G1 Climax 35 rolled on in its opening weekend in Sapporo with eight matches lined up, featuring all competitors in both blocks. In case you missed it, here’s everything that went down in day two.
G1 Climax 35 Day 2 Results
Main event: A Block – Taichi def. Yuya Uemura
8th match: B Block -. El Phantasmo def. Konosuke Takeshita
7th match: A Block – EVIL def. Yota Tsuji
6th match: B Block – Great O-Khan def. Shingo Takagi
5th match: A Block – David Finlay def. Sanada
4th match: B Block – YOSHI-HASHI def. Ren Narita
3rd match: A Block -. Boltin Oleg def. Ryohei Iowa
2nd match: B Block – Drilla Moloney def. Shota Umino
1st match: A Block – Callum Newman def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
B Block – Zack Sabre Jr. def. Gabe Kidd via forfeit
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Laurence Gibbons
Gabe Kidd Forfeits Match vs. ZSJ
The show opened not with a match, but with IWGP Global Heavyweight champion Gabe Kidd walking to the ring on crutches. He announced the forfeiture of his main event match against IWGP Heavyweight champion Zack Sabre Jr. due to hyperextending his left knee.
Despite the injury, Kidd says he wants to continue his G1 run once he is cleared. This effectively means he has forfeited all of his upcoming matches in the B Block until he is fit to wrestle again.
Kidd remains scoreless so far having lost to Konosuke Takeshita on day one. Meanwhile, ZSJ earns his first two points due to forfeit after also losing to Ren Narita in the tournament opener.
Taichi Victorious In Main Event, EVIL Claim Early Lead in A Block
Lady Luck seems to have been smiling on Taichi these past couple of weeks. After qualifying for the G1 in a gauntlet match brought about by Hirooki Goto’s injury, he found himself in the main event of both days of the tournament’s opening weekend in his hometown, due to Gabe Kidd forfeiting his match against Zack Sabre Jr.
Taichi defeated former Just Five Guys stablemate Yuya Uemura in a hard-fought battle to score his first two points. This brought smiles to his hometown fans that saw him lost to Hiroshi Tanahashi on day one.
As an effect of Taichi’s win, EVIL now leads the A Block with four points. The leader of House of Torture defeated Yota Tsuji in the seventh match to win his first two matches and gain the top spot of his block.
ELP Finally Beats Takeshita, YOSHI-HASHI and Drilla Tied at the Top of B Block
After losing in last year’s G1 and a NEVER Openweight title match and a time limit draw earlier this year, El Phantasmo has finally won over Konosuke Takeshita. Both men delivered a great performance that saw ELP hitting Takeshita with two CR2’s and a piledriver to pick up the win and his first two points in the B Block.
On the other side of their block, both Drilla Moloney and YOSHI-HASHI are tied with four points to gain the early lead. Moloney defeated Shota Umino in a gritty slugfest, while YOSHI-HASHI overcame a pre-match assault to roll up Ren Narita for his second win.
G1 action continues this Tuesday, July 22 in Sendai. From that point on, all shows will feature only one block of competitors. A Block will headline on day three, with Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura in the main event.
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Fred is the Japanese coverage lead for LWOPW, writing NJPW, DDT, and everything puroresu related. He became pro-wrestling fan in 2004 and fell in love with it even more later on in life. He also supports their small indie scene in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
