By Tokyo Wrestling Fan @twf87
The 28th G1 Climax began on July 14th, kicking off 19 shows of one of the perennial tournaments of the year in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Both shows were held at the Ota City General Gymnasium, and I was lucky enough to attend both. The crowd was around 4,000 for both nights, and they were really into all the action from both the A Block and the B Block.
G1 Climax Night One
Hirooki Goto and Jado def. Henare and Ren Narita, 6:23
Tomohiro Ishii and SHO def. Yano Toru and YOH, 7:15
GOD (Tama Tong and Tanga Loa) def. Juice Robinson and David Finlay, 6:13
Zack Sabre Jr. and TAKA Michinoku def. Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi, 5:29
Tetsuya Naito and SANADA def. Kenny Omega and Chase Owens, 5:45
Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI – The opening tournament match of the 28th G1 Climax saw the perennially underwhelming YOSHI-HASHI take on the veteran Makabe. YOSHI-HASHI had new gear for the G1, but he still looked as uninterested as always. He’s clearly a very capable wrestler, but his character is absolutely non-existent – how he got in the G1 over Taichi is anyone’s guess. Makabe isn’t really close to the main event scene anymore, but he was very popular amongst the live crowd in Ota. YOSHI-HASHI even had a fan base who came out to watch his opening match.
This was a better match than I expected, as YOSHI-HASHI demonstrated considerable underdog spirit in refusing to be cowed by Makabe’s power, and got some near falls that kept the crowd on their toes. Makabe finally got the win with a King Kong Knee Drop from the top turnbuckle, which kept the crowd happy.
Winner: Togi Makabe, 11:05
Hangman Page vs. Bad Luck Fale – Hangman Page’s solo entrance theme was a Western-style Ennico Morricone knock off, which I liked.
Bad Luck Fale wasn’t at the G1 Special in San Francisco, so it was unclear if he had joined the other Tongans in the Bullet Club split, but he did come out wearing a shirt that said “Fuck Em.” This was a decent match for the most part, with Page trying to use his speed and high-flying ability to overcome Fale’s height and power advantage. However, the match ended with interference when Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa ran in and started beating up Page, which led to Fale being disqualified. DQ finishes in the G1 aren’t something I’m a fan of, and the live crowd wasn’t either. Kenny, Ibushi, and Chase ran out to make the save just as it looked like Fale was about to lynch Page with his own noose.
Winner: Hangman Page, 8:04
Michael Elgin vs. EVIL – Both men in this match were over with the crowd, although EVIL probably had a slight edge over Elgin. Compared to the previous match, this match was a breath of fresh air, and both competitors threw everything they had at each other in an attempt to get a pin.
This was a big power battle, and Elgin and EVIL delivered some wicked strikes. EVIL attacked Elgin’s arm during the match, in an attempt to weaken his opponent, and got the Banshee Muzzle locked in at one point, although Elgin managed to escape. The finishing sequence of reversals and counters was excellent – EVIL managed to counter Elgin’s attempt at a Burning Hammer, but Elgin finally got the win with an Elgin Bomb. This was the best match of the night up to this point.
Winner: Michael Elgin, 16:08
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki – Suzuki had a new entrance video that featured scenes from his recent 30th anniversary event in Yokohama, and it looked great. The crowd sang along with Kaze ni nare, but once Tanahashi made his entrance they were vocally behind the former Ace. Suzuki beat Tanahashi for the Intercontinental Championship at New Beginning in Sapporo, and injured Tanahashi in the process, so this match had a lot of weight behind it.
Suzuki delighted in hurting Tanahashi, and the opening of the match mostly consisted of Suzuki contorting Tanahashi in a variety of kneebars and heel hook submissions. This went on a bit too long for my taste, since after a while it just made Suzuki’s submissions look weak. The crowd was really into Tanahashi’s comeback when it started though, and he managed to battle through the pain to hit a Dragon Screw. Suzuki had more chances to inflict punishment after he hit Tanahashi with a PK, but the Ace reversed a Gotch-style piledriver, then hit the Sling Blade and two High Fly Flows for a victory. The crowd were really into this match, and loved the fact that Tanahashi won, although it remains to be seen if the damage done to his leg by Suzuki will affect him later in the tournament.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi, 13:59
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White – This match was a battle for the very soul of CHAOS, as Jay White attempted to take down Okada, who had been looking lost ever since his defeat at the hands of Kenny Omega. Okada once again came to the ring with balloons, and without his coat, and clearly lacked some of his trademark swagger when he struck the Rainmaker pose on the turnbuckle.
Jay offered a handshake to start the match, and tried to immediately hit the Blade Runner, which Okada countered into a teased Rainmaker. Jay showed his vicious side during this match, which had been on full display in San Francisco, particularly in throwing Okada hard into the guard rails outside the ring. It was surprising that Jay controlled the match as much as he did, although Okada got some comeback spots where he hit a dropkick and an elbow drop. Towards the end of the match Jay brought a chair into the ring, but Okada dropkicked the chair into his face, then hit the tombstone and a Rainmaker that should have been a three count. However, as Jay was spun around for the Rainmaker he knocked Red Shoes down, so there was no referee to count the pin. Okada got up, but as he dropped his guard Jay hit him with a low blow, and hit a Blade Runner just in time for a recovered Red Shoes to count the pin. This must be Jay’s biggest win to date, even surpassing his US Championship victory against Kenny Omega. The live crowd were a bit less into this match than they were the Suzuki vs. Tanahashi match, and they didn’t seem to know how to respond to Jay’s victory, but he got plenty of boos when he cut a promo at the end of the show.
Winner: Jay White, 25:36
G1 Climax Night Two
Hangman Page and Chase Owens def. Michael Elgin and Shota Umino, 6:18
EVIL and BUSHI def. YOSHI-HASHI and SHO, 5:21
Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado def. Togi Makabe and Toa Henare, 6:44
Bad Luck Fale and Tanga Loa def. Kazuchika Okada and Gedo, 6:08
Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay def. Jay White and YOH, 8:05
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano – B Block started where A Block finished – with two CHAOS members taking each other on.
Yano’s G1 matches tended to be comedy affairs that emphasised shenanigans over wrestling, but in this match Yano came out to prove that he could wrestle, and he stood up to Ishii with strikes and suplexes that you don’t normally see from him. The crowd was really into this match, and firmly behind Yano, who got a near fall after a belly-to-belly suplex. Ishii finally picked up a win by taking a leaf from Yano’s book and hit a low blow, followed by a roll-up. This was a really fun match, and a great performance by Yano.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii, 8:52
Juice Robinson vs. Tama Tonga: Tama Tonga came out with Tanga Loa, which should have suggested that there would be shenanigans in this match at some point. Juice won the US Championship in San Francisco, so pins against him in the G1 will likely result in title defences later in the year.
This match was okay, but it went on for a long time, and there was a lot of stalling. Juice is a great babyface, and he can make anything entertaining, but I wanted to see more actual wrestling. I really like Tama’s look and character, but he hasn’t yet shown anything particularly special in the G1, and the storyline with the Bullet Club means a lot of interference, which is also not ideal in the G1. Tama picked up a win after Tanga Loa distracted Juice, who then took him out, but when he tried to hit Tama with a Pulp Friction Tama reversed it into a Gun Stun.
Winner: Tama Tonga, 14:05
Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA – Compared to the previous match this was night and day. SANADA was hugely popular with the live crowd, and he started strong at a fast pace against the NEVER Openweight Champion.
SANADA seemed to have Goto’s moves figured out, and was able to counter a lot of his trademark spots, going as far as hitting an ushigoroshi of his own on Goto. SANADA managed to lock in the Skull End, but Goto eventually escaped, and SANADA attempted a moonsault, which missed. SANADA attempted another Skull End, but it was countered, and followed by a GTR, although SANADA then countered the next into a rollup for a near fall. Goto finally hit a rope-assisted GTR, followed by a full GTR for a victory. This was a very good match, in which the crowd were very invested.
Winner: Hirooki Goto, 13:38
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – This match was a rematch from the New Japan Cup, when ZSJ beat Ibushi by referee stoppage, en route to winning the cup. TAKA Michinoku accompanied Zack to the ring and did his hype-man routine, before Ibushi came out to thunderous cheers.
This was another great match between these two, with Zack trying to focus on keeping Ibushi grounded and working on the submissions, and Ibushi punishing him with stiff strikes whenever he had the opportunity. It seemed like Sabre got lured into strike exchanges at some point, and even though he’s a decent striker, Ibushi clearly had the edge with his strong kicks. ZSJ did everything in his power to avoid a Kamigoye, and he was able to dodge Ibushi’s first attempt at the knee strike. Finally, Ibushi got the win after a straightjacket German suplex, and a Kamigoye. This was definitely the best match of the two shows up to this point, and probably even better than their New Japan Cup outing earlier this year.
Winner: Kota Ibushi, 22:58
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega – Last year Naito beat Omega in the G1 final, which set up his match with Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The crowd were hugely behind Naito in this match, and the initial “Naito” chants were almost deafening. In the last few weeks Kenny had said some disparaging remarks about Naito, and it was clear that both men were ready to do battle in this match.
The opening segment was quite cagey, with Naito doing his tranquilo pose in the ring, and Kenny taking a page out Naito’s book and spitting at him. Omega took control after dumping Naito outside and over the guard rail, then hitting a crossbody from the ring over the guard rail. Omega hit his first V-trigger to the back of Naito’s head, but his attempted One Winged Angel was countered into a reverse Frankensteiner. Naito managed to hit a Destino after he countered Omega’s neck breaker, but an attempted second Destino was countered by Omega. Omega hit a V-trigger in the corner, then put Naito on the top turnbuckle, and attempted a One Winged Angel from the top, in a spot that looked very risky. Naito countered into a sunset flip powerbomb, then hit another Destino for a very close two count. Omega countered a second Destino into a sort of One Winged Angel, but without putting Naito on his shoulders, and hit his double underhook piledriver for a near fall of his own. Finally, Omega scored the pinfall with a V-trigger and a One Winged Angel. This was hands down the best match of the first two nights, and even though I expected Naito to win, it was a phenomenal performance by both wrestlers. After the match finished, Omega cut a promo in Japanese saying that if Naito worked hard he might be able to be third in the promotion after him and Ibushi.
Winner: Kenny Omega, 23:19
Standings
A Block B Block
Jay White – 2 pts. Kenny Omega – 2 pts.
Togi Makabe – 2 pts. Kota Ibushi – 2 pts.
Hangman Page – 2 pts. Hirooki Goto – 2 pts.
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 2 pts. Tama Tonga – 2 pts.
Michael Elgin – 2 pts. Tomohiro Ishii – 2 pts.
Kazuchika Okada – 0 pts. Tetsuya Naito – 0 pts.
EVIL – 0 pts. SANADA – 0 pts.
YOSHI-HASHI – 0 pts. Yano Toru – 0 pts.
Minoru Suzuki – 0 pts. Zack Sabre Jr. – 0 pts.
Bad Luck Fale – 0 pts. Juice Robinson – 0 pts.
Final Thoughts
The opening two days of the 28th G1 Climax were full of quality wrestling matches, although day two was definitely better overall. There were some surprising results, none more so than Jay White getting a win over Okada in his first ever G1 match. Clearly, Jay is going to have a big tournament, and this could be the making of a great heel, given the crowd’s reaction to his winning promo. The best match, ringwork wise, was the Kenny-Naito match to close day two, although the ZSJ-Ibushi match was great too. I foresee Kenny and Ibushi both having very strong tournaments – their match is on the final night before the final. Proper wrestling Yano was also a highlight of day two, and hopefully he continues putting on wrestling clinics. Even though they all lost their first matches, all the members of Los Ingobernables de Japon were extremely over with the live crowd, and it was interesting that Naito got significantly more cheers than the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. I was less of a fan of the interference in the Fale and Tama Tonga matches – hopefully this won’t be a recurring theme throughout the whole tournament. I expect Suzuki and Naito to bounce back from this first loss, although with Okada being in the slump that he’s in now, it’s impossible to tell. Whatever happens, this G1 started off with a great weekend of matches.
