A three-way tie was created at the top of the G1 Climax 35 A Block after the sixth round of matches on Friday.
In front of 1,244 fans at Sun Messe Kagawa, Yuya Uemura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event and EVIL beat Ryohei Oiwa, allowing both to join Yota Tsuji at eight points atop the block.
The logjam formed after the former leader Tsuji was defeated by Taichi earlier in the evening.
The main event saw Uemura score a significant victory over Tanahashi. The match featured Tanahashi targeting Uemura’s knee with moves including a rope-assisted Dragon Screw, while Uemura focused on the arm of the NJPW legend. After Tanahashi missed a High Fly Flow, Uemura eventually secured the win with a Deadbolt Suplex.
In the semi-main event, Taichi handed Yota Tsuji a loss. Tsuji started fast with a tope suicida, but Taichi fought his way into the match with an Ax Bomber. After a hard-hitting exchange, Taichi survived a short-range Gene Blaster and hit a Black Mephisto for the pinfall.
David Finlay earned a much-needed victory over NEVER Openweight Champion Oleg Boltin. Finlay took the fight to the outside, at one point spearing Boltin through the entrance gate. Despite a powerhouse comeback, Finlay countered a Kamikaze attempt into a roll-up to get the three-count.
EVIL’s victory over Ryohei Oiwa came with assistance from House of Torture. Oiwa fought off interference from Dick Togo and Don Fale, and received help from Hartley Jackson, who removed Fale from ringside. However, after Togo threw powder in Oiwa’s eyes, EVIL locked in the Darkness Scorpion for the submission win.
The opening block match saw Callum Newman defeat SANADA. During the match, SANADA pushed the referee into the path of an attack from Newman, which later prevented a pinfall count for the Brit. Newman fought through the tactics and won after hitting the Prince’s Curse.
Full results
- A Block: Yuya Uemura [8] def. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]
- A Block: Taichi [6] def. Yota Tsuji [8]
- A Block: David Finlay [4] def. Oleg Boltin [6]
- A Block: EVIL [8] def. Ryohei Oiwa [6]
- A Block: Callum Newman [6] def. SANADA [4]
- Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson def. Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
- El Phantasmo & Jado def. Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai
- Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori def. Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero
- Shota Umino & Katsuya Murashima def. YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato
Current Standings
| Rank | A Block | B Block |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EVIL (8) | Drilla Moloney (8) |
| 2 | Yota Tsuji (8) | Great-O-Khan (8) |
| 3 | Yuya Uemura (8) | Ren Narita (8) |
| 4 | Oleg Boltin (6) | Yoshi-Hashi (8) |
| 5 | Callum Newman (6) | Konosuke Takeshita (6) |
| 6 | Ryohei Oiwa (6) | Shota Umino (6) |
| 7 | Taichi (6) | Zack Sabre Jr. (6) |
| 8 | David Finlay (4) | El Phantasmo (4) |
| 9 | Hiroshi Tanahashi (4) | Shingo Takagi (4) |
| 10 | SANADA (4) | Gabe Kidd (0) |
