– NJPW G1 Climax 28 is an annual tournament that this year takes place from July 14 to August 12. Wrestlers are split into 2 Blocks of 10 and fight each person in their allocated Block. 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 for a loss. The two wrestlers at the top of Block A and Block B will face each other in the NJPW G1 Climax 28 Final, August 12 in Tokyo at the Budokan.
Below are the results from the fourth day of the tournament and updated Block B standings:
Sho & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Ren Narita & Michael Elgin
Tonga Loa & Bad Luck Fale defeated BUSHI & EVIL
El Deserado & Minoru Suzuki defeated Yoh & Jay White
Chase Owens & Hangman Page defeated David Finlay & Hiroshi Tanahashi
Toa Henare & Togi Makabe defeated Gedo & Kazuchika Okada
NJPW G1 Climax 28
Block B
Round 3
Toru Yano vs Kota Ibushi
Ibushi tried to match Yano at his own game of ‘cheeky tricks’. Yano untied two of the turnbuckle pads, so Kota untied the other two. Which completely backfired on the Golden Star when the two started Irish Whipping each other into the exposed turnbuckles, Yano got the better of that exchange and proceed to whip Ibushi into all four corners.
Going to the outside, Yano pulled out some dastardly white tape and successfully tied Ibushi’s hands together. For while this surprisingly made Kota potentially even more dangerous, utilising his stiff as hell kicks and even pulling off an incredible standing moonsault into a pin. All with his hands tied together!
Yano upped the anti with his tricks, putting Ibushis tied arms round the ref and suplexing Ibushi. Then with the referee down Yano went low and Ibushi was not able to counter Yano’s roll up attempts very efficiently with hands tied. This was the deciding factor, New Japan’s trickster shocked everyone (except Kevin Kelly) and picked up the three via the post low blow roll up.
Winner: Toru Yano (2 points)
SANADA vs Zack Sabre Jr
The match started off fast with one of the best pin reversal sequences I’ve ever seen. With the pace of counters and reversals staying at that same impressive pace for most of the match. Seriously, everything was countered so smoothly and with such speed.
The end came as SANADA tried to submit ZSJ with his finisher, but his British foe countered every attempt. With the final attempt from the Cold Skull being countered into a pin, which itself got countered by SANADA into a pin of his own which got countered by ZSJ and then back into another pin from SANADA for the three!
SANADA out wrestled the wrestling master!
Winner: SANADA (4 points)
Juice Robinson vs Tetsuya Naito
Naito targeted Juice’s broken hand right from the start. Adjusting his offence to make sure everything he hit connected with the hand, as if Juice had come out with a glowing bullseye for Naito zero in on. The Ingobernable one just went after that hand, every time Juice tried to mount something Naito simply went after that hand at the momentum out from under him. Even if Juice was able to hit some offence, he couldn’t follow up because of the hand.
Although being in such pain from everything he did seemed to light a fire under Juice, to the point where he started hitting bigger and bigger moves regardless of the counsequences. Top rope Superplex, Powerbomb it didn’t matter, he found a way to fight through the pain. Despite all that it just wasn’t enough to put Naito away, as the tranquilo had enough to counter Juice’s attempt at hitting his Pulp Fiction finisher.
On the other hand, Juice’s fire hadn’t died out as he himself countered Naito’s attempt at a Destino not once, but twice! Eventually Naito countered into the Destino mid air off of Juice’s shoulders, but only got a two! Naito finally go the three after hitting a second Destino on Juice.
Winner: Tetusya Naito (4 points)
Kenny Omega vs Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga came out with both Tonga Loa & Bad Luck Fale, before the bell went all three men went after Omega and stomped on him. Just before Bad Luck Fale could truly put Omega in trouble with the Bad Luck Fall, Hangman Page & Chase Owens hit the ring. The two brawled with Fale & Loa to the outside, the bell rang soon after the four were all ejected. The match finally started!
The momentum of the match seemed to be more in Kenny’s favour, with Tama now and then hitting a big move/counter to score a quick fall. With things not quite going their way, Tonga Loa came back out with a chair as Tama distracted the referee. With Tama’s GoD partner in the wings to launch a chair at Omega’s head at the opportunistic time.
Tama Tonga called for the chair and placed it on the ground for a Gun Stun, but Omega countered and slammed him back first onto the steel! The Best Bout Machine went to end the match with the One Winged Angle, which got countered and Tama Tonga held him over the chair in the Styles Clash! However the referee saw the chair and kicked it away, shouting at Tama Tonga for constantly trying to cheat.
GUN STUN TO RED SHOES! Automatic DQ for Tama Tonga! Kenny Omega won, but almost payed the price with a chair wrapped round his neck until Ibushi, Hangman and Owens came out to make the save.
Winner: Kenny Omega (6 points)
Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii
Two hard hitting wrestlers hitting each other relatively hard. Stiff forearms one after the other with neither man backing down, shoulder tackles off the ropes with neither man backing down. After a back and forth match up with each guy having moments of momentum, we ended up back at the exact place we started. Two guys running at each other and hitting stiff as hell double lariats until they both fell down.
Another forearm battle ensued as soon as the two were back on his feet, however Goto forgot, Ishii WILL headbutt you! Ishii had his opponent in the corner for a minute, but Goto found a way to counter and get back into the match. Resulting in amazing run of sequences with both guys countering each other again and again, until one of them hits a suplex.
The man that was hitting most of those final suplexes with Ishii though, meaning Goto was fighting a more and more up hill battle as the bout went on. After said suplex… another double lariat battle, this time followed up a headbutt battle! Ishii started to try and hit the Brainbuster to end the match, but Goto just kept countering.
Eventually the NEVER Openweight Champion found his way back in nearly even won after hitting a Shouten, but it wasn’t enough. After yet another incredible battle of stiff strikes, counters and suplexes, Ishii somehow found a way. Countering a counter to a counter, Ishii was able to rock Goto with a stike and hit the Brainbuster for the three.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii (4 points)
Block B Standings
Kenny Omega (6 points)
Kota Ibushi (4 points)
SANADA (4 Points)
Tetsuya Naito (4 Points)
Tomohiro Ishii (4 Points)
Hirooki Goto (2 Points)
Tama Tonga (2 Points)
Toru Yano (2 Points)
Zack Sabre Jr (2 Points)
Juice Robinson (0 Points)
G1 is back Sunday July 22 for the Block A round 4 match ups: YOSHI-HASHI vs Michael Elgin, EVIL vs Bad Luck Fale, Jay White vs Minoru Suzuki, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Hangman Page and Togi Makabe vs Kazuchika Okada.
Full results of the show will be posted here on LOP shortly after.
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Day 1 Results (July 14 2018) – Jay White vs Kazuchika Okada
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Day 2 Results (July 15 2018) – Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Day 3 Results (July 16 2018) – Jay White vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Day 4 Results (July 19 2018) – Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Day 5 Results (July 20 2018) – Kazuchika Okada vs Hangman Page
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