wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NJPW G1 Climax 35 Night Five Review
Image credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW G1 Climax 35 Night 5
July 25th, 2025 | Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,308
I’m a day late with this as I was covering STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen. I will say, while the G1 and the 5STAR Grand Prix are going on simultaneously, the STARDOM tournament will be my priority. It’s a promotion I enjoy much more than New Japan so it will take precedence but I will still be covering both.
This review will likely be shorter than usual since I have two G1 shows to get through.
A Block: Boltin Oleg [4] vs. SANADA [2]
One of the most impressive guys in the tournament and SANADA. The latter jumped the former during his entrance because, House of Torture. That meant brawling around the ring and into the crowd for a few minutes. Otherwise, they did keep the House of Torture shenanigans to a minimum which was nice. The problem is that SANADA is so dull that when he’s in control, it always feels like a match that’s just going through the motions. Boltin rallied down the stretch and caught a moonsault that he turned into an F5 for the coolest spot of the match. That actually should’ve been the finish. It’s weird that he does an F5 but his finisher is the Kamikaze. Boltin countered the Shining Wizard into the Kamikaze to win in 9:57. Decent enough but would’ve been better if SANADA wasn’t boring. [**½]
A Block: Callum Newman [2] vs. Yuya Uemura [2]
One of the most impressive guys in the tournament and Callum. This was a pretty standard match. Just back and forth action from two babyfaces. I love Yuya when he’s firing up to make a comeback and that’s not what’s going to happen against Callum. There were some nice exchanges in here, from Callum’s running PK to Yuya’s armbreaker. Callum delivered two double stomps off the top for a near fall before the men traded German Suplexes. Yuya survived a running knee and hit the Deadbolt to win at the 10:32 mark. Honestly, that’s one of the most three-star matches you’ll ever come across. Never threatened to get much worse or better. [***]
A Block: EVIL [4] vs. Taichi [4]
One of the most impressive guys in the tournament and EVIL. Dick Togo and Don Fale were out with EVIL and they got involved a fair bit. That’s usually a mark of death in terms of entertainment in an EVIL match but this time around, Taichi kept things relatively interesting. The crowd was way into him, which helped matters. He accidentally bumped the referee, allowing Dick Togo to choke him and Fale to do battle with him. Fale saved EVIL from a countout loss and hit Taichi with a steel chair. After that, Taichi’s only real shot at winning was with a jackknife pin. EVIL blocked Black Mephisto and won with the LA Knight finisher in 10:31. Not very good but not offensive like so many EVIL matches. [**¼]
A Block: Ryohei Oiwa [4] vs. Yota Tsuji [4]
I can no longer do my “most impressive guys” bit because both of these dudes are among the best in the tournament. The winner enters a three-way tie with EVIL and Oleg. The first five minutes were something of a feeling out process, with neither man gaining a clear upper hand. Things picked up when they fought to the floor and Oiwa started in with things like a senton. They went back and forth, with Oiwa hitting a DDT and Yota nailing a Flatliner as they neared the 10 minute mark. From there, we got more big moves like a snap German and the Gene Blaster, which Oiwa responded to with a Spear of his own. The crowd was way into this when Oiwa hit a Doctor Bomb and Chaos Theory. However, Yota masterfully countered the discus lariat into a backslide for the win in 13:43. As expected, these two delivered. [***¾]
A Block: David Finlay [2] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]
Tanahashi started his final G1 with a win but has dropped two in a row. Finlay feels like this year’s inverse of YOSHI-HASHI in that he’s starting slow but will end hot. This was kind of every Finlay match since he’s been a heel. He got to play the bully while the face took a beating and had to rally down the stretch. That worked in this sense because Tanahashi has always been a very good underdog. The crowd also loves everything he does knowing that it’s his final G1, so they were totally in on this. Finlay did well as the bully heel and I liked him busting out the Dominator. Tanahashi started in with Sling Blades and High Fly Flows, making the most of his comeback. I wasn’t a big fan of Tanahashi kicking out of two Oblivions. I know it’s not his finisher but still. Tanahashi stole the win by countering Overkill into an inside cradle at 16:02. A good but not great main event and that’s okay. [***¼]
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Yota Tsuji | 6 (3-1) | YOSHI-HASHI | 6 (3-0) |
| Boltin Oleg | 6 (3-1) | Drilla Moloney | 4 (2-1) |
| EVIL | 6 (3-1) | Konosuke Takeshita | 4 (2-1) |
| Yuya Uemura | 4 (2-2) | Shota Umino | 4 (2-1) |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 4 (2-2) | Ren Narita | 4 (2-1) |
| Taichi | 4 (2-2) | The Great-O-Khan | 2 (1-2) |
| Ryohei Oiwa | 4 (2-2) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 2 (1-2) |
| David Finlay | 2 (1-3) | El Phantasmo | 2 (1-2) |
| Callum Newman | 2 (1-3) | Shingo Takagi | 2 (1-2) |
| SANADA | 2 (1-3) | Gabe Kidd | 0 (0-3) |
