The King of Darkness or the Alpha, who will be the one?

G1 Climax 35 finally comes to a close as Evil and Konosuke Takeshita battle for the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Shota Kato & Tatsuya Matsumoto VS Masatora Yasuda & Zane Jay; Yasuda & Zane win.
• Taichi & Satoshi Kojima VS Togi Makabe & Katsuya Murashima; Taichi & Kojima win.
• Six Man Tag: Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato VS YOSHI-HASHI, Ryusuke Taguchi & El Desperado; Yano, Yoh & Wato win.
• Six Man Tag: Boltin Oleg, El Phantasmo & Tiger Mask VS SANADA, Don Fale & Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Sanada, Fale & Kanemaru win.
• Six Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino VS The United Empire; Tanahashi, Yuya & Shota win.
• 8 Man Tag: Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & Daiki Nagai VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
• 8 Man Tag: TMDK VS Ren Narita, SHO, DOUKI & Yujiro Takahashi; Ren, Sho, Douki & Yujiro win.
• G1 Climax 35 Finals: EVIL VS Konosuke Takeshita; Takeshita wins and has the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

PLAY BY PLAY

After Taichi & Satoshi Kojima VS Togi Makabe & Katsuya Murashima…

The Holy Emperor and King of Bread Style put it away with a Cozy Lariat followed by the Dangerous Saido, but the real accomplishment is that Taichi shakes Kojima’s hand! But wait, Bullet Club is coming out here? They’re not scheduled for later, but #BossDawg David Finlay is walking out here. And then he calls to the back? New music plays, and the tron says, “KOB,” aka the Knockout Brothers? Yuto-Ice? Oskar?! As in Yuto Nakashima & Oskar Leube?! These Young Lions have come home from excursion, and it seems Finlay has added that young blood to the Bullet Club!

And it is very clear now that the former wXw AND PWH Tag Team Champions are aimed at one thing: the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions! Oskar & Yuto storm to the ring, and they go after Kojima and Taka? They beat up and TOSS those two, then they stare Taichi down. Tomohiro Ishii is still in the US, but Taichi says he can take these two all by himself. KOB says okay, and then Yuto DECKS Taichi! Taka returns and fires off on Oskar, but it’s no use! Oskar DECKS Taka, then drags him so that he and Yota can KNOCKOUT BOMB!! The fans are torn as Oskar hauls Taichi up, gut wrenches, PENALTY KICK TOMBSTONE!!

The fans are again torn, but Yuto-Ice holds up the gold. He tells Ishii to come home fast and bring the fight! Finlay’s newest recruits are living that War Dogs creed: Bring bodies, and bring gold. Will they do that and more now that they’re back?

8 Man Tag: Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & Daiki Nagai VS Bullet Club!

The “unaffiliated” are still sticking together, and they’ve even added a Young Lion to the team. Will Daiki get his biggest win yet alongside the Rampaging Dragon, Gene Blast & Ticking Timebomb? Or will the Savage King lead Taiji Ishimori, “Drilla” Moloney & Gedo to redemption after losing in the G1?

The fans bark for the War Dogs. Hiromu mockingly joins in, but then Takagi gets the fans to chant, “OI! OI! OI!” The fans sort out, and Daiki is calling out Finlay? His team is impressed but Finlay laughs that off. Gedo insists he start against the Young Lion, and the bell rings. The fans rally as Young Lion and Blacksmith circle, and the fans are chanting “DA-I-KI! DA-I-KI!” The two tie up, Daiki powers Gedo to the ropes, and the ref counts the break. Daiki lets off, but Gedo CLAWS Daiki’s eyes! Gedo stops as the ref counts, and Gedo headlocks. Daiki powers up and out, but Gedo RUNS him over! The fans applaud, and Gedo CLAWS Daiki’s eyes again!

The ref reprimands, Gedo stops, and Daiki goes to a corner. Gedo runs in but Daiki dodges! Daiki jumps up, but Gedo CLAWS his eyes again! The ref counts, Gedo stops, and Gedo taunts Daiki. Gedo runs, but Daiki LARIATS! The fans rally while both men are down! Gedo crawls, tag to Taiji, and then Hiromu shouts for Daiki! Daiki hurries over, and he tags in Hiromu! The fans cheer as Timebomb and Bone Soldier meet. Hiromu swings, Taiji dodges, but then the forearms go back and forth all the same! The fans rally, Taiji gets the edge, then Taiji runs. Hiromu ELBOWS Taiji, whips him to a corner, then runs up to LARLIAT!

Hiromu snapmares, runs, but Taiji dodges the basement dropkick! Hiromu dodges Taiji’s boot, then he sends Daiki into Taiji! Hiromu picks Daiki up and makes him RANA Taiji! The fans fire up as Hiromu LARAITS Taiji in a corner, snapmares, and now basement DROPKICKS! Hiromu thanks Daiki and gives him a thumbs up, which Daiki returns. Hiromu drags Taiji up, the fans rally for “HI-RO-MU!” and he fireman’s carries. Taiji slips free, ducks an elbow, and he CLAWS Hiromu’s eyes! Taiji whips, Hiromu reverses, but Taiji handsprings to NEURALIZER KICK! Finlay runs in and BLASTS the “unaffiliated” corner!

Taiji CHOKES Hiromu, the ref counts, and Taiji stops. Bullet Club goes after the “unaffiliated” on the outside! Drilla and Takagi brawl, and Drilla SMACKS Takagi off a table! Taiji keeps Hiromu from his corner while Drilla and Takagi brawl further into the crowd. Taiji stomps Hiromu’s legs, Finlay calls him over, then Finlay and Gedo put up their feet. Taiji SMACKS Hiromu off Bullet Club boots! Finlay tags in and he keeps Hiromu from the corner. Finlay then CLAWS Hiromu’s face! The ref counts, Finlay stops, and then Finlay ELBOWS Hiromu in the head! Finlay HEADBUTTS Hiromu, stomps a mudhole, but stops as the ref counts.

Hiromu sputters, and Taiji gets a cheap shot in while Finlay argues with the ref! Finlay tags Drilla in, and Drilla UPPERCUTS Hiromu! Drilla taunts the others, then drops a KNEE on Hiromu’s head! Cover, TWO! Drilla stares down with Takagi, then says his time is coming! Drilla steps on Hiromu, dares him to tag out, then drags him away to drop an ELBOW! Drilla has a leg, he brings Hiromu over, tag to Taiji. Taiji grabs the other leg, and they DOUBLE SMASH the knees! Taiji stands Hiromu up, but Hiromu fires CHOP after CHOP! Taiji CHOPS in return! Taiji fires hands, then whips corner to corner, onlhy for Hiromu to reverse!

Hiromu runs in, but into a BOOT! And AX KICK! Taiji runs up, but Hiromu spins him for a suplex, FALCON ARROW! Hiromu and Taiji crawl, the fans rally up, Taiji tags Finlay! Finlay hurries to intercept Hiromu! Finlay then taunts Tsuji, suplexes Hiromu, but Hiromu slips free! Hiromu dodges to hot tag Yota! Yota fires off on Finlay, whips him, but Finlay reverses. Finlay scoops but Yota slips free to kick low! Yota runs, Finlay blows past him, but Yota scoops to BACKBREAKER! Finlay flounders to a corner, Yota runs in, and the fans fire up for the STINGER  SPLASH! Yota suplexes but Finlay fights it!

Finlay wrenches, Yota takes a swing, but into the clinch! IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! The fans rally up and Finlay brings Yota in, for a POWER- NO, Yota fights free of the bomb to clinch! BACKBREAKER! FLATLINER! CURB STOMP! The fans cheer as the Gene Combination hits! Yota goes up, up, MARLOWE- NO, Finlay dodges, and then SPEARS! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Finlay and Yota crawl, and Daiki takes the hot tag?! Drilla tags in, he and Daiki BLAST Gedo and Takagi! Then they fire forearms on each other! The fans fire up as the shots go back and forth! Daiki fires a flurry, but Drilla CHOPS!

Drilla eggs Daiki on so Daiki fires more forearms! Drilla CHOPS him again! Daiki comes back with even more forearms, but Drilla DECKS him! Drilla whips Daiki to a corner, runs in, but Daiki dodges! Takagi runs in and LARIATS! Takagi fires JAB after JAB, then sends Drilla to Daiki! SPINEBUSTER! Daiki sits Drilla up, Takagi SLIDING LARIATS! Takagi and Daiki roar, and Daiki has the DOUBLE CHICKEN WINGS! Drilla endures, but Gedo SUPERKICKS Daiki down! Hiromu SUPERKICKS Gedo down! Taiji FLYING SEATED SENTONS! Takagi runs up, Taiji dodges, but runs into a POP-UP DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!

Takagi calls to Daiki, and he says together, “TOKI GA KITA!” Their time has come and the fans fire up again! Takagi & Daiki double whip Drilla, Drilla holds ropes and he ELBOWS Daiki. Drilla dodges Takagi to GORE! Daiki sunset flips! Daiki rolls through, deadlifts, and he POWERBOMBS Daiki down! Drilla stands Daiki up for Finlay to BUCKLE BOMB! Feed to the GORE!! Drilla ain’t done?! DRILLA KILLA!! Cover, Bullet Club wins!

Winners: Bullet Club, by pinfall

The War Dogs are only getting stronger, only getting meaner, and then Drilla and Takagi brawl over what Drilla did to Daiki! Drilla ELBOWS! JABS! And KNEES Takagi! Drilla tosses the other Young Lions aside so he and Gedo can double whip! But Takagi DOUBLE PUMPING BOMBERS! The fans fire up with Takagi, “OI! OI! OI!” Takagi grabs the mic! “OI, OI, OI! Gabe Kidd didn’t show his face in Ariake tonight. So in that case, if you’re that kind of a champion, maybe you should vacate your championship. As for the rest of you War Dogs, you’re all more bark than bite. The unaffiliated will take out all you dogs!”

The fans like the look of this as Takagi, Yota & Hiromu still want more of Finlay, Taiji & Drilla. But when and where will these warring factions have it out? And what of Hiromu going to London for Forbidden Door and the TNT Championship? Will the Ticking Timebomb blow up Kyle Fletcher and become the new Face of TNT?

8 Man Tag: TMDK VS Ren Narita, SHO, DOUKI & Yujiro Takahashi!

Zack Sabre Jr. may not be in tonight’s main event, but this gives him an opportunity to settle things with the Souled Out Son of Strong Style from their round robin match. Will Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson help The Front Man stand tall? Or will the Murder Machine, Japones Del Mal & Tokyo Pimp help stack the deck?

Surprisingly, the House leaves TMDK alone during their entrance, but that’s because Sho grabs the mic. Sho mocks TMDK as a “collection of cheap little kids, just like all of these country hicks in the crowd.” But Ariake is in Tokyo… Sho even calls out the Ballistik Boyz, the J-Pop group that sang this year’s G1 theme song, as nothing more than hicks! Matsui Riki is a guest on commentary and he gives a thumbs down while the fans boo. Fujita has had enough of this and he snatches the mic away. Then he just CHOPS Sho! The fans fire up as the brawl is on! The bell rings to get this on record as TMDK takes the fight to The House!

Fujita keeps Douki in the ring, he fires forearms, but then Sho attacks! Sho & Douki mug Fujita, CHOKE him on the ropes, but the ref counts. The ref reprimands but Sho & Douki double whip, only for Fujita to grab ropes. Fujita DUMPS Sho out, dodges Douki, then DROPKICKS Douki into Sho! Sho falls, Fujita scoops and SLAMS Douki, and the fans fire up again! Fujita stomps Douki, tags Oiwa, and they double whip. They DOUBLE ELBOW Douki, then Oiwa SPLASHES! Fujita PENALTY KICKS! The fans cheer and Oiwa drags Douki up. Oiwa back suplexes, Douki lands out, but Oiwa clamps on a headlock.

Douki endures the grind, even as Oiwa thrashes him around. Douki powers up and out, but Oiwa runs him over! Things speed up, Ren is there with the pushup bar! Oiwa stops short, the ref reprimands Ren, but Douki CLUBS Oiwa! Douki TOSSES Oiwa, then he distracts the ref so Yujiro can JAM Oiwa up with the pimp cane! Sho & Ren go after ZSJ & Oiwa! Hartley hurries to help Oiwa out but Fujita is sent into railing! Sho wraps Fujita’s arms around the railing! Ren sends Hartley into railing! The ref reprimands all this extracurricular activity, but then Ren sends ZSJ into railing! Yujiro puts Oiwa in for Douki and Douki CLAWS Oiwa’s face!

The ref reprimands again but Sho gets in his face. Ren joins Douki in CLAWING Oiwa’s face! The ref counts, Douki and Ren stop, and Sho tags in. Sho kicks Oiwa, steps on him, and taunts him. Sho & Douki double whip, they dodge his double lariats, and then they THROW Oiwa down by his hair! Cover, TWO! Sho is annoyed but the fans rally up. Sho wrenches Oiwa’s arm, bends fingers, then tags in Ren. Ren CLUBS Oiwa’s arm, throws hands, then CLUBS Oiwa to the ropes. Ren snapmares Oiwa to AX HANDLE! Cover, TWO! Ren TOSSES Oiwa up, argues with the ref, and that distracts from Yujiro jamming Oiwa with a chair!

Douki even SMACKS Oiwa with his “Death Pipe!” The fans boo but the House gets away with their antics again. Yujiro then puts Oiwa back in the ring, Ren covers, TWO! Oiwa toughs it out but Ren drags him up. Ren tags Yujiro and they mug Oiwa. Yujiro brings Oiwa around and Oiwa fires a forearm. Yujiro knees low, bumps Oiwa off buckles, then RAMS into him again and again! Douki & Sho even anchor Oiwa’s legs! The ref reprimands, counts, and The House lets off at 4. Yujiro snapmares Oiwa to FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Oiwa is tougher than that and the fans rally up. Yujiro is annoyed but he stomps Oiwa around.

Yujiro drags Oiwa up, but Oiwa blocks a kick to fire a forearm! Yujiro fires back, KNEES low, but Oiwa fires another forearm! And another! Yujiro runs up, Oiwa catches the lariat to a wrench and- NO, Yujiro BITES Oiwa’s hands! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Yujiro hooks Oiwa up. Oiwa fights the fisherman suplex to suplex high and hard! The fans rally up while both men are down! Oiwa and Yujiro crawl, hot tags to ZSJ and Ren! ZSJ BOOTS Ren, BOOTS Douki, CLAWS Sho’s face, then wrenches Ren’s arm to UPPERCUT away on it! ZSJ whips, Ren reverses, but ZSJ snatches Ren into a COBRA TWIST! Ren switches it onto ZSJ!

ZSJ switches the twist back onto Ren, but Ren switches it back onto ZSJ! ZSJ powers up to HIP TOSS free, and NECK TWIST! Ren writhes and the fans fire up! ZSJ sits Ren up to KICK him in the back! ZSJ waits on Ren, Ren rises, and Ren blocks a kick! Ren sunset flips ZSJ, TWO, but Ren wants a leg! ZSJ trips Ren into a SLEEPER! Ren rolls back to have the SLEEPER! ZSJ fights up, reaches out, but Ren CLAWS ZSJ’s eyes! Ren rolls ZSJ into the KNEEBAR! ZSJ hurries to fight that, but Ren pulls the leg! ZSJ reaches to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Ren lets go, but then Ren stomps the leg.

The ref reprimands, but Ren stops to stand ZSJ up. ZSJ fires forearms and an UPPERCUT! Ren falls, but he KICKS ZSJ’s legs out so he can catch ZSJ into the GUILLOTINE FACELOCK! ZSJ endures, fights around, and both men stand. ZSJ wrenches out to PELE the arm! Then he PENALTY KICKS Ren! The fans fire up, ZSJ crawls, hot tag to Hartley! The fans cheer as Big Jackson runs to SPLASH Ren! Then short arm LARIAT! Hartley brings the kneepads down so he can run, and he SPLASHES DOWN! Cover, TWO! Hartley scoops Ren, POWERSLAMS, and SENTON FLOPS as Ren moves! KNEEBAR!!

Hartley endures as Ren pulls on that taped-up leg! Hartley endures, fights around, reaches out, and TMDK coaches him! Hartley has the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Ren lets go in frustration. Ren stomps Hartley’s bad leg, then runs, but into a BODY CHECK! Hartley runs to SENTON! Cover, Douki & Sho break it! Fujita runs in, but Sho KNEES Fujita low! Sho TOSSES Fujita, Douki distracts the ref, and Yujiro joins Ren. They double whip Hartley to a corner, then Yujiro BOOTS! Ren ELBOWS Hartley, snapmares, and FALL- NO, Oiwa rushes in! Oiwa GUT WRENCH PLEXES Yujiro away! Oiwa swings on Ren but Ren ducks one lariat, but not the second LARIAT!

The fans fire up and Oiwa brings Ren up. Oiwa sends him to Hartley for a fireman’s carry, but Ren grabs the ref! Sho uses the TORTURE TOOL on Hartley’s leg! The fans boo, the erf and Sho argue over the spanner, but Ren has his pushup bar! Hartley dodges that, but the DEATH PIPE hits! The fans boo more but Ren “puts one out.” Ren goes up the corner, takes aim, and HELL’S GUILLOTINE KNEE DROP! Cover, House of Torture wins!

Winners: Ren Narita, SHO, DOUKI & Yujiro Takahashi, by pinfall

But then ZSJ snatches Ren into a SLEEPER! The champ is not letting the chump get away with another one! But then Sho attacks and CHOKES ZSJ! Sho digs the Torture Tool into ZSJ’s taped-up neck! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Ren drags ZSJ up! Douki takes aim as Sho holds a leg out for him! But Fujita MISSILE DROPKICKS Sho! And he GERMAN SUPLEXES Douki! The fans cheer as TMDK sends the House running! Fujita calls out the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions by holding up their belts! Will Fujita call on the Sniper of the Skies, Robbie Eagles, to help take these titles back?

As for ZSJ, he still has a score to settle with Ren. Will the Souled Out Son of Strong Style learn exactly what it is to #JustTapOut?

G1 Climax 35 Finals: EVIL VS Konosuke Takeshita w/ Rocky Romero!

After nine grueling rounds in the block, then the challenge of the playoffs, we have arrived at the end! Will the King of Darkness find a way to cheat his way to victory even now? Or will nothing stop The Alpha from making the G1 all elite?

Well, as if it wasn’t obvious the House would be a factor, Evil brings them ALL to ringside! All Konosuke has is Azucar… Red Shoes says that is way too many cornermen, so Evil tells the HOT boys to stand in No Man’s Land. Out of a sense of fairness, Rocky steps back to No Man’s Land on the other side. The bell rings and the fans are strongly behind “TAKESHITA! TAKESHITA!” Konosuke and Evil circle, feel things out, then Evil kicks low. Evil headlocks, Konosuke powers up, but he can’t power out as Evil holds on tight. Konosuke tries again, but Evil just holds on even tighter. Evil brings Konosuke down, but Konosuke rises.

Konosuke fires body shots, power sup and out this time, but Evil RAMS shoulders! Konosuke rebounds to CLOBBER Evil! Konosuke drags Evil up, but Evil trips Konosuke! Evil has the legs but Konosuke scrambles to the ROPEBREAK! Evil lets go and the fans rally up again. Konosuke stands, he and Evil reset, and they feel out a knuckle lock. Then they go for the other knuckle lock, and go shoulder to shoulder in a Test of Strength. They power up, and Konosuke puts the pressure on Evil! Evil drops to a knee, but Evil fights up to put that pressure on Konosuke! The fans applaud because that is impressive.

Konosuke stands, they go shoulder to shoulder again, then Konosuke goes for a waistlock. Konosuke and Evil go around and around, both wanting control! Evil has Konosuke in the COBRA TWIST! The fans applaud, but then Konosuke powers up and HIP TOSSES free! The fans rally, Konosuke ROCKS Evil, then Konosuke runs. Evil blocks the boot, but what’s Dick Togo doing back at ringside?! Distracting Red Shoes, clearly! Yoshinobu Kanemaru slithers in, and he DROPKICKS Konosuke’s legs out! The fans boo, Rocky runs up, but Kanemaru BLASTS him off the apron! The House breaks the rules already, and Evil drags Konosuke up.

Evil TOSSES Konosuke out, distracts Red Shoes, and the House swarms! Dick grabs the trophy as if it’s Evil’s already! The fans boo as Evil takes the trophy in hand and holds it up! The fans boo but the House makes sure to take pictures with their phones. Evil gives the trophy back, Konosuke manages to stand, but the House is still too close for comfort. Red Shoes tells the House to back off! The fans cheer and chant, “KAERE! KAERE!” The House “apologizes” and they back off to No Man’s Land. Evil drops an ELBOW on Konosuke’s leg! Evil pulls on the toehold, then traps it in the leg scissor. Konosuke endures, the fans rally, but Evil even digs in an elbow.

Konosuke backstrokes and has the ROPEBREAK! Red Shoes counts, Evil lets go at 4, and he paces while Konosuke stands. Evil then grabs a leg, but Konosuke fires forearms! Evil ducks the enzigiri! And he puts on an STF! Evil continues to show he can actually wrestle! Konosuke endures, fights forward, and has the ROPEBREAK! Evil lets go, and he copies Chono Masahiro, all cuz he’s on commentary. Konosuke drags himself up with the ropes and grits his teeth. Evil kicks Konosuke’s leg almost mockingly, but Konosuke hobbles. Konosuke rams low, Evil kicks at Konosuke, but Konosuke RAMS low!

Konosuke winds up, ROCKS Evil, but Evil CLAWS Konosuke’s face! Red Shoes reprimands, the fans boo, but then Konosuke pulls on Evil’s nose! The fans are booing that? There are Evil fans here? Konosuke CLUBS Evil’s nose, runs, and JUMP KNEES Evil down! The fans applaud, but then Evil distracts the ref! Sanada gets on the apron, as does Yujiro, but Konosuke DECKS each of them! But then Sho & Douki attack! The fans boo, what they dislike is cheating! Sho & Douki run, but Konosuke DOUBLE LARIATS them down! The fans cheer, but now Fale is in the ring! Fale grabs Konosuke by the neck, but Konosuke ROCKS him first!

Fale fires a BODY SHOT, then wrenches, but Konosuke reverses! And suplexes?! The fans are thunderous as Konosuke managed to lift such a behemoth! Konosuke rises, he takes aim and builds speed, to then FLY out onto the House! The fans fire up again while Konosuke hobbles and walks off the pain in his leg. Konosuke goes back to ringside, and Rocky manages to drag a few House boys away! The fans rally up while Red Shoes also tells the rest of the House to leave, they already messed up their last chance. Rocky gets the House up and moving, and even gets help from the Young Lions!

The fans cheer as even Fale is dragged away, and now Evil will truly have to do this on his own! Konosuke fires forearms, then whips, but Evil reverses! TAKESHITA LINE! Konosuke fires up, the fans are with him, and he drags Evil up. But Evil CLAWS Konosuke’s eyes! Evil whips corner to corner, but Konosuke reverses! Konosuke runs in, HELLUVA KICK! Evil sputters, Konosuke waistlocks, O’Conner Roll and NECK CRANK! PLUS ULTRA CHICKEN WING! The fans fire up as Evil endures! The dueling grows, but REN YANKS RED SHOES OUT! Ren was the only one NOT taken away, and he JAMS Konosuke up with the pushup bar!

The fans boo as the House just insists on cheating! But wait! ZSJ is here! ZSJ has Ren’s leg! ZSJ drags Ren away with an ANKLE LOCK! Again, the Souled Out Son of Strong Style is gonna pay for how he cheated ZSJ in the G1! Konosuke rises, as does Evil, and Konosuke says now it is 1v1! The fans duel as the two go forehead to forehead, then forearm for forearm! The shots go back and forth, heavier and heavier, faster and faster! Konosuke ROCKS Evil with boxing elbows! Evil wobbles, but then he kicks Konosuke’s leg! And kicks it again! Evil blocks the Alpha Elbow to ROCK, ROLLING ELBOW, and LARIAT! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up as Konosuke stays in this! Evil snarls, drags Konosuke up and fireman’s carries, but Konosuke slips free! Konosuke scoops and then tucks Evil! BASTARD DRIVER! And then wheelbarrow for the GERMAN SUPLEX! The fans are thunderous after that #WaterWheel, and Konosuke aims from a corner! Evil rises, and DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! The dueling is strong, maybe a 60-40 split in Konosuke’s favor. The standing count begins, but Konosuke rises at 5 of 10. Evil stirs at 7, and both men are up. They go to corners, both men run up, and they DOUBLE LARIAT!

Evil staggers, Konosuke runs up, but Evil ducks! Jump knee hits buckles and Konosuke falls out of the ring! Red Shoes checks on Konosuke but Konosuke already rises back up. Konosuke clutches the knee, but Evil drags him up to the corner. Evil then climbs the corner, and he brings Konosuke to the very top! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Cover, TWO! Konosuke is tougher than that and the fans fire up. Evil grabs the legs, steps through, and he turns Konosuke over! SCORPION DEATHLOCK! Konosuke endures, reaches out, crawls over, ROPEBREAK! Evil lets go in frustration, and the fans rally up even harder.

Evil stalks Konosuke, drags him up, and fireman’s carries! DARKNESS FALLS! Cover, TWO! Konosuke survives and the fans fire up again. The dueling continues, still more Konosuke fans than Evil fans, but Evil vows to end this! Evil drags Konosuke up, spins him around, EVERY- NO, Konosuke slips free to full nelson, then spin Evil around! RAGING- NO, Evil fights the suplex! Evil shoves Konosuke, but Konosuke clinches! EXPLODER! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Konosuke and Evil stir, then Evil storms over to bring Konosuke up. Konosuke clinches, Evil fights it, EVERY- NO, Konosuke fights it!

Konosuke then steals EVERYTHING IS EVIL!! Cover, TWO!! Evil survives his own move and the fans fire up! Konosuke roars, he drags Evil up, and BLUE THUNDER BOMBS!! Cover, TWO!! Evil survives again and the fans are thunderous! Konosuke is beside himself, but he works on his next plan of attack. Konosuke hobbles over to a corner, goes outside then climbs up, but that bad leg slows him down. Konosuke shakes the leg out, reaches the top, and SUPER SENTONS!! Cover, TWO?!?! Evil survives and the fans fire up again! Konosuke drags Evil up, reels him in, and RAGING- NO, Evil fights and wrenches, kicks and turns, EVIL IS EVERYTHING!! Cover, TWO!!!

Konosuke survives the Reverse STO and the fans are thunderous! Evil has the legs as the fans duel, and he steps through for one more SCORPION DEATHLOCK!! Konosuke endures, reaches out, and he powers up! The fans rally but Evil pushes Konosuke down! Konosuke SMACKS the mat, but he defends that wasn’t a tap! The fans duel even harder as Konosuke fights his way over, but Evil puts on even more pressure! Only for Konosuke to lunge and have the ROPEBREAK! The fans are thunderous while Evil lets go! Evil slashes his throat and vows to end this! Evil drags Konosuke up as the fans rally as hard as they can!

EVERY- NO, Konosuke drops out of the clinch! The fans boo but Evil won’t let Konosuke off the hook. Evil stands Konosuke up again, EVERYTHING- NO, Konosuke fires elbows! Evil throws off his elbow pad to ALPHA ELBOW?!? The fans are thunderous and Evil roars! Evil drags Konosuke up clinches, but Konosuke slips around!? DOUBLE GOTRCH PLEX?!? Bridging cover, TWO!?!? The fans are electric because what even was that?!? Konosuke is beside himself, but he aims from the corner! POWER DRIVE KNEE!!! Cover, TWO?!?!? Evil survives and the fans are thunderous again! This is what it is to reach the G1 Climax!

Konosuke hobbles over to a corner, brings down his kneepad, and the fans fire up again! Evil sits up, Konosuke runs in, POWER DRIVE- NO! The other leg won’t let him run! Konosuke drops to the mat, but he pleads with Red Shoes to let this match continue! The fans rally up, Red Shoes is torn between wanting to let this finish and preserving Konosuke’s health. But Evil LOW BLOWS Konosuke behind Red Shoes’ back!!! The fans boo but Evil runs, LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!! Konosuke survives, it will take more than that! But Evil is ready to give more! EVERYTHING IS- NO, Konosuke slips free to backslide!! TWO!!

Konosuke reels Evil in, and with one good leg, he lifts! Evil fights with fists, but Konosuke still hits LAST RIDE!!! And then he flips Evil over, POWER DRIVE- NO! Evil blocks it!! And he swings, but the ALPHA ELBOW hits! Elbow pads come off, but Evil HEADBUTTS! ALPHA ELBOW AGAIN!!! Evil falls over, Konosuke roars, and he drags Evil up! RAGING FIRE!!!! Cover, TAKESHITA WINS!!!!

Winner: Konosuke Takeshita, by pinfall (G1 Climax 35 Champion)

As hard as Evil fought to finally do something the right way, to win on his own power, he just could not last! Instead, the young man who started in DDT Pro, was mentored by Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi, then went to America to be All Elite in the Don Callis Family, has now won the G1!! As Evil departs, Red Shoes raises Konosuke’s hand in victory. The banner and trophy are brought in, presented to Konosuke by both the President of Yamada Infra Technos, Hirofumi Yamada, as well as Matsui Riki and the Ballistik Boyz. Konosuke has his photo ops with these special guests, and the fans applaud.

Banner and trophy are then put aside so that Konosuke may take the mic. He’s emotional at first, but he manages to say, “I knew it… I knew I was right to become a pro-wrestler!” The fans cheer that, and Konosuke takes another moment to compose himself. Konosuke says that being a pro-wrestler, it’s about having a dream, seeking a dream, achieving a dream, and making dreams real. And the wrestlers aren’t the only ones who share those thoughts, it is everyone watching here in the arena, everyone watching at home and around the world. You can become professional wrestlers if you follow those ideals.

But one thing you should know is that if you become a pro-wrestler, you have to know that Konosuke is the best there is! Konosuke says they can make a dream out of him, because he will continue to show us what no one has seen before. NJPW, and the entire wrestling world, you ain’t seen nothing yet! That is the message from The Alpha! With that, the streamers fly and the fans cheer! Konosuke stands tall in the spotlight, holding onto banner and trophy, but there is still one mountain to climb! Will Konosuke truly establish himself as the best in the world when he takes the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for his own?

My Thoughts:

An awesome G1 Climax finale, and we even got some great new developments. Oskar and Yuto, formerly “Young Blood,” they are back from excursion as the Knockout Brothers, I like the new looks for both guys and how they play off each other. Yuto going with that “Ice” nickname, wearing all white, and then Oskar grew his hair out and wears all black, they’re like a yin-yang of personalities with Yuto being the charismatic one, but they clearly make a great combo for wXw and PWH to each make them top tag champs while they were in Europe. They’ll have a great showing against Taichi & Ishii for the IWGP Tag Team Championships, but I don’t think they’d win their first try.

Great 8 Man Tag from Bullet Club and “Unaffiliated” with another great showing for Daiki. Bullet Club of course won with Daiki still officially a Young Lion, but I like that Takagi and the guys aren’t going to let it slide, the former LIJ VS Bullet Club is going to be a good feud. Great 8 Man Tag from TMDK VS House of Torture, but of course the House cheated to win. I love ZSJ being so determined to get after Ren that it even carried into the main event. The House doing everything they could be being thwarted was great, and much like the fans there tonight, I can appreciate when a Heel actually does things himself, even if he does try to cheat on his own. Evil tried that, but to my pleasant surprise, NJPW went with Konosuke Takeshita.

This is a great acknowledgment of legit talent both in the ring and even on the mic, in that Konosuke can talk and not mess up, which is all anyone can really do. Konosuke VS ZSJ for the title, whether they wait for WrestleKingdom 20 or have Konosuke copy ZSJ by going for it early, is going to be awesome, especially with it being a tiebreaker from how ZSJ won in the block but Konosuke won in the playoffs. But I imagine they’ll give it some time since ZSJ wants to have his match with Ren first.

My Score: 9.2/10