G1 Climax 28 Wrapup

Johnny Legacy's Deep Thoughts
G1 Climax 28 Final Wrapup

In this last (small cheer from somewhere) of my columns on this year's G1, I just want to do a quick look at how everyone fared versus both their performance last year, and their historical average. I'll be ranking each block in the order from biggest gainer to biggest loser. All averages are only from 2011 on, '11 was the first year with a 20 man tournament, and do include this year.

A Block

1. Jay White (12 pts, first appearance)- You get 12 points and go into the final night of your block still in contention to win in your very first G1, you're exceeding expectations.
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi (15 pts vs 12 last year and a 13 point average)- We discussed on the show how Tanahashi quietly had an all time great G1 on his way to his third tournament win, with the numbers to back that up. Even with his track record, he outdid both last year and his overall average. The Ace still has some left in the tank.
3. YOSHI-HASHI (6 pts vs 4 last year and a 5 point average)- HASHI pretty much had nowhere to go but up, and his struggle to gain a foothold, some momentum and even an identity was one of the most played stories of A Block. I feel like I watched about a million HASHI matches this past month, but that's a whole other column. Despite modest improvement, he could well find himself on the chopping block for next year's G1.
4. Minoru Suzuki (10 pts vs 9 last year and a 10 point average)- Suzuki was right in line with his historical performance, getting decent wins but not enough to make him a major player at the end. At this point his job and purpose in the G1 is very much set.
5. Hangman Page (6 pts, first appearance)- Page acquitted himself well in his first go, having good to great matches most every night and proving to himself and the fans in Japan that he belonged in this spotlight. In all his major matches he had the crowd rooting him on by the end. Wins over respected veterans Makabe and Suzuki will also help in that regard.
6. Kazuchika Okada (13 pts vs 13 last year and a 12 point average)- The world was introduced to Broken Okada in the G1, and it made for one of the best storylines going. Still shellshocked from his title loss, Okada dropped his first two matches before rattling off a 6 match win streak and then taking Tanahashi to a draw to get his numbers right in line with his previous tournaments. Along the way he slowly, very slowly, started to look a little like the Rainmaker of old.
7. EVIL (10 pts vs 12 last year and a 10 point average)- Most thought EVIL would have a hard time repeating his 12 from last year, but he did come close, and topped of his tournament with his only real high profile win, knocking off Jay White on the last night to eliminate White from contention. EVIL is shaping up to be a consistent upper half of the block guy year in and year out.
8 & 9. Togi Makabe and Michael Elgin (6 pts for each vs 8 last year and an 8 average)- These two guys were near mirror images of each other, both starting strong with two straight wins, then struggling to find footing the rest of the way, and neither getting much in the way of signature wins (Makabe beating Suzuki on night 4 was the closest for either).
10. Bad Luck Fale (6 pts vs 12 last year and a 10 point average)- The numbers are as ugly as the constant BCOG interference. Until this year Fale was a reliable double digit performer, but that all came crashing down and hurt inside this year with a slew of DQ losses stemming from Fale's new non-PG tag line and the OG's apparent disregard for the entire tournament.

B Block

1. Kota Ibushi (12 pts vs 10 last year and a 9 average)- The B Block winner was a popular pick to be a major breakout this year, and Ibushi did not disappoint. He won all three matches with champions in the block, including his megashowdown with Kenny Omega, and every match of his felt like a must-watch event. He also discovered a few new balconies to jump off of. My personal pick for the tournament's MVP.
2. Tomohiro Ishii (10 pts vs 8 last year and an 8 average)- Long a fan favorite, Ishii has long been the enhancement talent for NJPW, especially in the G1. This year he got his own enhancement (no, not like that, that's none of my business). Like Ibushi he also scored wins over all three champions and is already lined up as Kenny Omega's next heavyweight title defense, and had great matches up and down the block. A popular pick for MVP, and it will be interesting to see if NJPW finally pulls the trigger on something more high profile than a NEVER title run for him. He won't beat Omega, but I can see him taking Jericho down for the IC title.
3. Zack Sabre Jr (12 pts vs 10 last year and a 11 point average)- Another popular breakout pick after his dominant New Japan Cup run, Sabre never quite reached that level, and in at least my opinion had about as quiet a 12 points as anyone could have. He continues to solidify himself as one of NJPW's top heels as he still looks for his first gold in Japan. Sabre knocked off both Goto and Juice, and defeated Naito on the last night to eliminate Naito from contention.
4. SANADA (8 points, every time, all the time)- SANADA is shaping up as Mr. Consistency with 8 points each year in his first three tournaments. He's an interesting contrast with his LIJ stablemate EVIL. EVIL gets more wins, but SANADA gets a lot more buzz thanks to his matches generally being better. He didn't knock off any champions, but he did beat both Ibushi and Sabre.
5. Kenny Omega (12 pts vs 14 last year and a 13 point average)- It was a tale of two tournaments for the reigning heavyweight champion. He started out 6-0 and was looking to set more records than Barry Bonds (he did, deal with it). But he ended with three straight losses (Ishii, Yano with a huge assist from the BCOG, and Ibushi). Points wise it's only a disappointment by Omega's lofty standards. This was the first time in three tries he didn't make the final.
6. Tetsuya Naito (12 pts vs 14 last year and an 11 point average) - Another wrestler who's only undone in this analysis by his incredible previous success. The two-time G1 winner went into the last night in contention, had another classic with Omega, beat two champions, and was basically Naito throughout.
7. Tama Tonga (6 pts vs 8 last year and a 7 point average)- Like his BCOG teammate Fale, Tonga's G1 was road was littered with ugly DQ finishes. Unlike Fale, Tonga has been only an average at best G1 competitor to this point anyway so it wasn't a huge drop for him. His biggest wins were over Juice and Ibushi.
8. Juice Robinson (6 pts vs 8 last year and a 7 point average)- The newly crowned US champion was one of the biggest stories in the tournament with an 0-4 start and struggling with his healing left hand. He got better as the tournament progressed, but still has a slew of challengers lined up for him. He did knock off fellow champion Goto.
9. Toru Yano (6 pts vs 8 last year and an 8 pont average)- 2018 marked the end of Yano's 5 year streak with at least 8 points, as he struggled to find success while adopting to his newly found "fair play" strategy. As time went on, he started winning using the old Yano tactics. But despite the lack of wins, every Yano match was must see entertainment and he was consistently a high spot in the tournament. Yano's biggest wins were over Ibushi, where he first rediscovered sneaky style, and Omega with lots of BCOG help.
10. Hirooki Goto (6 pts vs 10 last year and a 9 point average)- The career roller coaster continues for the reigning NEVER Openweight champion. He's been to two G1 finals and won one, but he's also had tournaments like this. He had some good matches, including a great one with Ishii, but failed to get any high end wins and has to be considered the second biggest disappointment of the whole tournament after Fale