RADICAN’S 7/21 G1 Climax 28: Night 6 blog – Robinson vs. Naito, Omega vs. Tonga, G1 Climax 28 viewing guide updated

RADICAN’S G1 CLIMAX 28: NIGHT 6 BLOG
JULY 21, 2018
TOKYO, JAPAN
KORAKEUN HALL
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

Note: I’m only covering the tournament matches this year and will not be reviewing the undercard matches, but I will include the results in each report.

Announcers: Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero with Chris Charlton translating.

UNDERCARD RESULTS

(1) CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI & SHO) beat Michael Elgin & Ren Narita.

(2) Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa) beat L.I.J. (EVIL & BUSHI)

(3) Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado) beat CHAOS (Jay White & YOH).

(4) Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Chase Owens) beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay.

(5) Togi Makabe & Toa Henare beat CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Gedo)

B BLOCK RESULTS & ANALYSIS

(6) Kota Ibushi (4) vs. Toru Yano (0) in a G1 Climax 28 B Block match. Yano got a couple of pinning combinations early as he outwrestled Ibushi on the mat for a pair of near falls. Ibushi fired back and sent him to the floor. He hit a slingshot dive on Yano, but Yano fired back and sent him into the guardrail. He then went around the ring and began taking the turnbuckle pads off. He ended up walking right into a one-and-a-half twisting dive from Ibushi. WOW! Ibushi then began taking the turnbuckle pads off, but Yano tripped him face-first into the apron as he finished with one turnbuckle pad. Yano went and took off the final turnbuckle pad. Yano ended up whipping bushi into different corners of the ring with the exposed padding. Yano ducked a turnbuckle pad shot from Ibushi and then he ducked a standing moonsault. He then nailed Ibushi with the turnbuckle pad. Yano went under the ring and got some white tape, but Ibushi cut him off. Yano fired back and the ref took the tape from him, but he had another roll. He managed to tie Ibushi’s hands together, but Ibushi hit him with dropkick. Ibushi hit a series of kicks and then a standing moonsault for a 2 count with his hands tied. The ref ended up getting tied up between Yano and Ibushi. He ended up getting sent into the corner. Yano ducked a roundhouse kick and hit a low blow. He then he a chop block and rolled Ibushi up for the win.

WINNER: Toru Yano (2 pts)

Star rating: (***¼) – This was a fun match with Yano trying to play fair and then going back to his old ways once his wrestling skills didn’t work for him.

(7) SANADA (2) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Taka Michinoku) (2) in a G1 Climax 28 B Block match. Sabre got frustrated when SANADA was able to outclass him in the mat wrestling department during the early going. Both men went back and forth trading pinning combinations, but neither man could even get a 1 count before the other man countered him. SANADA finally got a 2 count and the fans fired up. SANADA continued to counter Sabre going hold for hold with him and outmaneuvering time and time again. Sabre got frustrated and tried to trade uppercuts with SANADA, but he ended up backing away. Both men went back and forth trading pinning combinations once again for several 2 counts. Sabre finally kicked out and he got up and hit a PK. They went back and forth with Sabre going for the Zack driver and SANADA going for the Skull End. Sabre eventually slipped out and got a bridging pinning combination for a near fall. They went back and forth and Sabre went for the wrist clutch pinning combination, but SANADA floated over him into a bridging pinning combination for the win. WOW!

WINNER: SANADA (4 pts)

Star rating: (***½) – This was a great 10 minute match. SANADA clearly did his homework on Sabre after losing him during the NJPW Cup earlier this year. SANADA just had an answer for everything Sabre threw at him.

Sabre pitched a fit at ringside after the match.

(8) Tetsuya Naito (2) vs. IWGP U.S. Hvt. Champion Juice Robinson (0) in a G1 Climax 28 B Block match. Naito clipped Robinson’s injured hand during an exchange in the corner. Naito then hit his signature corner dropkick, but he targeted Robinson’s hand. Robinson yelled in pain and rolled to the floor. Naito continued to target Robinson’s injured hand on the outside before going after it back inside the ring. Robinson fired up and tried to block out the pain from his wrist, so Naito raked his eyes. Robinson mounted a comeback and hit a full nelson bomb and the fans fired up. Robinson went for his signature punching sequence, but Naito spit at him. They went back and forth and Robinson caught Naito coming off the ropes with a spinebuster. Naito fired back and hit his signature sliding dropkick, but instead of hitting Robinson’s back, he drop kicked his hand. Naito then locked in a submission while wrenching back on Robinson’s injured hand. Robinson fought through the pain and got to the ropes. Naito went for a top rope hurricanrana, but Robinson rolled through for a near fall. Naito went for a swinging DDT, but Robinson blocked it and hit a jack hammer. WOW! Robinson couldn’t follow up and both men were down on the mat. Robinson put Naito up top. Naito tried to spit at him, but Robinson slapped him. Robinson set up for a superplex, but Naito went after his injured hand. Robinson fired back and hit a fallaway slam off the second rope. The fans fired up big time for Robinson. Robinson hit a cannonball. He then hit a big powerbomb and he stacked Naito up for a near fall. The fans chanted for Naito after he kicked out. They went back and forth and Robinson got Naito up on his shoulders, but Naito turned it into a reverse hurricanrana. WOW!

Naito went for Destino, but Robinson blocked it. Robinson had Pulp Friction, but Naito slipped out at the last second and hit a German suplex. Naito hit a flying forearm and went for Destino, but Robinson through him off and hit a HUGE lariat and both men were down. WOW! Robinson went for Pulp Friction, but Naito slid out of it. Naito went for Destino, but Robinson got him up on his shoulders. Naito then shifted his weight and hit a Destion for a near fall! Naito set up for another Destino and connected as Kelly hit his Destino catch phrase.

WINNER: Tetsuya Naito (4 pts)

Star rating: (****½) This was one hell of a match with Naito going after Robinson’s injured hand. Robinson fired back and gave Naito a run for his money. They had some great back and forth sequences late countering each other’s finishes. Robinson remains winless in the tournament, which is a bit of a surprise.

Tama Tonga came out to face Kenny Omega. He was accompanied by Tanga Loa and Bad Luck Fale. Loa told Kelly they were out there to make sure there was no interference in the match tonight. Loa also hit Chris Charlton off camera apparently as well.

Fale, Loa, and Tonga jumped Omega when he got into the ring before the match could start. Tonga held up the IWGP Hvt. title and slammed it down to the mat. All three men continued to work over Omega. The ref tried to restore order. Hangman Page and Chase Owens finally ran down to make the save right when Omega was about to take the Bad Luck Fall.

(9) Tama Tonga (w/Tanga Loa & Bad Luck Fale) (2) vs. IWGP Hvt. Champion Kenny Omega (4). Everyone brawled on the floor and Omega set up and hit Rise of the Terminator after the bell rang to start to the match. Tonga ran into the ring behind Omega and nailed him with a spear a short time later. He then hit a big flapjack variation. The ref threw everyone out from ringside..Fale yelled at Omega and said he had divided them. Omega finally fired back and hit a big DDT off the ropes for a 2 count. He followed up with You Can’t Escape, but Tonga got his knees up. Tonga went for a Gun Stun, but Omega blocked it and hit a V-trigger. Tonga blocked a Jay-driller attempt and hit an Alabama slam for a 2 count. Omega ducked a Gun Stun and tried to counter it into a V-trigger, but Tonga blocked it. They went back and forth and Omega caught Tonga up against the ropes with a V-trigger. They went back and forth on the apron. Tonga grabbed the ref and Loa hit Omega in the knee with a chair. He tried to powerbomb Omega off the apron, but Omega turned it into a hurricanrana. Omega then went up behind Tonga on the apron and lifted him up for an apron bomb. Omega hit Tonga with a cross-legged neck breaker over his knee a short time later. He set up for a V-trigger, but Loa grabbed him from the apron. Omega ducked a charge from Tonga and he ran into Tonga. Omega rolled him up, but Tonga kicked out and Omega went through the ropes where Loa tossed a chair at his head. Tonga then got a rollup for a 2 count.

Loa rolled a chair into the ring and distracted the ref. Tonga went for a Gun Stun onto the chair, but Omega blocked it. Omega went for the One-Winged Angel, but Tonga blocked it and went for a Style’s Clash on the chair. The ref kicked the chair away. Tonga then went after the ref and hit a Gun Stun. The ref called for the DQ. Fale came down to the ring and tossed Omega into a Gun-Stun.

WINNER: Kenny Omega (6 pts)

Star rating: (***) – This was a good overall presentation of the current war within Bullet Club.

After the match, Fale, Tonga, and Loa worked over Omega. Loa headbutted a Young Lion. Tonga wrapped a chair around Omega’s head, but Ibushi, Page, and Owens ran down to clear the ring. The fans chanted for Ibushi. Tonga vowed to end all of them as he headed to the back.

(10) NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto (2) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (2) in a G1 Climax 28 B Block match. Both men ran into each other several times during the early going with shoulder tackles and the fans fired up. They glared at each other and then began trading forearm a short time later. Goto finally took Ishii down with a shoulder tackle and the fans applauded. Ishii fired back and caught Goto with a powerslam. Ishii had control and he began taunting Goto. Goto mounted a comeback and eventually they went back and forth. Goto finally caught Ishii with a clothesline in the corner and then a short time later he hit a Saito suplex. Ishii absorbed several kicks from Goto and shook them off. He then wiped out Goto with a big forearm. The fans fired up as Ishii went on the attack with chops and forearms in the corner. They went to a big exchange off the ropes. Goto no-sold a German and nailed Ishii with a kick to the chest. WOW! Goto applied a sleeper and Ishii almost faded, but eventually he managed to toss Goto off. Both men began hitting clotheslines at each other, but neither man would go down. Ishii almost went down, but managed to stay on his feet. He fired back and NAILED Goto with a clothesline, but he bounced off the ropes and hit a clothesline of his own. They continued to go back and forth. Both men hit clotheslines and got right back up. They hit clotheslines at the same time and stumbled backwards at the 10 minute mark. They backed up and ran into each other full force with clotheslines and both men collapsed to their knees. WOW!

Goto grabbed the sleeper again and Ishii punched out of it. Goto hit a punch and Ishii shook it off and began hitting elbows left and right. Goto went for a headbutt, but Ishii cut it off with an elbow. Ishii then hit a headbutt of his own and then sent Goto into the corner with a clothesline. Ishii hit a stalling brainbuster off the top for a near fall a short time later and the fans gasped! They went back and forth and Goto hit the Ushigoroshi. WOW! Goto lifted Ishii up and hit a forearm and then a clothesline to deck him. He then hit a reverse GTR. Goto lifted Ishii slowly for the GTR, but Ishii slid out. They went back and forth with both men trying for the GTR. Ishii finally hit a Saito suplex and both men were down. WOW! Both men got up and hit clotheslines at the same time. They countered each other multiple times until Ishii turned Goto inside out with a clothesline for a near fall. WOW! Goto blocked a brainbuster attempt from Ishii. Goto struggled, but hit Shouten Kai for a near fall! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Goto measured Ishii and hit his signature kick to the chest. Ishii got out of the GTR. Both men traded headbutts. Ishii finally caught Goto with an enzuguri. He then hit the sliding lariat for a near fall as the crowd went nuts. WOW! Ishii then lifted Goto and hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the win. What a war!

WINNER: Tomohiro Ishii (4 pts)

Star rating: (****½) – This was an all out war from start to finish. These guys BROUGHT the fight to each other big time here and the fans ate it up from start to finish. Goto is having a great tournament so far in the ring.

Ishii appeared to collapse after the match and needed help getting to the back. Ishii was ushered right past the media, so there was no post-match press conference.

Overall thoughts: This was a really satisfying night of B Block action. It had some memorable undercard matches. SANADA vs. Sabre was short, but really good. It told a good story with SANADA coming up with a plan to beat Sabre after Sabre dominated him on the mat during the NJPW Cup Tournament earlier in the year. It was a shocking result to see Sabre lose after being outwrestled by SANADA this time around.

Elsewhere on the card, Tonga vs. Omega was a big angle with all sort of interference and brawling between the two sides of Bullet Club. The action was fun while it lasted and it’s clear that Tonga doesn’t care about getting wins in this tournament and OGBC are content to wreak havoc and cause chaos.

The best two matches on the night that you need to check out are Naito vs. Robinson and Goto vs. Ishii. Naito is having an incredible tournament and he put together another great performance against Robinson, as he went after his injured hand throughout the match. It’s surprising that Robinson is 0-3 in the tournament.

The main event was a great all out war between Ishii and Goto. These guys brought the fight to each other, but it’s scary to see Ishii collapse after the match, especially when they did a ton of big moves and headbutt spots during the match. Hopefully Ishii was just working and there weren’t any serious consequences for him coming out of the match.

STANDINGS AFTER NIGHT 6

A BLOCK

Jay White (3-0, 6 pts)
Togi Makabe (2-1, 4 pts)
Michael Elgin (2-1, 4 pts)
EVIL (2-1, 4 pts)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-1, 4 pts)
Hangman Page (1-2, 2 pts)
Bad Luck Fale (1-2, 2 pts)
Minoru Suzuki (1-2, 2 pts)
Kazuchika Okada (1-2, 2 pts)
YOSHI-HASHI (0-3, 0 pts)

B BLOCK

Kenny Omega (3-0, 6 pts)
Kota Ibushi (2-1, 4 pts)
Tetsuya Naito (2-1, 4 pts)
SANADA (2-1, 4 pts)
Tomohiro Ishii (2-1, 4 pts)
Tama Tonga (1-2, 2 pts)
Hirooki Goto (1-2, 2 pts)
Zack Sabre Jr. (1-2, 2 pts)
Toru Yano (1-2, 2 pts)
Juice Robinson (0-3, 0 pts)

I will provide a list of matches ranked at **** or higher for people just looking to watch the best matches from the tournament. This guide is also handy for those of you that are short on time and looking to sample the best of each night of G1 Climax 28.

Match recommendations for G1 Climax 28: Night 6

(8) Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson (****½)

(10) Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii (****½)

Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow Sean on Twitter @sr_torch.