G1 Climax 28 A Block and B Block matches announced, Omega-Ibushi, Tanahashi vs. Okada set for final days of block action at Bodokan Hall

NJPW has announced the entire schedule for G1 Climax 28. The Tournament is set to run from July 14-Aug. 12. A hint at who might be in line to advance to the finals comes from the positioning of the most anticipated matches on the last two nights of block action take place at Budokan Hall leading into the finals on Aug. 12.

IWGP World Hvt. Champion Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi has been announced for the final B Block show on Aug. 10. They last wrestled a singles match at Budokan Hall in 2012 when both men were members of the DDT roster. The other matches set for the B Block finals are Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA, and Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga.

The Aug. 10 show features the final A Block event and will be headlined Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. The undercard will see Jay White vs. EVIL, Minoru Suzuki vs. Bad Luck Fale, Michael Elgin vs. Togi Makabe, and Hangman Page vs. YOSHI-HASHI.

The first two nights of block action usually set the pace for the rest of the tournament and are headlined by some big matches. Hiroshi Tanahashi, who lost the IWGP IC Championship to Minoru Suzuki in devastating fashion earlier this year faces Suzuki in the main event of the first night of A Block action on July 14. The other notable match for night one of A Block action is Kazuchika Okada facing current IWGP U.S. Hvt. Champion Jay White as well.

B Block action kicks off on July 15 headlined by Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and a rematch of the G1 Climax 27 finals with IWGP World Hvt. Champion Kenny Omega taking on Tetsuya Naito. The matches are listed in the first and second slot on NJPW’s website at this time, but it would seem likely that Omega vs. Naito would be the main event.

FULL G1 CLIMAX 28 A BLOCK AND B BLOCK LINEUPS

July 14 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
• Michael Elgin vs. EVIL
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki
• Bad Luck Fale vs. Hangman Page
• Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI

July 15 (B Block) 

• Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito
• Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano
• Juice Robinson vs. Tama Tonga

July 16 (A Block) 

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White
• Togi Makabe vs. Minoru Suzuki
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
• EVIL vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• Michael Elgin vs. Hangman Page

July 19 (B Block) 

• Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• Kota Ibushi vs. Juice Robinson
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Toru Yano
• SANADA vs. Tama Tonga

July 20 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Hangman Page
• Togi Makabe vs. EVIL
• Michael Elgin vs. Jay White
• Minoru Suzuki vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale

July 21 (B Block) 

• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA
• Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano
• Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga

July 22 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe
• Minoru Suzuki vs. Jay White
• EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hangman Page
• Michael Elgin vs. YOSHI-HASHI

July 26 (B Block) 

• Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA
• Kenny Omega vs. Juice Robinson
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Tama Tonga
• Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano

July 27 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
• EVIL vs. Hangman Page
• Jay White vs. Bad Luck Fale
• Minoru Suzuki vs. Michael Elgin

July 28 (B Block) 

• Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
• Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
• Kenny Omega vs. SANADA
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tama Tonga

July 30 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin
• Minoru Suzuki vs. EVIL
• Jay White vs. Hangman Page
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 1 (B Block) 

• Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto
• Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Juice Robinson vs. SANADA
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tama Tonga

August 2 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
• Togi Makabe vs. Hangman Page
• Michael Elgin vs. Bad Luck Fale
• Jay White vs. YOSHI-HASHI

August 4 (B Block) 

• Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi
• Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
• SANADA vs. Toru Yano

August 5 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
• Minoru Suzuki vs. Hangman Page
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin
• Jay White vs. Togi Makabe
• YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 8 (B Block) 

• Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA
• Kenny Omega vs. Toru Yano
• Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson
• Kota Ibushi vs. Tama Tonga

August 10 (A Block) 

• Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Jay White vs. EVIL
• Minoru Suzuki vs. Bad Luck Fale
• Michael Elgin vs. Togi Makabe
• Hangman Page vs. YOSHI-HASHI

August 11 (B Block) 

• Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson
• Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA

August 12 (G1 Climax 28 Finals) 

• A Block winner vs. B Block Winner to determine G1 Climax 28 Champion