New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/20/2025 G1 Climax 35 Day 2

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/20/2025 G1 Climax 35 Day 2

Day 1 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/new-japan-pro-wrestling-7192025-g1.html 

Gabe Kidd comes out on crutches. He says this isn't how he wanted to start out the G-1. He said he wanted to have two English people repping NJPW. He said he hyper-extended his knee and doesn't want to go out there if he's not 100%. He says he will pull out of tonight's show. He says when he can fight again, it's over for everyone else. He says as soon as he's ready, put him back in the G-1. He says this is his life and everything for him.

G1 Climax 2025 Block A Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Callum Newman

They lock up and Tana is backed up on the ropes. CN chops him there. Tana dropkicks him in the knee. Tana wraps his leg around the middle rope and pulls then he dropkicks him in the leg. Tana pulls on the leg then indian deathlocks him. CN hits forearms and Tana kicks him in the knee.

CN kneeling springboard swantons him and basement dropkicks him. CN hits chest kicks. Tana blocks a PK then he dragon screws him. CN facekicks him and Tana hits a slingblade. Tana hits another one for 2. Tana goes up top and is hit with an enzugiri. CN top rope double stomps him for 2.

Tana slaps him and is high kicked. CN low flying knees him for 2. CN then underhook suplexes him for the win.

Thoughts: It was short and was fine for what it was with CN getting his knee worked on and overcoming it to win. Tana pretty much only targeted the knee here and there wasn't a lot else to this.

G1 Climax 2025 Block B Match - Drilla Moloney vs. Shota Umino

They run at each other and trade forearms. Shota side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. Shota shoulders him over. Shota snapmares him and basement dropkicks him for 2. DM brainbusters him then stomps on him.

DM euros him and hits chops. DM stomps him in the corner then foot chokes him. DM hits some shots and Shota no sells them. Shota then hits forearms in the corner. They trade shots in the corner. DM dropkicks him then is shouldered over.

Shota hits chops and step up knees DM in the back of the head. Shota fisherman suplexes him for 2. DM delay germans him and Shota no sells it. DM spinebusters him then hits a rolling spear for 2. They trade forearms on their knees.

They slap each other. DM gets the advantage then Shota lets him hit slaps. DM then lets Shota slap him. Shota hits a pumping knee then low flying knees him for 2. DM blocks a pumping knee. DM superkicks him.

Shota headbutts him. DM wraps around him then piledrivers him. Shota powers up and battering rams him. They double clothesline each other. Shota lariats him over. DM hits an over the shoulder piledriver and wins.

Thoughts: It was alright but Shota is getting a little happy with the no selling spots and it's bordering on too much. The crowd wasn't into this as much as they should have been but I do think they could have done some of the stuff they did better. The slaps weren't exactly lethal looking and this match really didn't have much of a middle portion to it.

G1 Climax 2025 Block A Match - Ryohei Oiwa vs. Oleg Boltin

They trade fireman's carry drops to start. They side headlock each other then shoulder battle. Oleg shoulders him over. Oleg corner spears and chops him. Oiwa then ddt's him.

Oiwa yanks on the arm then stomps on it. Oiwa slams and sentons him for 2. Oiwa cradles and armdrags him into an armlock. Oiwa wraps Oleg's arm around the top rope. Oleg does some silly looking jumping kick that fails. Oleg dropkicks him.

Oleg slams and vader bombs him for 2. Oleg karelin's lifts him then kips up. Oleg belly to belly suplexes him then Oiwa dropkicks him. Oiwa backdrops him but Oleg mostly lands on him.

They trade forearms. Oleg hits a double chop then Oiwa armdrags him. Oiwa bangs Oleg's arm off the mat then splashes it. Oiwa armdrags him. Oleg hits an AA. Oiwa sleepers him then germans him for 2. Oiwa sitout powerbombs him.

Oleg hits a big forearm then finlay rolls him. Oleg then wins.

Thoughts: It was alright with Oiwa working the arm and Oleg using his power against him to win. Like everything else so far, it didn't get enough time to develop into anything great and the finish came sooner than expected. 

G1 Climax 2025 Block B Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Ren Narita

Yoshi is attacked from behind during his entrance. Ren then chokes Yoshi with Yoshi's own stick. Ren takes him into the crowd and throws him into a row of seats. Ren chairs him in the gut then throws him into the rails.

The match then officially starts, Ren tries to pin him but the ref doesn't allow it. Yoshi superkicks Ren. Ren pushes the ref to avoid a move then low blows Yoshi.

Yoshi misses a top rope move. Ren tries to low blow Yoshi in front of the ref but Yoshi catches the arm and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a quick one here with Ren cheating and not much else before being beaten.

Ren tries to choke Yoshi with his own stick after. The young lions stop it. Yoshi dropkicks Ren in the knee and low blows him.

G1 Climax 2025 Block A Match - SANADA vs. David Finlay

Sanada comes out with a jumpsuit that has all mirrors on it with similar looking sunglasses. He looks like a walking disco ball.

They lock up. San backs him up on the ropes and DF side headlocks him. San grabs him by the hair then DF side headlock takeovers him. San tries a side headlock takeover and is backbreakered. San lands on his feet on a top rope moonsault and holds his knee.

DF turns around and San knees him. San then throws him out and then into the rails outside. DF misses a charge and goes right into the rails.  San backdrops DF on the apron and stares down Milano Collection A.T. at commentary. San eye rakes him in the corner. San russian legsweeps him for 2. DF hits forearms and San dropkicks him in the knee. DF uranage backbreakers him. DF bites San's head and hits corner lariats. DF running euros him in the corner then throws him on a suplex.

DF double throat thrusts him. San then springboard dropkicks him. San dropkicks him in the knee then dropkicks him. San boots him out of the corner then asai moonsaults into a grounded skull end.

San grabs Gedo outside. San then puts DF in a paradise lock. DF spears San. San shining wizards him. DF hits overkill on him and wins.

Thoughts: It wasn't that great as expected. It was a heel vs heel style match with shenanigans and if you were looking for a lot of wrestling, cool moves or fire, you weren't getting it here.

G1 Climax 2025 Block B Match - Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan

Shingo side headlocks him then hits forearms and chops. Shingo dragon screws him off pump kick attempt. Shingo hits a corner lariat. Shingo hits chops and punches in the corner. Khan spinning backbreakers Shingo.

Shingo is sent into the rails. Khan then camel clutches him around the rails. Khan forearms him hard in the back of the neck and makes Shingo's eyes pop. Khan then drops Shingo on the apron for 2.

Khan does a head and arm lock on him. Khan and Shingo each hit mongolian chops. Khan tries to sit on Shingo's neck in the corner but Shingo escapes. Shingo sliding lariats him from behind. Shingo sentons Khan. Shingo suplexes him for 2.  

Khan sleepers Shingo then claws him as well. Khan then does a cobra twist with a claw. Khan back racks him with a claw then does a spinning drop with it for 2. Shingo backdrops him. Khan pump kicks him. Shingo lariats him from behind then Khan lariats him. Khan hits a TTD for 2.

Khan lifts him and Shingo ddt's him out of it. Shingo 2nd rope superplexes him. Shingo then hits a sliding lariat. Shingo does a leg trap made in Japan for 2. They trade forearms. shingo headbutts him in the chest then Khan flatliners him. Shingo hits a half-nelson suplex.

Shingo hits a big lariat then running lariats him for 2. Shingo sliding forearms him from the side. Khan hits a superman punch and a straight punch. Khan hits a claw slam and wins.

Thoughts: I liked it. It got enough time and we got a few false finishes before Khan put him away. I'd like Khan to speed up his offense a bit though and show a little more fire as that would have helped this one out. Khan's nose got busted open here. It was one of the few matches so far that was really put in a position to produce something good. 

G1 Climax 2025 Block A Match - EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji

Evil attacks Yota as he poses on the ropes. Evil chokes him with a jacket and eye rakes him. Evil then pushes him into the ref. Fale gets in the ring and stomps Yota too. Yota drives Evil's face into the mat with his feet then pulls Fale over the top. Daiki Nagai trips Dick Togo and pulls him out. Yota flatliners Evil then curb stomps him. Evil then rolls out.

Yota tries to tope Fale but is caught and rammed into the post. The ref is up and doesn't care. Yota is then sent into the rails and knocks the announcer's table over. Evil half crabs Yota.

Dick Togo unties a turnbuckle bad then Yota goes into the exposed buckle. Yota is thrown out then sent into the rails. Togo gets on Fale's back and they walk on Yota's back. Evil fisherman suplexes Yota for 2. Evil eyerakes him and superkicks him in the gut. Yota is thrown out. They fight on the ramp and Yota is suplexed on the ramp. Evil sharpshooters Yota on the ramp. Yota has to fight off Fale and Togo to get in.

Yota gets in and flatliner + curbstomps Evil. Yota falcon arrows Evil. Evil pushes the reg down. Evil's buddies then help out Evil. Yota fights them off then topes them together. Evil throws Nagai into Yota. Evil corner lariats Yota. Yota pumping knees him. Yota hits a marlow crash. Evil running lariats him for 2. Evil hits darkness falls for 2.

Yota hits a spear then Evil hits a twisting facebuster to win.

Thoughts: It was the usual Evil garbage and it wasn't any good. The ref openly let Evil's buddies interfere and did nothing about Evil throwing him around. 

G1 Climax 2025 Block B Match - El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita

ELP armlocks and side headlocks him. ELP cravates him. ELP goes for the bow and arrow, KT slides out and they stand off. KT side headlocks him then shoulders him over. ELP misses a dropkick then KT pump kicks him. ELP then superkicks him. ELP rolls him up for 2 then la magistrals him for 2. ELP backslides him for 2.

ELP hits a CR2 and KT rolls to the apron. ELP topes him over the rail and commentary table outside. ELP springboards, going over the rail and is caught with a forearm. KT brainbusters him on the floor. ELP is thrown hard into the buckles twice. KT 2nd rope sentons and ELP gets his knees up. ELP hits chops then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. ELP asai moonsaults him for 2.

KT blue thunders him for 2. They trade forearms on their knees then get up and trade. KT flips him with a lariat. KT goes up top and is enzugiri'd. They fight on the top rope. ELP top rope hurricanrana's him. ELP then top rope crossbodies him. ELP springboards and KT gets his knees up. KT then twisting brainbusters him for 2.

KT pumping knees him for 2. ELP cradles him for 2. KT backrolls him and misses a forearm. ELP rolls him up for 2. KT wheelbarrow germans him but ELP no sells it. ELP then flips him with a lariat for 1. KT hits a package tombstone then ELP poisonrana's him. ELP canadian destroyers him then hits a CR2 for 2. ELP hits another CR2. ELP then ties up the arms and piledrivers him to win.

Thoughts: It really slowed to a crawl in the middle of this and brought some of it down and that was surprising considering how fast these guys usually wrestle. ELP's springboard dive where he got caught with a forearm in the crowd was a cool spot. I thought it was your usual indy style match overall with them going a little far at the end.

G1 Climax 2025 Block A Match - Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura

They lock up. Yuya hits chops then Tai chops back. Yuya hits more chops then is facekicked over. Tai snapmares him and kicks him in the back. Yuya then hits more chops. Yuya arm throws him and pulls on the arm with his leg.

Yuya hamerlocks him. Yuya hammerlock slams him then armlocks him. Yuya armdrags him into an armlock. Yuya hits chops then double chops him. Yuya bangs his arm off of his shoulder. Yuya then runs into Tai's high kick. Yuya is then down from the high kick for a bit as Tai takes his pants off.

Tai hits Kawada kicks. Yuya hits forearms and is spin kicked in the gut. Yuya single arm ddt's him then dropkicks him in the knee. Yuya kneebreakers him then bangs his foot off the mat. Yuya does a neat leglock on him from behind. Yuya kimura's him while having the leg tied up. Yuya then does an AT lock on him and Tai ropebreaks. Tai backdrops him. They trade strikes then they enzugiri each other.

Yuya dropkicks him then Tai dropkicks him. Tai hits a big lariat then Yuya front suplexes him. Yuya comes off the top and is superkicked. Tai then powerbombs him for 2. Yuya backslides him for 2. Tai running forearms him then superkicks him.

Tai hits an air raid crash and wins.

Thoughts: I liked it but I wish Yuya had a bit more finish moves to make this something more special. Yuya worked the arms all throughout this while Tai did his various kicks. It got a lot of time to play out. It wasn't great or memorable but was fine enough for the main.

Tai talks on the mic after. He thanks everyone for the support and says it was supposed to be the semi main event. He says maybe it's time to win the G1 and says it will be him in the final. He talks to Yuya. He says he was great. He says he's the sun in NJPW's future but he will be an obstacle to him. Then they play the Just 5 Guys theme since they used to both be in the faction.

Overall thoughts: It was a little better than yesterday's show. Tana/Newman was okay and Drilla/Umino was mostly alright. I liked what we got of Oleg/Oiwa. Ren/Yoshi, Evil/Yota and Sanada/Finlay weren't that good. Shingo vs Khan was good enough. ELP/Takeshita was a little too indy for the me and the main was fine. I'd give the show a 6 out of 10 overall as there was enough good stuff to get past the bad.