NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night Fourteen
August 4st, 2018 | EDION Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 5,550
Ah, it’s time for the annual Osaka show. Traditionally, this is a big night for the G1. It usually comes near the end of the tournament and features some big time battles. Last year we got Juice/Kenny & Okada/EVIL, 2016 gave us Okada/Ishii & Marufuji/Tanahashi, 2015 had Okada/Goto, and 2014 had Tanahashi/Nakamura and Shibata/Honma. So yea, some big events here. B Block, already a stellar block (except you Tama Tonga) puts on one of their stronger cards of the entire tournament.
Bad Luck Fale and Tanga Loa def. SHO and YOSHI-HASHI in 5:34
El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki def. Chase Owens and Hangman Page in 8:05
Jay White and YOH def. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe in 7:07
David Finlay and Michael Elgin def. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino in 8:21
BUSHI and EVIL def. Gedo and Kazuchika Okada in 6:17
B Block: SANADA [6] vs. Toru Yano [2]
SANADA won their prior G1 meeting last year (**¼). Yano, with just one win so far, attacked SANADA during his entrance to gain the upper hand. Oddly, they rang the bell while they fought on the aisle so SANADA nearly got counted out when he was tied up into the Paradise Lock. He had to hop back to the ring to beat it. With the match in the ring, we got a complete blast of a match. Yano called for Rocky Romero to help him escape the Paradise Lock. He did and when SANADA questioned him, he did the Yano shrug. Amazing. SANADA put Yano back in the Paradise Lock and tied him to the guardrail. Rocky tried helping again and got put in the Paradise Lock while still on commentary! SANADA won by countout at 5:22 as Rocky shouted, “HELP ME! SOMEBODY GET MILANO! HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THE KEY!” on commentary. Yano continues to be a nonstop source of fun. Outstanding. [***]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto [4] vs. Tama Tonga [4]
Goto beat Tama in the 2016 New Japan Cup (**¾) and again in that year’s G1 (***). This match means nothing. Usually, though both men are eliminated, Tama would be fighting for a potential NEVER Title shot. Instead, he doesn’t care about winning. Tanga did his shitty TAKA impersonation. Goto’s G1 has been like his career. He’s had some good matches and a few wins, but had no shot against the big dogs in the block. Anyway, there’s no need to recap this because it was everything the Firing Squad has given us in this tournament. They had a boring match until the run-ins and shenanigans began. Red Shoes ran down after a ref bump to take over and flipped off the Firing Squad. It was less effective here than when he did it earlier in the tournament. It led to a DQ win for Goto at 11:15. What a giant waste of time. [½*]
B Block: IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson [4] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [6]
Sabre eliminated Juice from the US Title Tournament at last year’s G1 Special in USA (***¾). TAKA’s pre-match promo featured him saying Zack would become the US Champion, so this match now has meaning. THANK YOU! Juice has always been a “heart on his sleeve” kind of guy. He has more guys than brains and against a guy like Sabre, that’s not good. Cocky Sabre was more than happy to goad him into stupid mistakes and would capitalize by twisting him up when given the chance. It was like Sabre took pride in bending and cranking on Juice’s injured hand. There were great exchanges that told the story it needed to from start to finish. Speaking of the finish, it was a wild one. Sabre twisted Juice up, but the US Champ refused to give up. Sabre just kept adding new variations on his existing submission, to the point where he used some kind of inverted figure four stump puller chicken wing. You must see it to believe it. That got the win in 13:39. Damn good match featuring two great wrestlers playing to their strengths. I’m pumped for their eventual title match. [***¾]
B Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega [12] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [4]
Last year, these two had a stellar trilogy. Ishii won in the New Japan Cup (****¼), while Omega won in the US Title Finals (****½) and at Wrestling Dontaku (****½). There’s the added intrigue of Ishii possibly getting a title shot with a win and Omega wanting to avoid another Osaka upset after last year. I’ve criticized Kenny for feeling like a moves machine at times. Here, like the Sabre match, he brought a lot more. He showed a big arrogant side early, seemingly overconfident after two straight wins over Ishii and six straight in this G1 (plus the wins over Okada and Cody since June). It’s such a good contrast from his Sabre match where he felt desperate. After winning that, the man thinks he’s bulletproof. However, Ishii was a different animal tonight. As Omega kicked away at him, Ishii laughed it off. WE GOT A SMILE FROM ISHII! After Omega hit his tope con hilo, he seemed to favor his heel, showing his first signs of weakness in the tournament. Ishii started to get going and it became a case of Kenny having to throw everything at him to try and keep him down. It meant he threw an ABSURD amount of V-Triggers. My buddy Dante counted and he threw 13 of them in this match (38 in the entire tournament). It was a bit much, but I popped when Ishii no sold some. That set a tone for Ishii being able to survive whatever Omega threw at him. We got a great visual late of Omega bleeding from the mouth as it was clear he was in danger. Ishii finally hit the Brainbuster and secured the win at 22:42. A banger of a match. Again, Omega brought more than just moves and it was masterful. Ishii, a guy who typically doesn’t win big matches, beat the IWGP Champion in a war. They beat the hell out of each other and told a masterful story that opens the block for Naito (and possibly Ibushi), while hopefully setting up an Ishii title match. Intense action and dynamite storytelling. [****½]
B Block: Kota Ibushi [8] vs. Tetsuya Naito [10]
Ibushi beat Naito in his first G1 in 2013 (****) and in the 2015 New Japan Cup (****). Naito won their G1 25 meeting (***¾) and an incredible G1 match last year (****¾). These two are willing to land on their necks for the sake of a match and they did a fair amount of that here. Early on, Naito brought out more heel tactics than he has lately, turning the crowd against him a bit. He went after Ibushi’s knee to start but they sort of drifted away from that rather quickly. That portion of the match didn’t work that well for me. However, once Naito went after the next, things picked up. It made more sense because of Ibushi’s history and the set up for Destino. This featured some horrifyingly unsafe looking spots that would make anyone cringe. They threw bomb after bomb, fitting of the matches we’re used to from these two. Ibushi, like almost everyone else, survived Destino. That move really means nothing anymore. I did truly like Ibushi hitting a Boma Ye before the Kamigoye to win in 25:09. Not quite on the level of Ishii/Omega, but a worthy follow-up and main event. Insanity in terms of spots and a crazy pace that made for a wild main event. [****¼]
Overall: 8.5/10. Again, if it wasn’t for Tama Tonga, this would be an all-time great single block G1 show. He and Goto sucked the life out of the building. Other than that dire match, everything ruled and was different. SANADA/Yano was a delightful sprint, Juice/Sabre set up a future title match with great storytelling, Ishii/Omega did something similar but in a completely different and epic way, while Ibushi/Naito was a ridiculous main event. The B Block delivers yet again.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 12 (6-1) | Kenny Omega | 12 (6-1) |
| Jay White | 10 (5-2) | Kota Ibushi | 10 (5-2) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 10 (5-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 10 (5-2) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 8 (4-3) | SANADA | 8 (4-3) |
| EVIL | 8 (4-3) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 8 (4-3) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-4) | Tomohiro Ishii | 6 (3-4) |
| Michael Elgin | 6 (3-4) | Hirooki Goto | 6 (3-4) |
| Hangman Page | 4 (2-5) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-5) |
| Togi Makabe | 4 (2-5) | Juice Robinson | 4 (2-5) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-6) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-6) |
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night Thirteen
August 2nd, 2018 | Fukuoka Citizen Gymnasium in Fukuoka, Japan | Attendance: 3,580
It’s officially the back third of the G1. Each block only has three shows left. With things winding down, there are a few questions. Can A Block finally come close to the B Block standards? Will Jay White find a way to win this block? Will Gedo have it come down to Tana/Okada yet again? Will the Firing Squad continue to suck? Is it really Okada struggling if he’s winning most of his matches?
Gedo and Toru Yano def. Ren Narita and Toa Henare in 4:53
The Guerrillas of Destiny def. Hirooki Goto and YOH in 6:14
David Finlay and Juice Robinson def. TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr. in 6:13
SHO and Tomohiro Ishii def. Chase Owens and Kenny Omega in 6:16
SANADA and Tetsuya Naito def. Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi in 6:52
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [6] vs. Michael Elgin [4]
No prior G1 meetings for these two but they split New Japan Cup matches in 2016 (***) and 2017 (*). These two managed to have some decent back and forth during this match. It was two powerhouses hammering away on one another. That’s fine. Of course, it couldn’t stay that way. Things had to go south. We got the ref bump, interference, chair stuff, etc. The biggest issues are that A) it’s redundant, B) it’s dumb in an important tournament, and C) it’s inconsistent from a character standpoint. If you don’t care about winning, why waste our time with lengthy matches? A Tama Tonga run in caused a DQ at 11:13. They destroyed Elgin’s arm with a chair. Lame. [½*]
A Block: Hangman Page [2] vs. Togi Makabe [4]
A first time ever meeting between an ROH guy getting a big NJPW show and a G1 veteran. Togi, especially at this point in his career, is best suited for G1 sprints. That’s what we got here. He and Page had a little war with brawling around the ring and some hard hitting strikes. It felt like Makabe took Page lightly and Hangman was throwing out his best because he was desperate to get that first pin in his G1 career. Still, Makabe knows what he’s doing and got in control. He went for the King Kong Knee Drop but missed. Page surprisingly won a lariat battle and hit his first Rite of Passage in this tournament for the win at 9:10. About as good as I could’ve asked for from these two. A physical sprint that didn’t overstay its welcome. [***]
A Block: Jay White [8] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [2]
Another first time ever meeting. Though White has attempted to take over CHAOS, one assumes YOSHI would stand by his buddy Okada over White. White jumped HASHI before the bell, as if one really needs that advantage against a guy of HASHI’s stature. He did a lot of his usual underhanded tactics, including threatening to bring a chair into play, a low blow, and a ref bump. Yes, there was another ref bump in the G1. Shocking. YOSHI brought his usual brand of fire. It was alright at best, like everything else he does. One thing I liked was how he didn’t go for a ton of Butterfly Lock attempts. That’s bitten him in the ass in past G1 matches. Still, he wasn’t good enough as the ref bump set up the low blow and Blade Runner finish in 9:48. Keeping this short worked to its advantage, but it’s just so hard to get invested in anything Tacos does. The fact that it was ripe with the worst of Jay White stuff and it didn’t work. [**½]
A Block: EVIL [8] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [10]
A win would be huge for EVIL in his hopes to stay alive. These guys split matches last year, with EVIL winning in the New Japan Cup (***¾) and Tanahashi taking the rematch at Wrestling Toyonokuni (***¼). They worked this with EVIL being the bully who beat Tanahashi up. However, the crowd hasn’t been keen on booing LIDJ guys, so it made for a strange dynamic. Still, the in-ring action was strong. There were good back and forth exchanges, with it being clear that they’ve developed some chemistry during their Taguchi Japan/LIDJ tags. My biggest gripe with this match was that it never truly felt like EVIL would pull this out. When Omega, atop the B Block, wrestled yesterday you got the sense Sabre would best him. I never felt that here. Tanahashi won with the High Fly Flow at 12:57. It was a fine match, but probably their worst together and not what you want from two guys near the top of the block. [***]
A Block: Kazuchika Okada [8] vs. Minoru Suzuki [8]
I still get a laugh out of how I’m supposed to take Okada as a guy struggling when he’s doing so well. Okada beat Minoru in the awesome G1 24 (****¼) and in last year’s title match at New Beginning (*¾). They also went to draws in last year’s G1 (***¾) and at Suzuki’s 30th Anniversary Show this year. Anyway, Minoru jumped Okada during his entrance, done with his stupid balloon nonsense. Parts of this felt similar to Suzuki/Tanahashi, in that Suzuki just beat the hell out of his opponent. He was sadistic and dominated most of it. And yet, like EVIL/Tanahashi, it never felt like the outcome was in doubt. That’s one of the pitfalls of announcing matchups ahead of time. We all know that Tanahashi/Okada is on the final show and a loss here would’ve effectively eliminated Okada, so there was no way that happened. They have wrestled a lot and have strong chemistry, but this wasn’t their best effort together. Okada won the final exchange and stayed alive with the Rainmaker at 18:20. A fine main event, but one that felt hollow at times. We knew the outcome, they never pulled me in to believe anything else, and that kept it from being great. Still, very good stuff. [***½]
Overall: 6/10. I guess this was one of the better A Block shows. I mean, there’s not a lot of good coming from this side. Everything seemed to be wildly average. Fale/Elgin was trash, while White/HASHI was kind of just there. Makabe/Page and EVIL/Tanahashi were both good, but nowhere near great. Okada/Suzuki was a fitting main event as they delivered a strong match, just not one that will stand out or be memorable.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 12 (6-1) | Kenny Omega | 12 (6-0) |
| Jay White | 10 (5-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 10 (5-1) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 10 (5-2) | Kota Ibushi | 8 (4-2) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 8 (4-3) | SANADA | 6 (3-3) |
| EVIL | 8 (4-3) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-3) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-4) | Tomohiro Ishii | 4 (2-4) |
| Michael Elgin | 6 (3-4) | Juice Robinson | 4 (2-4) |
| Hangman Page | 4 (2-5) | Hirooki Goto | 4 (2-4) |
| Togi Makabe | 4 (2-5) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-6) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-5) |
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night Twelve
August 1st, 2018 | Kagoshima Arena in Kagoshima, Japan | Attendance: 3,490
Time for some B Block action. Another relatively loaded card from the superior block. Can Kenny Omega remain perfect in a first time ever battle with Zack Sabre Jr? That’s the big question. We also must see if Tetsuya Naito can keep up.
Bad Luck Fale and Tonga Loa def. Michael Elgin and Shota Umino in 4:57
Chase Owens and Hangman Page def. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe in 6:40
SHO and YOSHI-HASHI def. Jay White and YOH in 6:37
BUSHI and EVIL def. David Finlay and Hiroshi Tanahashi in 6:55
El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki def. Gedo and Kazuchika Okada in 7:34
B Block: Tama Tonga [2] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [4]
Tama won their only prior G1 meeting, in 2016 (**¾). Of course, Tanga Loa was with his brother here and did another cheap TAKA Michinoku rip off introduction. For most of this match, we didn’t get the typical Firing Squad nonsense. In fact, most of this was a straight up one on one match. Unfortunately, Tama is just not interesting enough for that to make up for things. Loa did eventually get involved and we got things like a ref bump and steel chair antics. How come nobody from CHAOS chooses to help each other? That’s a stable I’d never want to be part of. Ishii survived their attacks once or twice, but it became too much for him. He got put down by the Gun Stun at 10:34. It was better than most Tama matches in the G1 so far. The back half was too much of the same and it was nothing special to begin with. [**]
B Block: IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson [2] vs. SANADA [6]
SANADA won their G1 match last year (***¼). Juice is fresh off his first win in this year’s G1. Like that match, this was good but never sniffed great. It was ripe with Gedo booking tropes, like the double countout tease. The interesting part of this might have also been the biggest issue. Juice had SANADA totally scouted. He was one step ahead of him from start to finish. That included him applying his own Skull End on the master himself. That would’ve been great, except it made for an awkward atmosphere as the crowd seemed unsure of how to react to this. Maybe it was because they like SANADA a lot. Anyway, as the match neared its end, we got the sense that SANADA was too quick for Juice. The US Champ had to remove his cast to get back on track and keep up with SANADA. It worked as he scored with Pulp Friction to win in 12:39. I dug the story they told, it just had a strange crowd and some redundant Gedo stuff to make it stand out in a crowded tournament like this. [***½]
B Block: Tetsuya Naito [8] vs. Toru Yano [2]
Naito won their G1 matches in 2016 (**¼), 2015 (**½), and a bloody one in 2014 (***) Yano won in 2010, 2011 and 2013 (**¾). Or maybe Naito got busted open in the 2013 one. I can’t remember. This time around, we got a fun twist on the usual Yano formula. This year, he’s been trying to be less of a cheat. So, it was Naito who was playing games. He refused the lockup, he taunted, he tied Yano up in the guardrail. Yano was in trouble, so he resorted to his old ways by removing the turnbuckle pad. It backfired as Naito swung it like a baseball bat at him. Yano survived that, but not Destino, losing in 8:28. The outcome never felt like it was in doubt, but this was silly fun. Naito looked like he had a blast. [***]
B Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega [10] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [6]
I praised the B Block for having versatility in their main events, but there’s no way this shouldn’t go on last over Ibushi/Goto. I understand this show is in Kota’s hometown. Kenny remained the one NJPW Big Four guy that Sabre hasn’t beaten in 2018. They only met once before and it was years ago before they reached the levels they’re on now. Omega held serve with Zack on the mat at the start, but was quickly proven to be out of his element. So, he moved to using his power and aerial offense. Sabre cut those off with his brand of picking apart a limb, choosing Kenny’s right leg. I loved how Sabre easily got out of Kenny’s “YOU CAN’T ESCAPE” spot. Only Naito has done it that I’ve seen and it hammered home how great Sabre was in that aspect. Zack had an answer for everything and like his match with Okada in April, it forced the IWGP Champion out of his comfort zone. That’s a good thing, folks. A lot of what Kenny did felt like it was out of desperation and not like his usual tendency to throw big moves for the sake of extra stars. The One Winged Angle countered into the European Clutch made for a tremendous near fall, while Zack catching a V-Trigger into a submission was stellar. Though Sabre dominated, Omega refused to give up and used a rollup to steal this in 15:16. Great match that showed a different side of Kenny. It was the kind of performance that we should get more often from him. There was a lot of emotion and sympathy here, as Omega felt more like a great wrestler than a moves machine. Sabre was spectacular. Booking wise, I liked how great Sabre looked, but it does take a lot of away from the drama of the block as Kenny is nearly unreachable. I’m also happy they kept this relatively short. [****¼]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto [4] vs. Kota Ibushi [6]
Goto won their only prior G1 meeting (***), which was last year. This is Kota’s hometown, so he was the clear favorite. Also, he’s Kota and his opponent is Goto. Goto worked a slow style early, feeling out Ibushi and seeing how he’d react to the pressure. If Kota lost, in his hometown, he’d be eliminated. Goto controlled most of the early stuff and seemed keen to take advantage of Ibushi landing on his neck. It’s not a true Ibushi tournament run if he doesn’t get dropped on his head. Goto focused on the neck. The crowd came alive for Ibushi’s big comeback sequences. Those were the best parts of the match and it admittedly got better as it went on. They gave us the strong exchanges late, with Kota using Kamigoye to win in 18:10 and stay alive. A strong main event, but it was hard to live up to the previous match. Plus, they’ve goth had better in this tournament. [***½]
Overall: 7.5/10. Guess what? The B Block put on another good show. Shocker. Tama Tongs wasn’t completely awful, helping the consistency of this show. It didn’t have as high a ceiling as many B Block shows, but Juice/SANADA and Goto/Ibushi were very good, while Yano/Naito was fun. Omega/Sabre was one of the better matches of the tournament so far. We’re about to hit the back third of the tournament, where things usually pick up again.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 10 (5-1) | Kenny Omega | 12 (6-0) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 8 (4-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 10 (5-1) |
| Jay White | 8 (4-2) | Kota Ibushi | 8 (4-2) |
| EVIL | 8 (4-2) | SANADA | 6 (3-3) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 8 (4-2) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-3) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-3) | Tomohiro Ishii | 4 (2-4) |
| Togi Makabe | 4 (2-4) | Juice Robinson | 4 (2-4) |
| Michael Elgin | 4 (2-4) | Hirooki Goto | 4 (2-4) |
| Hangman Page | 2 (1-5) | Tama Tonga | 4 (2-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-5) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-5) |
NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night Eleven
July 30th, 2018 | Takamatsu City Gymnasium in Takamatsu, Kanagawa | Attendance: 2,555
Following another night off, the G1 Climax returns with just eight nights left until the finals. That’s kind of crazy. It feels like this just started, yet also somehow feels like it’s been on for a while. Anyway, I noted that due to the Firing Squad and this A Block, we’re only getting about half a great G1. Let’s see if the A Block can turn it around. On tap today is a rematch from something I feel got overrated last year (Okada/Elgin), the blandest guy in the block against the ace (Tanahashi/YOSHI), a WK8 rematch (Fale/Togi) and a Super Strong Style Evolved rematch (White/Page).
David Finlay and Juice Robinson def. Shota Umino and Toa Henare in 5:05
The Guerrillas of Destiny def. SHO and Tomohiro Ishii in 5:55
SANADA and Tetsuya Naito def. Gedo and Toru Yano in 6:43
Chase Owens and Kenny Omega def. TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr. in 5:29
Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi def. Hirooki Goto and YOH in 6:31
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [4] vs. Togi Makabe [4]
These two met in the G1 last year (**½), in 2016 (**¾), and 2015 (**½), as well as at Wrestle Kingdom in 2014. Fale won all the G1 meetings but lost in the Tokyo Dome. Interestingly, only Fale and Omega have yet to be pinned in the G1, as all Fale losses came via DQ. So, Tanga Loa did the big intro for Fale, which was dumb. It made sense for Sabre/Tonga because of TAKA. Here, it was just a waste of time. Speaking of wastes of time, that was most of this match. They did the brawling we’ve come to expect from these two for most of the match. Fale continued to be a thorn in Makabe’s side. Makabe rallied and nearly won, but Tanga pulled out the referee and we got the typical Firing Squad nonsense. Only Tanga Loa can not be booked in the G1 and still be the worst part of it all. Fale hit Makabe with his chain and won in 7:51. This was bad, but at least didn’t last long. It’s tiresome to go over why the Firing Squad stuff is shit. [¾*]
Things have gotten hectic for me today, so the rest of this review will probably be shorter than usual.
A Block: Hangman Page [2] vs. Jay White [6]
Back in March, White retained his US Title against Page (***) on the US show. Page has only won via DQ, while White has dropped two straight after beating Okada, Tanahashi, and Elgin. This was another case of White playing up the cunning yet vicious heel, while Page continued to wow the live crowd with his athleticism. Page is basically eliminated, yet you never got the sense that he was willing to do anything to get some points on the board. There was some ref shenanigans again, as well as a few spots involving a steel chair. White got back on track with the Blade Runner in 17:10. Like their US match, this was fine but nothing special. The extra stuff with the chair and ref felt unnecessary. [**¾]
A Block: EVIL [8] vs. Minoru Suzuki [6]
Last year, EVIL bested Suzuki in the G1 (***). When you get these two in a match, you’ve come to expect some hard hitting brawling. It started just that way, with some around the ring. It was a lot of striking. In this match, bringing the chair into play worked and made much more sense than in the previous one. I always get a kick out of EVIL’s signature double chair spot. It just looks cool. EVIL won out during a forearm battle in the ring, before they moved into finisher counters and the bigger stuff. Minoru won out there and hit the Gotch Style Piledriver to tie him with eight points at 12:13. A good, stiff battle between two of the better brawlers out there. [***¼]
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] vs. YOSHI-HASHI [2]
The man at the top of the block against the man at the bottom. Tanahashi won their match last year (**½). This was more of the same. Like the Page/White stuff earlier, you never got the sense that YOSHI-HASHI was bringing any sort of urgency to the table. I did like the note about how nervous he looked coming into the match and how his confidence grew as the match progressed. That was honestly about all I enjoyed about this. It’s just nearly impossible to buy HASHI as any kind of threat, especially to someone like Tanahashi. HASHI got his knees up on the High Fly Flow and went right into the Butterfly Lock. Tanahashi countered and rolled up HASHI to steal it in 12:36. HASHI got in Tana’s face after the match to argue the three count. This was fine but like the rest of the show, it never sniffed being great. [**¾]
A Block: Kazuchika Okada [6] vs. Michael Elgin [4]
Okada bested Elgin in the G1 25 and G1 27 (both ***¾). We’re still getting the Okada who doesn’t take things seriously. He flexed and mocked Elgin while having fun. I mean, I’d be the same way if my “struggles” involved me being 3-2 in the tournament so far. Like their match last year, Elgin caught him with the high impact offense he’s known for. He threw Okada around with ease at points. Yet, he could never do enough to keep Okada down. In fact, from the pure standpoint of moves being done, this was great. But there’s more wrestling than the moves. There was nothing behind any of them. The match lacked emotion or a true story that mattered or made sense. Okada won with the Rainmaker after 20:56. Man, for someone who is supposed to be struggling after losing the IWGP Title, Okada is doing well. [***]
Overall: 5/10. I’m sick of these mediocre A Block shows. Only Fale/Togi was flat out bad, but most of the other stuff wasn’t memorable. Okada/Elgin was solid, yet hollow and EVIL/Suzuki was the best match on the show, yet capped out at ***¼. There’s just nothing interesting going on with this block from an action or story standpoint.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 10 (5-1) | Kenny Omega | 10 (5-0) |
| Minoru Suzuki | 8 (4-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 8 (4-1) |
| Jay White | 8 (4-2) | SANADA | 6 (3-2) |
| EVIL | 8 (4-2) | Kota Ibushi | 6 (3-2) |
| Kazuchika Okada | 8 (4-2) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 6 (3-2) |
| Bad Luck Fale | 6 (3-3) | Tomohiro Ishii | 4 (2-3) |
| Togi Makabe | 4 (2-4) | Hirooki Goto | 4 (2-3) |
| Michael Elgin | 4 (2-4) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-4) |
| Hangman Page | 2 (1-5) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-4) |
| YOSHI-HASHI | 2 (1-5) | Tama Tonga | 2 (1-4) |
