NJPW G1 Climax 35 A Block Preview

NJPW G1 Climax 35 Overview

G1 Climax 34 Participants Not Returning:

Tetsuya Naito (departed company)
Jeff Cobb (transformed into JC Mateo)
Jake Lee (injury)
HENARE (Injury)
Hirooki Goto (Injury)

Debuting or Returning Participants

Hiroshi Tanahashi (first since 2023)
Taichi (first since 2023)

Format

Round-robin league play
Two blocks
Ten wrestlers per block
Two points per win, one point per draw, zero points per loss/no contest
Three-advance per block
Six-man Playoff Final
- Upper Bracket
  - B2 v. A3 on 8/14
  - Winner of B2/A3 v. A1 on 8/16
- Lower Bracket
  - A2 v. B3 on 8/14
  - Winner of A2/B3 v. B1 on 8/16

G1 Climax 35 Schedule

19 total Nights
16 league play nights
2 full mixed-league nights
14 single block nights, two per block
2 Quarterfinals nights
1 Semi-finals night
1 Final night

G1 Climax 35 Night-by-Night Schedule

Night 1 – Double Block Night – July 19th (Saturday): Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido
- B Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi
- A Block: Callum Newman vs. EVIL
- B Block: Great-O-Khan v. Drilla Moloney
- A Block: Yuya Uemura vs. Oleg Boltin
- B Block: Shota Umino vs. El Phantasmo
- A Block: Ryohei Oiwa vs. David Finlay
- B Block: Gabe Kidd vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- A Block: Yota Tsuji vs. SANADA
- B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
- A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Night 2 – Double Block Night – July 20th (Sunday): Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido
- A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Callum Newman
- B Block: Shota Umino vs. Drilla Moloney
- A Block: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- B Block:YOSHI-HASHI vs. Ren Narita
- A Block: David Finlay vs. SANADA
- B Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan
- A Block: Yota Tsuji vs. EVIL
- B Block: El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- A Block: Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura
- B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd
Night 3 – A Block – July 23rd (Wednesday): Sendai Sun Plaza – Sendai
- Ryohei Oiwa vs. Callum Newman
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Oleg Boltin
- EVIL vs. SANADA
- Taichi vs. David Finlay
- Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji
Night 4 – B Block – July 24th (Thursday): City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka – Nagaoka
- YOSHI-HASHI vs. Drilla Moloney
- El Phantasmo vs. Ren Narita
- Great-O-Khan vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- Shingo Takagi vs. Gabe Kidd
- Shota Umino vs. Zack Sabre Jr
Night 5 – A Block – July 25th (Friday): Ota City General Gymnasium – Ota, Tokyo
- Oleg Boltin vs. SANADA
- Yuya Uemura vs. Callum Newman
- Taichi vs. EVIL
- Yota Tsuji vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. David Finlay
Night 6 – B Block – July 26th (Saturday): Ota City General Gymnasium – Ota, Tokyo
- YOSHI-HASHI vs. Great-O-Khan
- Gabe Kidd vs. Drill Moloney
- El Phantasmo vs. Zack Sabre. Jr
- Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita
- Shingo Takagi vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Night 7 – A Block – July 27th (Sunday): Port Messe Nagoya – Nagoya
- Oleg Boltin vs. Yota Tsuji
- Callum Newman vs. David Finlay
- Taichi vs. SANADA
- Yuya Uemura vs. EVIL
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Ryohei Oiwa
Night 8 – B Block – July 30th (Wednesday): Yamato Arena – Suita, Osaka
- YOSHI-Hashi vs. Gabe Kidd
- El Phantasmo vs. Great-O-Khan
- Drilla Moloney vs. Ren Narita
- Shota Umino vs. Shingo Takagi
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Night 9 – A Block – August 1st (Friday): Sun Messe Kagawa – Takamatsu, Kagawa
- Callum Newman vs. SANADA
- Ryohei Oiwa vs. EVIL
- Oleg Boltin vs. David Finlay
- Taichi vs. Yota Tsuji
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura
Night 10 – B Block – August 2nd (Saturday): Hiroshima Sun Plaza – Hiroshima
- Shota Umino vs. YOSHI-HASHI
- El Phantasmo vs. Shingo Takagi
- Drilla Moloney vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- Gabe Kidd vs. Ren Narita
- Zack Sabre Jr vs. Great-O-Khan
Night 11 – A Block – August 3rd (Sunday): Fukuoka Convention Center – Fukuoka
- Oleg Boltin vs. Callum Newman
- Taichi vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- Yuya Uemura vs. SANADA
- David Finlay vs. EVIL
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yota Tsuji
Night 12 – B Block – August 5th (Tuesday): Intex Osaka – Osaka
- YOSHI-HASHI vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- Great-O-Khan vs. Ren Narita
- El Phantasmo vs. Drilla Moloney
- Shota Umino vs. Gabe Kidd
- Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr
Night 13 – A Block – August 7th (Thursday): Korakuen Hall – Bunkyo, Tokyo
- Taichi vs. Callum Newman
- Oleg Boltin vs. EVIL
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
- Yuya Uemura vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
Night 14 – B Block – August 8th (Friday): Yokohama Budokan – Yokohama
- El Phantasmo vs. YOSHI-HASHI
- Great-O-Khan vs. Gabe Kidd
- Zack Sabre Jr vs Drilla Moloney
- Shingo Takagi vs. Ren Narita
- Shota Umino vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Night 15 – A Block – August 10th (Sunday): G Messe Gunma – Takasaki, Gunma
- Yuya Uemura vs. David Finlay
- Taichi vs. Oleg Boltin
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
- Yota Tsuji vs. Callum Newman
- Ryohei Oiwa vs. SANADA
Night 16 – B Block – August 13th (Wednesday): Act City Hamamatsu – Hamamatsu
- Shota Umino vs. Great-O-Khan
- YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr
- Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ren Narita
- Shingo Takagi vs. Drilla Moloney
- El Phantasmo vs. Gabe Kidd
Night 17 – August 14th (Thursday): Korakuen Hall – Bunkyo, Tokyo
- Quarterfinals
  - Match 1: B Block 2nd Place vs. A Block 3rd Place
  - Match 2: A Block 2nd Place vs. B Block 3rd Place
Night 18 – August 16th (Saturday): Ariake Arena – Koto, Tokyo
- Semifinals
  - A Block 1st Place vs. Winner of B2/A3
  - B Block 1st Place vs. Winner of B2/A3
Night 19 – August 17th (Sunday): Ariake Arena – Koto, Tokyo
- Final

G1 Climax 35 A Block

Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion)
Hiroshi Tanahashi
EVIL
SANADA
Taichi
David Finlay
Yota Tsuji
Yuya Uemura
Callum Newman
Ryohei Oiwa

A Block Final Night Match Line-up

Yuya Uemura vs. David Finlay
Taichi vs. Oleg Boltin
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
Yota Tsuji vs. Callum Newman
Ryohei Oiwa vs. SANADA

A Block G1 Climax Winning Percentages

Entire Block: 225-187-6 (.545)
Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion): 4-5 (.444)
Hiroshi Tanahashi: 92-64-5 (.587)
EVIL: 45-31 (.592)
SANADA 40-36 (.526)
Taichi 16-24 (.400)
David Finlay: 14-8 (.636)
Yota Tsuji: 8-7-1 (.531)
Yuya Uemura 4-5 (.444)
Callum Newman: 2-7 (.222)
Ryohei Oiwa: 0-0

A Block Within-Block Head-to-Head Winning Percentage

Entire Block: 100-100-54
Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion): 3-2-4 (.556)
Hiroshi Tanahashi: 12-10 (.545)
EVIL: 12-13-1 (.481)
SANADA: 18-12 (.600)
Taichi: 7-1 (.389)
David Finlay: 9-6 (.600)
Yota Tsuji: 23-18-23 (.539)
Yuya Uemura: 15-22-22 (.441)
Callum Newman: 1-3 (.250)
Ryohei Oiwa: 0-3-4 (.286)

A Block Within-Block Head-to-Head Winning Percentage (without the Tsuji-Uemura Young Lion Matches)

Entire Block: 75-75-11
Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion): 3-2-4 (.556)
Hiroshi Tanahashi: 12-10 (.545)
EVIL: 12-13-1 (.481)
SANADA: 18-12 (.600)
Taichi: 7-1 (.389)
David Finlay: 9-6 (.600)
Yota Tsuji: 8-8-2 (.500)
Yuya Uemura: 5-7 (.417)
Callum Newman: 1-3 (.250)
Ryohei Oiwa: 0-3-4 (.286)

Preview Format

There are six elements to each participant’s preview this year, and wrestlers are arranged in order of seniority in the tournament, with champions at the very top:

Current Situation
Past Performance in the G1 Climax
Head-to-Head Record Against Block Opponents
Booking Strength and Final Match Situation
- Booking strength is meant to show each wrestler’s average card placement over the totality of the tournament. Card Placement Average generally aligns with a wrestler’s status in the New Japan division hierarchy, and often suggests the strength of their push in the tournament.
- Booking strength is calculated in an embarrassing simple fashion:
  - Take a wrestler’s match number for each night on the card
  - Compute the average of those numbers
  - There is a overall and in-block calculation
    - “Overall” takes the real match number for every night, from 1-10
    - “In Block” only takes into account the one block, from 1-5
      - For instance, on a double block night, the 9th and 10th matches would each be counted as 5, because it is the 5th match of those blocks for the night
  - There are three rankings:
    - Overall Card Placement Average
      - From 1-10
      - Ranks every wrestler (1-20)
    - In-Block Card Placement Average
      - From 1-5
      - Ranks every wrestler (1-20)
    - In Block Block-Exclusive Card Placement Average
      - From 1-5
      - Ranks only within one block (1-10)
Chances of Winning
What-to-Look-For Matches

Here are the Booking Strength Charts:

Overall Card Placement Average

In-Block Card Placement Average

In Block Block-Exclusive Card Placement Average

At the end of the piece is the collection of every head-to-head singles match between the competitors in this block.

G1 Climax 35 A Block Wrestlers

Taichi (IWGP Tag Team Champion)

6th entry, 1st since 2023

Current Situation

Friends, if it wasn’t for Taichi getting into this tournament, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here writing this A block preview right now. Maybe that’s no great loss to you personally, but still. It’s almost impossible for me to overstate how down I was on the initial field of competitors- you can hear me almost literally crash out about it during our review of the quite horrible Dominion on Omakase. I could not fathom why the company was seemingly refusing to put two of its most over wrestlers, Hiromu Takahashi & Taichi, in a G1 field that was so utterly lacking in over wrestlers, especially in the wake of Tetsuya Naito’s departure (who, for whatever you may think of his wrestling in 2025, was undoubtedly still the most over guy by several miles). Well, we still don’t have Hiromu (and that may have a lot to do with the aforementioned Naito leaving), but here he is- the Holy Emperor, fresh off winning the IWGP Tag Team Titles alongside his former “Black Saints” teammate-turned rival-turned teammate again, Tomohiro Ishii, made it into the field after all. And in hindsight, given rumors that Hirooki Goto’s injury may in fact still be a worked excuse for him to take some mysteriously needed time off (maybe he needs to gain some weight for his upcoming movie role? Boy that sure came out of nowhere huh?), it sure looks like the entire Taichi winding road to getting back here may have just been the plan all along.

He talked a big game all year long about wanting to re-enter the G1, couldn’t buy a win for most of the year to start, finally got one only off the backs of the House interfering to take out Gabe Kidd in the New Japan Cup (delivering his long-awaited singles match with ZSJ with Taichi at his lowest point in a cool little story twist- something this promotion has had very few of this year, by the way!), then finally got his groove back thanks to reforming a long-dormant team with Ishii. He & Ishii quickly became possibly the greatest tag team in all of pro wrestling in 2025, putting on an emotional banger with Naito & Hiromu just as Naito was on his way out of the company (and I would bet pretty much any amount of money it was Naito himself who lobbied to put Taichi over on his way out- the only two people he did that for as he exited were Callum Newman, a young wrestler he was clearly infatuated with dating back to last year, and Taichi, who he had a longtime on-and-off rivalry with and is probably tight with behind the scenes), had an awesome 30 minute draw with Jun Akiyama & ZSJ on the latest TAKATaichi Mania show, and then finally won the tag belts from Callum & O-Khan in one of the only bright spots of an otherwise wretched Dominion show. If you can’t find any joy in watching Ishii leap into Taichi’s arms following their big win, I suspect you may in fact be legally dead inside.

Then Taichi ended up losing to Callum in his G1 qualifier, just as most everyone suspected he would, and the good vibes were once again dead. That IWGP tag win now just looked like a nice little pat on the head, a consolation prize for two popular veterans in lieu of putting either one of them in the G1 yet again. But of course then Goto’s “injury” happened, and all four of the men who lost their qualifier match- Taichi, Ishii, Chase Owens & Satoshi Kojima- were given one final chance in a gauntlet match. In front of a packed and raucous Korakuen crowd, Taichi fought off the usual House antics from Chase (after he had previously eliminated Kojima to put a little scare into everyone) thanks largely to help from Ishii himself, and then the two new tag champions went to war for the last remaining G1 spot in one of the best things New Japan’s done all year. At the end of the day, well, it’s Taichi’s profile you’re reading here so you can probably guess who won! And now the Holy Emperor is practically the main character of A block- with all due respect to Hirooki Goto, who had a good world title run (even if it hit a bit of diminishing returns a little quicker than you would have liked), Taichi replacing him here is simply a lot more fun and interesting. It gives the entire block a “Just 5 Guys explodes” theme, as he has former ally SANADA (one of the only possibly interesting G1 matches that very strangely dressed man even has at this point) and current ally Yuya Uemura both waiting for him here. Now saying that makes him the “main character of the block” may be a bit of hyperbole on my part, but damnit, he’s real close at least! Thank god for Taichi- without him, this tournament would simply be way less interesting.

Past Performance: 16-24 (.400)

Prior Years:
- 2023 – 6 points (3-4), 7th (of 8), in B Block (from numerical 5-way tie)
- 2022 – 4 points (2-4), T-4th (of 7) in B Block (unbreakable 3-way tie from numerical 4-way tie)
- 2021 – 6 points (3-6), 9th (of 10) in B Block (from numerical 4-way tie)
- 2020 – 8 points (4-5), T-5th (of 10) in A Block (from numerical 4-way tie)
- 2019 – 8 points (4-5), 8th (of 10) in B Block (from numerical 6-way tie)

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-4th in overall booking strength (8.25)
T-8th in block booking strength (3.375)
- 5th in block-exclusive booking strength (3.375)
Prior Years:
- 2023: T-19th (32)
- 2022 – T-12th (28)
- 2021 – 15th (20)
- 2020 – T-10th (20)
- 2019 – 16th (20)
Card Placement slate: 10-9-9-8-8-9-7-6-? (in-block:5-5-4-3-3-4-2-1-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 3
- Main Events: 1
Final night opponent: Oleg Boltin

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 30%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: Infinity%

He has zero chance of winning the tournament- he’s a 45-year-old career midcarder who the owner of the company apparently doesn’t even like! Would I like to see him win? You did just read those three fawning paragraphs I wrote about him, right?

However, even though I think he has zero chance to win the whole thing, I do think he’s a big dark horse to make it through to the knockout round. Besides the fact that he is simply one of the only wrestlers in the entire promotion with something resembling a coherent and well-told story this year, if you look at his last two matches, he’s set up perfectly to go on a big heroic run at the end- his last two opponents are Callum Newman and Oleg Boltin, who just so happen to be the two wrestlers who knocked him out of the qualifiers in the last two years. I think it’s very easy to foresee him needing two wins at the end, knocking off Callum and Oleg to pay them back for the last couple years (and play into his overall narrative), and meanwhile Tanahashi takes care of EVIL on the last night while Yuya Uemura & David Finlay (who would be two favorites to move on as well obviously) face off in a winner-take-all, sending through only one of the two, and making Taichi (along with Tsuji) one of the three to advance into the playoffs. Is it the MOST likely scenario? No. But I don’t think you have to squint very hard to see how it could happen, either.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Taichi v. Yuya Uemura: Night 2 (Sunday, July 20 – Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido)
- Yes, technically these two have met before, but it comes with the giant asterisk of having taken place all the way back in June 2021, when Yuya was of course still a Young Lion. For all intents and purposes this is the first meeting of two close allies ever, plus it’s the semi-main (and top A block match since it’s a mixed show) in Taichi’s hometown of Sapporo. The crowd will be into it and you gotta bet both guys are going to go all out for this one. This might honestly be my most anticipated match of the entire tournament.
Taichi v. Yota Tsuji: Night 9 (Friday, August 1 – Sun Messe Kagawa – Takamatsu, Kagawa)
- Another “yes technically they’ve wrestled before, but Tsuji was a Young Lion at the time” pick (his matches with both Yuya & Tsuji took place only a week apart, in fact), the only thing that might hold this one back is it’s in one of those anonymous, brightly lit high school gymnasium-looking places that everyone loves so much. But it’s still another semi-main and it’s a chance to see Taichi go up against the former pupil of his departed rival Naito for basically the first time, so I’ve still got this one circled. Honestly though, I kinda can’t wait for all of his matches in this block for one reason or another- that’s how much he’s carrying this G1 for me.

Record in Past Singles Matches Against Block Opponents:7-11 (.389)

Oleg Boltin (0-1)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-1)
EVIL (0-1)
SANADA (1-6)
David Finlay (0-1)
Yota Tsuji (1-0)
Yuya Uemura (1-0)
Callum Newman (0-1)
Ryohei Oiwa (2-0)

Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion)

2nd entry, 2nd consecutive year

Current Situation

After spending a few years toiling around in this weird “technically a Young Lion but really not” state without ever going on a formal excursion, Oleg Boltin finally ditched the plain black trunks for his current baby blues at the start of last year’s G1, becoming formally known as BARS in the process. Though his first tournament saw him put up a losing record, he did get some very notable wins, including over the likes of Konosuke Takeshita- the man he would eventually go on to beat for the NEVER Openweight Title nearly a year later at Dominion. He finds himself in the somewhat strange position of being the only singles champion in his block (with World Champion Zack, Global Champion Gabe, & TV Champion ELP all in A block, and I guess still-STRONG-Champion-for-some-reason Tomohiro Ishii on his annual spelunking expedition for American dollars in Jacksonville), which is quite the change for a guy who seemed like he was married to the NEVER 6-man belts for a while. Boltin’s straight ahead style can feel like a breath of fresh air in current NJPW, and his name has already been bandied about as a possible first opponent for incoming Olympic judoka Aaron Wolf at Wrestle Kingdom next January due to his own legitimate combat sports background. Putting the NEVER on him may just be the beginning of a somewhat overdue elevation…..or it could represent his ceiling for a while. How he does in his second G1 will go a long way toward telling us which.

Past Performance: 4-5 (.444)

Prior Years:
- 2024 – 8 points (4-5), T-7th (of 10) in B Block (unbreakable 3-way tie)

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

18th in overall booking strength (5.875)
18th in block booking strength (overall) (1.750)
- 9th in block-exclusive booking strength (1.750)
Prior Years:
- 2024: 20th (20)
Card Placement slate: 4-3-7-6-6-8-6-7-? (in-block: 2-2-2-1-1-3-1-2-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 0
- Main Events: 0
Final night opponent: Taichi

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 10%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 60%

I don’t quite see Oleg moving on to the knockout stage- he’s booked low on cards, and the NEVER champion never tends to do very well in this tournament. I gave him a tiny chance as a possible dark horse candidate, but it’s hard to see him as a real favorite in this block. It would be a good way to heat him up for Wolf if that’s really going to be the direction, but there’s also plenty of time for that after the G1 anyway (and they could easily just go with a “Aaron Wolf gets a title shot in his first match!” angle by keeping the NEVER belt on Oleg until the Dome instead). I’d be into him moving on or even winning as a totally out of left field thing, because he rules- I just doubt it happens.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Oleg Boltin vs. EVIL : Night 13 (Thursday, August 7 – Korakuen Hall – Bunkyo, Tokyo)
- Some of you are groaning at your screens right now at the idea that I’d pick any EVIL match as a highlight I’m sure, but (Lonely Island voice) hear me out: it’s a first-time-ever singles match, meaning we’ve never gotten to see Boltin go up against the King of Darkness’ particular brand of trickery before, and I just kind of think watching the straight ahead battering ram that is BARS go up against the House’s bullshit could be surprisingly entertaining. Also it’s at Korakuen Hall which is possibly the most consistent building in all of Japan for actually reacting to House matches, so yeah. Of all his first-time-ever matches, I’m circling this one. Sue me.
Oleg Boltin vs Taichi.: Night 15 (Sunday, August 10 – G Messe Gunma – Takasaki, Gunma)
- Oleg’s final block match is against Taichi, who just so happens to be the very same person he beat last year to earn his way into the tournament in the qualifiers (sending Taichi on quite the personal downward spiral at the time). Now a year later it all kind of comes full circle with the two of them meeting in their final block match, which is honestly the kind of moment where you still have to hand it to Gedo- he at least still does cool little things like this even with his midcarders. It doesn’t make up for all of his terrorism booking of late, but it’s something.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 3-2-4 (.556)

Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-0)
EVIL (0-0)
Taichi (1-0)
SANADA (0-0)
David Finlay (0-1)
Yota Tsuji (0-1)
Yuya Uemura (0-0)
Callum Newman (0-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (1-0-4)

Hiroshi Tanahashi

23rd entry, 1st since 2023
- Wins: 2007, 2015, 2018
- Finals: 2004, 2010, 2013
- Semi-Finals: 2007, 2009

Current Situation

Before last year, the last time a G1 Climax happened without Hiroshi Tanahashi as an entrant was in the summer of 2001- or, to put it another way, 9/11 hadn’t even happened yet the last time the Ace wasn’t in a G1. But last year, Tana found himself in the qualifier tournament (which made sense given he hadn’t posted a winning record in 5 straight years by that point) and then quickly eliminated at the hands of his own tag team partner Boltin Oleg in the semi finals. When 2025 rolled around, the big question on many people’s minds wasn’t would Tanahashi be back in the G1, but quite simply, could his body actually stand up to the rigors of this grueling tournament? That question simply remains to be seen- he’s looked quite rough in some of his recent appearances, and now he has to somehow get through an entire G1 on the two quite wobbly things that are allegedly still his knees. Oh, and he’ll be appearing in FIVE main events, by the way! At least they gave him a few notable wins- most recently over Yuya Uemura back at Dominion- to justify his inclusion in this tournament from a kayfabe perspective. But as the Ace of the Universe approaches his eventual retirement on 1/4/26, everyone will be wondering the same thing this summer: was putting him back in the toughest tournament in the world really a good idea? They’re counting on him to draw, as look at all those main events I mentioned, but with crowds already showing signs of tiring of his goodbye tour (his Global title challenge against Gabe Kidd a few weeks ago bombed at the gate, and while some of that is on Gabe cooling off and also the simple fact that it was a show in Naito’s hometown by a promotion that no longer has El Ingobernable, well, Tana didn’t exactly save the show, either), it remains to be seen how successful he’ll be even at that.

Past Performance: 92-64-5 (.587)

Prior Years:
- 2023 – 6 points (3-4), 5th (of 8), in D Block (from numerical 3-way tie)
- 2022 – 6 points (3-3), 6th (of 7) in C Block (from numerical 4-way tie)
- 2021 – 8 points (4-5), 4th (of 10) in B Block
- 2020 – 8 points (4-5), T-6th (of 10) in B Block (unbreakable 3-way tie)
- 2019 – 8 points (4-5), 5th (of 10) in A Block (from 7-way numerical tie)
- 2018 – 15 points (7-1-1), 1st (of 10) in A Block, Won Tournament
- 2017 – 12 points (6-3), 2nd (of 10) in A Block
- 2016 – 11 points (5-3), T-2nd (of 10) in A Block
- 2015 – 14 points (7-2), 1st (of 10) in A Block, Won Tournament
- 2014 – 14 points (7-3), 2nd (of 11) in A Block
- 2013 – 11 points (5-3), 1st (of 10) in A Block, Finals
- 2012 – 10 points (5-3), 2nd (of 9) in A Block
- 2011 – 12 points (6-3), 2nd (of 10) in A Block
- 2010 – 9 points (4-2), 1st (of 8) in A Block, Finals
- 2009 – 7 points (3-2-1), T-1st (of 7) in A Block (2nd by coin toss), semi-finals
- 2008 – 4 points (2-4), 6th (of 7) in A Block, won tournament
- 2007 – 6 points (2-1-2), 2nd (of 6) in B Block, Won Tournament
- 2006 – 4 points (2-2), 3rd (of 5) in A Block
- 2005 – 7 points (3-3-1), 4th (of 8) in B Block
- 2004 – 12 points (6-1), 1st (of 8) in B Block, Finals
- 2003 – 4 points (2-3), T-4th (of 6) in A Block
- 2002 – 4 points (2-3), 4th (of 6th) in A Block

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-4th in overall booking strength (8.25)
3rd in block booking strength (3.875)
- 2nd in block-exclusive booking strength (3.875)
Prior Years:
- 2024 – DNP
- 2023: T-8th (32)
- 2022 – 1st (28)
- 2021 – 6th (20)
- 2020 – T-3rd (20)
- 2019 – 4th (20)
- 2018 – 3rd (20)
- 2017 – T-3rd (20)
- 2016 – 3rd (20)
- 2015 – 1st (20)
- 2014 – 2nd (22)
- 2013 – 1st (20)
- 2012 – 1st (18)
- 2011 – 1st (20)
- 2010 – 1st (16)
Card Placement slate: 10-1-7-10-10-10-10-8-? (in-block: 5-1-2-5-5-5-5-3-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 0
- Main Events: 5
Final night opponent: EVIL

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 5%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 0%

I’m a little surprised by just how many people seem to believe Tanahashi is going to either advance to the playoffs or even win the tournament outright- again, this man can barely walk on a lot of nights. I just can’t see them giving him 1-3 more main event level matches at this stage. I won’t totally discount the possibility of him advancing and losing in the quarters or semis, but even then I just think it’s extremely unlikely. His final night opponent being EVIL to me screams that he’s gonna be out already and with a chance to spoil the King of Darkness and keep him out of the playoffs, and he’ll either succeed and beat him again or EVIL will pay him back for the loss at the Dome by beating him and advancing. Probably the former, though, as the latter feels like way too much of a downer to end his G1 career on even for THIS company these days.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Hiroshi Tanahashi v. David Finlay: Night 5 (Friday, July 25 – Ota City General Gymnasium – Ota, Tokyo)
- It honestly seems impossible to believe that Tana and Finlay have never had a singles match before- Finlay has been with New Japan since 2015!- but somehow, it’s apparently true. I guess they were both in Hontai for so long together, and by the time Finlay was finally turning on Jay White and taking over BULLET CLUB Tana had already been extremely downcycled. But still, not one meeting in a G1 or a New Japan Cup or something?? Wild. Well, their first ever meeting will happen as the main event of an Ota Ward Gym show in Tokyo, and we’ll find out if even Finlay can get something great out of Tana at this point.
Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Ryohei Oiwa: Night 7 (Sunday, July 27 – Port Messe Nagoya – Nagoya)
- A far more easy to understand first time singles match happens in Nagoya a couple nights later, as Tana takes on the young Ryohei Oiwa. Oiwa has very similar vibes to Tanahashi in a lot of ways (I mean even their hair looks a little similar right?), so it’ll be interesting to see these two face off for the first time. Does Oiwa get to beat the Ace on his very first try?

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 12-10 (.545)

Oleg Boltin (0-1)
EVIL (5-3)
SANADA (3-4)
Taichi (1-2)
David Finlay (0-0)
Yota Tsuji (1-0)
Yuya Uemura (2-0)
Callum Newman (0-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

EVIL

10th entry, 10th consecutive year
- Semi-Finals: 2023

Current Situation

Everyone’s favorite top heel and faction leader has had a pretty eventful 2025. It started with a major loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi back at Wrestle Kingdom, in a match where Tanahashi would have had to retire a year early had he lost. Following this defeat EVIL largely vanished for well over a month (one previously scheduled appearance on a STRONG show notwithstanding) before suddenly re-emerging at New Beginning in Osaka after a Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd Global title match. He briefly teased a possible face turn when he seemed to not be on the same page as the rest of the House at first, but alas GOOD was not in the cards (at least not this time!) as this was quickly revealed to be a ruse. He also debuted his absolutely amazing “HA-HA-HA!” laugh here that has only put him into another stratosphere as a complete cartoon character- in the best way.

Most of the rest of EVIL’s half-year was based around the House vs. BC War Dogs feud, though he also did challenge Tsuji for his white belt unsuccessfully back at Sakura Genesis. What seems to have annoyed people the most about him and the House of Torture in general lately is that the House lost a major match against the War Dogs back at Wrestling Dontaku- a match that saw them finally be formally ejected from the larger BULLET CLUB after years of existing in this weird “well, technically they’re in the BC but they don’t actually team with anyone else in it” almost liminal space- only to immediately bounce back at Dominion, adding three new members while EVIL himself sent War Dogs leader David Finlay off on a stretcher. People really, really seem to want this House stuff to reach a final conclusion, which I guess is understandable as it’s been like four years. EVIL would probably just reply to that with, you guessed it, HA-HA-HA!

Past Performance:

Prior Years: 49-31 (.592)
- 2024 – 10 points (5-4), 4th (of 10) in A Block
- 2023 – 10 points (5-2), 2nd (of 8) in C Block, Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals
- 2022 – 6 points (3-3), 3rd (of 7) in C Block (from 4-way numerical tie)
- 2021 – 14 points (7-2), 3rd (of 10) in B Block
- 2020 – 12 points (6-3), 2nd (of 10) in B Block
- 2019 – 8 points (4-5), 6th (of 10) in A Block (from 7-way numerical tie)
- 2018 – 10 points (5-4), 5th (of 10) in A Block
- 2017 – 12 points (6-3), 3rd (of 10) in B Block
- 2016 – 8 points (4-5), 7th (of 10) in B Block

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-12th in overall booking strength (7.125)
T-12th in block booking strength (2.875)
- T-6th in block-exclusive booking strength (2.875)
Prior Years:
- 2024 – T-4th (20)
- 2023 – T-11th (32)
- 2022 – T-18th (28)
- 2021 – 12th (20)
- 2020 – 2nd (20)
- 2019 – 10th (20)
- 2018 – 8th (20)
- 2017 – T8th (20)
- 2016 – 11th (20)
Card Placement slate: 2-7-8-8-9-7-9-? (in-block: 1-4-3-3-4-2-4-2-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 2
- Main Events: 0
Final night opponent: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 15%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0.000000001%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 0%

I don’t think it’s impossible by any stretch for EVIL to advance out of his block (although as you can see above it might be worth noting that his card placement is actually quite low- only three semi-mains and not a single main event), especially if you’re assuming they’re going to give him his win back over Hiroshi Tanahashi on the final night. But with this being Tanahashi’s final G1 ever, would they really send him out on a feel-bad loss to the King of Darkness that advances EVIL out of his block (or do a totally meaningless match with EVIL having already advanced)? I guess after the giant middle finger that was Dominion you can’t totally rule it out or anything, but I think the scenario where Tana gets one last G1 win in his last block match and eliminates his hated foe in the process is far more likely. You just never know with Gedo these days, though, so I’ll even give EVIL a tiny fraction of a percent of a chance of winning the whole tournament just in case they feel like doing complete terrorism booking again.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

EVIL v. Yota Tsuji: Night 2 (Sunday, July 20 – Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido)
- I quite enjoyed both of the EVIL/Tsuji matches from earlier this year (EVIL’s hilariously tainted five-minute win in the New Japan Cup at Korakuen followed by a quite amusing match for the Global Title at Sakura Genesis), so I’m choosing to highlight the rubber match between the two of them from Sapporo. Even if nobody else on earth is looking forward to it, well, I am, so there!
EVIL v. SANADA: Night 3 (Wednesday, July 23 – Sendai Sun Plaza, Sendai, Miyagi)
- A House vs. House singles match has actually never happened in the G1 (or the NJC) before, because the House has barely ever had the numbers for it- remember, for most of their early life they were quite tiny, with the only two heavyweights being EVIL & Yujiro. They added Narita at the very end of 2023 and now added SANADA earlier this year, which finally gives us two House members in the same G1 block. So what does a House vs. House match even look like, anyway? Is it going to be like the bad old days of those early BC vs. BC matches where both guys tried to convince each other they’ll lay down for them like two carnies, inevitably making one or both look like they might have brain damage or something to be this stupid? Add in all the history between these two former tag partners, and the weirdness behind SANADA joining a group with his former partner/rival in it without ever really talking about that particular elephant in the room, and it’s definitely one of EVIL’s most intriguing matches of the tournament. Did EVIL let his own eventual replacement for leader into his House? Kind of a wild theory, but hey, maybe we’ll get a hint of that here. Who knows.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 12-13-1 (.481)

Oleg Boltin (0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (3-5)
SANADA (5-4)
Taichi (1-0)
David Finlay (1-2)
Yota Tsuji (1-2-1)
Yuya Uemura (0-0)
Callum Newman (1-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

SANADA

10th entry, 10th consecutive year
- Finals: 2020

Current Situation

Oh boy. What is there to say about current SANADA? His fashion sense is amazing obviously. The fact that he just kept turning on every single unit in the company until he finally ended up at the very end of the proverbial alignment chart in the House is a pretty funny bit. But man are his matches tough to watch these days for the most part. He’s never been the same since that rumored injury that he seemingly refused to ever take any time off to take care of, and it’s not like he was the greatest or most consistent in-ring worker in the world before that anyway. The fact that this guy was, only two fucking years ago, basically the new ace of the company seems like a transmission from an alternate dimension at this point. Like imagine trying to explain any of this to someone who just started watching New Japan in the last few months. SANADA beat Kazuchika Okada clean in the middle for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at Sumo Hall? He went 7-0 in the G1 that year? He held the title nearly all of 2023 before dropping it in the freaking Wrestle Kingdom main?! The clown shoes guy who breaks guitars over people’s head like he’s El Hijo de Jeff Jarrett did all that?? Well, yes. That all actually happened. And now he’s…..this. Great job guys, 2023 wasn’t a huge waste of everyone’s time in hindsight or anything!

Past Performance: 40-36 (.526)

Prior Years:
- 2024 – 8 points (4-5), 7th (of 10) in A Block
- 2023 – 14 points (7-0), 1st (of 8) in A Block, Quarterfinals
- 2022 – 6 points (3-3), 3rd (of 7) in B Block
- 2021 – 8 points (4-5), 5th (of 10) in B Block
- 2020 – 12 points (6-3), 1st (of 10) in B Block (from 3-way numerical tie)
- 2019 – 8 points (4-5), 8th (of 10) in A Block (from 7-way numerical tie)
- 2018 – 8 points (4-5), 6th (of 10) in B Block
- 2017 – 8 points (4-5), 6th (of 10) in B Block (from 5-way numerical tie)
- 2016 – 8 points (4-5), 8th (of 10) in B Block (from 4-way numerical tie)

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-12th in overall booking strength (7.125)
14th in block booking strength (2.625)
- 8th in block-exclusive booking strength (2.625)
Prior Years:
- 2024 – T-8th (20)
- 2023: T-1 (32)
- 2022 – 15th (28)
- 2021 – 8th (20)
- 2020 – T-10th (20)
- 2019 – T-11th (20)
- 2018 – 9th (20)
- 2017 – T-11th (20)
- 2016 – 15th (20)

Card Placement slate: 8-5-8-6-8-6-8-8-? (in-block: 4-3-3-1-3-1-3-3)
- Semi-Main Events: 0
- Main Events: 0
Final night opponent: Ryohei Oiwa

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 0%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 0%

At least they seem to know SANADA sucks now, I guess. I mean look at that booking strength- he gets one single block semi-main (and it’s on one of the dual block shows so it’s not even a real semi-main) and is locked firmly into the first or third block match on every other night. This is not a guy who’s being set up to advance in the tournament. This is a guy who’s about to go 4-5 again, or maybe even 3-6, and probably put over youngster Ryohei Oiwa in a meaningless match on the last night because both men have long since been eliminated. And that’s really all he should be, if he should even still be in this tournament at all (note: he should not).

What-to-Look-for Matches:

SANADA v. David Finlay: Night 2 (Sunday, July 20 – Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido)
- Finlay finally gets his hands on the guy who was in his War Dogs unit for all of five minutes before immediately betraying them. When I think of these two I think of this amazing moment where SANADA kind of ambled down to ringside during the New Japan Cup tour (before he actually turned on BC War Dogs) and basically did nothing as they were fighting the House, with other members looking at Finlay like “what is this guy’s problem?” and Finlay just shrugging like he had no idea. Shrugging at SANADA because you have no idea what could possibly be going through his mind is basically the entire SANADA experience now. Also hey, they’re 1-1 and I quite enjoyed both their previous matches (the 2023 NJC final and then the 2024 Global title match) so maybe we can get a rare good SANADA match in 2025, who knows?
SANADA v. Taichi: Night 7 (Sunday, July 27 – Port Messe Nagoya – Nagoya)
- Again, everything involving 2025 SANADA is definitely grading on a curve these days, but I quite enjoyed their bizarre exchange of low blows and fake low blows earlier in the year. So let’s highlight Taichi’s chance to finally get some payback on his former “brother” in Nagoya, why not.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 18-12 (.600)

Oleg Boltin (0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (4-3)
EVIL (4-5)
Taichi (6-1)
David Finlay (1-1)
Yota Tsuji (2-0)
Yuya Uemura (0-2)
Callum Newman (1-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

David Finlay

4th entry, 4th consecutive year
- Semi-Finals: 2024

Current Situation

David Finlay has had a weird up-and-down year that’s also seen him miss a bunch of time- he feels like a particularly hard person to get a read on this year as a result. He dropped his precious IWGP Global belt to Yota Tsuji at the very start of the year (in the best match of Wrestle Kingdom by far), then vanished from the scene entirely for the better part of two months (which lead to the rather weird scene of EVIL basically telling Gabe and the rest of the War Dogs who were actually there that they should go tell Finlay they’re all “out of BULLET CLUB”- not quite how it turned out, of course). When he did finally show back up he immediately won the New Japan Cup, rocketing right back up to the top of the cards in the process…..but then lost his IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at Sakura Genesis, falling to Hirooki Goto in a match many had expected him to win. And then as we already discussed in EVIL’s entry, he went through the strangely yo-yo period of the War Dogs seemingly winning the big blow-off match against the House (finally removing them from the BC in the process)….only for him to get completely destroyed and stretchered out by EVIL at Dominion. So like, what is going on with him here? Is he now a valiant babyface coming for revenge on EVIL? Is he going to rocket right back up to the top of the cards again? He feels a bit overshadowed in his own unit now that Gabe Kidd has his old white belt, so could that lead to a moment where Finlay shocks us and turns on Gabe to re-establish himself as a heel? It really feels like this could all be going any number of different directions for Finlay right now, which makes him a particularly difficult wrestler to forecast in this year’s G1. But one thing I’m not questioning is his penchant for putting on excellent matches in recent years- from a workrate perspective, I fully expect him to be one of the best in the entire tournament, because that’s simply the level he’s been operating at.

Past Performance

Prior Years: 14-8 (.636)
- 2024 – 12 points (6-3), 1st (of 10) in A Block, Semifinals
- 2023 – 10 points (5-2), 1st (of 8) in C Block, Quarterfinals
- 2022 – 6 points (3-3), 6th (of 7) in D Block (from a numerical 5-way tie)

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-7th in overall booking strength (8.000)
6th in block booking strength (3.625)
- 4th in block-exclusive booking strength (3.625)
Prior Years:
- 2024: T-4th (20)
- 2023: T-15th (32)
- 2022 – T-15th (28)

Card Placement slate: 6-5-9-10-7-8-9-10-? (in-block: 3-3-4-5-2-3-4-5-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 2
- Main Events: 2
Final night opponent: Yuya Uemura

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 20%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 1%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 5%

As I talked about above, Finlay is an odd one to handicap. On paper, he would have to be considered a favorite to advance in this tournament, as he’s a faction leader and he’s made it out of the block stage two years running. His chances of winning the G1 overall would seem to be quite low, though, if only because they’ve never had a double New Japan Cup/G1 winner in the same year before. I won’t quite give him a zero because I guess there’s a first time for everything, but it seems very unlikely. His final block night match being Yuya Uemura also suggests to me he’s a bigger underdog to make it to the playoffs than you’d first think- that match seems very likely to be a “winner gets in” match, and I would favor Yuya there. And while I like his ring work a lot, I can’t say I have a particularly strong desire for him to win either, as he feels a little lost in the shuffle at the moment. Hopefully he does a truly vicious turn on Gabe on the last night or something to really feel like he has some momentum again.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

David Finlay v. Callum Newman: Night 7 (Sunday, July 27 – Port Messe Nagoya – Nagoya)
- These two men have only met once, during the run up to the BC War Dogs vs. United Empire match back in February 2024- when Will Ospreay was also still in the company. Now, of course, Ospreay is long gone- at Finlay’s hands, which adds another cool little element to this match in my opinion. It’s like Finlay facing down the last remaining piece of his archenemy- the sole surviving child of Ospreay-ism, so to speak. And given how much better Callum has looked heading into this year’s G1 than he did last year, they could very well have an excellent match together too.
David Finlay v. Yota Tsuji: Night 13 (Thursday, August 7 – Korakuen Hall – Bunkyo, Tokyo)
- As I noted above, I thought Finlay vs. Tsuji from Wrestle Kingdom was the clear match of the night, and is in my top 10 for matches of the year so far, so I’m obviously hyped up for this rematch. Once you remember it’s going to be in front of a sold out Korakuen Hall (the tickets sold so fast for the two G1 Korakuens that NJPW actually already opened up the balconies, so it will probably end up being their two biggest Korakuen crowds of the year in fact), in the main event of that show, it just shoots up the most anticipated match list even more. It wouldn’t shock me if this ends up being the best block match of the entire tournament, given the setting and the two wrestlers involved.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 9-6 (.600)

Oleg Boltin (1-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-0)
EVIL (2-1)
SANADA (1-1)
Taichi (1-0)
Yota Tsuji (1-3)
Yuya Uemura (2-1)
Callum Newman (1-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

Yota Tsuji

3rd entry, 3rd consecutive year
- Finals: 2024

Current Situation

Yota Tsuji spent most of the first half of this year as IWGP Global champion, and as such just feels like he’s above most of the rest of the young guys at the moment. Shota Umino did get the Wrestle Kingdom main event as well as a New Japan Cup final, but all of his big moments so far have been losses. Tsuji is the only younger guy (and let’s be real, he’s not even THAT young anymore- the dude is 31 and is gonna turn 32 only weeks after this tournament is over) who feels like he’s had any real accomplishments to speak of, and enters this tournament feeling like a real favorite as a result. He’s won the New Japan Cup already (though it was last year so he’s not staring down the “no NJC/G1 same year winners” curse like Finlay is this year), made it to the G1 finals for the first time last year before losing to Zack, and now took another step with the Global title this year (and, maybe just as importantly, they made sure to get that belt off him before the start of the tournament too). He’s also still teaming with all his ex-LIJ teammates after the end of that unit a couple months ago as they weirdly try to make “Unaffiliated” into a thing, which hasn’t really worked for me at all. But hey, nothing is perfect these days, especially in this company.

Past Performance

Prior Years: 8-7-1 (.531)
- 2024: 10 points (5-4), 3rd (of 10) in B Block, Finals
- 2023 -7 points (3-3-1), 3rd (of 8) in A Block

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

2nd in overall booking strength (8.625)
2nd in block booking strength (4.000)
- 1st in block-exclusive booking strength (4.000)
Prior Years:
- 2024: 3rd (20)
- 2023: 7th (32)

Card Placement slate: 8-7-10-9-6-9-10-10-? (in-block: 4-4-5-4-1-4-5-5-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 2
- Main Events: 3
Final night opponent: Callum Newman

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 99%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 50%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 60%

Yota Tsuji advancing to the playoffs feels about as close to a mortal lock as you can get in this tournament. I mean, with three people advancing, why wouldn’t he be one of them? Even if he isn’t ultimately going to win it at all, it just makes no sense to have him take that big of a step back. With his last night opponent being Callum Newman it wouldn’t even shock me if we’re looking at a scenario where Tsuji already punched his ticket before the end and is just fighting for seeding (or maybe even nothing- maybe he already wraps up the top seed heading into the final night, who knows). He’s one of the two most likely people to win this entire tournament in my opinion, with the other being Konosuke Takeshita over in B block, and I’d have absolutely zero complaints if he does.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Yota Tsuji v. Yuya Uemura: Night 3 (Wednesday, July 23 – Sendai Sun Plaza, Sendai, Miyagi)
- This is of course THE generational rivalry now, and after a match at Wrestling Dontaku for the Global title that was a bit divisive (I happened to like it quite a bit but it seems like it left many others feeling cold), it will be interesting to see what they produce in the main event of an early G1 show in Sendai. One would think Yuya will get his win back from Dontaku, but I kind of wouldn’t mind seeing Tsuji just beat him again and firmly establish himself at a level above his peer, at least for now.
Yota Tsuji v. Ryohei Oiwa: Night 5 (Friday, July 25 – Ota City General Gymnasium – Ota, Tokyo)
- Tsuji comes face to face with a young heavyweight in the generation just below him for the first time ever in a highly anticipated match, that they’re placing in a big spot as well (semi-main in Ota Ward Gym). Hopefully these two have some chemistry, because it’s a match we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of in the next decade-plus.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 23-18-23 (.539)

Oleg Boltin (1-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-1)
EVIL (2-1-1)
SANADA (0-2)
Taichi (0-1)
David Finlay (3-1)
Yuya Uemura (17-12-22)
Callum Newman (0-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

Yuya Uemura

2nd entry, 2nd consecutive year

Current Situation

Yuya Uemura enters the G1 with very little momentum, coming off back-to-back losses to Yota Tsuji for the Global title at Wrestling Dontaku and to Hiroshi Tanahashi (in a pretty crappy match, to boot) on that cursed Dominion show. Yuya, much like Shota Umino, is still a young guy looking for any kind of breakout moment. His two wins over SANADA in the New Japan Cup and at Sakura Genesis were probably supposed to feel a lot bigger than they actually did in practice (I mean, he DID beat a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion twice in a row, but he also beat a man in big red clown shoes…) and the only other wrestler he’s beaten in a singles match this year is YOSH-HASHI. He got knocked out of the quarterfinals in the NJC by David Finlay, was out injured before that, and his only career title win was holding a belt that no longer exists for all of 43 days (with no successful defenses!). Simply put, this guy needs something right now. He’s not the only young guy who feels that way entering this tournament, of course, which says a lot about New Japan’s booking at the moment. And just like Tsuji, he’s not even THAT young anymore either- neither of them qualified for VOW’s 30 Under 30 this year, after all. A middling run where Yuya comes up short, or even worse gets hurt again, would feel pretty disastrous to him at this stage. It’s time for this guy to break out.

Past Performance: 4-5 (.444)

Prior Years:
- 2024 – 8 points (4-5), T-7th (of 10) in B Block (unbreakable 3-way tie)

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-4th in overall booking strength (8.250)
4th in block booking strength (3.750)
- 3rd in block-exclusive booking strength (3.750)
Prior Years:
- 2024: T-12th (20)

Card Placement slate: 4-9-10-7-9-10-8-9-? (in-block: 2-5-5-2-4-5-3-4-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 3
- Main Events: 2
Final night opponent: David Finlay

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 40%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 1%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 75%

So I guess I kind of set up how I’m leaning already, but I do think they’re gonna give Yuya something in this tournament- they’re gonna put him through to the playoffs at least. I’ve seen theories out there (I know Joel from the Super-J-Cast for sure has spread this one) that Yuya was actually supposed to be the one to make the G1 final last year instead of Tsuji before he got hurt in their match toward the end, and it kind of makes sense when you think about it- it would have felt like a huge step forward for him (exactly the kind of step he’s currently lacking), while Tsuji still would have had the 2024 NJC win to his name and didn’t need it as much. Do they make up for it by having Yuya go deep this year? I think it’s very likely they do- especially when you remember that his final night opponent, David Finlay, already has a win over him from the NJC quarterfinals earlier this year. I think Yuya will likely beat Finlay to get his win back in a win-and-you’re-in scenario, advancing to the playoffs. Will he make the final? It’s very possible. But I don’t see him winning the tournament, even though I’d love to see New Japan make a bold decision like that and see if this guy can run with the ball.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Yuya Uemura v. Taichi: Night 2 (Sunday, July 20 – Hokkai Kitayell – Sapporo, Hokkaido)
- Yuya has a number of exciting and fresh matches in A block, but this match with his own mentor/fellow former Just 4/5 Guy Taichi is easily the one I’m most looking forward to. This may as well be a first time ever singles match since their last meeting was when Yuya was still a Young Lion, and when you add to it that it’s taking place in Taichi’s hometown of Sapporo I’m fully expecting something special here.
Yuya Uemura v. EVIL: Night 7 (Sunday, July 27 – Port Messe Nagoya – Nagoya)
- It’s hard to fathom that we haven’t seen this match yet, as the clean-cut Yuya seems like he’d be a perfect foil for the King of Darkness. Well, we’ll get to test that theory at last when they face off in the semi-main in Nagoya.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 16-21-22 (.441)

Oleg Boltin (0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-2)
EVIL (0-0)
SANADA (2-0)
Taichi (0-1)
David Finlay (1-2)
Yota Tsuji (12-17-22)
Callum Newman (0-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

Callum Newman

2nd entry, 2nd consecutive year

Current Situation

Callum had an incredibly weak run in the G1 Climax last year, to the point where it seemed to actively annoy some folks that other people kept pointing it out (Will Ospreay in particular had a pretty defensive tweet basically being like “hey lay off my boy bruv, he’s still just a boy bruv, something something bruv!”). The G1 is not supposed to be a developmental tournament but a place for people who are already at the top of their game (certain guys who have been in there as a night off over the years excepted), and Callum simply wasn’t up to that standard. The good news is he’s looked much, much better in 2025 since coming back from injury, putting together some great performances while winning & losing the IWGP Tag Team Titles and then really knocking it out of the park when thrust into that last minute World title challenge against Hirooki Goto at Wrestling Dontaku. Whatever you thought of his tournament last year, Callum seems poised to have a redemption tour this time around- and probably won’t look so nervous the entire time now that he’s already done it, either.

Past Performance: 2-7 (.222)

Prior Years:
- 2024 – 4 points (2-7), 10th (of 10) in A Block

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-19th in overall booking strength (5.125)
19th in block booking strength (1.250)
- 10th in block-exclusive booking strength (1.250)
Prior Years:
- 2024: 19th (20)

Card Placement slate: 2-1-6-7-7-6-6-6-? (in-block:1-1-1-2-2-1-1-1-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 0
- Main Events: 0
Final night opponent: Yota Tsuji

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 1%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 10%

I’m not going to totally write Callum off here, if only because maybe we end up with a scenario as I mentioned above where Tsuji is so dominant he already punched his ticket before the final match, setting up Callum to beat him on the last night and get in without knocking Tsuji out. That seems extremely unlikely to me, but hey, stranger things have happened I guess. More likely though (especially when you look at his super weak card placements) Callum is going 4-5 or something, which would still be a big improvement on his kayfabe performance last year. And hey, you know, I wouldn’t even totally hate it if Gedo went insane and just had him win the thing completely out of nowhere (in part because it would take some major balls which is not something the booking has had in a while), which says a lot about how far Callum has come for me personally in 2025.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Callum Newman v. Ryohei Oiwa: Night 3 (Wednesday, July 23 – Sendai Sun Plaza, Sendai, Miyagi)
- Callum has the block opener on a lot of nights as you can see above, so he’ll be responsible for hopefully setting a good tone for the rest of the show. This first-time-ever match against what’s basically a generational peer in Ryohei Oiwa in Sendai might suffer a little from a lack of time as a result, but hopefully they can put together a real banger of a 12-minute match or something.
Callum Newman v. Yota Tsuji: Night 15 (Sunday, August 10 – G Messe Gunma – Takasaki, Gunma)
- I don’t really tend to highlight final block night matches in these things very often because they’re already kind of highlighted by definition, but this match feels particularly big to me. It’s a first-time-ever match between two guys who both have a lot of speed and impactful moves in their arsenal, so I could easily see them having good chemistry together. It’s also another pairing that we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of going forward, so hopefully for New Japan’s sake I’m right!

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 1-3 (.250)

Oleg Boltin (0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-0)
EVIL (0-1)
SANADA (0-1)
Taichi (1-0)
David Finlay (0-1)
Yota Tsuji (0-0)
Yuya Uemura (0-0)
Ryohei Oiwa (0-0)

Ryohei Oiwa

Debut entry

Current Situation

Man, what a weird and disappointing return from excursion it’s been for Ryohei Oiwa. This is a guy who looked like a potential future ace throughout his NOAH run (which was already one of the most unique excursions ever of course!), putting on banger after banger in the green ring. And what has he done since returning to NJPW and joining TMDK last fall? Well, mostly he’s challenged unsuccessfully for every single midcard Shin Nihon belt in existence (lost to Shingo at KOPW for the NEVER, lost to Gabe Kidd for the STRONG title in December, didn’t win the TV title in the four-way at Wrestle Kingdom, and then lost to Konosuke Takeshita for the NEVER a second time at Sakura Genesis)- and I wouldn’t say he’s looked anywhere near as impressive as he generally did throughout his NOAH run, either. Maybe it’s as simple as lacking confidence, because he’s gotten nothing even resembling a push so far. I mean, here’s the grand total of people he’s beaten in singles matches since returning to New Japan: an already-on-his-way-out-of-the-company KENTA (on a US show in Lowell that looked to have had an attendance of six people to boot), YOSHI-HASHI, Chase Owens and Satoshi Kojima. Wow, a real murderer’s row of current NJPW names there! Shocking that they didn’t put him over Tomoaki Honma too, that would have REALLY put him over the top! Hey, can we maybe do ANYTHING with this guy at some point? Perhaps? No? Okay.

Booking Strength and Final Match Situation

T-12th in overall booking strength (7.125)
T-12th in block booking strength (2.875)
- T-6th in block-exclusive booking strength (2.875)
Card Placement slate: 6-3-6-9-10-7-7-9-? (in-block:3-2-1-4-5-2-2-4-?)
- Semi-Main Events: 2
- Main Events: 1
Final night opponent: SANADA

Odds

Chances to advance from block: 0%
Chances to win G1 Climax 34: 0%
My Own Personal Desire to See Him Advance or Win: 90%

I would fucking love to see the Oiwa I watched tear it up in NOAH walk through that door, kick ass in the G1, and win this whole goddamn tournament. I think the likelihood of that happening is somewhere between zilch and nada. His final night opponent being Jeff Jarrett Jr. kinda gives away to me that he’s very unlikely to advance.

What-to-Look-for Matches:

Ryohei Oiwa v. Yota Tsuji: Night 5 (Friday, July 25 – Ota City General Gymnasium – Ota, Tokyo)
Ryohei Oiwa v. Yuya Uemura: Night 13 (Thursday, August 7 – Korakuen Hall – Bunkyo, Tokyo)
- It’s not hard to choose which matches to highlight for Oiwa at all- he’s got first time ever matches lined up with a whole bunch of people, but none of them are bigger than his two rivals from the generation just above him. And New Japan knows it too, because look where they scheduled these for: Ota Ward Gym and Korakuen Hall (both in semi-mains as well, Oiwa’s only two of the tournament in fact). The big questions here of course are: does Oiwa manage to have great matches with either or both of these guys, and does he get to beat either of them? Either one would be his biggest win of his NJPW career to date, of course, with apologies to that lineup of heavy hitters I laid out earlier.

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: (0-3-4, .000 Winning Percentage)

Oleg Boltin (0-1-4)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-0)
EVIL (0-0)
SANADA (0-0)
Taichi (2-0)
David Finlay (0-0)
Yota Tsuji (0-0)
Yuya Uemura (0-0)
Callum Newman (0-0)

Head-to-Head Histories

Taichi

6th entry, 1^st since 2023

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 7-11 (.389)

Record in Past Singles Matches Against Block Opponents:

Oleg Boltin (0-1)
- New Japan Soul Night 7: G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Final Round: Oleg Boltin d. Taichi (16:27) – Tokyo, Japan (July 5, 2024)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-1)
- New Japan Cup 2018 Night 2: First Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Taichi (23:53) – Nagoya, Japan (March 10, 2018
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 3: First Round: Taichi d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (21:51) – Tokyo, Japan (June 22, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 18: Taichi d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (14:58) – Tokyo, Japan (October 20, 2021)
EVIL (0-1)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 6: EVIL d. Taichi (11:30) – Tokyo, Japan (September 29, 2021)
SANADA (1-6)
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 7: Quarter Final: SANADA d. Taichi (22:50) – Tokyo, Japan (July 2, 2020)
- Summer Struggle in Osaka Night 2: SANADA d. Taichi (23:20) – Osaka, Japan (July 23, 2021)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 4: Taichi d. SANADA (25:15) – Tokyo, Japan (September 24, 2021)
- G1 Climax 32 Night 5: SANADA d. Taichi (16:01) – Tokyo, Japan (July 24, 2022)
- Battle Autumn 2022 Night 3: NJPW World Television Title Tournament First Round: SANADA d. Taichi (14:57) – Nagaoka, Japan (October 16, 2022)
- New Japan Cup 2023 Night 1: First Round: SANADA d. Taichi (24:27) – Tokyo, Japan (March 3, 2023)
- New Beginning in Osaka 2025: SANADA d. Taichi (8:35) – Osaka, Japan (February 22, 2025)
David Finlay (0-1)
- Power Struggle/Super Junior Tag League 2024 Final: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: David Finlay (c) d. Taichi (23:22) – Osaka, Japan (November 4, 2024)
Yota Tsuji (1-0)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 2: Taichi d. Yota Tsuji (14:14) – Tokyo, Japan (June 15, 2021)
Yuya Uemura (1-0)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 6: Taichi d. Yuya Uemura (10:12) – Tokyo, Japan (June 22, 2021)
Callum Newman (0-1)
- New Japan Soul Night 5: G1 Climax 35 Block A Play-In: Callum Newman d. Taichi (23:32) – Tokyo, Japan (June 23, 2025)
Ryohei Oiwa (2-0)
- New Japan Road 2022 Night 5: Taichi d. Ryohei Oiwa (4:39) – Tokyo, Japan (June 21, 2022)
- Battle Autumn 2022 Night 14: Taichi d. Ryohei Oiwa (8:40) – Komatsu, Japan (November 2, 2022)

Oleg Boltin (NEVER Openweight Champion)

2^nd entry, 2^nd consecutive year

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 3-2-4 (.556)

Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-0)
- New Japan Soul 2024 Night 6: G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Semi Final – Oleg Boltin d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (6:50) – Tokyo, Japan (July 3, 2024)
EVIL
- No singles matches
Taichi (1-0)
- New Japan Soul Night 7: G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Final Round: Oleg Boltin defeats Taichi (16:27) – Tokyo, Japan (July 5, 2024)
SANADA
- No singles matches
David Finlay (0-1)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 10: David Finlay d. Oleg Boltin (12:46) – Nagoya, Japan (August 4, 2024)
Yota Tsuji (0-1)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 8: Yota Tsuji d. Oleg Boltin (10:12) – Yamaguchi, Japan (July 31, 2024)
Yuya Uemura
- No singles matches
Callum Newman
- No singles matches
Ryohei Oiwa (1-0-4)
- Wrestle Kingdon 17: Pre-Show Exhibition – Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (3:00) – Tokyo Japan (January 4, 2023)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku Night 3: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Osaka, Japan (April 23, 2023)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku Night 5: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Yawatahama, Japan (April 26, 2003)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2023 – Dark: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw – Fukuoka, Japan (May 3, 2023)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 18: Dark: Oleg Boltin d. Ryohei Oiwa – Tokyo, Japan (August 12, 2023)

Hiroshi Tanahashi

23^rd entry, 1^st since 2023
- Wins: 2007, 2015, 2018
- Finals: 2004, 2010, 2013
- Semi-Finals: 2007, 2009

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 12-10 (.545)

Oleg Boltin (0-1)
- New Japan Soul 2024 Night 6: G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Semi Final – Oleg Boltin d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (6:50) – Tokyo, Japan (July 3, 2024)
EVIL (5-3)
- New Japan Cup 2017 Night 1: New Japan Cup 2017 First Round: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (22:55) – Nagoya, Japan (March 11, 2017)
- Wrestling Toyo no Kuni 2017 – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (18:46) – Beppu, Japan (April 29, 2017)
- G1 Climax 28 Night 13: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (12:57) – Fukuoka, Japan (August 02, 2018)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 11: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (23:02) – Takamatsu, Japan (July 30, 2019)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 12: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:58) – Okayama, Japan (October 08, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 12: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (17:22) – Kochi, Japan (October 08, 2021)
- G1 Climax 32 Night 11: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (19:01) – Matsuyama, Japan (August 05, 2022)
- Wrestle Kingdom 19: Lumberjack – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (15:07) – Tokyo, Japan (January 4, 2025)
SANADA (3-4)
- G1 Climax 26 Night 1: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:30) – Sapporo, Japan (July 18, 2016)
- Power Struggle 2016: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. SANADA (21:33) – Osaka, Japan (November 5, 2016)
- New Japan Cup 2019 Night 11: New Japan Cup 2019 Semi Final – SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (24:11) – Nagaoka, Japan (March 23, 2019)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 9: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (18:07) – Nagoya, Japan (July 27, 2019)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 16: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (28:25) – Yokohama, Japan (October 14, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 8: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (25:36) – Shizuoka, Japan (October 01, 2021)
- New Years Golden Series 2022 Night 14: IWGP United States Heavyweight Title: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) (29:26) – Sapporo, Japan (February 19, 2022)
Taichi (1-2)
- New Japan Cup 2018 Night 2: First Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Taichi (23:53) – Nagoya, Japan (March 10, 2018
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 3: First Round: Taichi d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (21:51) – Tokyo, Japan (June 22, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 18: Taichi d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (14:58) – Tokyo, Japan (October 20, 2021)
David Finlay
- No singles matches
Yota Tsuji (1-0)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yota Tsuji (13:36) – Tokyo, Japan (June 14, 2021)
Yuya Uemura (2-0)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 3 – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yuya Uemura (13:17) – Osaka, Japan (June 16, 2021)
- Dominion 2025: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yuya Uemura (09:30) – Osaka, Japan (June 15, 2025)
Callum Newman
- No singles matches
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

EVIL

10th entry, 10th consecutive year
- Semi-Finals: 2023

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 12-13-1 (.481)

Oleg Boltin
- No singles matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi (3-5)
- New Japan Cup 2017 Night 1: New Japan Cup 2017 First Round: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (22:55) – Nagoya, Japan (March 11, 2017)
- Wrestling Toyo no kuni 2017 – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (18:46) – Beppu, Japan (April 29, 2017)
- G1 Climax 28 Night 13: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (12:57) – Fukuoka, Japan (August 02, 2018)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 11: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (23:02) – Takamatsu, Japan (July 30, 2019)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 12: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:58) – Okayama, Japan (October 08, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 12: EVIL d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (17:22) – Kochi, Japan (October 08, 2021)
- G1 Climax 32 Night 11: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (19:01) – Matsuyama, Japan (August 05, 2022)
- Wrestle Kingdom 19: Lumberjack – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (15:07) – Tokyo, Japan (January 4, 2025)
SANADA (5-4)
- G1 Climax 27 Night 2: SANADA d. EVIL (15:48) – Tokyo, Japan (July 20, 2017)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 5: EVIL d. SANADA (18:11) – Tokyo, Japan (July 18, 2019)
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 8: Semi Final: EVIL d. SANADA (20:13) – Tokyo, Japan (July 3, 2020
- G1 Climax 30 Night 18: SANADA d. EVIL (27:01) – Tokyo, Japan (October 17, 2020)
- Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night 2: SANADA d. EVIL (17:47) – Tokyo, Japan (January 5, 2021)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 18: EVIL d. SANADA (16:12) – Nagano, Japan (October 20, 2021)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 17: Quarter Final: EVIL d. SANADA (16:16) – Funabashi, Japan (August 10, 2023)
- Destruction in Ryogoku 2023: IWGP World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Death: SANADA (c) d. EVIL (28:01) – Tokyo, Japan (October 9, 2023)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 3: EVIL d. SANADA (18:06) – Hiroshima, Japan (July 23, 2024)
Taichi (1-0)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 6: EVIL d. Taichi (11:30) – Tokyo, Japan (September 29, 2021)
David Finlay (1-2)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 6: David Finlay d. EVIL (16:12) – Nagano, Japan (July 23, 2023)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 3: Second Round: David Finlay d. EVIL (17:13) by Count Out – Okayama, Japan (March 11, 2025)
- Dominion 2025: Dog Collar Death: EVIL d. David Finlay by TKO (23:05) – Osaka, Japan (June 15, 2025)
Yota Tsuji (1-2-1)
- New Japan Cup 2024 Night 11: Semi Final: EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji – No Contest (1:30) – Koriyama, Japan (March 18, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2024 Night 11: Semi Final: Yota Tsuji d. EVIL (16:50) – Koriyama, Japan (March 18, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 1: First Round: EVIL defeats Yota Tsuji (4:53) – Tokyo, Japan (March 8, 2025)
- Sakura Genesis 2025: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c) d. EVIL (21:24) – Tokyo, Japan (April 5, 2025)
Yuya Uemura
- No singles matches
Callum Newman (1-0)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 1: EVIL d. Callum Newman (9:08) = Fukuoka, Japan (July 29, 2024)
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

SANADA

10^th entry, 10^th consecutive year
- Finals: 2020

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 18-12 (.600)

Oleg Boltin
- No singles matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi (4-3)
- G1 Climax 26 Night 1: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:30) – Sapporo, Japan (July 18, 2016)
- Power Struggle 2016: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. SANADA (21:33) – Osaka, Japan (November 5, 2016)
- New Japan Cup 2019 Night 11: New Japan Cup 2019 Semi Final – SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (24:11) – Nagaoka, Japan (March 23, 2019)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 9: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (18:07) – Nagoya, Japan (July 27, 2019)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 16: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (28:25) – Yokohama, Japan (October 14, 2020)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 8: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL (25:36) – Shizuoka, Japan (October 01, 2021)
- New Years Golden Series 2022 Night 14: IWGP United States Heavyweight Title: SANADA d. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) (29:26) – Sapporo, Japan (February 19, 2022)
EVIL (4-5)
- G1 Climax 27 Night 2: SANADA d. EVIL (15:48) – Tokyo, Japan (July 20, 2017)
- G1 Climax 29 Night 5: EVIL d. SANADA (18:11) – Tokyo, Japan (July 18, 2019)
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 8: Semi Final: EVIL d. SANADA (20:13) – Tokyo, Japan (July 3, 2020
- G1 Climax 30 Night 18: SANADA d. EVIL (27:01) – Tokyo, Japan (October 17, 2020)
- Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night 2: SANADA d. EVIL (17:47) – Tokyo, Japan (January 5, 2021)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 18: EVIL d. SANADA (16:12) – Nagano, Japan (October 20, 2021)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 17: Quarter Final: EVIL d. SANADA (16:16) – Funabashi, Japan (August 10, 2023)
- Destruction in Ryogoku 2023: IWGP World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Death: SANADA (c) d. EVIL (28:01) – Tokyo, Japan (October 9, 2023)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 3: EVIL d. SANADA (18:06) – Hiroshima, Japan (July 23, 2024)
Taichi (6-1)
- New Japan Cup 2020 Night 7: Quarter Final: SANADA d. Taichi (22:50) – Tokyo, Japan (July 2, 2020)
- Summer Struggle in Osaka Night 2: SANADA d. Taichi (23:20) – Osaka, Japan (July 23, 2021)
- G1 Climax 31 Night 4: Taichi d. SANADA (25:15) – Tokyo, Japan (September 24, 2021)
- G1 Climax 32 Night 5: SANADA d. Taichi (16:01) – Tokyo, Japan (July 24, 2022)
- Battle Autumn 2022 Night 3: NJPW World Television Title Tournament First Round: SANADA d. Taichi (14:57) – Nagaoka, Japan (October 16, 2022)
- New Japan Cup 2023 Night 1: First Round: SANADA d. Taichi (24:27) – Tokyo, Japan (March 3, 2023)
- New Beginning in Osaka 2025: SANADA d. Taichi (8:35) – Osaka, Japan (February 22, 2025)
David Finlay (1-1)
- New Japan Cup 2023 Night 12: Final – SANADA d. David Finlay (19:56) – Nagaoka, Japan (March 21, 2023)
- New Japan Soul 2024 Night 1: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: David Finlay (c) d. SANADA (25:31) – Sapporo, Japan (June 16, 2024)
Yota Tsuji (2-0)
- Dominion 2023: IWGP World Heavyweight Title: SANADA (c) d. Yota Tsuji (17:01) – Osaka, Japan (June 4, 2023)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 5: SANADA d. Yota Tsuji (18:36) – Nagaoka, Japan (July 21, 2023)
Yuya Uemura (0-2)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 1: First Round – Yuya Uemura d. SANADA (15:48) – Tokyo, Japan (March 8, 2025)
- Sakura Genesis 2025: Yuya Uemura defeats SANADA (10:26) – Tokyo, Japan (April 5, 2025)
Callum Newman (1-0)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 2: SANADA d. Callum Newman (8:41) – Osaka, Japan (July 21, 2024)
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

David Finlay

4^th entry, 4^th consecutive year
- Semi-Finals: 2024

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 9-6 (.600)

Oleg Boltin (1-0)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 10: David Finlay d. Oleg Boltin (12:46) – Nagoya, Japan (August 4, 2024)
Hiroshi Tanahashi
- No singles matches
EVIL (2-1)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 6: David Finlay d. EVIL (16:12) – Nagano, Japan (July 23, 2023)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 3: Second Round: David Finlay d. EVIL (17:13) by Count Out – Okayama, Japan (March 11, 2025)
- Dominion 2025: Dog Collar Death: EVIL d. David Finlay by TKO (23:05) – Osaka, Japan (June 15, 2025)
SANADA (1-1)
- New Japan Cup 2023 Night 12: Final – SANADA d. David Finlay (19:56) – Nagaoka, Japan (March 21, 2023)
- New Japan Soul 2024 Night 1: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: David Finlay (c) d. SANADA (25:31) – Sapporo, Japan (June 16, 2024)
Taichi (1-0)
- Power Struggle/Super Junior Tag League 2024 Final: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: David Finlay (c) d. Taichi (23:22) – Osaka, Japan (November 4, 2024)
Yota Tsuji (1-3)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2024 Night 1: David Finlay d. Yota Tsuji (22:22) – Fukuoka, Japan (May 3, 2024
- G1 Climax 34 Night 2: Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (19:50) – Osaka, Japan (July 21, 2024)

G1 Climax 34 Night 18: Semi-Final – Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (28:05) – Tokyo, Japan (August 17, 2024)
Wrestle Kingdom 19: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title – Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (c) (19:39) (January 4, 2025)

Yuya Uemura (2-1)
- NJPW XTRA #3: David Finlay d. Yuya Uemura (12:18) – Garland, Texas, USA (September 25, 2021)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. David Finlay (16:23) – Osaka, Japan (July 20, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 6: Quarter Final – David Finlay d. Yuya Uemura (15:01) – Nagoya, Japan (March 15, 2025)
Callum Newman (1-0)
- Road to New Beginning 2024 Night 6: David Finlay d. Callum Newman (10:27) – Tokyo, Japan (February 4, 2024)
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

Yota Tsuji

3^rd entry, 3^rd consecutive year
- Finals: 2024

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 23-18-23 (.539)

Oleg Boltin (1-0)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 8: Yota Tsuji d. Oleg Boltin (10:12) – Yamaguchi, Japan (July 31, 2024)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-1)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yota Tsuji (13:36) – Tokyo, Japan (June 14, 2021)
EVIL (2-1-1)
- New Japan Cup 2024 Night 11: Semi Final: EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji – No Contest (1:30) – Koriyama, Japan (March 18, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2024 Night 11: Semi Final: Yota Tsuji d. EVIL (16:50) – Koriyama, Japan (March 18, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 1: First Round: EVIL defeats Yota Tsuji (4:53) – Tokyo, Japan (March 8, 2025)
- Sakura Genesis 2025: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c) d. EVIL (21:24) – Tokyo, Japan (April 5, 2025)
SANADA (0-2)
- Dominion 2023: IWGP World Heavyweight Title: SANADA (c) d. Yota Tsuji (17:01) – Osaka, Japan (June 4, 2023)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 5: SANADA d. Yota Tsuji (18:36) – Nagaoka, Japan (July 21, 2023)
Taichi (0-1)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 2: Taichi d. Yota Tsuji (14:14) – Tokyo, Japan (June 15, 2021)
David Finlay (3-1)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2024 Night 1: David Finlay d. Yota Tsuji (22:22) – Fukuoka, Japan (May 3, 2024
- G1 Climax 34 Night 2: Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (19:50) – Osaka, Japan (July 21, 2024)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 18: Semi-Final – Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (28:05) – Tokyo, Japan (August 17, 2024)
- Wrestle Kingdom 19: IWGP Global Heavyweight Title – Yota Tsuji d. David Finlay (c) (19:39) (January 4, 2025)

Yuya Uemura (17-12-22)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2018 Night 9: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (April 23, 2018)
- New Japan Road 2018: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Matsuyama, Japan (May 6, 2018)
- Lion’s Gate Project12: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (May 15, 2018)
- Lion’s Gate Project13: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (June 13, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Tokorozawa, Japan (June 15, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 2: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 17, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 3: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 18, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 5: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Iwaki, Japan (June 20, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 6: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Akita, Japan (June 22, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 8: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Morioka, Japan (June 24, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 4: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Togane, Japan (September 9, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 7: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Osaka, Japan (September 13, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 9: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kumamoto, Japan (September 18, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 10: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Yanai, Japan (September 20, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 11: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Saijo, Japan (September 21, 2018)
- Destruction in Kobe 2018: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kobe World Hall, Kobe (September 23, 2018)
- World Tag League 2018 Night 6: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kuki, Japan (November 24, 2018)
- Road to New Beginning 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kasukabe, Japan (January 26, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kumagaya, Japan (March 1, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 2: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Saku, Japan (March 2, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 3: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Koriyama, Japan (March 4, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:06) – Tsubaka, Japan (April 13, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 2: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (7:19) – Takasaki, Japan (April 14, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:51) – Kofu, Japan (April 15, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (7:39) – Fukui, Japan (April 17, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:13) – Numazu, Japan (June 14, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 2: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (8:22) – Machida, Japan (June 15, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:49) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 16, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (8:09) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 17, 2019)
- Young Lion Cup 2019 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:50), Togane, Japan (September 8, 2019)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (10:01) – Koga, Japan (January 25, 2020)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (8:25) – Aomori, Japan (January 29, 2020)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 7: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (10:01) – Korakuen Hall, Japan (February 6, 2020)
- Summer Struggle 2020 Night 13: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:11) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (August 27, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (6:57) – EDION Arena, Osaka (September 19, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:13) – Sapporo, Japan (September 24, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 7: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:35) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (September 30, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 10: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (15:00) – Hiroshima, Japan(October 6, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 13: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (9:03) – EDION Arena, Osaka (October 10, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 16: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:56) – Yokohama, Osaka (October 14, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (9:09) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (October 23, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:22) – Yamagata, Japan (October 28, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 7: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (6:34) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (November 1, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 10: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:39) – Kochi, Japan (November 5, 2020)
- New Japan Cup Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (6:56) – Kofu, Japan (March 7, 2021)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Night 5: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:14) – Kanuma, Japan (April 16, 2021)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Night 11: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (7:16) – Kanuma, Japan (April 24, 2021)
- Wrestle Kingdom 18: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (10:57) – Tokyo Dome, Tokyo (January 4, 2024)
- New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 Night 2: Hair vs. Hair: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (28:20) – Sapporo, Japan (February 24, 2024)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 14: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (16:15) – Sendai, Japan (August 10, 2024)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Night 2: Yota Tsuji (c) d. Yuya Uemura (23:43) – Fukuoka, Japan (May 4, 2025)

Callum Newman
- No singles matches
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

Yuya Uemura

2^nd entry, 2^nd consecutive year

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 16-21-22 (.441)

Oleg Boltin
- No singles matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-2)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 3 – Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yuya Uemura (13:17) – Osaka, Japan (June 16, 2021)
- Dominion 2025: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Yuya Uemura (09:30) – Osaka, Japan (June 15, 2025)
EVIL
- No singles matches
SANADA (2-0)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 1: First Round – Yuya Uemura d. SANADA (15:48) – Tokyo, Japan (March 8, 2025)
- Sakura Genesis 2025: Yuya Uemura defeats SANADA (10:26) – Tokyo, Japan (April 5, 2025)
Taichi (0-1)
- Kizuna Road 2021 Night 6: Taichi d. Yuya Uemura (10:12) – Tokyo, Japan (June 22, 2021)
David Finlay (1-2)
- NJPW XTRA #3: David Finlay d. Yuya Uemura (12:18) – Garland, Texas, USA (September 25, 2021)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. David Finlay (16:23) – Osaka, Japan (July 20, 2024)
- New Japan Cup 2025 Night 6: Quarter Final – David Finlay d. Yuya Uemura (15:01) – Nagoya, Japan (March 15, 2025)
Yota Tsuji (12-17-22)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2018 Night 9: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (April 23, 2018)
- New Japan Road 2018: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Matsuyama, Japan (May 6, 2018)
- Lion’s Gate Project12: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (May 15, 2018)
- Lion’s Gate Project13: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (June 13, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Tokorozawa, Japan (June 15, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 2: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 17, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 3: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 18, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 5: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Iwaki, Japan (June 20, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 6: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Akita, Japan (June 22, 2018)
- Kizuna Road 2018 Night 8: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Morioka, Japan (June 24, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 4: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Togane, Japan (September 9, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 7: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Osaka, Japan (September 13, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 9: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kumamoto, Japan (September 18, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 10: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Yanai, Japan (September 20, 2018)
- Road to Destruction 2018 Night 11: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Saijo, Japan (September 21, 2018)
- Destruction in Kobe 2018: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kobe World Hall, Kobe (September 23, 2018)
- World Tag League 2018 Night 6: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kuki, Japan (November 24, 2018)
- Road to New Beginning 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kasukabe, Japan (January 26, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 1: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Kumagaya, Japan (March 1, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 2: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Saku, Japan (March 2, 2019)
- Anniversary Series Night 3: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Koriyama, Japan (March 4, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:06) – Tsubaka, Japan (April 13, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 2: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (7:19) – Takasaki, Japan (April 14, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:51) – Kofu, Japan (April 15, 2019)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (7:39) – Fukui, Japan (April 17, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:13) – Numazu, Japan (June 14, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 2: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (8:22) – Machida, Japan (June 15, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:49) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 16, 2019)
- Kizuna Road 2019 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Ysuji (8:09) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (June 17, 2019)
- Young Lion Cup 2019 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:50), Togane, Japan (September 8, 2019)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 1: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (10:01) – Koga, Japan (January 25, 2020)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 4: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (8:25) – Aomori, Japan (January 29, 2020)
- Road to New Beginning 2020 Night 7: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (10:01) – Korakuen Hall, Japan (February 6, 2020)
- Summer Struggle 2020 Night 13: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:11) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (August 27, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (6:57) – EDION Arena, Osaka (September 19, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:13) – Sapporo, Japan (September 24, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 7: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:35) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (September 30, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 10: Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw (15:00) – Hiroshima, Japan(October 6, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 13: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (9:03) – EDION Arena, Osaka (October 10, 2020)
- G1 Climax 30 Night 16: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:56) – Yokohama, Osaka (October 14, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 1: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (9:09) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (October 23, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 4: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (8:22) – Yamagata, Japan (October 28, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 7: Yuya Umura d. Yota Tsuji (6:34) – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (November 1, 2020)
- Road to Power Struggle 2020 Night 10: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (7:39) – Kochi, Japan (November 5, 2020)
- New Japan Cup Night 3: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (6:56) – Kofu, Japan (March 7, 2021)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Night 5: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (9:14) – Kanuma, Japan (April 16, 2021)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Night 11: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (7:16) – Kanuma, Japan (April 24, 2021)
- Wrestle Kingdom 18: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (10:57) – Tokyo Dome, Tokyo (January 4, 2024)
- New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 Night 2: Hair vs. Hair: Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (28:20) – Sapporo, Japan (February 24, 2024)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 14: Yuya Uemura d. Yota Tsuji (16:15) – Sendai, Japan (August 10, 2024)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Night 2: Yota Tsuji (c) d. Yuya Uemura (23:43) – Fukuoka, Japan (May 4, 2025)

Callum Newman
- No singles matches
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

Callum Newman

2^nd entry, 2^nd consecutive year

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: 1-3 (.250)

Oleg Boltin
- No singles matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi
- No singles matches
EVIL (0-1)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 1: EVIL d. Callum Newman (9:08) = Fukuoka, Japan (July 29, 2024)
SANADA (0-1)
- G1 Climax 34 Night 2: SANADA d. Callum Newman (8:41) – Osaka, Japan (July 21, 2024)
Taichi (1-0)
- New Japan Soul Night 5: G1 Climax 35 Block A Play-In: Callum Newman d. Taichi (23:32) – Tokyo, Japan (June 23, 2025)
David Finlay (0-1)
- Road to New Beginning 2024 Night 6: David Finlay d. Callum Newman (10:27) – Tokyo, Japan (February 4, 2024)
Yota Tsuji
- No singles matches
Yuya Uemura
- No singles matches
Ryohei Oiwa
- No singles matches

Ryohei Oiwa

Debut entry

Past Matches Against Block Opponents: (0-3-4, .000 Winning Percentage)

Oleg Boltin (0-1-4)
- Wrestle Kingdon 17: Pre-Show Exhibition – Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (3:00) – Tokyo Japan (January 4, 2023)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku Night 3: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Osaka, Japan (April 23, 2023)
- Road to Wrestling Dontaku Night 5: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw (10:00) – Yawatahama, Japan (April 26, 2003)
- Wrestling Dontaku 2023 – Dark: Oleg Boltin vs. Ryohei Oiwa – Time Limit Draw – Fukuoka, Japan (May 3, 2023)
- G1 Climax 33 Night 18: Dark: Oleg Boltin d. Ryohei Oiwa – Tokyo, Japan (August 12, 2023)
Hiroshi Tanahashi
- No singles matches
EVIL
- No singles matches
SANADA
- No singles matches
Taichi (2-0)
- New Japan Road 2022 Night 5: Taichi d. Ryohei Oiwa (4:39) – Tokyo, Japan (June 21, 2022)
- Battle Autumn 2022 Night 14: Taichi d. Ryohei Oiwa (8:40) – Komatsu, Japan (November 2, 2022)
David Finlay
- No singles matches
Yota Tsuji
- No singles matches
Yuya Uemura
- No singles matches
Callum Newman
- No singles matches