Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 1 Review

Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 1 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Block A Match: Togi Makabe defeated YOSHI-HASHI @ 11:05 via pin [***½]
– Block A Match: Hangman Page defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 8:15 via DQ [**½]
– Block A Match: Michael Elgin defeated EVIL @ 16:10 via pin [****]
– Block A Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki @ 14:02 via pin [****]
– Block A Match: Jay White defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 25:30 via pin [****]

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– I’ll be focusing on the tournament matches..

A Block Match: Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI: HASHI has upgraded to some new gear, it’s a big improvement (even if a bit of a Nakamura cosplay). They brawl to begin, Makabe overpowers HASHI but HASHI cuts him off and the fight goes to the floor. They brawl at ringside with HASHI in control. Back in and HASHI keeps working Makabe over and hits a brainbuster for a near fall. Makabe fires up and lays in big strikes, and the powerslam cuts off HASHI. HASHI fires back with strikes, but Makabe lays in mounted corner punches; the northern lights suplex follows for 2. Back to trading strikes center ring, HASHI is rocked, and Makabe levels him with the lariat for the double down. Back to the feet, Makabe takes HASHI up top and they battle for position and HASHI slides out and hits the powerbomb for a really good near fall. Makabe fights off karma, but HASHI hits a lariat and meteora for a good near fall; the butterfly lock follows and Makabe fights out, HASHI hits backstabber, back to the butterfly lock, but Makabe makes the ropes. HASHI heads up top and hits the blockbuster and that gets 2. Karama is countered, and the German follows; HASHI pops up and they work into a double down. Lariat by Makabe, the spider German follows and the king kong knee drop finishes HASHI. Togi Makabe defeated YOSHI-HASHI @ 11:05 via pin [***½] This was a very good match to kick off the tournament, with HASHI showing great fire, and looking good.

A Block Match: Bad Luck Fale vs. Hangman Page: Fale looks good after dropping a lot of weight. Bullet Club battle time. Fale attacks at the bell and they immediately brawl to the floor. Page battles back and hits a dive as the floor brawling continues. Fale tosses Page into the chairs, just tossing Page around. Back in and Fale maintains control. Page picks up the pace, hits clotheslines and a running shooting star press for 2. Tanga Loa is out at ringside now; Fale cuts off Page and hits a corner splash and running splash for 2. Page now counters the grenade into a cradle for 2 and then dumps Fale to the floor. Loa cuts him off, Page superkicks him, and Page now heads up top and moonsaults onto Loa & Fale. Back in and the buckshot lariat gets 2. Fale fights off rite of passage, but Tonga runs in and chop blocks the knee. They all beat down Page for the DQ. Omega, Ibushi, & Owens make the save. Hangman Page defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 8:15 via DQ [**½] This was solid overall, even fun at times, and while I am not a huge fan of the DQ finish, it plays into the Bullet Club angle well. As long as it’s not a regular thing, I am cool with it.

A Block Match: Michael Elgin vs. EVIL: These two are 1-1 on G1 action. They immediately go power for power to begin. Elgin hits a shoulder tackle and takes control, taking EVIL to the floor. Elgin follows and whips EVIL to the barricade. Elgin follows with chops, but EVIL moves and Elgin clotheslines the post, allowing EVIL to attack the arm. EVIL gets a chair and continues to attack the arm. Back in and EVIL continues to control, working the arm, and hitting the senton for 2. EVIL grounds things, Elgin tries to power out, but EVIL cuts him off and maintains control. Elgin finally powers out and hits a belly to back suplex. He follows with elbow strikes, takes EVIL to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Elgin hits a slingshot double stomp. The German follows for 2. EVIL counters out, but Elgin follows with clotheslines. Elgin drops the elbow pad and hits another lariat. EVIL counters out of a press slam, hits a superkick, and the clothesline and bulldog follows for 2. EVIL now works for an arm bar; Elgin escapes and hits a bicycle kick. EVIL goes back to the arm to cut him off, they work to the apron and EVIL flies off with Elgin, slamming his arm to he barricade. Elgin rolls back in and EVIL hits the cannonball for 2. EVIL locks on banshee muzzle, Elgin fires up and escapes and hits a lariat. They trade, Elgin hits a German, but EVIL hits darkness falls for 2. Elgin counters out of everything is EVIL and does the deal with a falcon arrow for the double down. They trade strikes now, lighting each other up and Elgin fires up but runs into a lariat. Everything is EVIL is countered again, superkick by Elgin, but EVIL hits a German. Elgin hits a lariat, takes EVIL up top and follows. The superplex connects and Elgin covers for 2. Elgin hits the buckle bomb and the burning hammer is countered, but Elgin hits splash mountain and the Elgin bomb for the win. Michael Elgin defeated EVIL @ 16:10 via pin [****] This was a great, hard-hitting big lads match. Really fun and big time back and forth action, an invested crowd and a really strong closing stretch. It was nothing fancy, just exactly what it needed to be in all the best ways. They also set up the story that Elgin maybe inured going forward

A Block Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki: Suzuki immediately lights up Tanahashi with strikes, Tanahashi fights out of a choke but Suzuki attacks the knee in shades of their January match. Suzuki locks on a heel hook and has things grounded. Suzuki is just torturing Tanahashi here. Tanahashi fights, looking for the ropes, but Suzuki just keeps ripping at the leg, transitioning to an ankle lock. I love Suzuki just destroying people and making mean faces. Suzuki now transitions to an STF and then a half crab. Back to the heel hook, and Tanahashi finally makes the ropes. They trade strikes, Suzuki lays in leg kicks and Tanahashi finally cuts him off with a dragon screw. Tanahashi fires up, limping around as he makes his comeback, misses the senton and Suzuki hits a PK and goes back to the heel hook. He transitions to the figure four, Tanahashi rolls, and makes the ropes. Suzuki now fires away with forearms. Slaps follow as he lights up Tanahashi. The sleeper follows, goes for the Gotch, Tanahashi fights it off in a good struggle spot and Tanahashi gets a desperation cradle for 2. Sleeper again but Suzuki, but Tanahashi hits a dragon screw and Suzuki is down and screaming. Tanahashi fires up and hits sling blade for 2. Tanahashi up top and hits high fly flow and back up top and hits another and puts Suzuki away to get revenge. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki @ 14:02 via pin [****] This was great, playing off of their January match extremely well, with Suzuki being a sadistic bastard and Tanahashi fighting from behind to overcome. It was a good story with Tanahashi getting revenge and getting off to a winning start and getting revenge by not only winning, but possibly injuring Suzuki as well. But really, both are banged up moving forward; nobody builds his G1 around an injured body part like Tanahashi.

A Block Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White: Gedo is out with broken Okada, I love that he’s changed since losing the title after so long. I also love White’s new gear, it feels like a call back to Okada vs. Nakamura. White offers a handshake, and immediately teases blade runner while Okada counters into a rainmaker tease. White now lays in chops, dropping Okada. They work some back and forth, with Okada taking control. Okada takes him to the floor, Okada follows and White avoids the high cross but Okada follows as they brawl into the crowd. Okada then posts him, lays in the boots, but White catches him with a Saito suplex on the floor. White repeatedly slams him to the barricades and apron, and Okada is down. White continues to dominate on the floor, and we get a countout tease on Okada. Back in and they trade strikes and chops. White hits a suplex to the buckles and that gets 2. White now smothers Okada with the ring skirt, and follows with chops, back in and White covers for 2. White now grounds the action, just dominating here. The back breaker follows for 2. White now locks on a Muta lock, but Okada makes the ropes. White talks mad shit to Okada & Gedo as he maintains control. Okada finally fires back, strings together some offense and hits the DDT for the double down. Okada follows with a running back elbow, and the flapjack gets 2. Okada then hits the high cross for 2. They work into counters, and White hits the Saito suplex. White now hits rolling suplexes, and the twisting suplex gets 2. Okada counters blade runner, into the cobra clutch, and White starts to fade. He counters out and into a cobra clutch/crossface variation. Okada struggles and makes the ropes. Okada fights back, hits the neck breaker, and gets some separation. Okada goes John Woooooooooooooooo and heads up top, and the elbow drop connects. White counters the rainmaker into blade runner and then a German for a really good near fall. White lays in chops now, Okada fires back with uppercuts, but White hits a lariat for 2. White now lights him up with strikes and suplexes Okada over the ropes and to the floor. White follows and suplexes him into the barricade. Back in and White grabs a chair. He backs off Gedo, shoves the ref down but Okada dropkicks the chair into White’s face. Dropkick again by Okada, and the tombstone follows. The rainmaker connects but White hit the ref as Okada swung him out. I loathe ref bumps but that was well done. White low blows Okada, studying his Nakamura tapes. Chair shot by White, blade runner, and that gets the win. Jay White defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 25:30 via pin [****] This was another great match, with White stepping up and the work, character work, and finish all playing into White’s character perfectly, doing anything to win and also playing off of how he entered into CHAOS. Romero, as a member of CHAOS, was also really good and added a lot to the story on commentary. White gets the big win as many predicted, and now the face of CHAOS has changed as Okada alls and continues to look for life after losing the title.

G1 BLOCK A
* Togi Makabe: 1-0 (2pts.)
* Adam Page: 1-0 (2pts.)
* Michael Elgin: 1-0 (2pts.)
* Hiroshi Tanahashi: 1-0 (2pts.)
* Jay White: 1-0 (0pts.)
* Kazuchika Okada: 0-1 (2pts.)
* Minoru Suzuki: 0-1 (0pts.)
* EVIL: 0-1 (0pts.)
* YOSHI-HASHI: 0-1 (0pts.)
* Bad Luck Fale: 0-1 (0pts.)

G1 BLOCK B
* Juice Robinson: – (pts.)
* Hirooki Goto: – (pts.)
* Tomohiro Ishii: – (pts.)
* Toru Yano: – (pts.)
* Tama Tonga: – (pts.)
* SANADA: – (pts.)
* Tetsuya Naito: – (pts.)
* Zack Sabre Jr: – (pts.)
* Kenny Omega: – (pts.)
* Kota Ibushi: – (pts.)

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Night one of the NJPW G1 Climax 28 was an overall very good to great show, with three great matches, the continuation of the Bullet Club angle, and really good stories being told throughout.