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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 35 NIGHT 1 REPORT
JULY 19, 2025
HOKKAIDO PREFECTURAL SPORTS CENTER
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary as New Japan’s biggest tournament kicked off its 35th instalment. Both blocks were in action on night one, as per usual, which meant ten matches of round-robin goodness.
Of note, this year the top three from each block will advance; the winner of the block goes straight to the semifinals, with the second- and third-place finishers having to face off to see who joins the block winners.
(1) YOSHI-HASHI vs. SHINGO TAKAGI – B Block match
Yoshi-Hashi was one of the play-in winners, beating Chase Owens to qualify. On paper, this looked like an easy Shingo win…but of course tournaments are not held on paper.
Yoshi-Hashi got the early upper hand, felling Shingo with a double-hand chop, It would not last long as Shingo dropped him with a DDT, then followed up with a suplex for a two-count. Yoshi-Hashi came back with a basement dropkick while Shingo was posing, with Yoshi-Hashi then hitting Shingo’s trademark “It’s Shingo Time” pose. Yoshi-Hashi hit a flurry of chops, Shingo interrupted with a back suplex, but Yoshi-Hashi popped right up and hit a dragon suplex. He tried for Karma but Shingo blocked it. After a stiff clothesline Yoshi-Hashi again went for Karma, this time Shingo had a counter into a crucifix for a near fall. Shingo followed up with a sliding elbow strike to the head, then called to the crowd. They traded blows, with Shingo winning the exchange with a pair of lariats. Shingo lifted Yoshi-Hashi for the Burning Dragon, Yoshi-Hashi wriggled free…into a crucifix bomb! 1…2…3! Major upset!
WINNER: Yoshi-Hashi (2 points) via pinfall at 4:45. (**1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: A quick one to start the tournament, but an intriguing result that says far more about Shingo than it does about Yoshi-Hashi. Shingo is always among the favourites just because of how good he is and the gravitas he carries, so an opening night loss could well be part of a “come from behind” story.)
(2) EVIL vs. CALLUM NEWMAN – A Block match
Newman announced himself as a future contender with a great showing against then-champion Goto earlier this year. The thing I was watching for in this match though was just how much HoT Shenanigans (TM) we were going to get. He came out with Dick Togo and Don Fale, which did not augur well for the youngster.
Evil predictably jumped the gun, throwing Newman to the outside and throwing him into barricades. When they got back in the ring, Evil choked Newman with a tag rope and covered for a two-count. Evil whipped Newman hard into the corner, and he went over the top to the floor. Fale and Togo went to work on him with a chairshot to the back. They rolled him back into the ring, where Evil hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two-count. Newman came back with a kip-up into a solid elbow that starched Evil. He ducked under several clotheslines and hit a big boot before slingshotting to the outside to wipe out Fale and Togo.
At the five-minute mark Newman hit a third plancha to the outside, this time onto Evil. On the inside, Newman missed a double stomp from the top, jamming his knee. Evil chop-blocked the knee and went to work on it. Newman quickly escaped and hit a sliding knee to the gut and a superkick to the side of the head, then went up top and connected with that double stomp for a near fall. He dropped Evil with Firebolt for another near fall. He tried for the Prince’s Curse, but Evil pushed him off and into the referee and it was HoT Shenanigans (TM) time. Fale hit the Grenade, Evil locked in the Darkness Scorpion submission, and Newman tapped.
WINNER: Evil (2 points) via submission at 9:01. (**)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Typical HoT nonsense, but at least the intervening wrestling was good. Evil winning thanks to interference is how we pretty much expected things to go, but having two people at ringside instead of relying on run-ins is…somehow a little less terrible? I am clutching at straws here. I think it’s probably a given that at least one HoT member makes it to the elimination rounds, and Evil is the most likely candidate.)
(3) DRILLA MOLONEY vs. GREAT-O-KHAN – B Block match
This was Moloney’s tournament debut, and he was in such a hurry to get started that he didn’t wait for the bell. O-Khan countered an early Drilla Killa attempt with a back body drop, but then ate an inverted atomic drop and a dropkick to send him to the outside. Moloney followed him out, and tied O-Khan to a barricade by his braid. O-Khan freed himself from the predicament fairly easily, and took control with a fisherman’s suplex and a modified backbreaker. He tossed Moloney into the corner with a double underhook suplex for a two-count. O-Khan went to work on Moloney’s back, locking in a camel clutch. Moloney made it to the ropes to force a break.
At the five-minute mark, Moloney blocked a clothesline and dropped O-Khan with a suplex. O-Khan went for the Eliminator, but Moloney fought it off. O-Khan staggered Moloney with Mongolian chops but ran into a spinebuster. Moloney set for a spear but instead ate an elbow strike and a Gotch-style tombstone piledriver for a near fall. Moloney came back with a spear for a near fall of his own, then appealed to the crowd. He went for the Drilla Killa, but O-Khan slipped out the back and locked in a cobra twist with a claw for good measure. Moloney escaped, hit another spear, and nailed the Drilla Killa for the win.
WINNER: Drilla Moloney (2 points) via pinfall at 9:08. (**3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Both men can go, though neither is in the upper echelon of contenders this year. Moloney getting a win in his tournament debut was a nice moment for him, while O-Khan looked strong in defeat. The Drilla Killa has been put over as the most dangerous move in wrestling, so losing to it is never going to make you look bad. I would imagine Moloney will pick up at least one flash win with it during the tournament.)
(4) YUYA UEMURA vs. BOLTIN OLEG – A Block match
Uemura is my dark horse to make the finals this year. He’s been building up an impressive portfolio of quality matches and has a big following, and there is really only one other clear favourite in Yota Tsuji. Oleg on the other hand is an interesting wild card, as he’s a reigning champion who won’t drop many matches, but also is still too green to be a real contender.
Both men exchanged arm ringers in the early going. For some reason Uemura tried to overpower Oleg, which predictably did not work. He had more success with an arm throw, and then went to work on Oleg’s shoulder. He applied a top wristlock and used leverage to increase the pressure. Oleg tried to fire back with some wild swipes, which Uemura was able to duck. Uemura continued to counter Oleg’s power moves by using leverage on the arm and taking the big man down again. At the five-minute mark, Oleg finally caught hold of Uemura and slammed him down to turn the tide.
Oleg tossed Uemura across the ring with a body slam, then hit a running splash for two. He dropped Uemura with the Boltin Shake and tried to follow up with the Kamikaze. Uemura escaped and hit a very pretty dropkick to leave both men down. Uemura struggled but ultimately lifted and dropped Oleg with a back suplex, immediately transitioning to an armbar. Oleg flailed and made the ropes. Uemura charged Oleg in the corner but was very easily lifted and squeezed into a bearhug. Uemura tried to underhook the arms to hit the Deadbolt out of the bearhug, but Oleg beat him to it and tossed him overhead with a belly-to-belly suplex. Both men tattooed each other with chops, then traded dropkicks at the ten-minute mark. Oleg definitely ended the exchange with a lariat, then went for Kamikaze again. Uemura escaped and rolled up Oleg for a near fall. Oleg tried for the F5, but again Uemura was able to counter and hit Deadbolt with the bridge for the win.
WINNER: Yuya Uemura via pinfall at 11:03. (***1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: That was a fun match. Uemura is getting so good, and Oleg was able to hang with him here in this clash of styles. Even if this isn’t Uemura’s year, I do think this G1 will signal his ascension to the top of the card. Oleg has improved noticeably, though it is hard not to when you are wrestling Takeshita. Good stuff all around.)
(5) SHOTA UMINO vs. EL PHANTASMO
Interesting to note that Umino had a much longer entrance tonight, and was once again giving wristbands to kids in the crowd. These two have teamed up often, and started the match with a high five.
They traded rollups early, then each man tried for their finishers. ELP insinuated that Umino was lacking in the groinal region, which for some reason made Umino angry. They traded some loud chops, Umino laid in some elbows, but ELP hit a dropkick and a clothesline to send Umino to the floor. ELP followed with a tope, and the crowd was behind him as he took time to pose. As we went past five minutes, ELP rolled Umino inside and hit a springboard senton into a lionsault for a near fall. Umino started to fire up as ELP laid in some shots, so ELP went to the dreaded purple nurple to counter. Umino came back with a neckbreaker, hit a big back elbow in the corner, then got a near fall with a fisherman’s suplex. A lot of those going around on the night.
ELP fought off a dragon suplex attempt but fell victim to an enzuigiri. Umino looked to be setting for a lariat, but ELP stopped him running and hit the UFO to leave both men down. Umino caught a Sudden Death superkick attempt, and both men landed heavy blows. Umino headbutted ELP and crumpled him, but ran into a pair of Sudden Deaths for a very near fall. Umino countered a CR2 attempt, but after a series of escapes ELP was able to land the move for another near fall. At the ten-minute mark ELP went to the top for Thunder Kiss ‘86 but only found the mat. Umino connected with a running knee strike for his own near fall. Umino went for Second Chapter, ELP escaped and hit a German suplex, Umino popped right up and hit a half-and-half suplex, and then flattened ELP with a massive lariat. Second Chapter followed up to pick up the points for Umino.
WINNER: Shota Umino (2 points) via pinfall at 11:29. (**1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This match didn’t really click for me until the end. It was an exciting closing sequence, but I never really bought into an ELP victory. The slow Umino regression to long hand-slapping entrances is almost certainly a red herring for the eventual inevitable heel turn, but surely a match against his friend ELP would have been the ideal place to tease it, if not execute it outright?)
(6) RYOHEI OIWA vs. DAVID FINLAY – A Block match
Gedo had a mischievous grin on his face as Finlay entered the ring, which is never a good sign. This was another match where one person, Finlay in this case, would be considered a very heavy favourite.
Finlay deigned to wait for the bell to get started, but this turned out to be to his detriment as Oiwa came out blasting. After a quick flurry of offense from Oiwa, Finlay took control with a stun gun and a Russian leg sweep. A pendulum backbreaker got a two-count, and was followed by a leaping back elbow in the corner and a suplex for another two. Oiwa fought back with some strong elbow strikes and a dropkick, and hit a back suplex for his own two-count at the five minute mark. Oiwa sold a hip injury on the landing from the suplex.
Finlay clotheslined Oiwa, sending both men over the top to the floor. He barged into Oiwa, sending him through the gate in the barricade. Again, Oiwa favoured his hip as they got back in the ring. Finlay dropped him with a Dominator for a two-count. Out of nowhere, Oiwa countered a powerbomb attempt with a double-leg takedown into a victory roll for two. Finlay tried to regain control with a clothesline but Oiwa blocked and hit a DDT to turn the tide. He went to work on Finlay’s arm, applying a top wristlock. Finlay countered into a sleeper and then hit a nasty backbreaker. Both men traded blows as they got to their feet. As we went beyond ten minutes, Finlay caught Oiwa with the Northern Irish curse backbreaker. A buckle bomb and Into Oblivion followed for a near fall.
Finlay called for the end but got rolled up for a quick two. He came right back with a rolling elbow strike that dropped Oiwa. He went for it again, but Oiwa ducked and hit a Chaos Theory for a near fall of his own. Oiwa maintained hold of the waist and went for The Grip, Finlay blocked that and rolled through into Overkill. Oiwa blocked and dropped Finlay with a Doctor Bomb, then nailed The Grip! 1…2…3! Another big upset!
WINNER: Ryohei Oiwa (2 points) via pinfall at 13:10. (***1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: A little clunky at times, and the result seemed all but certain when the first Overkill was countered, but Finlay has that rare skill of making all the moves matter and making you want to stay glued to the action at all times. Oiwa is still raw, and his finisher is very stupid, but the story of working a hip injury angle worked well against a mechanic like Finlay. It also sets up a story for the remainder of the tournament if they want. Finlay is on many people’s lists of potential finalists, including mine, so I would be surprised if he loses too many more from here.)
(7) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. GABE KIDD – B Block match
Two men fresh off a flight from the US facing off in a match that really should have been a semi-main event at the very least. I hope this does not mean that we are getting a quick dirty finish.
They started off hard and fast, Takeshita blocking a piledriver and Kidd landing on his feet to avoid a German suplex. Takeshita landed a flying back elbow to stop Kidd cold. He clamped on a rear chinlock, Kidd eventually fought free and hit a shoulder tackle to take Takeshita down. Both men went to the outside where Kidd leveled Takeshita with a clothesline. Kidd whipped Takeshita into a barricade, then rolled inside and took a seat while the referee counted. Takeshita made it back inside in plenty of time, only to be dumped back over the top rope with a suplex. Takeshita held on, dragging Kidd over the top with him, and dropped him with a brainbuster on the floor. A slick sequence that came off almost perfectly.
Back inside, Takeshita charged and hit a Helluva kick and a blue thunder bomb for a near fall at the five-minute mark. Takeshita ran in for a big driving knee, Kidd blocked it and hit one of his own. Each man ducked a lariat from the other, with Kidd hitting a back suplex. Takeshita shook it off momentarily and threw Kidd with an exploder suplex leaving both men down. Takeshita was the first man up, and both men ran into each other with lariats three times. Takeshita seemed to get the better of the third one, but both were slow to recover. Takeshita called for the finish but Kidd blocked the falcon arrow attempt and hit a brainbuster for a two-count. Kidd went for a tombstone, Takeshita reversed it into a bastard driver followed by a wheelbarrow suplex. Takeshita charged for a lariat but Kidd beat him to the punch with a clothesline for a two-count. After taking those two moves Kidd should not have had that much left in him, but welcome to New Japan.
Kidd set up for his piledriver finish, but Takeshita crumpled to the mat. The referee called Kidd off to check on Takeshita, but apparently he was OK to continue so Kidd just painted his face with slaps. Kidd hit a stiff elbow which appeared to leave Takeshita out on his feet. Kidd hit the ropes but ran directly into a murderous elbow strike. Takeshita covered for a very near fall, and both men rolled to the outside. They traded blows as the referee counted,with Takeshita absolutely waffling Kidd with an elbow at the count of 18. He slid in the ring, with Kidd barely getting in before the count of 20. Takeshita connected with a driving knee for a two-count, then went for a powerbomb. Kidd slipped loose and dropped Takeshita with a piledriver for a very near fall.
Again, both men were slow to their feet. Kidd lowered his kneepad and hit a fairly tame-looking knee strike. Takeshita blocked the follow-up piledriver, only to be dropped to his face by a kick from Kidd. Takeshita ducked a lariat and rolled through into a German suplex position, then nailed Kidd in the back of the head with an elbow strike. He snapped Kidd’s neck assassin-style, and clamped on a chicken wing submission. Seeing that Kidd was out, the ref called for the stoppage.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (2 points) via stoppage at 13:15. (***3/4)
After the bell rang, Kidd very quickly regained consciousness and said he never tapped, then attacked Takeshita.
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This was a really good, physical match that was hurt by the refusal to sell and the weirdness of that finish. Kidd had his neck snapped, why would he have been unconscious? Maybe I am being a bit picky but that ending is the last thing you see of a match, and if it doesn’t make sense then it leaves me asking questions instead of enjoying the rest. I think we can virtually guarantee these two will meet again, likely for the Global title. Going forward in this tournament though, I would consider this more of an indicator for Takeshita than for Kidd. I would not be surprised if Takeshita goes 9-0, honestly.)
(8) SANADA vs. YOTA TSUJI – A Block match
Sanada once again had new music, and continued to dress like Loudred and Daft Punk had a baby who was adopted by Jeff Jarrett. He did come to the ring alone though, so there was some hope for a clean finish. Tsuji had Daiki Nagai with him.
Sanada looked very focused as the bell rang, offering a handshake which was accepted. Naturally Sanada had nefarious tactics in mind, but they backfired and Tsuji sent Sanada to the floor. Tsuji took a running start for a dive, but put on the brakes as Sanada picked up his guitar. As Tsuji got back in the ring, Sanada kicked the middle rope up into Tsuji’s nether regions. Both men ended up on the outside, and we had a walk and brawl through the crowd with Sanada in charge. He dumped Tsuji on some seats as the referee’s count reached 12, then got back in the ring at 16. Tsuji sprinted back to the ring just in time, only to be dumped by a magic screw. Sanada followed with a shining wizard, then used a backflip off the ropes to lock in Skull End. Tsuji turned into the pressure and hit a falcon arrow to leave both men down.
Tsuji hit a corner splash and went for the Marlowe crash, but Sanada managed to counter with an “accidental” low blow. It looked very smooth, however. A shining wizard to the back of the head led to a Deadfall attempt, Tsuji cartwheeled out of it but was felled by a dropkick to the knee. Again Sanada connected with a shining wizard at the five minute mark. Sanada went for a moonsault, Tsuji rolled clear and hit Gene Blaster for the flash win.
WINNER: Yota Tsujl (2 points) via pinfall at 5:11. (**1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Well it was clean, but it was really fast and did not seem to have anything more to it beyond a quick win for the overall tournament favourite. No teases, no injury concerns, just a quick win that would not have been out of place on WWE Jakked.)
(9) ZACK SABRE JR vs. REN NARITA – B Bloick match
It’s been many years since the IWGP champion won the G1, and I would not expect that to change this year. Normally I would call this an easy win for ZSJ but with the way tonight’s results have gone I am not sure about anything now.
With both men being technical wizards, it should be no surprise that they wasted no time going to the mat. They exchanged leg locks, Narita went for an armbar, ZSJ escaped and tried to kick a hole through Narita’s chest. Narita fled to the floor, where he invited ZSJ to join him. Wisely, ZSJ declined. As Narita tried to get back into the ring, ZSJ charged with a pump kick. Narita sidestepped it, but then fell victim to a running kick anyway. Narita rolled to the apron, where ZSJ locked on an armbar in the ropes. The crowd reacted loudly to that one. They went to the outside where ZSJ laid in several stiff shots. Narita reversed a whip to the barricade but ZSJ came off with a big boot. He tried a second one, but Narita sidestepped and ZSJ got his leg caught in the barricade. Narita saw the opening and kicked ZSJ’s leg, then bounced it off the floor. He used his push-up bar to attack the leg while the referee was not looking, then wrapped ZSJ’s leg around the ring post at the five-minute mark.
Narita returned to the ring as the referee counted. ZSJ rolled back in at the count of 14 and was immediately stomped on. Narita continued to attack ZSJ’s legs, hitting a pair of kneebreakers for a two-count. ZSJ blocked the third one and took Narita over with a headlock takedown and cranked his neck. ZSJ hit an overhead kick to Narita’s arm, then a dropkick. After an extended series of escapes, ZSJ was able to clamp on a cobra twist. Narita picked the ankle to break the hold, taking ZSJ down with a kneebar at the ten-minute mark. ZSJ dragged himself to the ropes to break the hold. Narita went to the outside and got his push-up bar, in full view of the referee. The ref naturally took it away, and Narita went for a low blow. ZSJ trapped the punch between his legs and wrenched Narita’s arm. He followed up with kicks to the chest, allowing Narita to get to his feet. ZSJ slapped him a few times, Narita just grabbed a two-hand choke in retaliation, so ZSJ headbutted him and then teed off with a massive open-hand smack.
Narita out of nowhere kicked out ZSJ’s knee and locked in a tight guillotine in the middle of the ring. ZSJ reversed it with a jackknife pin for a near fall, then hit a Zack Driver that left both men flat on the canvas. ZSJ recovered first and went for another PK but Narita again kicked out his knee. Narita tried to pick the leg, but ZSJ countered into an armbar. He added a second arm to the equation, rolled him into a crucifix for a two count, then went back to an armbar. Narita bit ZSJ on the calm to break the hold as we hit 15 minutes, then tried a figure four. ZSJ immediately blocked and grabbed a sleeper, but again Narita kicked out the knee. Narita pulled the referee into the corner with him, ZSJ charged in with a boot, but Narita caught the foot and hit a low blow. Narita connected with Souled Out, then the guillotine knee off the top for yet another upset win.
WINNER: Ren Narita (2 points) via pinfall at 16:14. (***3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: There was no interference, and by and large I can live with cheating by a heel. What I cannot stand is the stupid spots where a wrestler pulls a referee into a position and holds them there. That should be a DQ by itself. The match was mostly very good, they work extremely well together due to their similar styles, but it needed a few more minutes and a better finish to really push that rating up.)
(10) TAICHI vs HIROSHI TANAHASHI – A Block Match
In his hometown, Taichi got a main event spot against The Ace. Of course Taichi is replacing Goto in this tournament, so a Goto-Tanahashi main event would make even more sense. The fans were solidly behind both men as the bell rang.
Tanahashi looked a little stiff and slow-moving in the opening exchanges. Taichi leveled him with a hook kick as the crowd chanted “let’s go Taichi.” He kicked away at Tanahashi on the mat, then planted a pair of round kicks in the chest. Tanahashi blocked the third and elbowed Taichi in the knee. A dragon screw in the ropes sent Taichi to the floor. Tanahashi followed and continued working on the leg, draping it over the barricade and dropkicking the knee. Tanahashi got back in the ring and hit his air guitar pose as the referee started his count. Taichi rolled back in at the count of 15, right on the five-minute mark. Tanahashi continued to kick at his knee. He applied a leg lace, then transitioned to a modified toehold. Taichi kicked his way free and tried to fight back with a succession of chops. Tanahashi went right back to the dragon screw to halt the comeback.
Tanahashi charged Taichi in the corner, but Taichi was able to avoid the impact and connect with a kick. Both men went down as Taichi showed the effects of the damage to his leg. Taichi tried another kick, Tanahashi caught it but Taichi was able to free himself before more damage could be done. Taichi hit a high enzuigiri that looked to hit the top of Tanahashi’s head. Taichi tore off his pants and went for a thrust kick, Tanahashi dodged it but could not connect with a dropkick to the knee. Taichi hit a solid kick to the head, then measured Tanahashi for a superkick. Tanahashi again caught the kick and dropkicked Taichi’s knee at the ten-minute mark. Tanahashi locked in the cloverleaf, but Taichi quickly got to the ropes.
Tanahashi hit the ropes for a slingblade, Taichi blocked and went for the backdrop driver. Tanahashi blocked that and went to the knee again, ducking under an enzuigiri and hitting a dragon screw on the mat. Tanahashi locked in a high-angle cloverleaf, and eventually Taichi hauled himself to the ropes. Tanahashi slowly walked around the ring, and Taichi even more slowly ducked a lariat and hit a pair of brutal-sounding head kicks to crumple Tanahashi. Tanahashi was able to connect with a slingblade, albeit clumsily, and an even clumsier lariat. He hit a second, crisper lariat for a two-count. Tanahashi went to the top for the Aces High, but Taichi stepped away and rolled Tanahashi up for a near fall at the 15-minute call. Taichi again blocked a slingblade, Tanahashi fought off the backdrop driver, and Taichi shook of a dragon screw to hit a superkick and leave both men down. He crawled over for a cover but only got a two-count.
Taichi lifted Tanahashi for Black Mephisto, but his knee gave out. Another dragon screw from Tanahashi only temporarily saved him as Taichi came back with a flying clothesline. Taichi hit a standing lariat and a backdrop driver for a very near fall. He positioned Tanahashi on the top turnbuckle and climbed to join him, but abandoned that idea as his knee buckled. Taichi fired up and tried again, looking for an avalanche backdrop driver…countered into a crossbody off the top! 1…2…no! Tanahashi went back to the top…Aces High! Again Tanahashi went to the top, Taichi got to his feet and screamed in defiance but still took the Aces High for another two-count. As we heard the 20-minute announcement, Tanahashi went to the top a third time and landed High Fly Flow for the win.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto via pinfall in 20:21. (***1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This was hard to watch in large portions, but the parts in between were at least entertaining. Both men appeared to be well beyond their cardio limits for the last several minutes of the match, even with the more conservative style they were wrestling. Tanahashi’s offence in particular felt even more limited and rough than usual. Watching him do this at least eight more times during the tournament could get unpleasant. I would like to say that neither man is likely to be in contention later on, but I cannot shake the idea that Tanahashi will get one last run in this tournament.)
Final thoughts: I’m sure someone somewhere will tell you that they correctly called all these upsets. I am highly unlikely to believe them. The G1 is always home to some surprising match results, but it seems particularly unlikely that anyone could have confidently predicted ZSJ, Kidd, Shingo, and Finlay would all have lost their opener. It’s fair to say that this edition of the G1 needs to shine a light on the younger talent who will still be in the company in a year or two. Giving most of them a win on the opening night does make a statement, but unless it leads to something more meaningful it will be a waste of time. It was reassuring to have a minimal amount of interference from House of Torture, and the match quality was good to very good all night. All told, a decent start.
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