NJPW G1 Climax 35 Night 4 results: Shota Umino beats ZSJ in Wrestle Kingdom rematch

The fourth night of the NJPW G1 Climax 35 saw Shota Umino avenge his Wrestle Kingdom loss to Zack Sabre Jr. in Block action.

Umino scored a massive win in the main event of a card from the Aore Nagaoka in Niigata, Japan, defeating current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Sabre Jr. in a 22-minute contest, moving him to four points in the B Block.

After a series of roll-up pin attempts, Umino turned Sabre Jr. inside out with a massive lariat, then a Second Chapter brainbuster to win clean, ending what was a battle worthy of its main event billing.

The result marked the second time incumbent champ Sabre Jr. has lost in the tournament thus far, previously also dropping a match to Ren Narita on the opening night. His sole two points in the tournament have come via forfeit, as Night 2 opponent Gabe Kidd withdrew from their matchup due to injury.

There is more than enough time for ZSJ to make a comeback, as we’re not even halfway through the tournament, but it’s safe to say that he hasn’t had the start he intended thus far.

The co-main event of the night saw Konosuke Takeshita and Great-O-Khan trade near falls in a high-drama showdown, each narrowly escaping pinfall attempts before the Don Callis Family member put away the bout with a Raging Fire at the 17-minute mark.

The B Block is currently led by YOSHI-HASHI, who has yet to drop a match in his tournament. He remained undefeated through three appearances following a close win against Drilla Moloney in the first Block match of the night on Wednesday, getting the pinfall win after a back-and-forth 11-minute battle.

Since we’re still early in the tournament, nearly all wrestlers have either four or two points. But with YOSHI-HASHI being the only undefeated wrestler left, he’s the first person in this tournament to lead a block without a tie. Having earned his spot in the tournament through a Play-In match, the Bishamon talent is one of the B Block’s underdog stories thus far.

In a match full of antics, including a pre-bell brawl and a run-in from Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Ren Narita used no shortage of cheap tactics to overcome El Phantasmo, pinning him in just under 10 minutes after connecting with Hell’s Guillotine.

Wednesday’s card had a significant omission on it, as the expected headliner between Gabe Kidd and Shingo Takagi didn’t take place. As confirmed early Wednesday morning, a knee injury pulled Kidd from the match, giving Takagi two points via forfeit. It remains unclear when Kidd could return to the tournament, if at all.

The G1 will return Friday with a card from the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. The A Block show will be headlined by a bout between Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay.

1. Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano def. SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
2. Callum Newman & Jakob Austin Young def. Shoma Kato & Yuya Uemura
3. Dick Togo & EVIL def. Masatora Yasuda & Taichi
4. Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa def. Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima def. David Finlay & Gedo
6. YOSHI-HASHI def. Drilla Moloney (B Block)
7. Ren Narita def. El Phantasmo (B Block)
8. Konosuke Takeshita def. Great-O-Khan (B Block)
9. Shota Umino def. Zack Sabre Jr. (B Block)

A Block Standings

1. Yota Tsuji (4)
2. Taichi (4)
3. EVIL (4)
4. Boltin Oleg (4)
5. Ryohei Oiwa (4)
6. Callum Newman (2)
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi (2)
8. SANADA (2)
9. David Finlay (2)
10. Yuya Uemura (2)

B Block Standings

1. YOSHI-HASHI (6)
2. Shota Umino (4)
3. Konosuke Takeshita (4)
4. Ren Narita (4)
5. Drilla Moloney (4)
6. Zack Sabre Jr. (2)
7. El Phantasmo (2)
8. Great-O-Khan (2)
9. Shingo Takagi (2)
10. Gabe Kidd (0)