An unexpected three-way tie had to be sorted out on the last day of B Block action, but the 2024 World Tag League finals are now set.
Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi are heading to the Tag League finals as the B Block representatives. It will be Naito & Hiromu vs. Gabe Kidd & SANADA this Sunday (December 8) to determine the tournament winners.
An injury to HENARE shook up NJPW’s plans for the last day of B Block matches, forcing Great-O-Khan & HENARE to withdraw from the tournament. They were scheduled to face Naito & Hiromu in a match that likely would have decided which team advanced to the finals. Instead, Naito & Hiromu won by forfeit and worked a non-tournament match today. Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin and EVIL & Ren Narita both won their matches later in the show, leading to a tie at the top of the block with three teams having 5-2 records and 10 points.
There was no clear tiebreaker advantage for any of the teams, so an immediate play-in match took place. Naito & Hiromu defeated Yano & Boltin and EVIL & Narita to advance.
The Tag League winners are set to be in line for an IWGP Tag Team title shot, but the status of those belts is in question right now. Great-O-Khan said today that he and HENARE will likely have to vacate the titles due to HENARE’s knee injury, and their scheduled defense against The Young Bucks at Wrestle Dynasty also likely will not happen.
Bishamon will aim to make history as the first team to win three consecutive World Tag Leagues in today’s finals.
The team of Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will try for their unprecedented third straight tournament win against Guerrillas of Destiny’s Hikuleo & El Phantasmo on today’s show.
Bishamon currently hold the IWGP Tag Team Championship, while GoD hold the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles. The tournament winner traditionally challenges for the IWGP Tag titles at Wrestle Kingdom, so a Bishamon win seems unlikely.
Goto has won the World Tag League a total of four times with three different partners — YOSHI-HASHI, Katsuyori Shibata, and Karl Anderson. Only Antonio Inoki has more career World Tag League wins (5) than Goto.
A series of eight tag matches fill out today’s undercard, highlighted by a 10-man tag semi-main with SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI, & TAKA Michinoku facing Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Zandokan Jr. & BUSHI, plus a Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Gates of Agony tag.
This showcase opened with the New Japan pair checking the Kyushu Pro imports. Oleg outpowered both of his opponents early, but Nozaki fought back with a throw. Once Oleg regained control, he tagged out to Taguchi, who decided to run the ropes instead of taking advantage, letting both opponents connect with uncontested offense. Looking to close, the Kyushu pair cleared the ring. Instead of setting idle, Taguchi took advantage with a surprise pin on Asosan, which was enough to win the match.
The opening minutes of this match were fairly contrived. TMDK took control and worked to isolate Soberano. Atlantis helped Soberano bounce back, leading to a double dive to the floor.
Back in the ring, Fujita took control of Wato, who attempted to rush Fujita outside. Fujita maintained this lead for some time with a bit of assistance from his TMDK partners. Eventually, Wato bounced back, hitting a high-angle German suplex before pinning Fujita.
Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer), Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata defeated BULLET CLUB (Alex Coughlin, Bad Luck Fale, Gabe Kidd & Jack Bonza)
This was another average match. Even the War Dogs seemed bored.
Fale and Archer opened the match with little more than a tease before tagging out to Coughlin and Nagata. Coughlin established a lead before tagging back to Fale, who slowed the match while wearing down Nagata.
Suzuki eventually tagged in and took out Kidd and Coughlin. Suzuki attempted the Gotch piledriver, but Kidd stuffed it and escaped to Bonza. Zayne stepped in to challenge Bonza, taking a solid lead. Suzuki helped Zayne close with a Gotch, followed by Archer throwing Zayne onto Bonza, which led to the pinfall win.
United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano), Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima
This match was good. Newman, Leube, and Nakashima were the standouts; they looked great, both on the offensive and defensive.
Soon after the opening bell, Yano and O-Khan tagged in, leading to an extended period of silliness. Ishii eventually tagged in, leading to a counter period of heavy striking. This led to a match breakdown that saw an intense back-and-forth between teams. From the fog, Cobb emerged with the lead. He then hit Leube with Tour of the Islands to win the match.
After the match, Henare and Ishii brawled on the outside. Cobb tried calming Henare down inside the ring, but Ishii fired back, attacking all of UE. For this, he got another beatdown. O-Khan stood over Ishii with one of the NEVER Six-Man belts.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita & SHO) defeated Shota Umino & Tiger Mask
I am highly skeptical of Ren in HoT, but this was great. If Ren maintains this level of intensity without falling into this faction’s lazy go-to match structure, this could be the hottest thing in New Japan.
Ren did not come to the ring when the match started, instead sending Dick Togo. In a bit of a turn, Shota was on the offensive in the opening brawl. Shota beat down Togo on the floor, writing him off for the rest of the conflict.
In the ring, TMIV and Shota beat down SHO, taking complete control early. Just as Shota secured the double underhooks for Death Rider, Ren Narita ran in. With Ren finally in the ring, the match could officially begin.
The actual match was quite brief. Ren beat down Shota on the outside. SHO dropped TMIV on the inside before pinning him to win the match.
House Of Torture (EVIL, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa & Tomoaki Honma
This was a better-than-average HoT match. Interpret that as you will.
This match opened with HoT rushing the babyfaces. They used weapons and attacks on the outside to gain a lead early. Kaito eventually began a rally, but it failed, leading to an even longer period of HoT control.
The first turnaround for the babyfaces happened after Honma tagged in. With help from the rest of his team, he scored a nearfall, but HoT fired back with more cheating. EVIL hit Honma with Everything is Evil, winning the match.
After the match, HoT beat down the babyfaces some more. Ren and SHO joined the attack, prompting Shota to hit the ring. Ren tried his best to avoid Shota, leading to a pursuit to the back.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada defeated Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
I didn’t love this. It was slow to a fault and generally uninteresting.
GoA gained significant control over Okada early, isolating him from Tanahashi and slowly working him over. The eventual hot tag to Tanahashi evened the odds, giving Okada time to recover.
Once Okada tagged back in, a slow struggle for control with GoA followed. GoA took control back, forcing Tanahashi to make the save once again. Once Tanahashi cleared the ring, Okada was able to regain his footing and hit Liona with a rainmaker to win the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) & Zandokan Jr. defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match had its highs, but on the whole, it was nothing more than adequate.
SANADA and Naito opened the match with a tease before tagging out to Tsuji and Uemura. After Uemura won out in a brief encounter, Taichi and Shingo tagged in for a strike exchange. Shingo bested Taichi, forcing a tag to DOUKI, leading to the first period of LIJ control.
SANADA saved DOUKI with a hot tag, taking out all of his former factionmates in the process. Once the ring was cleared, Naito stepped up to challenge SANADA, putting him on the backfoot before tagging out to BUSHI.
TAKA scoring a nearfall on BUSHI forced everyone to hit the ring. Both teams traded moves, but LIJ won out in the exchange. This freed BUSHI to land his finish on TAKA and win the match.
After the match, Zandokan was allowed to join the LIJ salute.
World Tag League Final: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)
I’m sure folks will love this, but it did absolutely nothing for me. It felt heavyhanded and filled with spots only because it was the finals. Without the big moves and false finishes, you could sneak this match onto any other night of WTL, and no one would notice. They tried to make this feel big but only made it feel manufactured.
The opening minutes saw both teams slowly trying to eke out the lead. GoD gained the upper hand first, isolating Goto from YH for quite a while. Bishamon gained their footing by hitting the ring together, overwhelming both of their opponents. Now, with a lead, Bishamon returned the favor, isolating ELP for as long as they could manage.
A hot tag to Hikuleo allowed GoD to answer Bishamon’s control. ELP landed a dive to the floor, taking out both of his opponents. ELP considered using a chair, but Hikuleo talked him out of it; instead, he opted for a table. Goto saved YH from being driven through the table, leading to a struggle for control in the ring.
YH and ELP traded strikes for a while before turning to springboards. Hikuleo then hit the ring, dropping YH with a chokeslam. YH slowed GoD’s advance by blocking a dive with his knees; this didn’t really matter, as GoD maintained their control long enough to land a powerbomb from the top rope, scoring a nearfall.
Hikuleo attempted a splash from the top rope but missed. This bought YH enough time to tag out, leading to an extended struggle for control between both teams. Bishamon hit Shoto, but Hikuleo made the save. Goto tried climbing to the top rope, but Hikuleo pulled him down, teasing a spot with the table from earlier in the match. YH made the save, helping Goto drive Hikuleo through the table with Shoto.
Now, without a partner, ELP took on both of Bishamon. He escaped Shoto and hit Goto with an aided neckbreaker of his own. ELP followed up with multiple big moves that yielded false finishes.
ELP tried for Sudden Death, but YH cut him off with a superkick of his own. Bishamon then hit GTW, but ELP kicked out. Finally, Bishamon hit ELP with Naraku and won the match and world tag league.
After the match, the teams shook hands, and Bishamon cut a show-ending promo and posed with their belts and trophies.
Don’t let my negative reviews sully the rest of this tour. The stale booking is a downer, but other than tonight, it’s been a ton of fun with a few bold choices that have been New Japan’s Q4 highlights.
The full card is set for NJPW’s World Tag League finals.
World Tag League 2023 comes to an end as the finals stream live on NJPW World starting at 12:30 a.m. Eastern time this Sunday (December 10). In the main event, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI face Hikuleo & El Phantasmo to determine the World Tag League winner.
Goto & YOSHI-HASHI earned their spot in the finals with a semifinal victory over Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo defeated TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) in the semifinals.
Goto & YOSHI-HASHI and Hikuleo & El Phantasmo are both current tag team champions in NJPW. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI hold the IWGP Tag Team titles, while Hikuleo & El Phantasmo are the Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions.
Eight other tag matches are part of the card for Sunday’s event. Among them is a bout pitting Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi against AEW/ROH team Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona).
The full card is listed below:
World Tag League 2023 finals: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo
SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, BUSHI & Zandokan Jr.
Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHi defeated EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi in 19:58 in the World Tag League finals to capture NJPW’s World Tag League 2021.
Goto and YOSHI-HASHI overcame the usual constant interference from Dick Togo to win the match and the tournament finals. Though not yet official, the World Tag League winners traditionally challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions at Wrestle Kingdom. Those belts are currently held by Suzuki-gun’s Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi.
Goto has now won World Tag League three times with three different partners. He won the tournament in 2012 with Karl Anderson, again in 2014 with Katsuyori Shibata, and now the 2021 edition with YOSHI-HASHI. The victory was the first tournament win for YOSHI-HASHI.
Shibata made news of his own today, announcing that he will have a match on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16 on January 4.
NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 28 and World Tag League 2021 tournaments wrap up today in Ryogoku.
The BOSJ finals will main event, as Hiromu Takahashi faces YOH. Hiromu will be aiming for his third career BOSJ win. YOH rebounded after losing his first four tournament matches to earn a spot in the finals.
The World Tag League finals will take place in the semi-main, with Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI taking on Bullet Club’s EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi. Goto and YOSHI-HASHI finished the tournament at 9-2, while House of Torture made the finals on tiebreakers with an 8-3 record and wins over the other two 8-3 teams.
A “major announcement” from Katsuyori Shibata has also been advertised for the show. Shibata returned to the ring at the G1 finals on October 21 for a five-minute exhibition match against Zack Sabre Jr., promising that the next time he was in the ring, it would be for a real match. Shibata was forced to retire after suffering a subdural hematoma in an April 2017 IWGP Heavyweight title match against Kazuchika Okada.
Wrestle Kingdom 16 opponents will be on opposite sides of a tag tonight as well. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi will team with BUSHI, facing Okada and Robbie Eagles. Shingo defends the IWGP title against Okada on night one of Wrestle Kingdom on January 4.
A series of tag matches will fill out the undercard. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA take on Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata face Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens. Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato take on Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo face Tiger Mask & Ryohei Oiwa. Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuto Nakashima & Kosei Fujita take on Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI in the opener.
Our live coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.
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DOUKI, TAKA Michinoku, and Minoru Suzuki defeated Kosei Fujita, Yuta Nakashima, and Rysuke Taguchi
This was fine and to the point.
Fujita opened the match against Suzuki and momentarily succeeded in taking control on the mat. On the mat, Suzuki caught Fujita in a crossface, forcing a rope break and a tag. Nakashima tried his luck against Suzuki, but a Suzuki forearm dropped the young lion.
TAKA tagged in after Suzuki’s success to immediately lose control to Nakashima. Taguchi tagged into the match and continued to advance his team’s lead. The lead continued as the young lions and DOUKI entered the fray.
A deep Boston crab from Nakashima incited a brawl as team Taguchi attempted to prevent Suzuki-Gun interference; this failed as the struggle spilt into the ring. The struggle favoured DOUKI and company. All three Suzuki-Gun competitors locked in submissions inside the ropes, leading to a tap-out victory.
El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori defeated Ryohei Oiwa and Tiger Mask
The match itself was extremely brief. It served future ends, setting up more for the junior belts.
ELP and Ishimori teased Tiger Mask following the opening bell by trading tags before engaging. To their dismay, Tiger Mask gained offensive control and maintained it even as both heels hit the ring. Oiwa tagged into the match and was doing quite well before an ELP superkick broke up a Boston crab, allowing Ishimori to pin Oiwa for an abrupt ending.
After the match, ELP and Ishimori began to beatdown Tiger Mask. Robbie Eagles hit the ring but failed to save his partner. Rysuke Taguchi then hit the ring and successfully fought off Bullet Club, only to attack Tiger Mask and Eagles after saving the day. Taguchi posed with both junior tag belts before scurrying off after the champions, Eagles and Tiger Mask, regained their footing.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Toru Yano
Nothing special in this one.
The match opened with an eight-way brawl, initiated by Suzuki-Gun. After things calmed down, Wato and Desperado had a typical opening sequence. This lasted for a moment before another brawl restarted the chaos.
Once the match resumed, ZSJ and Taichi cornered Wato. Once Wato escaped, Makabe tagged in and gained control for his team after running through all of his opponents. A kick from Taichi reset the match.
Taichi and Makabe traded blows before ZSJ and Honma entered the match. Honma tried and failed at submitting ZSJ, but Makabe prevented ZSJ from even attempting a submission. ZSJ avoided the headbutt, and Taichi flattened Honma. ZSJ then successfully locked in a triangle, forcing the submission.
After the match, there was a brief scuffle that ended with Suzuki-Gun standing tall.
Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga
This was a bit of a mess, but the matches purpose was fulfilled, I suppose; Owens is a mini-rival for Tanahashi before Tanahashi gets another run at KENTA.
Imagine this — the match opened with a brawl. Kojima and Loa took turns striking each other after the brawling ended. Loa emerged with control, allowing each member of Bullet Club to tag in and beat down Kojima.
After Kojima finally tagged out, Nagata overwhelmed Tonga to reset momentum momentarily. Tonga was able to withstand the rally, before tagging in Owens, but due to a miscommunication, Nagata regained control.
Tanahashi tagged into the match to focus down his apparent rival, Owens, but Bullet Club chicanery caused the match to break down into a brawl. After the brawl played out, Owens and Tanahashi were alone once more. Owens avoided High Fly Flow. Two C-triggers (knee strikes) left Tanashi laid out. Owens hesitated, allowing Tanahashi to roll up the Texas Heavyweight Champion to close the match.
After the match, KENTA appeared on the tron to challenge Tanahashi to a rematch. KENTA agreed to the match so long as it was held with no disqualifications. Tanahashi agreed.
Katsuyori Shibata’s Announcement
Shibata entered the ring with tears in his eyes. Shibata then announced he had a match on January 4th’s Tokyo Dome show and left the ring. The Wrestler will be back for Wrestle Kingdom.
SANADA and Tetsuya Naito defeated Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
This was enjoyable enough for a preview tag. It seems Cobb Naito is the singles match in the making.
LIJ opened the match by jumping O-Khan and Cobb. SANADA then tied O-Khan up with the paradise lock while pulling on the braid. As SANADA stood the match up, O-Khan found his first opening. After catching a strike from SANADA, O-Khan took control, and the match spilt to the outside.
Once back inside, Cobb tagged in, slowing the pace as he worked over SANADA. This pace continued as O-Khan tagged back in.
SANADA caught a Mongolian chop, probably because O-Khan screamed before trying it. SANADA then landed a dropkick before tagging Naito into the match. Cobb, now legal, was on the receiving end of a Naito rally.
Cobb eventually caught Naito, driving him into the turnbuckle pads to end Naito’s offence. O-Khan then hit the ring, aiding Cobb in turning the match around. SANADA tried saving his partner but fell to O-Khan. SANADA did succeed in buying Naito enough time to catch Cobb with a rana. The rana turned into a pin, leading to the finish.
After the match, Cobb jumped Naito but failed in his attack. Naito left standing tall, with a smile on his face. After Naito made it through the curtain, Cobb tried to jump him again.
Robbie Eagles and Kazuchika Okada defeated Shingo Takagi and BUSHI
There was a lot to like in this match. It was excellent at teasing the upcoming Shingo/Okada title match without over-exposing the match-to-be.
This match opened with Shingo and Okada grappling; they traded control multiple times before a ducked rainmaker turned into a failed last of the dragon. Okada and Shingo are equals, at least in this moment.
BUSHI and Eagles tagged into the match and increased the pace ten-fold. A tope into the barricade left BUSHI in control. BUSHI choked Eagles with a shirt before tagging Shingo back into the match.
Eagles tried striking down Shingo but fell to one blow from the reigning world champion. Shingo eventually slipped from control as a quick rana allowed Okada to tag back in. Okada succeeded in reversing momentum, at least for a moment.
Shingo eventually fought to a standing position to trade strikes with Okada. The pair again tried to finish one another but failed to deliver anything substantial. BUSHI tagged back into the match, focusing Okada while Shingo focused Eagles outside the ring.
Okada withstood the BUSHI attempt at offence, delivering an air raid crash neckbreaker before locking in the money clip. Shingo hit the ring to break up the hold, and Eagles hit the ring to fight off Shingo. Eagles and Okada succeeded in fighting off Shingo, and a dive from Eagles left Okada alone once more with BUSHI. Okada landed the rainmaker and pinned BUSHI to close the match.
World Tag League Finals: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto defeated EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
This match wasn’t good, but seeing YH with a Tag League trophy might be worth enduring the chicanery.
The match opened with a Bullet Club favoured distraction. YH fought through, however, and gained control. Goto and YH then grabbed the would-be distractor, Dick Togo, and beat him down in an attempt to even the odds.
EVIL removed a turnbuckle pad while YH and Goto were dealing with Togo. EVIL then succeeded in throwing both of his opponents into the exposed buckles. The match then worked its way outside, where Bullet Club slammed YH and Goto into the barricade and EVIL beat down YH with a chair. Back in the ring, Yujiro and EVIL maintained this momentum.
A dropkick to the knee of EVIL allowed YH to tag out. Goto connected with some offence but was grabbed by a recovered Togo. Togo and Yujiro slammed Goto into the barricade while EVIL distracted the referee. Back in the ring, EVIL focused the knee of Goto.
It took YH hitting the ring for EVIL’s momentum to wane. Goto connected with a reverse GTR, yielding a near fall. Then, with his back against the wall, EVIL distracted the referee again, allowing Togo to choke Goto with a rope. Goto fought through this interference and delivered a backdrop suplex to EVIL after escaping.
YH tagged in, as did Yujro. The pair tried moves but were successful in stopping one another. Finally, a money shot landed, forcing Goto to break up the pin. EVIL then hit the ring and hit Goto with darkness falls. YH tried to claw his way back into the match, but pimp juice left him laying. After a failed pin, Yujiro grabbed his cane, forcing Goto to hit the ring again.
Goto saved YH and fought off EVIL and Togo before he could interfere. YH and Goto hit DYW, but Togo pulled the referee to the outside before he could finish his count. Togo and EVIL then hit the ring with a rope and chair, respectively. This triggered Tomohiro Ishii to hop the barricade, fighting off Togo to even the odds.
YH and Goto fought off Bullet Club again, surviving another referee bump and an attempted low blow, before delivering a tandem move to close the match.
Best of the Super Jr Finals: Hiromu Takahashi defeated YOH
I loved a lot of this match. SHO’s involvement is a negative, but overall it was a meaningfully-dense outing even with its extended run time. YOH’s determination and ultimate heartbreak were tangible and drove the match into something special.
This match’s opening sequence consisted of back-and-forth grappling. While Hiromu led most of the exchange, YOH held on. Hiromu and YOH traded strikes, and again, Hiromu maintained a lead, but again YOH stayed focused. This cat-and-mouse game continued for a while, with YOH dawning his new confidence.
Hiromu eventually landed a dropkick on the outside, seemingly stifling YOH’s persistence for the first time. Back in the ring, YOH was chopped down, his chest turning a blistered red. Even as he wore the effects of substantial striking, he continued to resist. A quick drop toe hold followed by a dropkick grounded Hiromu. A falcon arrow left YOH with a lead for the first time, a lead that became substantial after a dragonscrew. YOH locked in stargazer, his leglock variation. Hiromu climbed into the ropes to force a break.
Hiromu caught YOH before he could follow up with a submission of his own, but YOH survived. YOH then reversed an attempt at offence into a German suplex. YOH chased this opening, landing a knee strike, but Hiromu didn’t fall. Instead, Hiromu caught YOH with a sit-down powerbomb, resetting the match.
This late reset initiated a back-and-forth sequence of moves that ended with a nasty throw into the corner that laid out YOH. Hiromu then hoisted YOH to his shoulders on the ring’s apron, delivering a brutal death valley driver against the ring corner. YOH managed to make his way to his feet before being counted out. Hiromu attempted to block YOH, but a rana brought him to the floor. YOH followed up with a beautiful dive that left both men laid out. Enter SHO.
SHO dropped his former partner YOH with a piledriver. This infuriated Hiromu, who stood up to the would-be invader. Hiromu met the same fate; a piledriver to Hiromu also left him lying. SHO then grabbed the microphone and declared the match a no-contest; the referee ignored this declaration, insisting that the match continued. Enter LIJ and CHAOS. The factions ran off SHO, allowing the match to continue.
YOH was the first to strike once the match began again, but Hiromu responded immediately. A series of quick pin attempts YOH followed, but again, Hiromu was ready, this time with a suplex. YOH and Hirmou slipped in and out of each other’s attempts at a finish before a headbutt sent both men to their knees. A lariat flattened YOH, opening him up for victory royale; YOH kicked out.
YOH caught Hiromu with a dragonscrew to slow Hiromu down once more. YOH hoisted Hiromu to the top rope and hit a superplex. Hiromu recovered immediately, attempting a rollup. After YOH kicked out, he hit a beautiful thrust kick followed by a dragon suplex. The kick out that followed was as close as possible. Hiromu then caught YOH himself before delivering a timebomb. Not only did YOH survive, but he also connected with a lariat after being on defeat’s door. Hiromu returned the favour with a lariat of his own before hitting a back-to-belly piledriver; YOH held on. Hiromu then lifted YOH and hit him with timebomb 2 to close BOSJ.
After the match, Hiromu cut a promo. He told YOH to step up and deal with SHO. He also called out Desperado, saying he would win in their title match. Hiromu made it clear he was to be on top, even if it means going through his faction-mates. He then hoisted the BOSJ trophy as he was showered with confetti.
NJPW has revealed the full lineup for the Wednesday, December 15 World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors 28 finals.
The BOSJ finals will main event, as Hiromu Takahashi takes on YOH. Hiromu will be trying for his third overall BOSJ crown, and his second consecutive. A win for YOH would be the first of his career.
In the semi-main event, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI of CHAOS will face EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi from Bullet Club House of Torture to decide the 2021 World Tag League winner. Both Goto and EVIL have won the tournament twice before with different partners.
Also announced for Wednesday, Katsuyori Shibata is scheduled to make a “major announcement.”
A Wrestle Kingdom night one preview will take place in the sixth match of the night. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi will team with BUSHI against his Wrestle Kingdom challenger Kazuchika Okada and Robbie Eagles. Okada and Shingo will main event on January 4, 2022, with the winner defending the IWGP title against Will Ospreay the next night.
A hodgepodge of tag matches will fill out Wednesday’s undercard.
Here is the lineup:
NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors finals, Wednesday, December 15, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
Best of the Super Juniors 28 finals: Hiromu Takahashi vs. YOH
World Tag League 2021 finals: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Kazuchika Okada & Robbie Eagles
Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Tiger Mask & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuto Nakashima & Kosei Fujita vs. Minoru Suzuki, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
The Bullet Club trio attacked before the opening bell. Fale and Yano started off as the legal men. Yano untied a corner pad and used it as a weapon on Fale, but Fale no-sold it. Yano went for a slam on Fale, but failed.
Ishimori tagged in and got sent into the buckle. SHO tagged in for an extended sequence with Ishimori. They had a nice back and forth. SHO hit a spear, Ishimori hit a handspring kick, then both tagged out.
Eagles peppered Owens with kicks. Eagles hit a pair of meteoras in the corner. He missed a follow-up 450 splash. Owens missed a pump knee strike, but blocked Turbo Backpack.
Owens hit a Jewel Heist for a near fall. Fale tagged in for the tandem Grenade Launcher and Owens pinned Eagles.
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After the match, Yano tried to slam Fale again and failed again. Fale then destroyed Yano’s KOPW trophy with a stomp.
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Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (10:45)
This was good when Okada and Ospreay were in together.
Okada and Ospreay began with an intense striking battle. O-Khan and Tanahashi got tags. Henare jumped in for some tandem spots with Tana, including a double crab on O-Khan.
O-Khan cut Tanahashi off with a kneebar. Cobb tagged in and hit a backbreaker. O-Khan and Cobb each hit Tana with gutwrench suplexes. Ospreay tagged in for a 3-on-1 on Tana, hitting a missile dropkick.
Tanahashi came back with a dragon screw on Ospreay and tagged Okada. Okada hit a running back elbow, cleared the apron, hit another back elbow in the corner, then hit a DDT on Ospreay for a near fall.
Ospreay fought out of an air raid crash neckbreaker attempt. Cobb and Henare got tags and did some impressive power spots. Henare really needs to go somewhere else, he would be much higher on the card in any other promotion.
Tana jumped in for a slingblade on Cobb. Henare covered, but Ospreay broke up the pin. Henare ran into a pump kick from an interfering O-Khan. O-Khan used a kneebar on Tanahashi to neutralize the interference threat.
Cobb then hit a Tour of the Islands on Henare for the pin.
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O-Khan continued to use the kneebar after the bell. Okada jumped in to make the save.
Cobb attacked Okada. Ospreay then hit an Oscutter on Okada. Priestley tossed O-Khan a chair. O-Khan hammered away at Tanahashi’s left leg with the chair.
SANADA showed great intensity in what was more of an angle than a match.
The Bullet Club squad attacked before the opening bell. Togo dragged SANADA to the ramp and choked him out with a ligature. Young Lions and staff tended to SANADA as the match began.
Togo removed a corner pad and Shingo was whipped into the exposed buckle. Yujiro took the ref while EVIL threatened to use Yujiro’s cane on Shingo.
An enraged SANADA jumped in and went after EVIL. He took him down and hammered him with right hands. SANADA shoved the referee down and continued beating EVIL around ringside. This was the most emotion SANADA has ever shown.
Shingo hit a sliding lariat and a Last of the Dragon on Yujiro for the pin.
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SANADA continued attacking EVIL after the bell. Young Lions tried to pull SANADA off, but he tossed them aside. SANADA hammered EVIL with right hands and they brawled to the back.
In the ring, Jeff Cobb appeared. Cobb picked up Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title belt. Shingo tried to grab the belt back. Cobb hit Shingo with Tour of the Islands and stomped to the back.
So both EVIL vs. SANADA and Shingo vs. Cobb for the NEVER title look to be Wrestle Kingdom matches.
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A promo video aired for the 49th anniversary show on March 4th at Budokan.
A promo video for an appearance at Wrestle Kingdom by a Japanese comedian dressed like Don King. Apparently he is Noritake Kinashi, also known as Don Kinashi.
Ibushi and Naito began with a series of counters and teases, previewing their Wrestle Kingdom match. Ibushi hit a dropkick to establish the early advantage. Wato got a tag and BUSHI and Naito doubled up on him. Naito and BUSHI mocked Tenzan by hitting Mongolian chops.
Wato came back with a series of kicks on BUSHI, then we were back to Naito and Ibushi. Naito got the upper hand in this exchange, hitting combinacion cabron in the corner, then an enzuigiri and a DDT.
BUSHI tagged in and hit a missile dropkick and DDT on Ibushi for a two count. BUSHI hit a swinging neckbreaker for another two as Wato broke up the pin.
BUSHI hit Ibushi with a backstabber. Ibushi came back with a high kick. Naito jumped in. Ibushi held Naito up. Wato hit a springboard forearm and a tornillo to take out Naito.
Ibushi hit a jumping knee strike to the head and a Kamigoye on BUSHI for the victory.
World Tag League final: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (w/Jado) defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay to win World Tag League 2020 (22:15)
This was an excellent match.
Finlay and Loa began with some simple spots — tackles, drop downs and headlocks. Juice and Tama tagged in. Jado tried to trip Juice from the floor and got ejected by ref Marty Asami.
Finlay and Juice went to work on Tama’s left arm. After a miscommunication spot by FinJuice, Loa tagged in and cut off Finlay. Loa hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall.
Finlay went for a tag but Tama pulled him off the apron. Juice finally got a tag at the ten minute mark. He hit a plancha to Loa, then went after Tama with a clothesline and a high cross off the top.
FinJuice went for a Hart Attack. Instead, Loa speared Juice. Finlay got hit with a Tongan Twist. Loa hit a diving headbutt off the top to Juice. Tama followed with a top rope splash for a near fall.
G.O.D. called for a super powerbomb. Tama missed the setup splash in the corner. All four guys hit big moves and all four went down. Juice hit Loa with a Left Hand of God, then collapsed again.
Juice hit Tama with a cannonball and a series of jabs. Juice called for Pulp Friction but got distracted by Jado walking down the ramp. Tama used a kendo stick on Juice and made a cover. Finlay broke up the pin.
Loa used the OJK on Finlay. Tama used a sharpshooter on Juice at the same time. Juice fought to the ropes to force a break.
Jado called for a Magic Killer. G.O.D. hit the Magic Killer. Tama covered — but Juice kicked out at two.
Jado called for a super powerbomb. Tama hit a running splash in the corner. Loa tried to execute the powerbomb, but Juice hit a super hurricanrana instead.
Finlay jumped in and hit an ushigoroshi on Loa at the 20 minute call. FinJuice hit a Hart Attack. Juice covered — but Tama kicked out at two. Finlay hit a superplex. Juice hit a top rope splash. Tama kicked out again.
FinJuice teased a Doomsday Device. Loa shoved Finlay off the post. Jado jumped in with a kendo stick. Juice cut him off and broke the stick.
KENTA ran in with the U.S. title briefcase and clocked Juice with it.
G.O.D. hit the super powerbomb and Tama covered Juice for the pin.
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After the match, KENTA took photos with his phone as G.O.D. and Jado posed with the World Tag League trophies.
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Best of the Super Jrs. final: Hiromu Takahashi defeated El Desperado to win Best of the Super Jrs. 27 (30:14)
This was not your typical high-flying Hiromu match filled with a bunch of high risk moves. Instead, they told a great story and worked a NJPW strong style main event match. This was superb.
They started slowly by Hiromu standards. They traded tackles and side headlocks. Hiromu then went to intiate one of his trademark palm strike to the chest sequences. Desperado was having none of it and immediately went for Numero Dos. Hiromu forced a break.
The pace picked up from there. Desperado used an assist from an unwitting referee to hit a basement dropkick to the knee. Desperado sent Hiromu outside and sent Hiromu into the barricade.
Back in, Hiromu sold his back from being sent into the fence. Desperado hit a snap suplex for two. Desperado went after Hiromu’s legs, looking to set up Numero Dos, the same strategy he used to beat Hiromu earlier in the tournament. Desperado expossed a buckle.
Desperado forced Hiromu outside and slammed him on the floor. Desperado followed up by driving the left leg into the floor. Desperado continued working over the leg.
Hiromu used a misdirection spot to set up a hurricanrana. He landed a low dropkick, but after two spots involving running, Hiromu stopped to sell his leg at the ten minute call.
Hiromu stretched Desperado over the top rope, choking him with his legs. Hiromu hit a wheelbarrow slam on the floor, then a shotgun dropkick off the apron to the floor.
Back inside, Hiromu hit a falcon arrow for a near fall. He teased a DVD into the buckle but Desperado blocked. Hiromu blocked a spinebuster attempt and a back suplex attempt.
Desperado hit a kneebreaker. He went for Numero Dos, but Hiromu forced an immediate break by rolling to the ropes. Desperado got launched into the buckle with a release German suplex.
Hiromu went for a Dynamite Plunger. His knee gave out instead. Desperado blocked a thrust kick. Hiromu then connected with two superkicks at the fifteen minute call. Hiromu hit a DVD into the turnbuckle pad, then another in the center of the ring.
Hiromu went for Time Bomb. Desperado slid out and locked in Numero Dos. Hiromu reached the ropes, but Desperado used the full four count before breaking the hold.
Hiromu escaped Guitarra de Angel and rolled outside. Desperado teased a suicide dive. Hiromu cut him off in the ropes. Hiromu went for a sunset bomb but overshot his mark. Desperado threatened to use his Jr. Heavyweight Tag belt, but ultimately attacked Hiromu’s leg with a chair.
Back in, Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a two count, then immediately transitioned to Numero Dos at the 20 minute call. Somehow, Hiromu reversed Numero Dos into a destroyer. Both men were down in the center of the ring.
Desperado shoved Hiromu into the Red Shoes the ref, who took a bump. Desperado hit a low blow. Hiromu blocked a straight right by hitting a big right hand of his own.
Hiromu tore off the top half of Desperado’s mask. In a dramatic moment, Desperado tore the rest of his own mask off himself.
The two then engaged in a furious sequence of strikes. After trading, Hiromu dropped Desperado with a palm strike. Desperado answered, dropping Hiromu with a right hand. Hiromu blocked Pinche Loco and hit a headbutt.
Hiromu hit victory royal. He went for Time Bomb. Desperado blocked and used El es Culero for a great near fall.
They charged each other and hit simultaneous lariats. Desperado kicked out the left leg. Hiromu popped back up and hit a superkick.
Desperado ducked a lariat and went for Pinche Loco. Hiromu reversed into a DVD into the exposed buckle. Hiromu hit Time Bomb — but Desperado kicked out.
Hiromu hit a second victory royal. He hoisted Desperado up at the 30 minute call. Hiromu hit Time Bomb II, then covered for the pin.
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Hiromu cut a promo after the match. He called out to Desperado as he was being helped to the back. Hiromu said he won this one, but they will be facing each other until they retire.
Hiromu fought back tears as he was handed the BOSJ trophy.
Hiromu challenged the winner of the Super-J Cup. He said he wants that match before he faces Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title.
Hiromu then closed the show with a babyface promo, putting over the crowd.
Iwate is home to this year’s World Tag League Finals.
Guerrillas of Destiny and the team of EVIL and SANADA will battle tonight in the main event, both getting to 20 points and advancing to the finals. If EVIL and SANADA manage to defeat Guerrillas of Destiny, they’re practically a lock to challenge the champions at Wrestle Kingdom 13. If the champions themselves win, which doesn’t happen often, they will be able to name their future challengers.
Meanwhile, Hirooki Goto and Kota Ibushi will battle for the NEVER title. Goto threw the challenge to Kota Ibushi and after initially refusing the match, eventually accepted.
But what is more interesting is that there will be a number one contender’s match that will take place tonight, with the winner getting a title shot likely at Wrestle Kingdom 13. The former champion, Taichi, will challenge Will Ospreay, who has been out of action since October 14 after injuring his ribs in a match.
The Young Bucks also return to New Japan tonight, They will team up with Marty Scurll and Kenny Omega to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, David Finlay and Ryusuke Taguchi.
Join us for live coverage starting at 1 a.m. Eastern time. Kevin Kelly and Excalibur will be on commentary.
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SATOSHI KOJIMA, HIROYOSHI TENZAN, YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, TOA HENARE, AYATO YOSHIDA & SHOTA UMNO (8:27)
Standard opener, with all the veterans hitting their trademark stuff. Double lariat from Makabe. Mongolian chops from Tenzan. Diving tackle from Henare.
Kojima hit Yoshida with a DDT, machine gun chops, and a Koji cutter. Yoshida got a nearfall off a backslide, but Kojima nailed him with a lariat for the pin.
MINORU SUZUKI, TAKASHI IIZUKA, LANCE ARCHER & DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. DEFEATED BERETTA, CHUCKIE T, MICHAEL ELGIN & JEFF COBB BY DQ (10:12)
Suzuki-gun jumped before the bout. While six guys brawled outside, Smith and Elgin had a really nice exchange in the ring. Smith hit a knee strike and a kip-up. Smith hit a top rope superplex.
Cobb and Archer tagged in and exchanged blows. Cobb hit an Angle Slam into a double down, then Chuckie and Suzuki tagged in.
Chuckie traded strikes with Suzuki. Well, he tried to. Suzuki laid him out, then tagged Iizuka, and removed his muzzle. Chuckie hit soul food, then tagged Beretta.
Suzuki-gun cleared the apron, then assaulted Beretta 4-on-1. Elgin jumped in to break up a pinfall. Iizuka grabbed the iron glove, but Chuckie jumped in with a chair, went nuts, and attacked everyone, including his own teammates.
SHO, YOH & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED EL DESPERADO, YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & ZACK SABRE JR. (11:12)
Good match. This was a tease for Sabre and Ishii at the Tokyo Dome for the Rev Pro title.
Ishii and Sabre kicked thinigs off. Ishii trapped Sabre’s left arm, then tagged SHO. Sabre didn’t deal with Ishii’s grappling, but quickly reversed SHO’s attack, and tagged Desperado.
SHO and YOH hit some tandem offense on Desperado. SHO hit the ropes, but Kanemaru grabbed his legs from the outside and pulled him to the floor. Kanemaru hit a legdrop on SHO over the barricade. Suzuki-gun left all three members of CHAOS laying on the floor.
Back inside, Kanemaru worked over SHO with stomps. Kanemaru hit a DDT for a nearfall, then tagged Desperado. SHO hit a suplex, but Kanemaru jumped in for the double team. SHO hit a spear, but Sabre jumped in to cut him off.
SHO finally made a tag to YOH. YOH hit a back elbow on Desperado, and a dragon screw on Kanemaru. YOH hit a neckbreaker, then a low dropkick on Desperado for a nearfall.
Desperado hit a spinebuster into a double down, and Sabre and Ishii got tags. Ishii had a counter for all of Sabre’s offense, and hit him with a brainbuster. Sabre hit a northern lights suplex, sent him into the corner, then tagged out.
Suzuki-gun tripled up on Ishii. Kanemaru hit deep impact, but SHO made the save. SHO hit a lariat on Desperado. Sabre jumped in and beat up SHO, then went after Ishii.
Kanemaru tried to spit whiskey at Ishii, but Ishii ducked it. SHO and YOH hit stereo planchas to take out Sabre and Desperado. Ishii hit Kanemaru with a brainbuster, and got the pin.
Owens and BUSHI began, with Owens getting the best of the exchange. Owens hit a backbreaker. Yujiro and Naito got tags. BUSHI jumped in for an assist, and Naito hit a dropkick on Yujiro.
Shingo got a tag, and hit a shoulder block. LIJ tripled up on Yujiro. BUSHI choked him with his t-shirt. Shingo used a front facelock. Yujiro fired back with strikes, and hit an inverted DDT.
Page tagged in. He hit a springboard lariat on BUSHI, a pescado to Naito. He missed a buckshot lariat on Shingo, but hit a regular lariat. Shingo went for a release german, but Page landed on his feet. Page blocked one pumping bomber, but Shingo hit him with a second.
Owens and BUSHI tagged in. Naito jumped in for a double team, but Owens slammed BUSHI onto Naito with a uranage. Shingo broke up a package piledriver attempt. Naito hit a swinging DDT.
Owens blocked a destino, but Naito hit a flying forearm, then hit destino for the pin.
SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE, BAD LUCK FALE & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA, TORU YANO & KUSHIDA (11:01)
Good match, similar to all of the Okada tags on this tour, like a house show main event. The post-match was interesting, with Makabe making the save for CHAOS.
Okada and KUSHIDA cleared the ring of the Bullet Club at the opening bell. KUSHIDA hit a cartwheel dropkick. When the dust settled, KUSHIDA and Ishimori ended up the legal men. KUSHIDA worked over Ishimori’s left arm.
Ishimori came back with a seated senton on KUSHIDA, while White and Okada fought on the ramp. White applied a single-leg crab, leaving Okada on the ramp.
Back in the ring, the Bullet Club worked over KUSHIDA. They cut the ring in half and went to work in their corner. KUSHIDA made a comeback, and Ishimori and KUSHIDA tagged out to White and Okada.
White hit a suplex on Okada, right into the corner pad. White hit a Saito suplex, then tagged Fale. Okada hit Fale with a dragon screw, then tagged Yano. Yano untied a corner pad, and used it as a weapon on Fale. Fale whipped Yano into the exposed buckle.
Fale cleared the apron, then the Bullet Club went three on one against Yano. Fale hit a splash, but KUSHIDA broke up the pinfall.
The match broke down. Okada missed a dropkick, escaped a blade runner, then hit an air raid crash on White. Yano used a backslide for a nearfall, but Fale recovered, and hit Yano with a grenade for the pin.
After the match, Okada hit White with a dropkick, but White laid him out with a suplex, dropping him right on his head. Ishimori hit a bloody cross on KUSHIDA. Makabe ran in to make the save with a chain, and cleared the ring.
KENNY OMEGA, THE YOUNG BUCKS & MARTY SCURLL DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, JUICE ROBINSON, DAVID FINLAY & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI (13:12)
A really good match. A nice mix of comedy and serious stuff with Tana and Omega teasing their title match.
Taguchi and Scurll started off with some comedy. Nick Jackson and Finlay tagged in. Juice jumped in for a double team, and they hit a double bulldog. Matt Jackson came in, but ate a double hip toss.
Taguchi’s team hit their clothesline train spot in the corner on Nick. They teased a quadruple dropkick, but Nick hung on to the top rope. Taguchi’s team went for stereo planchas, but they all missed, and The Elite took over the match.
Omega hit a kotaro krusher. The Bucks worked over Finlay with tandem offense. Scurll stomped on Finlay’s left arm. The Elite cut the ring in half and worked Finlay over in their corner. Finlay came back with a backbreaker over the knee on Omega, then tagged Tana.
Tana hit a dropkick to Omega, then a dragon screw. The Bucks hit Tana with stereo superkicks. Tana escaped a double enziguri, and The Bucks hit Omega. Tana blocked a v-trigger, but Omega hit a snap dragon suplex into a double down.
Juice hit everyone with a series of jabs. Scurll cut him off, but Taguchi jumped in and hit everyone with hip attacks. Juice hit a cannonball on Matt. Omega hit a rana on Taguchi. Tana hit Omega with slingblade, then hit a plancha. Scurll ran into a double flapjack. The Bucks hit a double dropkick. The Elite hit a four-way superkick on Taguchi, but Tana broke up the pinfall.
Tana ran into a v-trigger, and Taguchi ran into an indytaker for the pin.
NUMBER ONE CONTENDER MATCH FOR THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED TAICHI (17:03)
The story here was Ospreay making his comeback after the rib injury. It was a slower match focused on Ospreay’s selling. His selling was excellent, but the people didn’t seem to be into the match until the last couple of minutes.
Taichi jumped Ospreay with his mic stand before the bell. Taichi stomped on Ospreay’s taped ribs. Ospreay hit a monkey flip, and Taichi rolled to the floor. Ospreay hit a springboard elbow off the barricade.
Ospreay hit a suicide dive, and the action spilled to the ramp. Back inside, Ospreay went for a springboard attack, but Taichi whipped the referee into the ropes, knocking Ospreay off. Taichi dropped Ospreay over the barricade.
Taichi ripped off Ospreay’s tape and used an abdominal stretch. Ospreay came back with a handspring kick, an enziguri, a 619, and a springboard forearm for a two count.
Ospreay teased a storm breaker, but his ribs gave way, and he couldn’t lift Taichi. Taichi hit a pair of kicks, dropping Ospreay. They exchanged strikes, and Taichi dropped Ospreay with a mid kick. Ospreay caught another kick, but Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick for a nearfall.
Taichi took his pants off. Ospreay hit a side suplex, then went to the top. Opsreay went for a shooting star, but Taichi got his knees up, then used a Gedo clutch for a nearfall.
Taichi hit an axe bomber for a nearfall. Taichi went for a last ride, but Ospreay escaped. He went for an Oscutter, but Taichi blocked. Ospreay hit the Robinson special, then went for another Oscutter, but Taichi turned it into a high angle suplex. Taichi hit a last ride for a nearfall, as the crowd started getting into the match.
Ospreay hit a Canadian destroyer for a nearfall. He went for the storm breaker, but Taichi blocked it. Ospreay went for it again, but Taichi slipped out. Ospreay hit a standing spanish fly. Ospreay hit a kick, then hit the storm breaker for the pin.
NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: KOTA IBUSHI DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO TO WIN THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (16:54)
Excellent match.
They shook hands at the opening bell. Goto used the handshake to go for an ushigoroshi, but Ibushi blocked it. Ibushi hit a mid kick and Goto went down. Ibushi hit a snap rana, and Goto rolled to the floor.
Goto jumped back inside and hit a lariat, and Ibushi dropped on the apron on his head and neck.
Goto went after the neck, hitting a hanging neckbreaker off the top. Ibushi used a rope break to stop a pinfall. Goto used another neckbreaker. Goto applied a headscissors, but Ibushi forced a rope break.
Goto used a leg sweep, then applied an octopus on the mat. Ibushi reached the ropes, forcing a break.
Ibushi hit a dropkick, and Goto rolled to the floor. Ibushi hit a golden triangle. Back inside, Ibushi hit a standing moonsault for a close two count. Goto hit a high kick, then used a suplex for a nearfall.
Goto hit a leg lariat, then went to the top rope. Ibushi cut him off, and they traded shots on the ropes. Goto went for a code red off the top, but Ibushi flipped out of it. Ibushi hit a big lariat, into a double down.
Ibushi was first up. Goto blocked a last ride, but Ibushi hit a high kick. Goto blocked a kamigoye, and hit an ushigoroshi. Goto used a sleeper. They traded cradles for nearfalls. After a series of GTR attempts and reversals, Ibushi hit a headbutt.
Goto blocked a straight jacket suplex attempt, but Ibushi hit a knee strike, a headbutt, and hit the kamigoye for the win.
Ospreay came out after the match and cut a promo. He challenged Ibushi to face him in a dream match for the title at Wrestle Kingdom. They shook hands.
2018 WORLD TAG LEAGUE FINAL: EVIL & SANADA DEFEATED TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA TO WIN THE 2018 WORLD TAG LEAGUE (27:01)
A really good tag team main event.
Jado hit EVIL with a kendo stick before the opening bell. They fought into the crowd. Tonga sent SANADA into the arena wall. Loa stomped on EVIL, and slammed him on the floor. Tonga and SANADA beat the count back inside at 19.
SANADA missed a standing moonsault, and Tonga hit a back elbow. Tonga and Loa worked SANADA over in their corner, while EVIL was still out on the floor. Loa hit a running powerslam for a two count.
SANADA missed with a dropkick, and Loa hit an elbow drop for two. SANADA hit a dropkick off the second on Tonga, but Tonga was able to tag Loa, and keep the pressure on SANADA.
SANADA finally got a tag to EVIL, and EVIL ran wild. He hit a bulldog and a senton on Loa for a nearfall. EVIL went for a fisherman buster, but Loa countered into a suplex. Loa hit a superplex. SANADA jumped in to help out, and dropkicked Tonga off the apron.
Tonga broke up a magic killer with a spear. Tonga hit a gun stun and Loa covered EVIL for a nearfall. Loa sent EVIL outside, and Jado nailed him with the kendo stick. Loa whipped SANADA into the barricade.
Back inside, Tonga hit a jumping elbow drop for a two count. Tonga worked EVIL over with right hands. Tonga hit a standing frog splash for a nearfall on EVIL.
Loa got a tag. EVIL backdropped out of a powerbomb attempt. He went for a tag, but Tonga jumped in and knocked SANADA off the apron. Tonga and Loa hit guerrilla warfare. Tonga and Loa went to the top rope. SANADA cut off Tonga, and Loa missed a diving headbutt.
They did a stacked up superplex spot, and all four men ended up down in the ring. Loa covered EVIL for a two count. EVIL blocked one lariat. Both hit simultaneous lariats. They did a misdirection spot, and EVIL hit a lariat, enabling both men to tag out.
SANADA took out Jado with a plancha, then hit planchas on both Tonga and Loa. SANADA and Tonga botched a moonsault spot. SANADA used skull end, but Tonga used a standing switch. SANADA hit the ropes, and Loa tripped him.
Loa and Tonga hit SANADA with an assisted neckbreaker, but SANADA kicked out. SANADA escaped a magic killer, but ran into a kendo stick shot for a nearfall. Tonga and Loa hit a magic killer, and EVIL jumped in to break up the pinfall.
EVIL ran into a spear from Loa. Tonga hit a splash in the corner. They went for a super powerbomb, but SANADA countered with a rana. EVIL jumped in, and they went for the magic killer. Tonga kicked SANADA off into the ref, who took a bump.
Jado jumped in with the kendo stick, but got hit with a magic killer. SANADA reversed a Tongan twist into skull end. Loa broke up the submission attempt.
EVIL hit Loa with everything is EVIL. Tonga went for a gun stun, but EVIL blocked it. They hit Tonga with a magic killer, but Tonga kicked out.
EVIL hit darkness falls on Tonga, and SANADA hit a moonsault, then covered Tonga for the pin.
The Young Bucks came to the ring after the match. Matt Jackson said EVIL and SANADA were the best team in the tournament, but that The Bucks are the best team in the world. Matt said they never got their rematch after losing the titles, and that they should be the next challengers.
EVIL said how about a three way at Wrestle Kingdom? The Bucks left without official word, but that certainly appears to be the match at the Tokyo Dome.
Will Ospreay will be returning to the ring at NJPW’s World Tag League Finals.
NJPW has revealed the full card for Sunday’s Tag League Finals, with Ospreay set to face Taichi in a NEVER Openweight Championship number one contender’s match. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto will be defending his title against Kota Ibushi on the show. A title change could set the stage for Ibushi vs. Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Ospreay was scheduled to challenge Taichi for the NEVER title at Power Struggle in November, but Ospreay suffered a rib injury at Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Global Wars UK show on October 14 and has been out of action since. Goto instead faced Taichi at Power Struggle and won the title.
Tag matches round out the rest of the World Tag League Finals card, including Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks & Marty Scurll. Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & KUSHIDA will be facing Jay White, Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori.
The Tag League Finals are taking place in Iwate at 1 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday (late Saturday night Pacific time). Here’s the full card:
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. EVIL & SANADA in the World Tag League 2018 tournament finals
NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto defending against Kota Ibushi
Will Ospreay vs. Taichi in a NEVER Openweight Championship number one contender’s match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks & Marty Scurll
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & KUSHIDA vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori
The finals for World Tag League 2018 were set at this morning’s show in Akita.
Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defeated Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii and SANADA & EVIL defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) this morning, meaning it will be Guerrillas of Destiny vs. SANADA & EVIL in the finals. There had been a four-way tie for first place between those teams heading into today’s show.
At the end of today’s event, Guerrillas of Destiny called out SANADA and EVIL. Tonga, Loa, and Jado attacked SANADA and EVIL and laid them out.
Guerrillas of Destiny defeated SANADA & EVIL in their match during this year’s tournament. SANADA & EVIL defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in last year’s finals.
Guerrillas of Destiny are the current IWGP Tag Team Champions. If SANADA & EVIL defeat them in the finals, SANADA & EVIL will challenge for their titles at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in some form.
The World Tag League finals will take place in Iwate on Sunday and air live on New Japan World. Hirooki Goto defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against Kota Ibushi has also been announced for the show.
The stage is set for January 4th and what promises to be a memorable Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Tetsuya Naito scored a tag team victory over his Wrestle Kingdom foe, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, but it was Okada who left Naito laying after the match at Monday’s World Tag League 2017 finals in Fukuoka.
Okada snapped after Naito taunted him with a promo, applying a Cobra Clutch — silencing the pro-Naito crowd and planting a seed of doubt as to whether or not the Tokyo Dome will be the site of Naito’s coronation as the top guy in New Japan for 2018.
Elsewhere on the show, Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance, laying out Kenny Omega and leaving his Wrestle Kingdom foe bloodied. Jericho played a total heel in the angle, displaying a mean streak that we haven’t seen from him since his Best in the World run nearly a decade ago. After a sneak attack, Jericho hit Omega with a Codebreaker and a belt shot, and flipped off the crowd for good measure, adding heat to their feud. Jericho also gave Don Callis a Codebreaker.
The World Tag League tournament final was the main event of this show, but it felt like something of an afterthought. The Los Ingobernables de Japon team of SANADA & EVIL defeated the Guerrillas of Destiny, who represented the Bullet Club, cementing their status as challengers for the IWGP Tag Team titles at Wrestle Kingdom. After issuing a challenge to the champs, Killer Elite Squad, another match was set for Wrestle Kingdom. The full card (or at least most of it) will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday.
This was a matchup of young guns (and Makabe) against veterans. They didn’t get a lot of time. The vets did some of their trademark spots, then it broke down, leaving Kawato and Kojima in the ring. Kawato ate a lariat for the finish.
War Machine, Jeff Cobb & Michael Elgin defeated Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens & Leo Tonga
The War Machine/Cobb/Elgin team did a ton of power stuff, while Owens and Page countered with a good bit of flying and lucha spots. Tonga worked the bulk of the match for his team, and he ate a Fallout for the loss.
Bad Luck Fale defeated BUSHI by DQ
Fale had BUSHI pinned but decided to pull him up for some more punishment. BUSHI responded by spraying Fale with the black mist, then kicking him low for the disqualification. Why? Why was this on my television?
Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) defeated Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan)
This served both as a palette-cleanser and one last opportunity for Taylor and Callihan to make a lasting impression in Japan. My gut says that Callihan did well enough to be asked back, and his association with the very over Robinson helps. Taylor, through no fault of his own, is another good worker on a show full of them.
Robinson hit a double noggin knocker at one point. I didn’t think I’d see that spot in 2017 New Japan. Beretta kicked out of a package piledriver and a powerbomb, and the Best Friends hit Strong Zero for the victory.
Lance Archer worked over YOSHI-HASHI while the rest of the guys did the requisite Suzuki-gun brawling spots all over the arena. YOSHI-HASHI sold forever — until making a hot tag to Ishii. Davey Boy Smith Jr. cut off Ishii, getting a near fall. Yano untied a corner pad, and Archer ran into the exposed buckles. Goto and Suzuki tagged in, and there was a notable buzz in the crowd as they traded strikes, which bodes well for the Tokyo Dome.
The match broke down into an eight-way. YOSHI-HASHI saved Goto from eating a Gotch piledriver from Suzuki and left Desperado to eat a GTR from Goto for the finish.
Goto challenged Suzuki after the match, and Suzuki accepted — after Goto agreed to put up his hair. Both guys were great in doing their promos.
Cody & Marty Scurll defeated Kota Ibushi & KUSHIDA
Ibushi and Cody started off, and they did a nice sequence of spots, establishing each other as being on the same level. It looked to me, someone who has never taken a bump, like Ibushi was slowing down at certain points to allow Cody to keep up at some points. At other times, it appeared that Cody was more than holding up his end of the bargain.
Later, Cody went to work on Ibushi’s right leg, but Ibushi was able to hit a moonsault for a near fall. Cody responded with an Alabama slam, and KUSHIDA and Scurll tagged in. Cody did a nice springboard dive to the outside on Ibushi, while Scurll got a near fall on KUSHIDA with a brainbuster. Ibushi hit a ridiculous springboard moonsault to the outside on Cody, and they brawled up the ramp. Cody got the best of the exchange, hitting Cross Rhodes on the stage.
While the referee was distracted, Scurll threw powder into KUSHIDA’s eyes, then rolled him up for the pin.
Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh
Nick Jackson hit a dive off the apron on to Yoh and Romero, and The Elite did some innovative triple-team spots. And, of course, a million superkicks. Sho got a tag and ran wild on the Bucks. They did an awesome six-way suplex spot in the ring, and the Roppongi team claimed the advantage.
Omega fired back with dragon suplexes on Sho and Yoh, then The Elite hit a triple superkick on Romero. Sho and Yoh hit stereo dives to the outside on the Bucks, leaving Romero and Omega to fight it out in the ring. Omega hit a One Winged Angel on Romero for the pin, setting the stage for the post-match angle with Jericho.
Naito and Okada started things off, and there were chants for Naito. They teased locking up forever — until Okada briefly got the best of their first exchange. Naito teased a dive to the outside but slid into his pose in the middle of the ring instead, which got a big pop.
Takahashi and Ospreay tagged in and went a million miles an hour before brawling to the outside, while Naito slammed Okada on the stage before attacking Gedo. Okada fired up and briefly laid out Naito in the ring, but Naito fired back with a neckbreaker on the apron. He followed up with a missile dropkick, but Okada countered with a dropkick of his own, then briefly applied a Cobra Clutch before teasing a tombstone. Naito recovered and planted Okada with a tornado DDT, which led to a double down and tags to Ospreay and Takahashi.
Takahashi scored a near fall, but Okada broke up the pin and hit a dropkick on Takahashi. Ospreay went for the OsCutter, but Takahashi countered it with a suplex. After an assist from Naito, Takahashi hit the Time Bomb for the pin.
SANADA & EVIL defeated Guerrillas of Destiny to win the 2017 World Tag League
The Guerrillas took the early advantage, taking the action outside. They worked over EVIL, though at a significantly slower pace than the matches that preceded this one. EVIL made his own comeback and hit a sidewalk slam on Loa, enabling a tag to SANADA. SANADA and EVIL worked over Tonga, but a ref bump enabled the Guerrillas to use a chair to regain the advantage. BUSHI ran in and misted Loa to even the odds, but Fale lumbered his way in to chase BUSHI to the back.
EVIL survived two near falls as the ref recovered, and SANADA went to work on the Guerrillas. EVIL hit a lariat for a near fall. EVIL and SANADA put Loa through a table that had been set up outside the ring earlier by the Guerillas, then scored a near fall on Tonga. Tonga kicked out of Darkness Falls and a Magic Killer, but EVIL put him down with an STO for the win.
Ahead of their match at the Tokyo Dome, Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance and got into it with Kenny Omega in an angle at this morning’s World Tag League finals.
Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh at the show, with Omega pinning Romero with the One Winged Angel after the others had fought to the back. A video of Jericho aired following the match. He congratulated Omega, asked if he’s ready for Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome and said we’ll find out who the best in the world is then, and told Omega he’s going to beat the hell out of him.
When the video stopped playing, Jericho appeared inside the ring and gave Omega the Codebreaker. Jericho continued to beat Omega down and hit him with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. He laid out the referee and one of the young lions before continuing to attack Omega, who had been bloodied by this point. Omega briefly fought back until being hit with another Codebreaker.
Don Callis went into the ring to check on Omega as Jericho started to walk away, but Jericho came back and gave Callis a Codebreaker. Jericho continued to attack Omega before holding the US title up, then The Young Bucks ran out with a baseball bat to chase him off. As he went to leave, Jericho got on the mic to say he’ll see everyone at the Tokyo Dome.
Callis was taken out on a stretcher to close the angle. Jericho later cut a brief promo on Instagram, saying the attack was his way of introducing himself to Omega ahead of their match.
This morning’s show marked the biggest remaining stop on the road to the Tokyo Dome, which will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
