NJPW G1 Climax 28 night seven live results: Okada vs. Makabe
Two cross generational battles headline tonight’s A Block action at the Esuforuta Arena Hachioji in Tokyo.
Kazuchika Okada, still in a phase over his loss to Kenny Omega at Dominion, squares off against Togi Makabe in tonight’s main event. Okada is in the prime of his career, while Makabe has been mostly focused in six man tags as of late. He can still go, however, and looks to prove himself against Okada tonight.
Hiroshi Tanahashi will square off against Hangman Page, who has had an impressive run so far in the tournament. Considering that Tanahashi is still one of the best workers in the industry today, this could potentially be a very memorable bout. Other matches for tonight include Jay White vs. Minoru Suzuki, EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale and Michael Elgin vs. YOSHI-HASHI.
Tune in tonight at 3:30 a.m. EST for live coverage. There will be English commentary.
**********
TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA DEFEATED TOA HENARE & SHOTA UMINO (4:37)
Another quick win for the Bullet Club Firing Squad.
Loa jumped Henare and Umino before the opening bell, and continued his assault as the match got underway. Loa got a nearfall with a running powerslam. Tonga tagged in and nailed Henare with a dropkick.
Henare made a brief comeback before tagging in Umino. Umino missed a dropkick on Loa, but Loa sold it anyway. Henare hit a double shoulder tackle, and Umino hit a top rope dropkick, before falling victim to apesh*t from Loa.
HIROOKI GOTO & YOH DEFEATED TORU YANO & GEDO (5:11)
Another quick tag bout with some comedy in this battle of faction mates.
YOH and Goto doubled up on Gedo, until Yano tripped YOH from the floor, allowing his team to take over. Yano tagged in and untied a turnbuckle pad, then raked YOH’s face, before sending him into the exposed buckle.
YOH hit a dragon screw and tagged Goto, who ran wild. He scored a nearfall on Yano with an elbow drop, but Yano came back with a belly-to-belly.
Gedo and YOH got tags and traded pinning combos, with YOH getting the fall with the five star clutch.
TOMOHIRO ISHII & SHO DEFEATED TAKA MICHINOKU & ZACK SABRE JR (4:48)
Not much to this. I’m sure the tournament matches will get a lot of time tonight, with all these tags running so short.
TAKA and Zack worked over SHO, including TAKA hitting a step-up knee in the corner. TAKA missed a pump kick, and SHO hit a spear, before both tagged out.
Ishii lit Sabre up with chops in the corner, but Sabre fought back, applying an octopus, slipping to an RNC, and a guillotine, before tagging in TAKA. Ishii hit a vertical suplex on TAKA, and tagged in SHO.
SHO applied an armbar to TAKA, and the ref missed the tap. Ishii and Sabre jumped in, and SHO went back to the armbar, and TAKA tapped again.
After the bell, Sabre went for an armbar on Ishii, but gave it up and bailed when SHO went for the save.
JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY DEFEATED KENNY OMEGA & CHASE OWENS (6:31)
This was a fun few minutes.
Omega went on instinct and went after Juice’s injured hand, before apologizing and tagging Owens. Juice and Finlay worked over Owens for a bit, before Owens made a comeback and tagged Omega.
Omega and Owens doubled on Finlay with a series of quick tags, focusing on working over his lower body. Finlay hit a dropkick on Owens, and made the tag to Juice.
Juice hit a series of jabs on Omega and Owens, before eating a double superkick and a kotaro crusher. Owens got a nearfall, but Finlay made the save. Finlay and Omega brawled to the floor, allowing Juice to hit Owens with the Juice box, and to pick up the pinfall.
TETSUYA NAITO & SANADA KOTA IBUSHI & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI (7:41)
Ibushi and SANADA had an electric opening sequence, each teasing crazy dives, then cutting the other off before they could execute them.
Naito and Yujiro tagged in, and Yujiro worked over Naito, hitting a hotshot and a legdrop. Ibushi tagged in and hit a standing moonsault on Naito for a nearfall. Naito came back with a draping inverted DDT, and tagged SANADA.
SANADA hit a dropkick on Ibushi, and Ibushi hit a flying headscissors. Yujiro and Naito tagged in, and Naito hit his corner slingshot dropkick. Yujiro hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. He went for pimp juice, but SANADA cut him off. Ibushi took out SANADA with a dive to the floor.
With Yujiro and Naito left in the ring, Naito hit a step-up enziguri, and followed with a victory roll for the pin.
A BLOCK MATCH: YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED MICHAEL ELGIN (14:23)
These two had a great match. It appeared as though they busted a board in the ring on a superplex as well.
They brawled to the outside immediately, and YOSHI-HASHI hit a vertical suplex on the floor. YOSHI-HASHI went for something on the top rope, but Elgin crotched him, and clotheslined him from the top to the mat.
YOSHI-HASHI came back with a series of forearm shots, and hit a double arm DDT. He hit a headscissors and sent Elgin outside, then followed up with a flip dive over the top to the floor. Back inside, YOSHI-HASHI hit the headhunter off the top, but only got a two count.
Elgin hit an enziguri and a baldo bomb for a two count. Elgin went for a superplex, but YOSHI-HASHI blocked. Elgin hit an enziguri on the top and went for splash mountain, but YOSHI-HASHI turned it into a reverse rana off the top, picking up a nearfall.
They traded chops, with Elgin getting the best of the exchange. YOSHI-HASHI ducked a lariat and hit a german, a superkick, a top rope powerbomb, and got a close nearfall with a swanton bomb.
YOSHI-HASHI applied a butterfly lock, but Elgin powered out and hit a tilt-a-whirl powerbomb. Elgin hit a superplex for a nearfall, then hit a buckle bomb. He went for the Elgin bomb, but YOSHI-HASHI flipped through into a jacknife cover for a nearfall.
YOSHI-HASHI hit a lariat, but Elgin countered with one of his own, then hit splash mountain for a nearfall. YOSHI-HASHI hit a fisherman buster for a nearfall, then hit a backstabber, before hitting karma, and getting the upset win.
A BLOCK MATCH: EVIL DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE (12:15)
Loa was at ringside with Fale, and immediately got involved in the proceedings. EVIL tried to bait him into hitting him for the DQ, then sent Fale into the barricade. While Fale took the ref, Loa beat down EVIL. Fale recovered and dragged EVIL into the crowd, and dropped a stack of barricades on him. EVIL beat the count back inside at seventeen.
Fale worked over EVIL’s right arm, attacking it with stomps and a splash. EVIL came back and took Fale to the floor, sending him into the post with a chair around his neck. EVIL got a nearfall off a seated senton in the corner. Fale hit a splash for a nearfall.
EVIL hit a DDT, but then ate a lariat, and Fale picked up another nearfall. Fale went for the bad luck fall, but EVIL slipped out and hit a rolling elbow and a lariat. Fale shoved EVIL into the referee, who took a bump, and Loa jumped in for the double team.
BUSHI hit the ring and spit mist at Loa. Tonga ran in and went for the gun stun on EVIL, but Naito ran in for the save. EVIL hit everything is EVIL on Fale, but the referee didn’t recover in time to make the count. As the referee came to, Tonga hit EVIL with the gun stun for the DQ.
The fans hated the interference and the DQ finish, but that’s the idea.
A BLOCK MATCH: MINORU SUZUKI DEFEATED SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE (10:37)
They never really got out of second gear. This wasn’t bad, but neither man’s best outing.
Suzuki hit one kick to the hamstring, and White begged off. He stalled, ducking out of the ring, rolling to the floor. Suzuki went out after him, and White took over, sending Suzuki into the security fence. He followed up with the spot he’s repeated on these G1 shows, sending Suzuki into the apron, then the fence, repeatedly.
Suzuki got an armbar over the ropes, but had to break the hold. White smothered Suzuki with the ring skirt, then worked a chinlock. White hit a neckbreaer, then applied the last chancery, but Suzuki grabbed the right hand and bent his fingers back.
Suzuki hit a series of penalty kicks, then worked a double wristlock, before White reached the ropes, forcing a break. Suzuki applied a guillotine while standing on the bottom rope, but had to break on the count of four. White suplexed Suzuki into the buckle, and Suzuki hit his head hard. He was selling, but it didn’t look fun.
White hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall. He hit a series of chops, and Suzuki asked for more. White obliged, then hit a german. He went for blade runner, but Suzuki escaped. Suzuki applied a rear naked, then went for the Gotch, but White slid out.
White went for a low blow, but Suzuki caught his arm, hit the Gotch, and got the pin.
A BLOCK MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED HANGMAN PAGE (12:09)
Like the previous match, the work here was good, but it felt as though they never kicked into a higher gear.
They opened with some chain wrestling, then Tana offered Page his air guitar. Page snapped the air guitar over his knee, enraging Tana, who charged in, but Page hit a bridging fallaway slam for a nearfall.
Tana hit a crossbody off the middle rope, but Page caught him and applied a stretch muffler. Tana reached the ropes, forcing a break. Page went to work on the right knee. They caught each other’s right legs in a callback to last night, but Tana got the best of it tonight, hitting a dragon screw. Tana hit a flying forearm and a second rope senton for a two count.
Page sent Tana to the floor, then hit a shooting star off the apron. Back inside, Page hiy a corner dropkick and a neckbreaker off the top. He applied a figure four, but Tana reversed it, as the crowd got behind The Ace.
Tana hit a dragon screw with Page’s leg draped over the middle rope, but Page was able to counter with a buckshot lariat. He could not follow up, as Tana hit another dragon screw, leading to a double down, with both men selling their legs.
They traded forearms, and Tana hit sling blade for a nearfall. Tana hit a high fly flow to a standing Page, then hit a second for the pin.
A BLOCK MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE (15:10)
This picked up in the last few minutes. A good match, but not great, and Okada’s weakest singles match in a long time. Everyone was clearly feeling it working their fourth consecutive show.
Okada went right after Makabe, and went for ten punches in the corner, but Makabe cut him off. Makabe hit a shoulder tackle, and then took the action to the floor. Makabe grabbed his chain, but Okada nailed him with a DDT on the floor. Makabe stayed down, selling for a long time, and then Okada sent him into the barricade.
Back inside, Okada hit a slam and a slingshot senton. Okada hit a short elbow, and Makabe asked for another. Okada obliged, then asked Makabe to return the favor. Makabe hit one short elbow, and Okada countered with a neckbreaker, then worked a chinlock.
Makabe hit a powerslam, but Okada was up first. Makabe hit a pair of right hands, then a corner clothesline, then ten punches in the corner. Okada bounced off the ropes right into a lariat, and Makabe got a two count off of it. Okada countered with a DDT, continuing his attack on Makabe’s neck.
Okada hit a slam and scooby dooby doo for a two count. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick, sending Makabe into the corner. Okada hit his lifting neckbreaker for a nearfall. Makabe tore off his elbow pad and asked Okada to hit him with short elbows, and Okada did, sending Makabe to one knee.
They traded a bunch of short elbows, and Makabe hit a a pair of lariats. He went for a third, but Okada hit a tombstone. He went for the rainmaker, but Makabe ducked it and hit a death valley driver, leading to a double down.
Okada hit a big boot, and Makabe answered with a series of elbows. Makabe hit a jackknife powerbomb for a nearfall, the placed Okada on the top rope. Makabe went for the spider german, and after a struggle, nailed it.
Makabe went for the knee drop, but Okada hit him with a dropkick coming off the top. Okada hit a second dropkick, but Makabe blocked the rainmaker and hit a lariat. Okada recovered and hit a rolling lariat, then hit the rainmaker, and got the victory.
A BLOCK STANDINGS
SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE 6
EVIL 6
HIROSHI TANAHASHI 6
KAZUCHIKA OKADA 4
MICHAEL ELGIN 4
MINORU SUZUKI 4
TOGI MAKABE 4
HANGMAN PAGE 2
BAD LUCK FALE 2
YOSHI-HASHI 2