wrestling / TV Reports
Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 17 Review
Loading...
Csonka’s NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 17 Review
OFFICIAL RESULTS
– A Block Match: Togi Makabe defeated Michael Elgin @ 8:35 via pin [***¼]
– A Block Match: YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hangman Page @ 10:25 via pin [***½]
– A Block Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 9:02 via DQ [*½]
– A Block Match: EVIL defeated Jay White @ 11:37 via pin [***]
– A Block Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi went to a draw @ 30:00 [****¾]
– Follow all of my reviews at this link.
– Night One Review
– Night Two Review
– Night Three Review
– Csonka’s NJPW G1 28 Undercard Thoughts (Days 1-3)
– Night Four Review
– Night Five Review
– Night Six Review
– Night Seven Review
– Csonka: Early Title Match Implications From The NJPW G1 28
– Csonka’s NJPW G1 28 Undercard Thoughts (Days 4-7)
– Night Eight Review
– Night Nine Review
– Night Ten Review
– Csonka’s NJPW G1 28 Undercard Thoughts (Days 8-10)
– Night Eleven Review
– Night Twelve Review
– Night Thirteen Review
– Csonka’s NJPW G1 28 Undercard Thoughts (Days 11-13)
– Night Fourteen Review
– Night Fifteen Review
– Night Sixteen Review
– Csonka’s NJPW G1 28 Undercard Thoughts (Days 14-16)
WHERE WE STAND: If White beats EVIL, he eliminates Okada. If Tanahashi wins or draws in the main event, he advances to the finals. If Okada wins the main event, White advances to the finals. If White loses to EVIL, he eliminates himself, leaving the winner of Okada/Tanahashi to advance to the finals. A draw sends Tanahashi to the finals.
Michael Elgin vs. Togi Makabe: They hoss about, trade strikes, and Elgin hits a belly to belly for 2. Elgin starts laying in nasty chops, and beats down Makabe in the corner. Makabe cuts him off and lays in corner-mounted strikes. They now fight over a suplex, and Makabe hits the northern lights suplex for 2. Elgin connects with enziguris and Elgin connects with a German for 2. They now trade clotheslines and they trade Germans; Makabe hits a lariat for 1. Makabe hits another lariat and this time gets 2. Makabe now takes him up top, Elgin tries to fight him off, does and sets him in the tree of WHOA and hits a superkick. Elgin hits Splash Mountain and only gets 2. Makabe fights off the powerbomb attempt, but Elgin rocks him with strikes. Makabe no sells the lariat and now he hits one. They trade strikes and Makabe hits the DVD and heads up top and hits the king kong knee drop for the win. Togi Makabe defeated Michael Elgin @ 8:35 via pin [***¼] This was a good, back and forth, hoss style sprint and a nice way to kick off the night’s tournament action.
Hangman Page vs. YOSHI-HASHI: they lock up, and Page hits a shoulder tackle. HASHI hits arm drags and then a slam. HASHI gets cut off and Page hits a neck breaker in the ropes. Page follows with the apron shooting star press to the floor. Back in and Page hits the pump handle slam into a cradle for 2. Page lays in chops, talks shit and HASHI fires up with strikes. HASHI dropkicks the knee, but Page cuts him off. HASHI fires back with a neck breaker, and follows with the running blockbuster. HASHI up top and hits another blockbuster for 2. Page fights off the slam, and hits a German for 2. Page lays in chops and HASHI now fires back and they trade. HASHI now looks for a draping dropkick, cut off, and Page hits the buckshot lariat for 2. Page now counters the powerbomb into a RANA, takes HASHI up top and hits the super neck breaker for 2. HASHI is down and the ref checks on him. Page slaps him around, but HASHI counters rite of passage for 2. HASHI looks for a powerbomb, they work into counters, and HASHI hits a superkick. Page fires back with strikes and looks for rite of passage, but HASHI now hits a destroyer for 2. The backstabber follows and Karma connects and HASHI wins. YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hangman Page @ 10:25 via pin [***½] This was a very good match, filled with fun back and forth action with a lot of good counters down the stretch (which was great) and a hot crowd. HASHI actually felt really motivated here.
Bad Luck Fale vs. Minoru Suzuki: King on Undercard Tonga Loa is out with Fale. Suzuki attacks before the bell and they immediately brawl to the floor. It’s all Fale on the floor, choking out Suzuki with a cable. Back in and Fale cuts him off and stomps on Suzuki’s chest. Suzuki finally cuts him off and gets the hanging arm bar in the ropes. Back to the floor and Suzuki slams Fale into the barricade and gets a chair. He beats on Fale, and then chokes him out. Suzuki slams Fale to the barricade again and lays in another chair shot. Fale gets the chair, fights back, but Suzuki takes it back and connects. Back in and Suzuki lays in strikes. The ref backs him off, and Suzuki then hits the running boot and PK for 2. Fale fights back, and hits the slam and elbow drop for 2. Suzuki counters the grenade into an arm bar; Loa pulls out the ref and attacks. He and Fale work over Suzuki and Fale hits the running splash for 2. Fale looks for bad luck fall, Suzuki escapes and gets the sleeper. He then lays in strikes, Fale fires up and Suzuki continues to light him up with strikes. The sleeper follows, Fale fades, and Desperado takes out Loa. Tonga arrives and attacks and hits gun stun for the DQ. Minoru Suzuki defeated Bad Luck Fale @ 9:02 via DQ [*½] This was exactly what you’d expect, with the same bullshit ending as usual. Fale finishes the tournament unpinned and unsubmitted, but full of DQs and suck.
Jay White vs. EVIL: If White beats EVIL, he eliminates Okada. If White loses to EVIL, he eliminates himself, leaving the winner of Okada/Tanahashi to advance to the finals. They trade strikes to begin, but EVIL cuts him off with a shoulder tackle. Jay fires back with chops, and then dumps EVIL to the floor with a Saito suplex over the ropes. Jay follows and whips him to the barricade a few times. EVIL just barely makes it back in and Jay take control and makes the cover for 2. Jay talks shit and lays in with chops. EVIL fights back and hits the superkick, and they go to the floor. EVIL whips him to the barricade and then again. Back in and EVIL hits a clothesline and fisherman’s buster for 2. Jay hits the complete shot and dead lift German for the double down. The twister follows for 2. EVIL fights off blade runner, and they tease a ref bump, allowing Jay to hit the low blow. EVIL counters blade runner into darkness falls and both are down. EVIL now dumps him on his head with a half and half suplex and follows with a lariat for 2. EVIL fires up and looks for everything is evil; Jay cuts him off and hits a sleeper suplex. The kiwi crusher connects for 2. Jay now gets a chair, but EVIL uses the ref as a shield and hits a lariat. The ref takes the chair from EVIL and Jay hits another sleeper suplex. EVIL counters blade runner and we get a ref bump. EVIL cuts off the chair shot with everything is evil for the win! EVIL defeated Jay White @ 11:37 via pin [***] This was an overall good match as they were more creative about White’s usual stuff, and in the end, it cost him and EVIL overcame to win.
– Jay White is officially out of contention to win the A block.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: The winner here wins the block and moves onto the G1 finals, but Tanahashi can also move on with a draw. Historically these two do not go under 30-minutes, so the draw is very much in play here. They also have two draws in their last two G1 meetings. Tanahashi hasn’t beat Okada since 2015. They go for broke right away, looking for signature offense, which both avoid, and we get a standoff. They lock up, Tanahashi takes him down and looks to ground things. Okada to his feet, they work to the ropes and Tanahashi lays in strikes and a hip toss. He grounds things and starts attacking the knee of Okada. Tanahashi now works a standing Indian death lock, and Okada makes the ropes. Tanahashi now trips him up and posts the knee. I love when Tanahashi works subtle heel. Back in and Okada looks for a tombstone, Tanahashi fights that off and goes back to the knee. He misses a charge and Okada turns the tide by hitting a dragon screw on Tanahashi, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Okada takes him to the floor and continues to focus on the bad knee of Tanahashi. Okada breaks the count and rolls back in. Tanahashi rolls back in and Okada immediately attacks the knee, maintaining control. Okada connects with a dropkick to the knee as we hit 10-minutes in. Tanahashi now hits a desperation dragon screw and tries to fire up. He lays in strikes, hits the flying forearm, and slams Okada. He senton off the ropes connects for 2. Okada counters sling blade and hits the running back elbow. The DDT spikes Tanahashi and Okada covers for 2. Tanahashi fights off the neck breaker and dropkicks Okada’s knee. Okada fires up and hits John Wooooooooo and both men are down. Okada up top and hits a huge missile dropkick. Tanahashi counters out of the tombstone and he hits one of his own and both men are down at 15-minutes in. They trade strikes now, both fire up and lay into each other, and Okada is rocked and down. Tanahashi connects with uppercuts, Okada fires back, and Tanahashi dropkicks him to the floor. Tanahashi is fired the fuck up, heads up top, and hits the high fly high cross to the floor! Tanahashi is slow to follow up as he landed on his knee, and then manages to roll into the ring. Okada struggles and makes it to the apron, and Tanahashi hits dragon screws in the ropes. The cloverleaf follows and Okada fights as we hit 20-minutes in; 10 to go. Okada fights for the ropes, but Tanahashi sits back and really cranks on the hold. Tanahashi now transitions and hits the styles clash. Heads up top and the high fly flow MISSES! Okada follows with a dropkick and another. The rainmaker is countered into sling blade by Tanahashi for the double down. They struggle to their feet, trading strikes, and firing up. Okada drops Tanahashi with a huge elbow strike, and looks for a tombstone, Tanahashi fights, and hits twist and shout as we hit 25-minutes in. Tanahashi hits another twist and shout and then a third. Sling blade follows for 2. Tanahashi heads up top and Okada counters high fly flow with a dropkick. Okada finally hits the tombstone. He looks for the rainmaker, countered, but Okada hits the dropkick. Okada hits the twisting rainmaker and now pulls up Tanahashi, but Tanahashi counters rainmaker into a cradle for a great near fall. Under 2-minutes left, Tanahashi hits the dragon suplex for another great near fall. The crowd is losing it now as we head into the final minute. Okada looks for rainmaker again, Tanahashi fights, counters rainmaker with a huge strike and both are down. Tanahashi up top, HIGH FLY FLOW and Okada kicks out as time expires. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi went to a draw @ 30:00 [****¾] This was absolutely excellent, with both men selling the high stakes of the match, playing off of their rich history, and working in some beautiful counters to signatures tuff. I loved not only the call backs to their previous matches, but the fact that they beautifully teased Tanahashi losing again by costing himself by continually going for high fly flow, which has been his downfall so many times, because he just can’t help himself but to go back to what brought him all of his success, but in many ways, it’s caused him almost as many failures. They had the crowd the whole time and especially down the stretch. I know some will be too cool for school and say they knew it was a draw all the way, and I think most did, but I thought that this was one of the very best matches of the tournament.
G1 BLOCK A
* Hiroshi Tanahashi: 7-1-1 (15pts.)
* Kazuchika Okada: 6-2-1 (13pts.)
* Jay White: 6-3 (12pts.)
* Minoru Suzuki: 5-4 (10pts.)
* EVIL: 5-4 (10pts.)
* Michael Elgin: 3-6 (6pts.)
* Adam Page: 3-6 (6pts.)
* Bad Luck Fale: 3-6 (6pts.)
* Togi Makabe: 3-6 (6pts.)
* YOSHI-HASHI: 3-6 (6pts.)
G1 BLOCK B
* Kenny Omega: 6-2 (12pts.)
* Tetsuya Naito: 6-2 (12pts.)
* Kota Ibushi: 5-3 (10pts.)
* Zack Sabre Jr: 5-3 (10pts.)
* SANADA: 4-4 (8pts.)
* Tomohiro Ishii: 4-4 (8pts.)
* Hirooki Goto: 3-5 (6pts.)
* Tama Tonga: 3-5 (6pts.)
* Juice Robinson: 2-6 (4pts.)
* Toru Yano: 2-6 (4pts.)
– End Scene.
– Thanks for reading.
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”
