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What's the story?
Following the conclusion of last night's G1 show at the historic Nippon Budokan Arena, seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi has now booked his place in this year's G1 Climax 28 final.
In case you didn't know...
Having previously won the G1 Climax on two different occasions (2007, 2015), 'The Ace' Hiroshi Tanahashi now has the opportunity of winning his third G1 Tournament, as he has made his way to the finals of the 20-man field tournament.
Tanahashi, who initially started the tournament with an upset win over Minoru Suzuki, eventually went on to defeat the likes Michael Elgin, Bad Luck Fale, Togi Makabe, and Hangman Page in his way to the finals of the G1 28.
The heart of the matter
Hiroshi Tanahashi has now become the first man in this year's G1 Climax to confirm his place in this year's final after a thrilling 30-minute time limit draw against his biggest NJPW adversary Kazuchika Okada, in order to win A Block.
Tanahashi and Okada's draw eventually saw the two men finish with 15 and 13 points respectively, whereas, G1 debutant Jay White finished in 3rd position with 12 points on board.
Following his historic achievement, Tanahashi also spoke with the media where he stated that his dream of winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title once again is pretty much still alive.
"Fan support was huge, thank you for the amazing night. But it doesn’t mean I won the tournament. I'm only going to say one thing: I'm going to the final to win it. I’ve missed too much in the past couple years, but I felt my body was working for me in the Okada match," Tanahashi added.
What's next?
Hiroshi Tanahashi currently awaits his G1 Climax 28 final, as Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, and Kota Ibushi are still in contention to make it to the finals later today, with all three men currently having a chance of winning the B Block.
