Preview - G1 Climax 28 Day 7 (July 22nd)
Day 7 commences on the 22nd of July and marks a week in the G1. The G1 does have a few breaks along the way, notably, a break from the 16th of July to the 19th of July this year, but this will do little to help the wrestlers through the brutal schedule of the G1.
The A-block is beginning to take shape with this being the 4th set of block matches, and around this time in the G1 you can see and get an image of who could win the block, but this could also change as, after this, 5 sets of block matches remain, meaning 10 points are up for grabs, changing the table completely.
The sweet spot for points is 12, winning 6 out of the total 9 block matches, but with this being day 4 in the B Block, the most amount available is 8 which is still quite telling. Let's delve into this and see the standings and predictions I have on each block match.
Match 1 - Michael Elgin Vs YOSHI-HASHI
Michael Elgin has had a great start to this year's edition of the G1 Climax. Picking up 4 points and beating the likes of EVIL and Hangman Page, Elgin is looking like he will be going into the finals, however Togi Makabe and Jay White are also on 4 points so the race is on in the A-Block.
YOSHI-HASHI, on the other hand, has yet to pick up any points. He is on 0 and has lost against Makabe and EVIL respectively. Also, now with Toru Yano showing his in-ring skill, YOSHI-HASHI doesn't fit in with the G1 or CHAOS and like Naito said earlier in the year, 'he should go on excursion again'. He is decent in the ring but he hasn't done anything to merit a position in the G1, and his place should have been given to someone else, maybe Jeff Cobb, WALTER or Matt Riddle, but hopefully soon Hashi will prove why he is included.
Prediction - Elgin. I believe Elgin will continue his momentum and defeat YOSHI-HASHI and claim another 2 points. YOSHI-HASHI could pull off the upset but that seems unlikely as I believe he will get the upset against a bigger name in New Japan. This round will go to Michael Elgin in my opinion.
Match 2 - EVIL vs Bad Luck Fale
I believe this is a first between the 2 in singles competition since 2016 in the New Japan Cup, but since then a lot has changed, in terms of accolades, allegiances, training and schedules. Both of the competitors right now are on 2 points after EVIL defeated YOSHI-HASHI and Fale beat Kazuchika Okada.
Fale has a lot going on in this G1 Climax. With the emergence of the BC Firing Squad, a new catchphrase and him beating Okada means that Fale could potentially steal the G1 from under everyone's noses. His training has also seen him lose quite a lot of weight, making him more agile in-ring and also making him a bit more intimidating.
However, EVIL could also beat the 'Underboss', claim 2 points and move on, as he too beat Okada, but in G1 Climax 27. EVIL is a former NEVER Champion, both 6-man and Openweight, and he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion, so with this, the matchup will be interesting, slow, and a battle of power.
Prediction - Fale. With everything Fale has going on, I can see him claiming victory, but with the help of Tanga Loa at ringside. Fale will be winning block matches through alliances with his Tongan family, and I believe it'll come into play in this bout.