BRM Reviews NJPW G1 Climax 28: Day 12

[Big Red Machine]

NJPW G1 Climax 28: Day 12 (8/1/2018)- Kagoshima, Japan


MICHAEL ELGIN & SHOTA UMINO vs. BULLET CLUB FIRING SQUAD (Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa)- 3.75/10
Fale vs. Elgin is a match I would be into if I wasn’t certain it was going to be full of ref bumps and other such bullsh*t.

TOA HENARE & TOGI MAKABE vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & Adam Page)- 4/10

CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI & Sho) vs. CHAOS (Jay White & Yoh)- 4.5/10
White lies down and invites YOSHI-HASHI to pin him but YOSHI-HASHI isn’t dumb enough to fall for it. He is, however, dumb enough to turn his back on White, who gets up and attacks him from behind. White’s other major bit of heelishness in this match was trying to get Yoh to double-team Sho with him but Yoh refused. Their arguing gave Sho the time he needed to recover, at which point he dropkicked White from behind, sending White knocking into Yoh and allowing Sho to make the hot tag. That was a really great spot. The finish saw YOSHI-HASHI get Yoh in the butterfly lock and instead of save him, White started to yell at him for not listening, and Yoh eventually tapped out. That, too, was a great spot.

DAVID FINLAY JR. & HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (EVIL & BUSHI)- 5.25/10
EVIL and Finlay worked well together. EVIL and Tanahashi had a stare-down after the match.

SUZUKI-GUN (Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Gedo)- 4.25/10
Suzuki-Gun jumped the bell on their opponents. They were on the outside forever, the usual Suzuki-Gun stuff happened, with DQs and count-outs magically ceasing to apply until count-outs randomly do start to apply again.
Stuff happened. Gedo and El Desperado did some good stuff together. El Desperado pinned Gedo while Suzuki choked Okada out. He kept choking him out after the match then tried to hit him with the Gotch-style Piledriver but instead just settled for hitting hit on one of the young-boys who came in and saved Okada.

BLOCK B MATCH: Tomohiro Ishii(4) vs. Tama Tonga(2) (w/Tanga Loa)- 5/10
For those of you who were hoping for something new to happen in Firing Squad matches, you got your wish: now we get a kick-out of the first big interference segment, followed by a second ref bump and even more interference. Poor Ishii. If only he were part of some sort of faction so that he could have people to watch his back when someone tries to interfere in his matches. Say, why is it that Ishii never got a shot at Okada’s title during Okada’s big giant title reign despite being the second person to pin him after he won the title (back in the 2016 G1)?

BLOCK B MATCH: Juice Robinson(2) vs. Sanada(6)- 8.25/10
Early on they did a spot where they brawled on the outside and the referee immediately started to count them out, and lo and behold when he got to nineteen, both guys rolled back into the ring! What a novel concept. Maybe if you just started counting them out the moment they left the ring, you’d stop them from brawling on the outside for so long.
Of course, later in this very same match, the referee just let them brawl on the outside forever without trying to count them out.
I’m not usually a mark for guys hitting their opponent with the opponent’s finisher, but I popped huge when Juice got Sanada in the Skull End. I’m not even sure why, but I did. Then I became infuriated when he did the stupid “give up a perfectly good submission hold to go for a different move” spot, and, of course, he missed the moonsault and wound up looking like an idiot.
Aside from the above frustrations, I thought these guys had a really great “epic struggle to win” match with lots of excellent reversals and cool athletic spots. I was flabbergasted to learn that this match only went twelve and a half minutes. It felt like twice that, but in a good way.

BLOCK B MATCH: Toru Yano(2) vs. Tetsuya Naito(8)- 3/10
They wound up on the outside and Yano tried to tape Naito to the guardrail but Naito turned the tables on him. Yano almost got counted out but managed to rip the barricade apart and drag his piece of guardrail into the ring with him. That was a fun and clever spot, but it would have been better if he didn’t have me terrified that he was going to accidentally smash a fan’s face in with the guardrail while he was trying to get it free.
They wound up right back on the outside and Naito hit Yano with his DVD case right in front of the referee but this was not a DQ. I guess the Firing Squad are the only ones we’re enforcing the rules on this tournament. Because it’s not like LIJ, Suzuki-Gun, Toru Yano, and several other members of Bullet Club have a long history of cheating. Also, there has been a chair sitting in the corner of the ring forever and the referee has made no effort to remove this dangerous weapon from the ring. More goofiness happened, interspersing some good Yano spot teases with TWO ref bumps, then Naito hit Destino for the win.

BLOCK B MATCH: Kenny Omega(10) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.(6) (w/TAKA Michinoku)- 8.25/10
They were on the outside FOREVER without getting counted out. Meanwhile, the referee kept yelling at Zack to release the hold he had on the outside. Zack eventually listened after a good thirty seconds or so. Kevin Kelly then complemented the referee (Red Shoes) for “not letting Zack lock that hold in near TAKA.” I’m sorry… since when is “no submissions near TAKA Michinoku” a rule?
This stupid sh*t on the outside drags the whole product down. In makes the matches worse, it makes the referees look incompetent to the point where either it is emersion-breaking because they’re not even trying to enforce the rules or it’s emersion-breaking because they enforce the rules in a such a ridiculously arbitrary manner, and it forces the announcers to say idiotic things like this to try to cover up for them.
Zack worked on Kenny’s knee and Kenny sold it well at first but then kind of lost it. There were some really great reversals and submission struggles, but this match felt like it ended ten minutes before it should have. Kenny remains undefeated, which baffles me because he’s the champion and Zack is a fresh challenger and could headline a major show in the US, Japan, or the UK for the best against Kenny so why not let Zack get the win here and actually set up a title match?

BLOCK B MATCH: Hirooki Goto(4) vs. Kota Ibushi(6)- 7.75/10
I found this match rather underwhelming. They checked all of the boxes for a main event, but nothing here felt particularly special. It was fine for its spot on the card, but considering the tournament these two have been having, it was disappointing.


Another disappointing G1 show, all things considered. The ref bumps continue to drag things down, and when the matches without ref bumps don’t deliver to an extremely high level, the show leaves you feeling empty. Okada vs. Zack was particularly disappointing to me, as they have been two of my top three wrestlers in the world over the past few years (Okada is the other) and this was their first major meeting so I was hoping for something epic out of it and instead had to settle for merely awesome… which I know sounds ridiculous when I phrase it that way, but it’s Zack vs. Omega in the freakin’ G1!

[cero2k]

BLOCK B MATCH: Tomohiro Ishii(4) vs. Tama Tonga(2) (w/Tanga Loa)- 5/10
For those of you who were hoping for something new to happen in Firing Squad matches, you got your wish: now we get a kick-out of the first big interference segment, followed by a second ref bump and even more interference. Poor Ishii. If only he were part of some sort of faction so that he could have people to watch his back when someone tries to interfere in his matches. Say, why is it that Ishii never got a shot at Okada’s title during Okada’s big giant title reign despite being the second person to pin him after he won the title (back in the 2016 G1)?

CHAOS is not the type of stable that comes out and saves you. Probably the Punk Argument :


And you know why Ishii didn't get the title shot, he never asked for it. He's not gonna screw his buddy.

[Big Red Machine]

1. You are relying on CM Punk giving an answer that is clearly him going into business on his own to do the best he can to make the incompetent WWE booking slightly less dumb.
2. Those guys aren't in a faction together
3. If CHAOS won't help each other when someone else is trying to screw them then what purpose does the faction serve?
4. How would it be "screwing" someone to ask them for a title shot that you've earned against them?
5. And how the hell is that possibly screwing someone when Yano cheating and kicking them in the balls to win wrestling matches isn't?

[cero2k]

1. You are relying on CM Punk giving an answer that is clearly him going into business on his own to do the best he can to make the incompetent WWE booking slightly less dumb.
2. Those guys aren't in a faction together
3. If CHAOS won't help each other when someone else is trying to screw them then what purpose does the faction serve?
4. How would it be "screwing" someone to ask them for a title shot that you've earned against them?
5. And how the hell is that possibly screwing someone when Yano cheating and kicking them in the balls to win wrestling matches isn't?

1. it's still a good answer that makes sense. Dragon is a grown ass dude, he can deal with his problems on his own.
2. They were a tag team, Best and the Beard or something.
3. it's the same argument, you can be in a stable, but you're a grown ass tough motherfucker than can take care of himself. How wimp would Okada/Tanahashi/Suzuki/Goto/Ishii look if they couldn't handle problems on their own, that's why they're the 'best'. What kind of wimp joins a stable for protection? Ask not what your stable can do for you, but what can you do for the stable?
4. Why are you challenging your own friends and stablemates. You're screwing with him in the sense that Okada has enough problems as it is, and now he can't even trust he'll have his friend's back? Don't be a Jay White.
5. Because they're two different things. It's kinda like if I cheat while playing monopoly, you'd be like WTF!? but we'd still be friends afterwards, next time we play, you'd try to be more careful and catch me. That is Yano cheating. Ishii going for Okada's title, that be more like while playing monopoly I give you my car keys in exchange for Park Place, and then once the game is over, you actually taking my car. You technically did earn my car, but it's an incredibly dick move to take your friend's car.

If Ishii never mentioned the title shot, why are we forcing him to have one?

[Big Red Machine]

1. You are relying on CM Punk giving an answer that is clearly him going into business on his own to do the best he can to make the incompetent WWE booking slightly less dumb.
2. Those guys aren't in a faction together
3. If CHAOS won't help each other when someone else is trying to screw them then what purpose does the faction serve?
4. How would it be "screwing" someone to ask them for a title shot that you've earned against them?
5. And how the hell is that possibly screwing someone when Yano cheating and kicking them in the balls to win wrestling matches isn't?

1. it's still a good answer that makes sense. Dragon is a grown ass dude, he can deal with his problems on his own.
2. They were a tag team, Best and the Beard or something.
3. it's the same argument, you can be in a stable, but you're a grown ass tough motherfucker than can take care of himself. How wimp would Okada/Tanahashi/Suzuki/Goto/Ishii look if they couldn't handle problems on their own, that's why they're the 'best'. What kind of wimp joins a stable for protection? Ask not what your stable can do for you, but what can you do for the stable?
4. Why are you challenging your own friends and stablemates. You're screwing with him in the sense that Okada has enough problems as it is, and now he can't even trust he'll have his friend's back? Don't be a Jay White.
5. Because they're two different things. It's kinda like if I cheat while playing monopoly, you'd be like WTF!? but we'd still be friends afterwards, next time we play, you'd try to be more careful and catch me. That is Yano cheating. Ishii going for Okada's title, that be more like while playing monopoly I give you my car keys in exchange for Park Place, and then once the game is over, you actually taking my car. You technically did earn my car, but it's an incredibly dick move to take your friend's car.

If Ishii never mentioned the title shot, why are we forcing him to have one?

1. It's not a good answer. It's a meh answer at best, and one that feels a lot more like a post-facto justification to try to fill in a plot hole than an intended part of a story.
2. They were never a real team. They just had mutual enemies, same as The Usos or Rhodes also feud with the Shield/Authority at the same time asthem
3. Not being able to fight off multiple trained combat athletes on your own doesn't make you a wimp. Okada/Tanahashi/Omega are "the best" because when you put them in a fair fight with someone- as the rules of professional wrestling stipulate that all matches should be- they win most of the time. And clearly some of the guys you mentioned weren't able to handle problems on their own because Ishii and Okada both LOST to Firing Squad members due to this interference, and other guys like Tanahashi and Omega were beaten down. Omega might have been seriously injured if not for the timely intervention of his stablemables. Is EVIL any less of a man because his stablemates came out to even the odds in an unfair fight against him?
If these guys aren't going to even the odds in unfair fights then what is the point of any of these guys joining a stable? Using your logic then the only thing that being a member of CHAOS does for Ishii is prevent him from challenging for championships that he would otherwise be able to challenge for. If all a stable does is restrict you then why would anyone ever join?
4. Okada "has enough problems as it is?" Like what? This is Gedo-booked New Japan! We're not dealing with Gabe or Quackenbush or CMJ or Heyman or Prazak or someone else who is capable of actually building up more than one challenger/title chase at a time. This is a company that insists on waiting until after each major card to announce ANYTHING for the next major card. They won't even announce "Omega will defend the belt against Guy X at Destruction and Guy Z will challenge the Omega/Guy X winner at KOPW." The champion has NEVER had to think about more than one title defense at a time with Gedo booking (with the technical exception of when the G1 briefcase has been in play, but even that hasn't really been a thing because no one has even hinted at chasing it in early, and the champion has only made one title defense- KOPW- while the G1 briefcase was theoretically in play every year since 2013). What would the difference be if instead of Naito or Makabe or Kojima or whoever coming out after a title defense to challenge Okada to a title match the next month, it was Ishii?
As for being unable to trust if Ishii has his back if Ishii were challenging him for the title... they clearly don't have each other's backs now, either, so what would the difference be? And Jay White is still in the group, and he has made it clear this tournament that he doesn't have their back. If that mattered then shouldn't he have been kicked out of the stable by now?
Jay White's crime isn't wanting a title shot. His crime is being a cheater. If Okada would have given him one and he lost, maybe he'd have been humbled by it and not become such a dick. We can debate as to whether or not he deserved a title shot (and I don't think he did), but there is nothing wrong with asking for one.
5. Would I be a dick for actually taking your car? Maybe. But you'd be kind of a dick for offering me your car keys as collateral to let you keep playing instead of just admitting that you don't have the money and agreeing that I have therefore won the game of Monopoly like a freakin' adult.
And if I caught you cheating me in a game of Monopoly at the Monopoly World Championship where we're both competing to win a real-cash grand prize, then no, we sure as sh*t wouldn't be friends afterwards.

As for why we are forcing Ishii to have a title shot:
1. Surely he wants to be IWGP Heavyweight Champion, no? My understanding is that the only reason he didn't challenge Okada was because of these ridiculously rigid (unless, of course, some angle calls for them not be so rigid all of a sudden, see: Club, Bullet) rules about stables that Gedo has prevented him from doing so- or at least made it bad form (hence why Jay White saying he wanted a shot at Okada's title despite being a part of CHAOS was treated as a sort of faux pas).

2. Because it's an unrectified blemish on Okada's record. Being the champion means that you're the best. If I beat you clean in the middle of the ring, then I have created doubt that you are the best and created a strong argument that I am, in fact, better than you and therefore more deserving of holding the championship. That doubt must be resolved if your claim to the championship is to remain incontrovertible, and therefore we must have a match for the championship, where either you will prove that my win over you was a fluke or I will prove that I really am better than you and thus I leave the match with championship, symbolic of my new status of "best."