, ZSJ escaped and tried the Zack Driver, Takeshita countered into his own driver, and the crowd was cheering the action.

Takeshita went for a Power Drive knee but ZSJ caught the strike and rolled Takeshita up for a pair of two-counts. Takeshita came back looking for a bastard driver, but again ZSJ escaped and got a European clutch for a near fall. ZSJ hit a boot and went for another European clutch, only for Takeshita to kick out and roll through into a deadlift German suplex. Both men were down, and your faithful reviewer was out of breath too. With 20 minutes on the clock, Takeshita again looked for a German suplex. ZSJ tried to block, Takeshita went for the crossface chicken wing, ZSJ fought that off, so Takeshita hit an inverted suplex instead. Raging Fire…ZSJ escaped and kicked the arm, then hit a NASTY Zack Driver that looked at first glance to be directly on Takeshita’s head. Off the kickout ZSJ again grabbed a Fujiwara armbar, transitioned into a triangle choke. Takeshita tried to muscle up into a powerbomb, but his knee buckled which actually allowed him to reach the ropes and break the hold.

ZSJ planted a trio of round kicks to Takeshita’s chest. Takeshita fired up and sent ZSJ head over arse with a lariat, and again both men were down and slow to recover. They faced off in the middle of the ring, trading strikes. ZSJ won the exchange with a leg kick and a wild haymaker to the jaw. He measured Takeshita, charged in and picked the leg…but got starched by an elbow. Takeshita perched ZSJ on the top rope at the 25-minute mark, but before he could hit a move ZSJ slipped out and tried to put on the ankle lock. They went back to the top turnbuckle, ZSJ looked to be going for a flying armbar off the top, but slipped off the buckle to the apron. He climbed back up, they struggled for position…Oh my good sweet heaven he might have killed ZSJ. I don’t know what they were TRYING to do, but Takeshita hit a sheer drop brainbuster off the top rope, with ZSJ landing seemingly right on his head. Fortunately he was able to crawl away, so that’s good news. Takeshita followed up with a power drive knee and the Raging Fire for the somewhat expected win.

WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita via pinfall at 26:46. (****1/4).
To nobody’s surprise, the House of Torture made their way to the ring after the match, surrounding Takeshita and Romero. To many people’s surprise, they then just left.

(Lansdell’s Analysis: A lot of people will rate this higher. It was a wonderful match, no doubt, but it lacked fluidity for me. There were exchanges that I loved, but at points it felt like they were wrestling in a swimming pool. I’m glad that Takeshita’s knee was not the main focus of the match, though of course they had to address it. Takeshita’s win was always likely, as ZSJ was hugely unlikely to not only go back-to-back but also win as the champion and having him against Evil would have filled most watchers with dread. That also hurt the feel of the match, although they did a good job of making me forget that for a large portion of the match.)

Final thoughts: I don’t think many people had Evil vs Takeshita as their finals. I know I didn’t. In a way it’s a good choice, as you have the universally-despised heel against the young star with three contracts. Is either of them likely to win the title at the Tokyo Dome, if they even wait that long? I would not have thought so, but maybe this is how the new generation gets its start.