New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/16/2025 G1 Climax 35 Day 18

New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/16/2025 G1 Climax 35 Day 18

Day 17 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/new-japan-pro-wrestling-8142025-g1.html

Masatora Yasuda, Shoma Kato & Zane Jay vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto, Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe

Zane and Tat go at it. Tat side headlocks him and wristlocks him. Zane reverses it then Tat reverses it. Zane armdrags him into an armlock then does a fireman's carry takeover. Zane then shoulder throws him.

Zane headlocks takeovers him, is put in a headscissors and they stand off. Tat shoulders him over. Tiger hits leg kicks on Zane. Masa then hits forearms on Tiger. Masa shoulders him over then stomps him.

Tiger spin kicks him in the gut and chest kicks him. Tiger double underhook suplexes him then kimura's him. 

Tat boots Masa in the corner. Tiger sleepers Masa then camel clutches him. Masa dropkicks him. Kato gets in and hits forearms on Togi. Kato dropkicks him. Kato forearms him in the corner and slams him for 2. Togi suplexes Kato. Kato shoulders him over.  Zane tries shoulders on Togi andk nocks him over.

Zane dropkicks Togi then crabs him. Togi takes corner attacks then he takes a dropkick from Zane. Togi lariats Zane then slams him for 2. Togi crabs Zane and Zane submits.

Thoughts: It went long and was your usual young lions and vets match. Everyone did what they were supposed to and it was similar to what we usually get. 

El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino, YOSHI-HASHI & Yuya Uemura vs. Master Wato, Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, Toru Yano & YOH

Taguchi got the surprise win here over Wato. It wasn't too much of note and went too long here. Kojima and Tai worked together a bit better this time. Shota and Yuya did a nice double dropkick spot.

Oleg Boltin & Tomoaki Honma vs. House Of Torture (Don Fale & Yujiro Takahashi)

The faces attack before it starts. Oleg hits corner spears on Fale then clubs on him. Oleg hits chops in the corner then thendropkicks him. Fale corner splashes him then lariats him. Yujiro basement dropkicks Oleg. Yujiro hits chops. Yujiro lariats him and Oleg dropkicks him.

Honma hits forearms then bulldogs Yujiro. Honma flying headbutts Fale then Oleg splashes Fale. Fale samoan spikes Honma then elbow drops him for the win.

Thoughts: It was a short waste of time. Fale was put over for some reason despite not wrestling much at all the whole tour.

Oleg is beaten up after and Yujiro counts his own pin for Fale.

El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Khan and Tana start us off. Khan rams him into the corner. Tana back elbows him and 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Khan takes a double shoulder then takes flipping sentons from his opponents. Tana's team then plays air guitar together. KM does it for too long again, gets caught but fights off the triple team. KM dropkicks Khan and plays more air guitar.

KM and Tana's heads are banged together by Khan and both are pulled down. Jake slingbaldes Tana. Khan mongolian chops Tana then uppercuts him. Khan sits on Tana's neck in the corner. Khan mongolian chops him then Tana does his own mongolian chop.

ELP comes in. He flips over Khan's back  then dropkicks him. CN hits elbows on ELP then ELP flying headscissors him. CN is lariated over the top and ELP springboard dives on Khan and CN.

ELP springboard swantons then asai moonsaults Khan. Khan AA's ELP then ELP armdrags him. Khan pump kicks him. ELP springboards into Khan's punch. 

CN spin kicks KM in the gut then KM back body drops him. KM shoulders CN over then Tana slingblades CN. KM powerslams CN for 2. CN PK's KM. CN misses a corner charge and KM rolls him up. CN high kicks him and then fisherman suplexes him for the win.

Thoughts: KM was entertaining as usual here. Khan beat up on Tana some in their section and KM tried for the upset on CN in their new section. It was okay for what it was.

Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

Nagai side headlocks DF. They go to the ropes. Nagai ends up taking boots and hits forearms. DF slams Nagai then misses a senton. DF sentons him. DF spinning AA's him.

Gedo comes in and gets a 2 count on Nagai. Gedo then stands on his face. Gedo elbow drops him for 2. Nagai monkey flips Gedo and tags out. Shingo gets in. He shoulders Gedo and slams DF. Shingo hits corner lariats. DF gordbusters Shingo then Gedo superkicks Shingo for 2.

Nagai dropkicks DF and Shingo lariats DF over the top to the floor. Nagai then plancha's DF. Shingo ddt's Gedo. Gedo takes corner attacks then a spinebuster. Shingo sliding lariats Gedo and pulls hims arms backwards. Shingo then wins.

Thoughts: The finish was weak here. It was nice to see Nagai get some offense in and do a plancha but there wasn't much more of note in this one. 

House Of Torture (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)

DM comes in and starts pounding on San. TI back elbows YK then YI handspring corkscrew kicks YK. YK takes punches from both opponents then a double elbow drop. San pulls TI out and sends him into the rails. San the hits shots on DM outside. YK chinlocks TI. San boots TI in the corner and foot chokes him with YK.

YK chokes TI with his knee then spinning ddt's him. TI jumping knees YK. San dropkicks DM in the knee. DM chops and lariats San. San kicks the middle rope into DM's crotch. DM kicks the middle rope into San's crotch. DM spears San for 2.

San goes for skull end then grabs the ref when DM goes for the drilla killa. DM grabs whiskey, gives it to TI and they end up spitting it in the ref's faces when the heels put him in the way. San hits DM with his guitar. DM's head gets stuck in the guitar. San then pins DM.

Thoughts: It was short and filler as expected. It was nothing special and had to have shenanigans. DM got busted open after the guitar shot.

House Of Torture (DOUKI, Ren Narita & SHO) vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa)

The heels attack before the bell as usual. Ren foot chokes KF in the corner. KF eye pokes him and chops him down. KF flying headscissors Douki and dropkicks him. KF chops Sho then is pulled down by Ren on a springboard attempt. KF is sent into the rails. KF's crotch is then rammed into the post.

Ren back elbows KF. Ren rake KF's eyes on the ropes. Douki slams and double stomps KF for 2. DF step up enzugiri's KF and KF step up enzugiri's him. Oiwa and Ren get in. Oiwa dropkicks Ren then headfips up. Oiwa works Ren's arm then Ren eye rakes him.

Oiwa armlocks Ren. Oiwa sleepers Ren. Rne rolls Oiwa into a legbar. Oiwa double lariats the heels. Hart corner splashes Ren and lariats him. Hart then splashes Ren for 2. Ren clips Hart from behind the Hart backdrops Ren.

KF and Oiwa senton Ren then Hart sentons Ren as well for 2. Hart is hit in the knee with Sho's wrench then Douki hits Hart in the leg with his stick. Ren figure four legbars Hart and Hart submits.

Thoughts: It was the usual HoT match with not much of interest. They cheated as usual and it paid off with them getting the win. It was nice to see Kosei again after he was off all tour.

G1 Climax 2025 Semi Final Match - EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji 

Yota has some friends with him at least for when Evil cheats. Evil attacks Yota and wraps his knee around the middle rope. Yota drives Devil's head into the mat. Yota flying headscissors Evil. Dick Togo trips Yota and pulls him out. Yota is sent into the rails and knocks the bell ringer over. Evil then chokes Yota with the mic cord and talks trash on the mic.

Yota and Evil trade shots in the ring. Yota misses a splash. Evil then does a nagata lock on Yota. Yota comes off the 2nd rope and is powerbombed down. Yota suplexes Evil. Yota corner splashes him then slams him. Yota then splashes him for 2.

Yota chops Evil. Evil chops back and is chopped down. Evil eye pokes him. Yota is sent into the rails. Evil lariats Yota over the rail. Yota almost gets counted out but gets back in. Evil sends Yota into an exposed buckle then suplexes him for 2.

Evil sharpshooters Yota. Yota ropebreaks. Yota flatliners Evil into a curbstomp. Yota top rope spanish flies Evil for 2. Yota then hits a falcon arrow for 2. Evil pushes the ref in Yota's way three times and Yota ends up spearing the ref.

The heels then head in to beat up Yota after.Shingo and Nagai watch their buddy get beaten up for a bit but eventually come in. Everyone ends up taking low blows.

Yota pumping knees Evil in the corner and hits a marlow crash for 2. Evil tries a neckbreaker but Yota curbstomps him. Yota alley oops Evil for 2. Togo grabs the ref. The ref stomps and punches him to try and get him off. Fale then hits a razor's edge on Yota. Evil sharpshooters Yota and the ref stops it. Evil wins.

Thoughts: It was the same House of Torture Evil match that we've seen a thousand times with interference, weapons and ref's taking bumps. Once in a while it's okay but we get it all the time and I'm so done with it. It's just a shame NJPW has to push this stuff into the playoffs of the G1 as it robs us of big classic matches which is the whole fun of the G1. Yota got hurt here from Fale's razor's edge and that's why the match was stopped. That's pretty stupid as Fale's interference added nothing to this.

G1 Climax 2025 Semi Final Match - Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Konosuke Takeshita

They grapple to start. Zack hammerlocks him and rolls him into a pin attempt. Zack pulls KT's arms back. KT pulls his arms back and Zack escapes. Zack facekicks him then is shouldered over. KT straightjackets Zack and smacks his face.

Zack triangles KT over the top rope. Zack stomps KT's arm. Zack euros the arm then euros him over. Zack headscissors him with an armlock. Zack twists the fingers and KT ropebreaks.

They go to the apron. Zack stomps KT's arm into it. Zack is swept on the apron then takes a bridging ddt on the floor. KT corner facekicks Zack and germans him. KT facekicks him then flying lariats him. KT misses a corner facekick and Zack sweeps him. Zack pulls on KT's leg and ankle with a calf crusher variation. KT and Zack trade shots. Zack PK's KT. KT forearms him down. KT hits forearms and flying knees him. KT exploders him twice.

Zack rolling armbars him. KT blue thunders Zack for 2 when Zack grabs an armbar. Zack then switches to an ankle lock. KT ropebreaks. KT forearms him down then michinoku drivers him for 2. Zack rolls him around into pin attempts for 2 counts. Zack tries a bridge for 2 but KT rolls out and germans him. KT reverse suplexes Zack. Zack pele kicks the arm and spinning michinoku drivers him for 2. Zack goes for the armbar again and KT ropebreaks.

Zack PK's KT then KT flips him with a lariat. They trade strikes and Zack drops him with a slap. Zack ankle locks KT while he's on the buckles. KT forearms him. Zack slips on the bucklesthen KT hits a nasty top rope raging fire, nearly killing Zack. KT pumping knees him then hits another raging fire for the win.

Thoughts: I didn't think it was that good as there was no great logic to it and no real faces or heels. Zack worked the leg then the arm. KT didn't overdo it at least like usual. KT nearly killed Zack on a top rope raging fire. I don't really think either Zack or KT winning here really helps out NJPW since Zack is already the champ and KT is really only around for the bigger shows. This also means we get an Evil/KT final which was not really what anyone had expected nor what NJPW had been building up to. I don't really get how you book NJPW all year and not end up with either Yota or Shota in the final or even Tana trying to win it one last time.

Evil comes down and stares at KT. KT then talks on the mic after. nj

Overall thoughts: G1 semifinal and final shows are some of my least favorite NJPW shows. They know people are coming for the G1 only so they don't bother putting together a good card. The only things of importance here were the two G-1 matches and neither were that great. I'd give this a 4 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it.