NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 11: Results, Review, Standings, Grades

Kazuchika Okada vs Michael Elgin

After their insant classic last year, these guys have a lot to live up to… They trade some pretty standard offense and taunt each other. Okada flexes at Elgin with a silly grin on his face, which pisses him off. Kazu uses his opponent’s frustration to get ahead… Although this new Okada is weird and wacky, he’s also been demonstrating a more cerebral approach to his matches.

A pair of draping DDTs on the outside lays out Big Mike, but he’s able to avoid the countout. They go at it in the ring, trading big moves. Elgin sells the neck and seems to be in trouble, but big german suplexes turn the tides. Both guys are moving with urgency, showing how desperate they are to win, which is great.

Okada kicks out of the Splash Mountain Bomb, and then slips out of Elgin’s Burning Hammer attempt. A tombstone, 360 rainmaker, and one last traditional rainmaker ends it.

Although it didn’t reach the heights of their match in G1 27, this was still good. Both guys were aggressive in their offense and selling, I just would’ve liked some higher intensity at the end of the match.

Rating: ***3/4

In conclusion, Night 11 was solid, but not as great as I’d hoped. The matches were effective and flowed well, but nothing really hit that next gear, as all of the finishes lacked drama and intensity. A Block continues to be forgettable compared to B Block. Hopefully with the close standings and high stakes, Nights 13, 15, and 17 will bring more to the table.

Show Rating: 6.5

Updated Standings:

Tanahashi: 10        Omega: 10

White: 8                   Naito: 8

EVIL: 8                      SANADA: 6

Elgin: 8                     Ibushi: 6

Suzuki: 8                  ZSJ: 6

Fale: 6                      Ishii: 4

Elgin: 4                    Goto: 4

(X)Makabe: 4         Tonga: 2

(X)Page: 2                Juice: 2

(X)Hashi: 2               Yano: 2