Preview- G1 Climax 28 Day 5 (July 20th)
The G1 Climax has begun and it is off to a strong, unrelenting start, with the likes of Suzuki destroying Tanahashi's leg again, Ibushi showing his injured fingers and Juice Robinson with the cast on his hand.
With the matches that have set the bar for fans expectations (Jay vs Okada, Naito vs Omega, Tanahashi vs Suzuki, SANADA vs Goto etc.) the round robin is already looking to be one of the strongest in the history.
Day 5 is the A-Block, and with tag team matches happening before the block matches themselves, everyone's in on the action, so all the competitors will be wrestling over the 18 days in singles and tag matches.
But we are not looking at the tag matches. We are here to analyse the block matches, see who's going to win each one and collect 2 points on their way to the finals.
Match 1- Michael Elgin Vs Jay White
A first-time encounter between the two, and Elgin in his fourth G1 and Jay in his 1st G1. With the New Zealander having already caused a huge upset on the first day by defeating Kazuchika Okada via underhanded tactics, Jay is already proving why his inclusion in the tournament was necessary, to keep everyone on their toes.
However, Michael Elgin is not to be trifled with. With Elgin having beaten EVIL, the two are currently level on points, 2 a piece. With Elgin out-powering Jay and having more experience, Elgin is in a prime position, however defeating Okada is no easy feat, so Elgin must tread carefully in this encounter.
Prediction-Elgin. Jay White has already achieved a huge victory, but he needs to be brought down from his perch and Elgin is the man to do it. Always having a strong showing in the round robin, averaging 9 points, Elgin's strength should topple White and Elgin won't be breathing with the 'Switchblade'.