NJPW G1 Climax XXXV.

[Curt McGirt]

I've got to give a nod to the first one with Chono and Mutoh because it was so emotional, and Chono wasn't just a series of Yakuza Kicks yet. (But then, the one where he WAS that, against Takayama, was just about as emotional, to see the older and broken down guy run into a meat grinder who was having the best year of his career and coming out alive.)

[The Natural]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

I've got to give a nod to the first one with Chono and Mutoh because it was so emotional, and Chono wasn't just a series of Yakuza Kicks yet. (But then, the one where he WAS that, against Takayama, was just about as emotional, to see the older and broken down guy run into a meat grinder who was having the best year of his career and coming out alive.)

I forgot to mention 1991. Cheers.

[The Natural]

Spoiler

Gabe Kidd pulled from his G1 Climax vs. Zack Sabre Jr as he's injured, hyperextended his knee. ZSJ vs. Gabe Kidd was one of the few Kidd matches I looked forward to. Kidd's hoping to be cleared and continue in the tournament. Kidd lost his opening match in the tournament to Konosuke Takeshita.

 

[Lawful Metal]

Anything worth tracking down?  Obviously I want to watch all the Takeshita and Tanahashi matches, but what else has stood out?  There's always some random match that seems nothing on paper that overdelivers.  

[Horangi]

2 hours ago, Lawful Metal said:

Anything worth tracking down?  Obviously I want to watch all the Takeshita and Tanahashi matches, but what else has stood out?  There's always some random match that seems nothing on paper that overdelivers.  

For non TAKE/Tana matches I'd say the following:

Night 1: ZSJ vs Narita, Uemura vs Boltin

Night 2: Taichi vs Uemura (best match of the two nights IMO)

I really enjoyed Finlay vs Oiwa (night 1), Takagi vs O-Khan and Oiwa vs Boltin (night 2) but i wouldn't call them standouts. 

[HarryArchieGus]

On 7/20/2025 at 5:47 PM, Horangi said:

Night 2: Taichi vs Uemura (best match of the two nights IMO)

I'm mostly here for Takeshita, but definitely curious about this one. Time to reup on NJPW World

[Salads]

I haven't had time to see anything yet but going from reactions I'm skipping straight into night 3.

 

Seeing so many people online buy into the story about Taichi qualifying for the G1 is warming my heart.

[Horangi]

Taichi has been the wrestler of the tournament based on the first 3 matches, Yuya a close second.

Sendai night 3 was a great show, I think helped by a really hot crowd, even most of the multi-man undercard stuff was fun (especially how crazy the crowd was when they thought Murashima was going to get up over Big Jag). 

All the G1 matches delivered in their own ways. Oiwa/Newman was decent for a first meeting with both holding a bit back (Oiwa is having a good tournament too), as was Tanahashi/Boltin (I don't know how Tanahashi is going to hold up but I am fascinated to see). EVIL vs SANADA was everything it should have been, the two just trying to one-up each other in the shenanigans department and I thought it was a blast to watch. 

The last two matches are contenders for match of the tournament so far and definitely worth seeking out. Finlay and Taichi have really good chemistry and I'm still quietly hoping that Taichi makes it to the top 3 by the end of it. Tsuji and Yuya matches keep getting better and better, I don't think they are far off having a classic defining match. Real good stuff here. 

[Evil Otto]

Taichi and Zack making it into the "wild card round" to face off, with Taichi knocking ZSJ out (but not winning the G1, sorry folks), earning him a future title shot would be pretty satisfying to see play out.  

 

[Sublime]

I know Taichi probably isn’t gonna win but I’d love to see the Tekkers going 1 on 1 in the dome for the title. And Tanahashi retiring is the draw for WK this time so why not do something like that, though giving a younger guy the spot is the right business call.

[Horangi]

Zack vs Taichi on the post-G1 Destruction tour would be perfectly fine too (or Power Struggle if Zack is still champ). 

Zack vs Shota last night was excellent, I nearly skipped it to continue my Survivor binge due to the disappointment their Tokyo Dome match was but glad I didn't. I think more of this Shota will get people back to believing in him. GOK and Takeshita was pretty damn good too. 

[Teflon Turtle]

Back in this year's Wrestle Kingdom thread, I wrote that the ZSJ/Umino match suffered in part because Zack got away from the style he usually wrestled, incorporating more strikes because a Tokyo Dome main event sort of necessitates it. It didn't play to his strengths. 

ZSJ is two matches in to the G1, and it sounds an awful lot like he's been laying his stuff in a lot harder than he used to. I winced at some of the shots he doled out to both Narita and Umino. Despite shoring up this area of his game, it hasn't really led to results so far. It's interesting - even the English commentators have mentioned that Zack wasn't up to much in New Japan this year until taking the title off Goto shortly before the start of the tournament. While improvements were made, the lack of overall momentum seems to be hurting him in kayfabe? Or perhaps it's just the standard "wrestler starts slow in a tournament only to wind up in the finals" story we've seen a bunch of times. Either way, it's looking and feeling a lot different than ZSJ's G1 last year. 

Something about Shota still doesn't really do it for me, but how he's wrestling now is working better for him than just about anything he's done previously. I am in agreement that his match with Zack on the last card was far better than their WK showing.

[Evil Otto]

I agree that Zack vs. Shota was a distinct improvement on their WK match, but I have to say, I thought GOK vs. Takeshita was better.   Shota still isn't the guy, but yeah, he's getting better.  They are still trying so hard to make him a thing, though, and it bugs me.  I hope he doesn't win the G1, let's just say that much.  

A weird G1 so far for me.  I'm enjoying following the path of quite a few wrestlers, and that's fine for what it is, keeps my interest, etc;   but there hasn't been the stellar, jaw-dropping match as of yet, although the ones mentioned in this thread so far are all close.  Still waiting.   

 

[The Natural]

Gabe Kidd's pulled from the rest of the G1 Climax due to injury.

[The Natural]

I'm so behind my NJPW watching. Glad Zack Sabre Jr vs. Shota Umino was an improvement over their Wrestle Kingdom main event this year. I thought that sucked and it wasn't ZSJ fault. I don't think Shota has what it takes, he's lacking that it factor.

Edited July 25 by The Natural

[Horangi]

Shota is a very interesting case. Where did it all go wrong? There's probably a many answers here (bad booking nd lack of identity stand out). He CAN have great matches, but 2/3 times he just doesn't for whatever reason. 

Yuya i think has clearly passed him as the potential Ace in pretty much all aspects. Shota I think can be salvaged, but it will be a long game. I'm very interested in his Shingo and Takeshita matches to see how his "2nd chapter" stands up against the two best in his block.

1300 at Ota last night was dismal. I think its time they start considering downgrading to smaller venues like they did 15 years ago. Things are not going to get better anytime soon. Tsuji vs Oiwa was good fun though! 

[Evil Otto]

Yuya is definitely above Shota; not sure if the higher-ups at NJPW see it that way, but you and I certainly do, and I think a lot of the fans do as well.  One thing that stands out about Yuya is his ability to work with anybody.  That's the key.  None of the young guys have that, only Yuya, and Gabe to a lesser extent.  

Case in pont, the Uemura vs. Newman match last night was pretty damn great.  Newman is really starting to get it, but more important, Yuya kept up with him, with no real dead time.  Both are physically quite gifted, and they really showed that all off without going overboard.  Worth a watch, especially for some who might consider skipping it.  

I really enjoyed Tsuji vs. Oiwa, too, especially the ending (I won't spoil it for anyone).  Most reviewers conclude that Tsuji is a top contender to win the tournament, and I don't dispute that, but I have to be honest and say his matches are letting me down in certain ways.  Two things:  his matches tend to really plod along, similar to Okada and Naito, but he doesn't have that effortlessness to turn it around instantly that they do, which is something they could lean on without losing the fans.  The crowd was eerily quiet for the first half of the Oiwa match, and Tsuji should have realized that he needed to pick it up at points, but he didn't.  He's absolutely great when he's in there with someone who pushes him, like Gabe Kidd, but when he controls the match, he meanders and plods along.  His flow is clunky, and sometimes the burst of energy, stemming from his American football background, is a sight to behold, but it's not consistent.  Also, the spear, gene blast, is hit or miss, and not a reliable finisher.  Maybe that's me, though;  I generally hate the move unless a wrestler hits it flush.  It worries me that he's the potential face of the company when he can't lead matches convincingly, and the energy level dips so much at certain points.  I wonder if I'm in the minority, though.  Hard to gauge what the fans think.  

That all being said, I meant all of that as constructive criticism, because I really love Tsuji when he's on.  He's already there, a star, but there are some holes in his game, and I would hope someone is willing to point these out to him.  The ending of last night's match gave me hope that he knows that he needs to be a bit more creative and throw some more curveballs.  I want to believe, Tsuji.  Make me believe.  

ELP vs. Zack and Shingo vs. Takeshita tonight, though!  There's four people I truly believe in, at least to deliver worthy G1 matches.  

Edited July 26 by Evil Otto

[Evil Otto]

Spoiler

Um, yeah.  Those two matches I mentioned above did not in any way disappoint tonight.  Holy fuck.  

Larger and far livelier crowd this second evening in Ota, and rightfully so.   

 

[The Natural]

38 minutes ago, Evil Otto said:

  Hide contents

Um, yeah.  Those two matches I mentioned above did not in any way disappoint tonight.  Holy fuck.  

Larger and far livelier crowd this second evening in Ota, and rightfully so.   

 

On your spoiler:

Spoiler

Some were disappointed with Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom this year. I wasn't but it sounds like this delivered more for those who were. This and ZSJ and ELP are the matches I want to see most from the G1 Climax so far.

 

Edited July 26 by The Natural

[The Natural]

On the subject of Shota Umino, I'd take Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, Oleg Boltin, ELP and Ren Narita over him. Uemura or Tsuji will be the next NJPW Ace.

[Niners Fan in CT]

There's been some great matches in this so far. My favorite is probably Takeshita vs. Shingo.  But anyway, I'm enjoying this even though NJPW is in a down period. 

[Evil Otto]

Thoughts on ZSJ vs. Takeshita:

Spoiler

This one was a tough one for me.  Being brutally honest with myself in retrospect, there was no possible way this match could ever meet my lofty expectations.  I've been looking forward to this first encounter since last year, and Zack and Takeshita themselves, even directly spoken in interviews, have said pretty much the same.  You could even see it on their faces when this match started.  A tinge of nervousness underneath the swagger.  

Was this match bad? Oh, god no.  It was actually really great, and I watched it intensely.  But at some point, the reality set in.  Why did New Japan book this on a Wednesday in a non-major venue in Osaka?  Yes, it was Osaka, Takeshita's hometown, but it just didn't have that epic feel.  Was it by design?  I'm inclined to think so.  

Trying the read the tea leaves here.  This was the first encounter, but it won't be the last.  Takeshita winning this match would guarantee a title shot, hypothetically, at Forbidden Door or a major fall event for NJPW.  The fact that he didn't is even more intriguing.  Could it mean...?   Hmmmm....

I have felt from the very beginning that there's only one person who should be winning this tournament, and even though I was a bit let down from this match, my feeling has not wavered one bit.  

I can't say this G1 Climax has gotten my full attention (due to work commitments, mainly), but I also can't say it's been disappointing.  It's a mysterious one, and I really like that.  

The weekend shows promise:  Hiroshima today and Fukuoka tomorrow, Korakuen next Thursday.  

Drilla vs. Takeshita today. Oh my.  Every B Block match could deliver, actually.   Sans Gabe Kidd, you would think they would be weakened, but just the opposite.  A Block shows me that in 1-2 years, with this young crop finally stepping up, this could be a hot promotion once again.  The only intangible there is the creativity of the booking, which, yes, I know, is still a bit suspect.  I remain optimistic.  

Edited August 2 by Evil Otto

[Evil Otto]

B Block coming though once again this afternoon in Hiroshima.  Crowd was super into everything.  Watch all four matches.  

[Horangi]

Slowly catching up on post-Ota shows. I've been enjoying this G1, even though my interest is possibly at the lowest (but this is with pro wrestling in general right now, Tanahashi's retirement may be my last hurrah for a while) hence why I am playing catch up now. There are a lot of guys having really good tournaments and while crowd numbers haven't been great, I think it has been one of the better tournaments of recent years. 

27/7 Nagoya: Probably worst show of the tournament, Tanahashi vs Oiwa is worth a watch though and Tsuji vs Oleg was fine. I miss Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

30/7 Osaka: Like Aichi, I miss the usual venue (Edion is undergoing a renovation). I liked all the matches here, I enjoyed Takagi/Umino more than Takeshita/ZSJ even though the latter was probably the better match. Like Evil Otto, I think it might be the high expectations I had for this match vs small expectations I have for 2025 Shota Umino. 

1/8 Takamatsu: Taichi vs Tsuji is a potential match of the tournament for me, crowd was crazy. Tanahashi vs Uemura was really good too, I hope they have 1 more match before Tana is done (this was much better than Dominion). Finlay vs Oleg was decent, the rest depend on how you like HoT (which is fine for me, I like them)

2/8 Hiroshima: Good stuff across the board here, liked Zack/O-Khan the most but enjoyed it all. 

Also on undercards, anytime Hartley Jackson goes up against a young lion has been great, he makes those kids look like a million bucks before putting them away. Onto Fukuoka tonight (hopefully!), have heard really good things about Oiwa vs Taichi, Tanahashi vs Tsuji and EVIL vs Finlay (for a HoT fan that is). 

Edited August 4 by Horangi

[Evil Otto]

Strong recommendations: 

8/5 Osaka:

Yoshi-Hashi vs. Takeshita:  the underdog and the alpha.  Made for each other, in a way
ZSJ-Shngo:  while not their best match, no match with these two is ever going to disappoint.  Strangely enough, these two were also made for each other.  

8/7 Korakuen: 

Callum vs. Taichi:  Newman is really starting to bloom in this tournament.  In other words, I don't think he'll need to win a play-in match to enter next year.  
Uemura vs. Oiwa:  this match RULED.  The future of the promotion on full display.  A  WK main event someday?  I can't dispute it.  
Tsuji vs. Finlay:  Honestly?  Finlay outclassed Tsuji here.  A little bit by design, but then again, a little bit in reality.  A really good match, but nowhere near Uemura vs. Oiwa.  

If you want more details:

Spoiler

Zack beats Takagi, somewhat surprisingly.  This puts Takagi teetering on the brink of elimination.  

Newman eliminates Taichi.  Taichi is already a tag champ, so I thought he might get far, but not too surprised he didn't.  

Uemura vs. Oiwa was like a young lions match turned up a notch with some extra layers of ring smarts these two have picked up along the way.  Fairly basic, but in the absolute best way possible. 

If you plan to watch anything, go straight to Uemura vs. Oiwa.  It's not fancy, but it's the essence of pro wrestling.  A joy to watch, and the future for this promotion looks bright if they keep pushing forward with these two.  

Edited August 7 by Evil Otto