Day 15 of the NJPW G1 Climax 35 will be the end of the road for the A Block, where we will find out who secures a top-three spot to advance to this year’s tournament playoffs. The show will be at G Messe Gunma and will start at 3 p.m. JST/2 a.m. ET. Find out who still has a shot at the top three and what needs to happen for them to qualify for the playoffs:
A Block Standings:
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Day 15 Card:
- Main event: A Block – Yuya Uemura vs. David Finlay
- 8th match: A Block – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
- 7th match: A Block – Yota Tsuji vs. Callum Newman
- 6th match: A Block – Ryohei Oiwa vs. Sanada
- 5th match: A Block – Taichi vs. Boltin Oleg
- 4th match: Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero vs. Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- 3rd match: Shota Umino & Katsuya Murashima vs. Great O-Khan& Jakob Austin Young
- 2nd match: YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson
- 1st match: Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai vs. Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori
Uemura and EVIL Advances With A Win
The two men tied at 10 points each have the simplest routes to the playoffs, and they are Yuya Uemura and EVIL. It’s only a matter of who between them will gain the top spot, which gets them a bye to the semifinals.
Uemura will face David Finlay in the main event, and if he wins, he will move on to the playoffs. Finlay, on the other hand, is in a must-win situation. He must take care of business against Uemura, hoping that both Hiroshi Tanahashi and Callum Newman lose their matches, which would allow him to advance to the quarterfinals. It will do well for his psyche that he has a 2-1 advantage over Uemura in their singles match record heading into their big match.
Meanwhile, EVIL will face Tanahashi in the semifinal for the ninth time in their careers. While the King of Darkness needs a win, The Ace would need to beat him, and for Newman, Ryohei Oiwa, and Boltin Oleg to lose to make it to the quarterfinals. The statistics are also in his favor, as he has five wins over EVIL in their previous eight encounters.
Furthermore, whoever loses their last block matches between Uemura and EVIL will settle for second place and have to go through the quarterfinals. If they both win, Uemura will get the semifinals bye as he has the tiebreaker over EVIL. If they both lose, EVIL is in most danger of being eliminated, as either Tanahashi or Finlay might take both second and third places.
Tsuji, Newman, Oiwa, and Oleg All In Must-Win Situations
Yota Tsuji, Callum Newman, Ryohei Oiwa, and Boltin Oleg all must win to keep their playoff chances alive. Tsuji will go up against Newman, and if either of them loses, their playoff hopes go up in smoke.
It will be their first-ever singles match against each other. Tsuji needs a win, a Finlay loss, and for EVIL vs. Tanahashi to end in a draw for him to advance. Newman needs a win, and for Oleg, Oiwa, and Finlay to lose to advance.
Oiwa is pitted against Sanada, who is already eliminated from playoff contention. He needs to beat Sanada, and for both Oleg and Tsuji to lose, for him to advance. It will also be these two men’s first singles match against one another.
Lastly, the NEVER Openweight champion Oleg will battle one-half of the IWGP Tag Team champions, Taichi. Oleg needs to win, and for both Tsuji and Finlay to lose for him to advance.
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