NJPW G1 Climax 28: B Block Preview and Predictions
Cards announced for the league phase of G1 CLIMAX 28!! An opening night 7/14 of Okada vs Jay, and Omega v Ibushi in the legendary Budokan 8/11 among the dream matches!! 【G128】https://t.co/Jkjo343TLv#njpw #g128 pic.twitter.com/DosBsKHMqY
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 19, 2018
Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-gun)
Zack Sabre Jr. is on an incredible wave of momentum right now. Sabre recently has a huge win over Kazuchika Okada as the NJPW Strong Style Evolved UK shows, stunning everyone. Okada has not been able to record a pinfall since his loss to Kenny Omega at Dominion, as it is clear the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is struggling to cope with the loss of his title. Meanwhile, Sabre took advantage of this scored the victory over Okada. Sabre will be looking to continue his momentum, taking on Kota Ibushi in the first B Block show on Sunday.
Sabre brings a very different style to the table than many wrestlers, working with submissions and transitioning from one to the other seamlessly. While Sabre lost in his challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship earlier in the year against Okada, he did win the New Japan Cup, submitting everyone in his way.
Defeating Tetsuya Naito by submission, Kota Ibushi by stoppage, SANADA by submission, and Hiroshi Tanahashi by submission remains one of the most impressive series of wins in the year. Watch out for Sabre, because he could win the whole thing.
Kota Ibushi (Golden Elite)
2018 for Kota Ibushi has been an eventful year. 2017 saw him rejoining NJPW on a more full time basis, and 2018 continued that trend. Ibushi reunited with long time tag team partner, Kenny Omega, in the midst of the Bullet Club division storyline. Ibushi was there when Omega won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada, ending his legendary, nearly two-year reign.
After the match, The Golden Elite was formed, with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Kota Ibushi, meaning that Ibushi is still associated with The Bullet Club, but not a direct member. He’s there because he’s with Omega and the Bucks.
Also, after the match, Ibushi kept looking at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, implying that he wanted to hold it. He’ll have to go through his tag team partner, the current champion, to get a shot at it. This is the most intriguing story of the G1, for sure.