[VIDEO] 5 Minute Wrestling Reviews: NJPW G1 Climax 28 Finals

Hey everyone, it is Trey and Shawn here with 5 Minute Wrestling Reviews! It is an honor to be a contributor to 411, as we have read the site every day for quite some time. The amount of wrestling content and hard work that everyone puts in each day is admirable, and we hope you enjoy our contributions. With that out of the way, let’s get to the G1 Climax 28 Finals!

Togi Makabe, Michael Elgin and Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata, Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida: The action breaks down early and Honma gets attacked by all 3 guys on the opposing team. Umino gets worked over for a while and Honma hits a kokeshi. Elgin lays in stiff strikes on Umino before Nagata gets a hot tag and runs wild. Nagata hits an exploder suplex on Makabe and Yoshida comes in to lay kicks. Makabe lands a huge lariat on Yoshida for 2 and follows with a King Kong knee drop to win. [(***)]

Bad Luck Fale vs. Toa Henare: Henare attacks before the bell and hits a shoulder block. Fale hits a huge clothesline and a grenade. Bad Luck Fall Ends it. [ (NR) ]

YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi and Takashi Iizuka: Iizuka attacks before the bell with a chair. Iizuka uses a mic stand on YH while the ref is distracted. Iizuka takes off his muzzle and bites YH. Goto finally gets a hot tag and hits a spinning kick and Saito for 2. YH and Taichi go at it trading kicks and Chaos fights off Iizuka with the iron muzzle. Taichi hits a big lariat for 2, and follows with a powerbomb for the win. [ (*3/4) ]

Juice Robinson and David Finlay vs. Cody and Hangman Page: Cody and Juice square off early with Juice connecting with arm drags and a dropkick. Finlay tags in and gets worked over on the floor and Page hits a pumphandle slam inside for 2. Juice runs wild on a hot tag and hits a huge clothesline and cross body for 2. Juice hits a cannonball on both Cody and Page. Page hits a standing SSP for 2. Cody does the Juice left hands to taunt but runs into a flapjack. Finlay gets hit with a Buckshot Lariat, and then Juice and Cody trade jabs. Pulp Friction is reversed into Dins Fire for the 3 count. Cody gets on the mic and says he wants the US title. [ (***1/4) ]

The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Taiji Ishimori for the Six Man Titles: Matt says he wants the match changed to a title match. Matt and Tonga go at it and it breaks down to a 6 man brawl outside. Nick hits a nice tope. Matt gets worked over for a while with strikes from the BCOG. Nick gets the hot tag and runs wild with offense. Assisted Swanton on Tonga gets 2. Ishimori hits a handspring kick on Scurll and follows with the sliding German. Scurll catches Ishimori in the chickenwing and the Tongans get put in dual sharpshooters but attack Marty’s eyes. Matt hits an awesome corkscrew dive on the Tongans and hits a frog splash on Ishimori for 2. Superkick party ensues, but Nick takes a Loa powerslam and Matt then eats a lung blower. Marty goes for the finger break spot on Loa but Tonga is the legal man and hits a gun stun out of nowhere to win. The Tongans toss the belts away and walk away. [ (***3/4) ]

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA and BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Desperado: Suzuki-gun attack early and everyone brawls on the floor. Naito and Suzuki trade slaps on the floor, and back inside Suzuki targets the leg. Suzuki locks in an apron armbar and Naito is struggling. Sabre and Naito have a nice exchange before Evil runs wild on a hot tag. Bushi hits a double Rana. Sanada tags in and eats a spear and deep impact for 2. LIJ hit a triple dropkick, and Sanada locks Skull End on Kanemaru to get the win. [ (***1/4) ]

Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Jay White vs. Kenny Omega, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi: White takes control with chops on Owens. Yano gets the tag but gets stopped from taking off the turnbuckle pads. Bullet Club do some comedy with their new rowboat move on the legs of each guy on Chaos. Omega and Ishii have a short strike fest, and Owens then hits a shining wizard for 2. White hits an Urnage and Ishii follows with sliding lariat for 2 on Owens. Ishii fights through a bunch of strikes but Owens hits a huge lariat for 2. Ishii fires back up with a brainbuster for the win. Ishii challenges for the belt afterwards. (***1/4) ]

Rey Mysterio, KUSHIDA and Sengoku Enbu vs. Kazuchika Okada, YOH and SHO: Rey and Okada start things off, with Rey laying in kicks and hits a Rana teasing the 619. Sho gets worked over before Yoh tags in and locks in a body scissor on Kushida. 3K work some double teams before Enbu tags in and executes some hip attacks. Enbu locks in the ankle lock, before Okada tags in and hits a DDT for 2. Rey tags back in and runs into a flapjack. Yoh gets a rollup on Rey, but reverses 3K into a DDT. Okada cuts off the double 619 with a dropkick. Kushida and Enbu hit dual topes. Rey hits 619 and West Coast Pop on Yoh for the win. [ (***1/2) ]

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi in the G1 Climax 28 finals: Omega is in Ibushi’s corner and Shibata is in Tana’s. They work some holds to the mat early and continue to lock up standing. They trade some kicks and Tana targets the knee and locks a scorpion triangle. Ibushi hits a powerslam and moonsault combo for 2. Ibushi hits a double stomp on the apron and follows with mid kicks and another double stomp to the back. Tana hits a dropkick and reverses a lawn dart into a slingblade. Tana skins the cat but Ibushi catches him and drops him on his head in a piledriver for 2. Tana syncs in the cloverleaf and follows with HFF to the floor. Ibushi hits a great springboard moonsault and follows with a springboard rana for 2. Tana reverses Kamigoye into a cradle for 2. Ibushi lands hard palm strikes but Tana absorbs them and fights back with hard slaps of his own. Ibushi hits a monster lariat. They trade big forearms and a slingblade gets 2. Ibushi gets knees up on HFF. Ibushi hits a bomaye for 2 and kneesault follows. A vicious Lawn Dart follows. Inside out German follows and Last Ride powerbomb gets 2. Straight jacket German gets another 2. Komigoye is reversed into Twist and Shout and Dragon suplex for 2. HFF to the back is followed by a cross body and a final HFF to get the win. [ (****3/4)]

Overall: 7.5/10

The final of the NJPW G1 Cilmax 28 tournament ended up being a classic match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi. They brought their best and had a match of the year contender, and capped off a great tournament. This year’s tournament was overall really good, and featured some of the better matches we will see all year. The A block was definitely weaker, but the B block was one of the best of all time and will be what sticks out in a lot of people’s minds. I am ready to see the Ace get a main event (if indeed he holds onto the briefcase) at the Dome one more time against a rare opponent in Omega. January 4th can’t come quick enough!

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