Pantoja’s NJPW G1 Climax 35 Quarterfinals Review

NJPW G1 Climax 35 Night 17

August 14^th, 2025 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,518

We’ve now reached the playoff portion of the G1 Climax. Zack Sabre Jr. and, hilariously, EVIL, have byes due to winning their blocks.

G1 Climax Quarterfinals: David Finlay vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Finlay won their match in last year’s G1 (***½). Both guys were pretty vicious to start, using big shots to send the other over the guardrail and into the crowd. Finlay put the focus on the leg and worked that for a good chunk of the match. It was a better heat segment than we typically get from Finlay and Takeshita sold the damage well. Some of Finlay’s offense had more snap than expected, like a particularly nasty lariat to the back of the head. Takeshita rallied but while battling on the apron, Finlay powerbombed him through two tables that were side-by-side at ringside. Takeshita again tried to rally but his knee gave out, leading to a Buckle Bomb by Finlay, who was really in control. Takeshita survived everything Finlay threw at him before hitting a Last Ride and winning with Raging Fire in 17:12. That was pretty great. A bit too one-sided at times but certainly one of Finlay’s stronger performances. Takeshita, as always, is one of the best on the planet. [****]

G1 Climax Quarterfinals: Shota Umino vs. Yota Tsuji

It was clear early on that this was going to get some time. They weren’t exactly working at a frantic or energetic pace. They targeted each other’s arm before the focus turned more to Shota having a damaged back. That set up the main crux of the match, which was to draw sympathy for Shota. The problem with that is that the crowd just didn’t give a shit. They were more into Yota, so all of Shota’s comeback and rally spots fell flat. This was also dragged out way longer than it needed to be, so a lot of the spots felt like they took forever. 20 minutes in and Shota was getting put in a Boston Crab that just didn’t feel like it was a big deal. Shota reached the ropes and rallied with some forearm strikes but took a Flatliner and German suplex. Shota avoided the Gene Blaster and hit his own German suplex, starting his final comeback. They went back and forth here, including Shota surviving a Gene Blaster, which I didn’t really like. Alas, Yota beat him with Sliced Bread and another Gene Blaster in a long 28:18. Not a bad match but one that was hurt by it going too long and the crowd not rallying behind Shota. [**½]

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

A mixed bag. Takeshita/Finlay was a great match while Yota/Shota had some good ideas with some poor execution.