NJPW G1 Climax 28 night one live results: Okada vs. Jay White

Tonight marks the beginning of the twenty eighth Grade One Climax tournament.

We’re kicking things off with a bang in the A block with five big matches. Kazuchika Okada, who will be in one of his first high profile matches since losing the IWGP title to Kenny Omega last month, will square off against fellow CHAOS member Jay White. The latest addition to CHAOS has a chip on his shoulder, especially after losing the IWGP United States title to Juice Robinson. He should have no problem bringing it to the former world champion despite being stablemates.

Another high profile match tonight pits Hiroshi Tanahashi against Minoru Suzuki, who have had some genuine classics in the past. We also might get an answer from Bad Luck Fale, as he challenges one of the Bullet Club members who were taken out last week by the Firing Squad, Hangman Page. Other matches for tonight include Michael Elgin vs. EVIL and Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI.

Join us for live coverage starting at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. There will be English commentary.

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JADO & HIROOKI GOTO DEFEATED REN NARITA & TOA HENARE 

This was your standard opening match on a tournament show, maybe slightly below the usual quality level. 

Jado and Henare started out. Jado used some chops and a knee lift to send Henare into the corner, but Henare fought back with a series of headbutts. Narita tagged in, while Goto and Henare brawled on the floor. 

Jado and Goto double teamed Narita, but Narita hit Goto with a dropkick, and tagged Henare back in. Henare hit a shoulder block on Goto and knocked Jado off the apron. Narita and Henare worked over Goto, and made a cover, but Jado made the save. 

Goto went for ushigoroshi, but Narita slipped out. While Jado and Henare brawled to the floor, Goto hit an ushigoroshi on his second attempt, and pinned Narita. 

SHO & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED YOH & TORU YANO

An interesting matchup here, with CHAOS stablemates. This went about ten minutes, and was a solid, all-action bout. 

SHO and YOH were in first. They started with some chain wrestling, and a clean break. SHO hit a dropkick, and tagged in Ishii. Ishii lit up YOH with chops, and no-sold YOH’s counter strikes. Ishii ducked a dropkick, but YOH hit a dragon screw and tagged Yano. 

Yano removed the corner pad, but Ishii reversed and whipped him into the exposed buckle. Yano came back with an inverted atomic drop, and sent Ishii into the buckle with a slingshot. Yano hit a brainbuster, and tagged YOH. 

YOH hit a footstomp on Ishii, and SHO jumped in to make the save for Ishii. YOH hit a knee lift and a neckbreaker, but SHO cut him off with a german and a backstabber. Ishii hit YOH with the vertical brainbuster, and got the pin.  

TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY

This was quick, and mostly served just to give a little context to Juice and Tonga’s match tomorrow. 

Loa and Finlay started the match. Loa used a simple, power-based attack to work over Finlay, before tagging in Tonga. Tonga hit a dropkick, then tagged in Loa, as they methodically beat down Finlay. 

Finlay hit a suplex on Tonga, and made the tag to Juice. Juice ran wild on Loa, but Tonga cut him off. The match broke down as all four guys jumped in. While juice and Loa went to the floor, Finlay went to the second rope. Tonga caught him coming off with a gun stun, and got the pin. 

TAKA MICHINOKU & ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & KOTA IBUSHI

They had a nice match, but Ibushi and Sabre really need more time to build their matches, and this was not the time or place for that. 

Sabre and Ibushi started with some chain wrestling. Sabre pie-faced Ibushi after a clean break, then ducked a spinning kick from Ibushi and rolled to the floor. Back inside, they worked a knuckle lock. Sabre hit a bridging suplex without breaking the hold, and Ibushi hit a monkey flip, again, not breaking the hold. Both bridged out simultaneously, which was a cool spot. 

Ibushi got the best of a striking battle, before tagging Takahashi. Michinoku tagged in and hit some strikes, before tagging Sabre back in. Ibushi hit TAKA with a dropkick off the top, then a plancha to the floor, leaving Sabre and Yujiro in the ring. 

Sabre used an octopus, then hit a Michinoku Driver for the pin. 

TETSUYA NAITO & SANADA DEFEATED CHASE OWENS & KENNY OMEGA

This was very good, and laid the foundation for tomorrow’s Omega vs. Naito main event. 

Naito and Omega had an intense staredown, allowing their partners to jump in and attack. SANADA sent Owens and Omega to the floor, then hit a plancha. Naito briefly worked on Omega inside, but Owens tripped him from the floor, allowing Omega to take over. 

Omega used a suplex and a series of clotheslines, then tagged in Owens. Owens tried to apply the paradise lock on Naito, but got confused as to how to apply it, allowing Naito to attack. SANADA tied up Owens with the paradise lock, while Omega hit a frankensteiner. 

Naito and Omega brawled to the floor, while SANADA hit skull end on Owens, and got the tapout. 

A BLOCK MATCH: TOGI MAKABE DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI 

This was better than it had any right to be, and both guys did an excellent job selling the intensity and importance of the tournament. 

They traded forearm shots at the opening bell. YOSHI-HASHI sent Makeabe to the floor after a corner clothesline, then sent Makabe into the barricade twice, the idea being that this is a new, more ruthless YOSHI-HASHI. 

YOSHI-HASHI hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, then went back on the attack with strikes. Makabe made a comeback, hitting a chop and a powerslam. He hit a corner clothesline, and a northern lights suplex for a nearfall. They traded strikes, before Makabe hit a lariat, leading to a double down. 

Makabe teased a top rope german, but YOSHI-HASHI escaped and hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. He followed with a lariat and a meteora for a nearfall. He went for the butterfly lock, but Makabe slid out. YOSHI-HASHI applied it a second time, and Makabe just reached the ropes. 

YOSHI-HASHI hit a headhunter off the top for a nearfall. He went for karma, but Makabe escaped. He hit a lariat and a german, but YOSHI-HASHI stood out of the suplex. They hit simultaneous forearms to the chest, but Makabe got the best of the exchange. 

Makabe placed YOSHI-HASHI on the top rope, then hit a spider german. He followed with a king kong kneedrop off the top, and picked up the pinfall. 

A BLOCK MATCH: HANGMAN PAGE DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE BY DQ

They had one of the better Fale matches you will ever see, but the match was just a backdrop for the Bullet Club vs. Firing Squad storyline. 

Fale jumped Page at the opening bell, and sent him to the floor. Page made a quick recovery and hit a suicide dive, but Fale was intent on making this a brawl, and sent Page into the crowd. Fale continued the beatdown inside, until Page made a comeback. He hit Fale with strikes and a sunset flip, then side-stepped an elbow drop and hit a standing shooting star. 

Tanga Loa came down to ringside, which served to distract Page, allowing Fale to regain control. Fale hit a splash. He went for an avalanche, but Page ducked him, and clotheslined him to the floor. Page teased a dive, but Loa grabbed his foot. Page hit Loa, then hit a moonsault off the top to the floor, wiping out both Fale and Loa. 

Back inside, Page hit a slinghsot lariat for a nearfall. He went for the rite of passage, but Tama Tonga ran in and nailed Page. Fale, Loa and Tonga beat down Page, and the referee called for the bell and the DQ. 

The Firing Squad teased choking Page with the noose from his entrance gear, but Omega and Ibushi ran in to make the save.

A BLOCK MATCH: MICHAEL ELGIN DEFEATED EVIL

They had a very good, hard-hitting match. 

They traded chops and brawled to the floor. Elgin sent EVIL into the barricade, but Elgin missed a clothesline and hit the post. EVIL placed his arm in a chair, then Pillmanized it against the post. Back inside, EVIL continued working on the right arm, and hit a standing senton for a nearfall. 

Elgin made a comeback, and used the right arm in his attack, selling after every strike. Elgin hit a suicide dive and a slingshot foot stomp, then hit a delayed bridging german for a nearfall. Elgin hit a series of forearm shots, and a running clothesline into the corner. He went for a press slam, but EVIL hit slid out and hit a superkick. 

EVIL hit a bulldog, then applied an armbar, but Elgin rolled out. He hit a pump kick, but EVIL went back to work on the arm. He clotheslined it over the top rope, then jumped off the apron and and rammed the arm over the barricade. 

Back inside, EVIL hit a seated senton. They hit a pair of simultaneous lariats, then EVIL hit darkness falls for a nearfall. He went for everything is evil, but Elgin slipped out and hit a falcon arrow, leading to a double down. 

They traded lariats. EVIL went for the STO, but Elgin hit a superkick. EVIL countered with a huge german, but Elgin hit a rebound lariat. Elgin hit a superplex for a nearfall. Elgin hit a buckle bomb, and after a series of reversals, hit a razor’s edge, and an Elgin bomb, and got the pin. 

A BLOCK MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI 

This was excellent. Suzuki looked like a killer, but Tanahashi caught him with a dragon screw late, and did just enough to get the win. 

They had a brief striking battle, before Suzuki went after Tana’s bad right knee. He used a low dropkick and a heel hook. Tana fought to reach the bottom rope, but Suzuki rolled out and maintained the hold back in the center of the ring. Suzuki transitioned to an ankle lock, before going back to the heel hook. Suzuki briefly tied up the right arm with a kimura, then switched to a kneebar, then to an STF, then back to a kneebar, before Tana finally reached the ropes. 

Suzuki continued to attack the right leg with kicks, until Tana hit a dragon screw, and followed up with a dropkick in the corner. He hit a flying forearm, but missed a senton off the second rope, allowing Suzuki to hit a penalty kick. Suzuki went back to the heel hook, then applied a figure four, until Tana reached the ropes, forcing a break. 

Suzuki hit a series of slaps to the face, then applied a rear naked choke. He went for the Gotch, but gave it up after Tana put up a fight. Tana executed a cradle for a nearfall, then used a crucifix to pick up another. He hit a dragon screw and sling blade for a nearfall, as Suzuki sold the damage from the dragon screw. 

Tana went to the top and hit two high fly flows, and got the pin. 

A BLOCK MATCH: SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA

They had a very good match, but it was hurt by the lack of heat, and all the shenanigans at the finish. 

White offered a handshake. Okada reluctantly accepted, but White tried to turn it into a blade runner. Okada countered and went for the rainmaker, but White slipped out. White hit a series of chops, but Okada used a headlock takeover. He dropped White off the top rope after holding a headlock to the count of four, then sent White to the floor. 

Okada sent White over the barricade and teased a running dropkick over the railing, but White walked away before Okada went for it. Okada hit a pump kick, and continued to punk out White on the floor, but White countered, and hit a snap suplex on the floor. White continued the assault, repeatedly sending Okada into the barricade and the ring frame. 

Back inside, White hit a suplex into the corner, which didn’t look fun for Okada’s neck. White tried to smother Okada with the ring skirt, then used a headlock. White hit a pair of kicks and a pumphandle backbreaker for a nearfall. White used a last chancery, until Okada reached the ropes, forcing a break. 

Okada made a comeback, hitting a series of hard forearm shots and a DDT. Okada kipped up, and hit the running back elbow. He followed up with a flapjack for a nearfall, then hit a crossbody off the top, while shouting “Scooby Dooby Doo.”

White came back and hit a snap suplex, and a pair of rolling underhook suplexes. He hit a vertical suplex and went for blade runner, but Okada slapped on the cobra clutch, which continues to get a poor crowd response. White slipped out and applied a head and arm submission, but Okada reached the ropes, before hitting a neckbreaker, which led to a double down. 

Okada hit a huge shotgun dropkick, sending White into the corner. Okada hit a scoop slam, and the top rope elbow drop. Okada did the rainmaker pose, but White dropped him and hit a bridging suplex for a nearfall. 

They exchanged chops and uppercuts in the center of the ring, before White hit a lariat for a nearfall. White hit a series of strikes, then sent Okada over the top to the floor with a suplex. White hit a snap suplex into the barricade, right in front of the announce table, playing off the spot where Jim Ross got hurt last week at the Cow Palace. 

White sent Okada inside, then grabbed a chair. He shoved Red Shoes down and swung the chair at Okada, but Okada ducked, and dropkicked the chair into White’s face. Okada hit a second dropkick. As Okada hit the rainmaker, White hit Red Shoes with a backfist, knocking him out. 

With the referee down, White hit a low blow. At the 25 minute mark, White hit a chair shot to the head, then hit blade runner as Red Shoes recovered, then picked up the pinfall. 

White cut a promo after the match, and declared that CHAOS was now his, and ran down Okada. 

A BLOCK STANDINGS

Switchblade Jay White 2

Hiroshi Tanahashi 2

Michael Elgin 2

Hangman Page 2

Togi Makabe 2

Kazuchika Okada 0

Minoru Suzuki 0

EVIL 0

Bad Luck Fale 0

YOSHI-HASHI 0