RADICAN’S TAKE: Brief results & analysis of NJPW G1 Climax 35: Nights 4-6

Radican’s G1 Climax 35: Night 4 (7/23) brief results & analysis

Announcers: Walker Stewart, Rocky Romero

Shingo Takagi vs. Gabe Kidd was cancelled due to Kidd’s injury.

WINNER: Shingo Takagi (2 pts) via forfeit.

(5) DRILLA MALONEY (4) vs. YOSHI-HASHI (4) – Block match

Both men are off to a good start going 2-0. I feel like the wheels will fall off for both of them after this match. I don’t see either of them being in contention at the end of the tournament, but anything is possible.

Hashi had his back worked over during the early going. They built to a hard hitting exchange and Maloney caught Hashi with a big spinebuster, Maloney went for the Drilla Killa, but Hashi countered it into a scorpion death drop. Hashi eventually hit Karma for the win.

WINNER: Hashi (6 pts) at 11:37. (***1/2)

(Radicans Analysis: Good match. Hashi took a lot of damage early. They built up to some nice back and forth exchanges late built around counters and striking. Hashi got the crowd him and the match had good energy during the second half.)

(6) REN NARITA (2) vs. EL PHANTASMO (2)- B Block match

Narita attacked ELP as he made his entrance. They brawled all over the arena and ELP eventually turned the tide. ELP missed a moonsault and Narita went right to work on his ankle. He dragged ELP and used the ringpost for leverage to attack his ankle.

ELP got several pinning combinations, but could only manage some very close near falls. Narita fired back and hit a German. He went for the push up bar and shoved the ref down when he tried to stop him. Jado got up on the apron and tried to grab the bar from Narita. He got it, but ELP accidentally drop kicked him instead of Narita.

They went back and forth and ELP hit Sudden Desth for a near fall. Narita shoved the ref and went for a low blow, but ELP avoided it. He hit Thunder Kiss ‘86 and Kanemaru came out of nowhere to pull the ref at the VERY last second to save the pin.

ELP hit Sudden Death on Kanemaru and tossed him to the floor. Narita hit a low blow. Narita hit the Double Cross and then he hit Hell’s Guillotine for the win.

WINNER: Ren Narita (4 pts) at 9:50. (***1/2)

(Radican’s Analysis: Outside of the HOT shenanigans, this was very good.)

(7) GREAT-O-KHAN (2) vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) – B Block match

They had a big strike exchange. Takeshita hit a Herman, but O-Khan caught him with a clothesline coming off the ropes. O-Khan reversed Raging fire and hit a piledriver for a good near fall.

Takeshita countered the Eliminator and hit a huge running knee, but O-Khan kicked out and grabbed the iron claw. Takeshita countered the Eliminator at the very last second and hit Straight Murder. He went for it again, but O-Khan cut him off with a punch to the gut! O-Khan went for a running punch, but Takeshita intercepted him with Straight Murder. He then hit Raging Fire for the win.

WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (4 pts) at 17:05. (***3/4)

(Radicans Analysis: This was definitely better than everything else on the show up to this point. O-Khan seemed to have Takeshita’s number here, but he managed to fight back from behind and counter a lot of O-Khan’s signature offense.

This got really good down the stretch with both guys going back and forth as the crowd got hotter and hotter buying into the prospect of O-Khan pulling off the upset.)

(8) SHOTA UMINO (2) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (2) – B Block match

Sabre got in Umino’s face and pie-faced him after making his entrance. Sabre favored his leg after hitting some kicks. Sabre began taunting Umino and he spit on him and Umino mounted a comeback. Umino hit a series of strikes in the corner, but Sabre caught him with a slap to the face. Umino shook it off and wiped out Sabre with a big right hand.

Umino went after Sabre’s ankle and grabbed an STF. He had the upper hand, but Sabre got a reversal and went after his arm. They did a spot where they traded a bunch of pinning combinations for a series of 1 counts until Umino suddenly got a near fall. Umino hit a tornado DDT and went after Sabre, but Sabre fired up and hit a Zack Driver out of nowhere and both men were down.

Sabre got a headscissors/arm submission on the mat. He eventually turned it into a modified triangle submission. Umino eventually managed to get to the ropes to break the tandem submission. Sabre kicked away at Umino and he told Sabre to bring it. They traded blows, but a Sabre fight Umino with a big lariat.

Umino countered a Zack Driver and hit a half suplex. Sabre no-sold it and got right up only to eat a big lariat. They got up and Sabre managed to hit another Zack Driver for a near fall. Umino caught Sabre with another lariat, He eventually caught Sabre with second chapter for the win.

WINNER: Shota Umino (4 pts) at 22:10. (****)

(Radicans Analysis: This was really good, but they set the table with Umino working over Sabre’s ankle and then just went away from it during the second half of the match. This was a really good match for Umino, who got the crowd behind him and showed some charisma with his facial expressions during the match.

Sabre tried to bait him into losing his temper right from the start so that it would backfire, but instead Sabre’s attempts to taunt and bait Umino fueled his fire and helped him get a much needed win over Sabre after it felt like he was just going to be an afterthought. It’s hard to imagine him not being in contention until the very end now with a win over Sabre.

It’s shocking and not shocking at the same time that Sabre’s only win so far in G1 is via forfeit. I think he will run the table or come close to it going forward.)

Umino cut a promo in Japanese after the match. He said this doesn’t make us even from The Tokyo Dome to Sabre as he was helped to the back. He said they need to wrestle again. He said the start of the year was tough. He said he wouldn’t promise to be back here undefeated.

He thanked the fans for braving the heat to be at the show. He said the goal remains to win the IWGP World Hvt. Champion. The fans began chanting his name. Romero said the beginning of the next chapter in his life could start here tonight. Umino meets Narita next in B Block action.

Radican’s G1 Climax 35: Night 5 (7/25) brief results & analysis

Announcers: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton

*Gabe Kidd opened the show and said he would miss the rest of the G1 Climax and forfeit the rest of his matches due to his injury.

(5) BOLTIN OLEG (4) vs. SANADA (2) – A Block match

Sanada was wearing his Giant Gonzales tribute entrance attire. Sanada kicked the rope into Oleg’s crotch when he tried to get back into the ring. A short time later he hit a twisting hangman’s DDT from the apron to the floor.

Later in the match, Oleg caught Sanada going for the Muta Moonsault and hit a big F5 for a near fall. Sanada countered one Kamikaze attempt, but Oleg hit it a short time later for the win.

WINNER: Boltin Oleg (6 pts) at 10:01. (***1/4)

(Radican’s Analysis: Once again Sanada played it straight here outside of an early attack on Oleg. These two had good chemistry and although the match wasn’t great, it finished well.)

(6) YUYA UEMURA (2) vs CALLUM NEWMAN (2) – A Block match

Newman sold an arm/shoulder issue and favored his wrist after wiping Uemura out. Be took Uemura down again, but he paused to favor his ask aka wrist. Newman went for springboard but missed. They built up to a spot where both men were down on the mat.

Newman no sold a German attempt late and wiped out Uemura with a Busaiku Knee. Uemura went for the Deadbolt and Newman blocked it. He went for it again and Newman rolled through. Uemura managed to maintain his grip and this time he hit Deadbolt for the win!

WINNER: Yuya Uemura (4 pts) at 10:49. (***)

(Radicans Analysis: Newman got in some bright spots before falling short here. This was a good showing for him, but it appears bus time will be later.)

(7) TAICHI (4) vs. EVIL (4) – A Block match

Taichi accidentally hit the ref when Evil ducked a charge off the ropes. Taichi was then attacked by Togo from the outside, but Young Lion Masatora Yasuda wiped him out with a gorgeous drop kick. He tried to hit Fale with several forearms, but Fale wiped him out.

Taichi took care of Fale and then knocked Evil off the apron with a HUGE Axe Bomber, but he fell down from exhaustion. Fale tossed Evil back into the ring to break the ref’s 20 count. Taichi then hit another Axe Bomber.

Taichi overcame some late interference from Fale, who barely touched him with a chair shot from the fall. Evil countered Black Mephisto and hit Reverse Evil for the win.

WINNER: Evil (6 pts) at 10:33. (**1/2)

(Radican’s Analysis: This was one of the better HOT style of matches I’ve seen. Yasuda coming to Taichi’s aid was fantastic, but ultimately the outside cast interference and Fale being too slow to hit his spots dragged this down a bit.)

(8) RYOHEI OIWA (4) vs. YOTA TSUJI (4) – A Block match

Tsuji went after Oiwa’s arm during the early going. He went for Marlow at one point, but Oiwa turned it into a suplex. Tsuji hit a clothesline and Oiwa yelled and stayed on his feet. He went after Oiwa’s arm, but he countered and hit Tsujo with a DDT.

Tsuji got on a roll and hit the Marlow Crash. He set up for the Gene Blaster, but Oiwa turned him inside out with a clothesline. The fans fired up with both men down. Oiwa no-sold a German and got right to his feet only to take a short Gene Blaster for a great near fall and the fans fired up and chanted for both men. Tsuji went for a Gene Blaster, but Oiwa nailed him with one of his own!

Tsuji got right up and ate a HUGE lariat for a near fall! What a sequence! Oiwa hit a Dr. Bomb for another near fall and the fans gasped. Oiwa missed The Grip, but hit Chaos Theory for a near fall. He held on and went for The Grip again, but Tsuji countered it into an arm trap pinning combination for the win.

WINNER: Yota Tsuji (6 pts) at 13:43. (****)

(Radican’s Analysis: This one got off to a bit of a slow start and Tsuji worked over Oiwa’s arm, but then things heated up with a great second half where Oiwa dominated the action. This match did a good job of building up Oiwa in defeat, as he lost due to a flash pin in the end.)

Oiwa was frustrated and got in Tsuji’s face after the match, but backed away to sell his frustration with the result.

(9) DAVID FINLAY (2) vs. HIROSHI TANAHASHI (2) – A Block match

Both men complained to the ref that the other was pulling on their hair. The ref did not seem amused. Tanahashi hit a drop kick to Finlay’s leg and played some air guitar. Finlay took control for a few minutes, but Tanahashi suplexed him into the turnbuckles and Finlay sold his leg.

Finlay took the action to the floor a short time later and went for a powerbomb, but Tanahashi countered it into a rana that sent him into the ringpost. They had a big strike exchange and Finlay went for a backslide that he turned into a dominator for a near fall.

Tanahashi hit Aces High and a High Fly Flow for a good near fall. Tanahashi went right back up top for another HFF, but Finlay got his knees up. Finlay caught Tanahashi in the corner and hit Oblivion twice for a near fall. Finlay had Tanahashi set up for another Oblivion, but Tanahashi countered it into a small package for the win.

WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi (4 pts) at 16:08. (***3/4)

(Radican’s Analysis: This is Tanahashi’s 99th G1 Climax win. I didn’t like back-to-back matches ending with flash pins, but this was a really good back and forth match. The story here was that Finlay wanted the win to establish himself further as a dominant leader of Bullet Club, but he fell short. The announcers hinted at a change coming from him as a result of this loss. They did a really nice job of working around Tanahashi’s limitations here and delivering a match worthy of the main event slot.)

Radican’s G1 Climax 35: Night 6 (7/26) brief results & analysis

Commentary: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton

The show opened with a tribute to Hulk Hogan.

The points from Gabe Kidd’s forfeits due to injury have been added to everyone’s totals in this block.

(6) YOSHI-HASHI (8) vs. GREAT-O-KHAN (4) – B Block match

The match was slowly paced. O-Khan went for the Eliminator at one point, but Hashi countered it into a DDT. Hashi never got on track in this match and O-Khan won with the Eliminator.

WINNER: O-Khan (6 pts) at 12:29. (**)

(Radicans Analysis: one of the more lackluster matches of the tournament so far.)

(7) EL PHANTASMO (4) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (2) – B Block match

They did a fun double neck bridge spot early that saw them trade slaps to the face. They got up and continued to trade slaps until Sabre connected with a big one. Sabre got on a roll later in the match. Sabre hit a tornado DDT, but ELP rolled through into a Phantasmo Drover for a near fall.

Sabre hit a Zack Driver out of nowhere and both men were down as the fans applauded. Sabre couldn’t keep ELP down and eventually he hit CR2 for a near fall. ELP hit Sudden Death and made a light cover, which allowed Sabre to get his foot on the bottom rope to break up the pin.

Sabre caught ELP with a giant slap and bit a HUGE Zack Driver for a near fall. He eventually caught ELP in a Drsgon Sleeper submission and he tapped outl

WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. (4pts) at 19.20. (****)

(Radicans Analysis: This was a really fun match with Sabre putting ELP down with his power time after time, but ELP just refused to stay down until the end.)

(8) REN NARITA (6) vs. SHOTA UMINO (6) – B Block match

Narita worked over Umino’s arm during the early stages of the match. Umino mounted a comeback and eventually hit a jackknife powerbomb after an unsuccessful fist attempt. He had Narita in the STF, but let it go when yoshinobu Kanemaru rang the bell 9 on the outside and Umino let go of his submission.

Umino bounced off the ropes and Kanemaru grabbed him by the foot. Umino avoided a push up bar shot from Narita and wiped him out and Kanemaru on the apron. Narita managed to hit a low blow while pushing Umino at towards the ref after avoiding second chapter. He hit the Double Cross, but didn’t hook the leg and Umino barely kicked out. Narita then hit Hell’s Guillotine to beat Umino for the first time ever.

WINNER: Ren Narita (8 pts) at 17:43. (***)

(Radican’s Analysis: This was solid, but the outside interference got in the way of an otherwise good match. Umino seems to be onto something wrestling with more of an edge as he gutted through this match despite the work on his arm and a lot of outside interference.)

(9) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) vs. SHINGO TAKAGI (2) – B Block match

They came out hitting hard and did not disappoint when it came to delivering strong style. They built up to a fantastic sequence where both men hit big suplexes and no sold them. Shingo finally wiped out Takeshita and both men were down. Takagi hit Made in Japan for a near fall.

Takagi went for Last of the Dragon, but Takeshita countered and hit a tombstone. He held on and hit a rubix cube version of the tomb stone. They did some incredible near falls later in the match. Takagi hit a pumping bomber and a Burning Dragon for near falls at one point. Takeshita countered Takagi and hit Raging Fire, but he could not make the cover.

Both men started trading each other’s signature maneuvers for near falls. The fans went crazy as they continued to go at it at an incredible pace. Takeshita got a rear naked choke and Takagi eventually passed out to give him the win. Just incredible!

WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (6 pts) at 23:56. (****3/4)

(Radican’s Analysis: This is the must-see match of the tournament so far. This was a classic battle of power vs. power. Takagi is still so good, despite putting in over 20 years in the business. Takeshita has the rare ability to make everyone he works with look good, but when he’s working with a pro like Takagi, magic happens. This was an absolute war.)

Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow Sean on Twitter/X: @SR_Torch and on Bluesky @SeanRadican.