Tag: world tag league

NJPW World Tag League finals results: LIJ vs. Guerrillas of Destiny

Posted on by Ethan Renner

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.

Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Togi Makabe, David Finlay, Henare, Hirai Kawato & Katsuya Kitamura

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.

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Killer Elite Squad, Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado

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.

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay

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.

NJPW crowns World Tag League 2017 winners

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The IWGP Tag Team Championship match for the Tokyo Dome is seemingly set after this morning’s World Tag League finals.

After both won their respective blocks, SANADA & EVIL defeated Guerrillas of Destiny to win this year’s World Tag League tournament. There was involvement from Los Ingobernables de Japon and Bullet Club during the match, with BUSHI’s interference bringing out Bad Luck Fale before Fale eventually chased him to the back. SANADA & EVIL took out Tanga Loa with a Magic Killer through a table on the outside, then Tama Tonga was hit with Darkness Falls, a Magic Killer, and an STO before being pinned by EVIL.

The team that wins the tournament usually gets a shot at the IWGP Tag Team titles at Wrestle Kingdom, and SANADA & EVIL called out champions Killer Elite Squad and challenged them after their win. Lance Archer got on the microphone to accept the challenge, with Davey Boy Smith Jr. saying the titles will stay with KES forever.

Along with BUSHI, SANADA & EVIL also currently hold the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Championship. Those belts will apparently either not be on the line at Wrestle Kingdom or will be changing hands before then. NJPW has two road to the Tokyo Dome shows at Korakuen Hall later this month before Wrestle Kingdom 12 takes place on January 4th.

Minoru Suzuki and Hirooki Goto have been building up a match for the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom. That took another step forward at the Tag League finals as NJPW appeared to set up that Suzuki’s title and Goto’s hair will be on the line when they face off.

The full card for the Tokyo Dome show will either be finalized or close to finalized at a press conference late tonight.

NJPW announces full card for World Tag League finals

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced its lineup for tomorrow morning’s show at the Fukuoka Convention Center, which features SANADA & EVIL vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa in the finals of the World Tag League 2017 tournament.

The show will air at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time Monday morning in the United States on New Japan World, or 1:30 a.m. Pacific time late tonight.

The winning team is expected to face Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the IWGP Tag Team Championship on the January 4th Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome.

The Young Bucks, Cody, and Marty Scurll are flying from Dublin to London to Narita to Fukuoka and are scheduled to arrive shortly before the start of the show.

The nine-match show, which will be broadcast in English with Kevin Kelly and Don Callis as announcers, is:

  • Katsuya Kitamura, Hirai Kawato, Henare, David Finlay & Togi Makabe vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
  • War Machine, Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb vs. Leo Tonga, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. BUSHI
  • Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan vs. Beretta & Chuck Taylor
  • Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado
  • Kota Ibushi & KUSHIDA vs. Cody & Marty Scurll
  • Sho, Yoh & Rocky Romero vs. The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega
  • Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi
  • SANADA & Evil vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa in the World Tag League 2017 finals

NJPW World Tag League: The finals are set

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The stage is set for Monday’s World Tag League finals, and to no one’s surprise, the deciding bout will feature teams from the two most dominant factions in New Japan Pro Wrestling today. 

Representing Los Ingobernables de Japon will be the A Block winners, SANADA & EVIL, while Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa emerged from the B Block to secure their place in the final. If the tournament had been booked with match quality top of mind, the results might have been different. Instead, the two most over stables in New Japan will fight for tag team supremacy.

Fukuoka will host the tournament final, which will also feature a tag match with Tokyo Dome implications, as Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay face off against Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi. 

Okada has primarily gotten the best of the tag team encounters with his upcoming Wrestle Kingdom opponent on the Tag League shows, and even laid Naito out with a choke after their night 17 encounter. But after Naito’s team scored a win on Saturday, Okada paced around the ring, teasing a confrontation. 

With Monday’s show serving as the biggest remaining stop before the Dome, more angles will take place there to set up the Wrestle Kingdom card. 

Night 14 results —

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) (B Block)

They did a lot of comedy involving hugging at the outset. The Besties worked over Yano for several minutes, knocking Ishii off the apron at every turn. Ishii finally got a tag and things picked up considerably. 

Taylor missed a moonsault and nearly killed himself in this comedy match. Yano pinned Taylor with a schoolboy after more comedy spots involving the ref and an undone turnbuckle pad. The crowd loved Yano’s stuff, and he plays his role perfectly.

Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb  defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (B Block)

Elgin is over to a disturbing degree. His power stuff has consistently received the biggest reactions of the tournament, and that continued here. After some standard Tonga wackiness to start, this became a pretty nice match.

There were some great near falls, including Cobb hitting a standing Shooting Star Press. Cobb pinned Tonga after hitting the Tour of the Islands.

Night 15 results —

Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka by DQ (A Block)

This was your standard Suzuki and Iizuka tournament brawl. They brawled all over the arena. Both teams used chairs and guardrails as weapons with impunity. Suzuki threw down the referee, but that was not a DQ. Iizuka used his iron fist on Page, and that was a DQ. The very little bit of actual wrestling that Page and Suzuki did was good.

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata (A Block)

Nagata and Goto kicked things off, and it was quite good. Nakanishi and YOSHI-HASHI tagged in, and it was not quite good. Nakanishi is a tired old warhorse, but his power spots still get over because of who he is. Nagata is great for his age, but asking him to do most of the work nearly every night for two weeks is a lot. Goto pinned Nakanishi after a GTR.

Night 16 results —

War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

After shaking hands and making nice with War Machine, Finlay attempted a sneak attack at the opening bell. This did not go well for young David. 

This was just short of a squash match, showcasing War Machine’s move arsenal. Finlay got a little bit of offense late, but Kitamura almost exclusively sold.  Ray Rowe pinned Kitamura after Fallout.

Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) defeated Togi Makabe & Henare (B Block)

Makabe and Henare came out firing, clearing the ring of Smith and going to work on Archer. KES took over as Makabe stepped out of the ring, and they worked over Henare. Smith hit a Shake, Rattle & Roll on Henare, in tribute to the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. 

Makabe got a tag and scored some blows for his team, including a top rope German suplex on Archer. While Smith and Makabe brawled outside, Henare got a two count on Archer. Makabe broke up a near fall, but ate a Hart Attack and rolled outside, leaving Henare to take the fall. Archer picked up the victory after a Killer Bomb.

Night 17 results —

Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (A Block)

Owens and Fale worked over Nagata in as dull a manner as possible until Fale missed a charge into the corner. Nakanishi got the tag and lumbered through a comeback, then Owens cut him off.

Nagata made the save, and Nakanishi racked Owens, scoring the tapout with an Argentine backbreaker. This was one of my least favorite bouts of the tournament.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defeated Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka by DQ (A Block)

The typical Iizuka and Suzuki brawling started things off. Suzuki settled into more actual wrestling than at any point in the tournament, though, working over Kojima’s right arm.

Things broke down and got sloppy towards the finish. Iizuka used a chain on Kojima while Suzuki took the ref, but Suzuki only got a near fall. Suzuki ate TenKoji’s double-team finish, and appeared to tweak his left knee in doing so. Ultimately, Iizuka used the iron fist on Kojima for the DQ. What a waste of time. 

Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) defeated Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi (A Block)

The Bullet Club jumped Death Juice before the bell, but Robinson made a quick comeback. Callihan hit a dive on Takahashi, Page hit a standing Shooting Star off the apron onto Callihan, and Robinson came off the top to the floor on to all three of them. 

Page and Takahashi scored the first near fall after another standing Shooting Star in the ring. After Callihan was worked over for the bulk of the match, Robinson tagged in and made a comeback, nailing Takahashi with Pulp Friction for the win.

This was good, but not great. Page has been very good in this tournament, but I would like to see more variety in his arsenal. 

SANADA & EVIL defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (A Block) — SANADA & EVIL win the A Block and advance to the finals

With both teams needing the victory to take the block, this had an intensity that has been lacking from many of the tournament matches so far. The moves themselves were fairly average, but the facial expressions and urgency with which all four guys went for pinfalls were quite superb. 

Goto escaped a Magic Killer, and EVIL accidentally nailed SANADA, which led to a near fall that the crowd bought as the finish. Goto hit the GTR, which the crowd also bought as the finish, but that was ultimately a near fall as well.

SANADA and EVIL hit a Magic Killer on YOSHI-HASHI, then went for another on Goto, who was the legal man, but he escaped. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a near fall, which the place went crazy for. EVIL and SANADA followed up immediately with a Magic Killer for the pin, securing the Block A victory for Los Ingobernables de Japon. This was not the most spectacular match of the tournament in terms of moves, but the psychology and drama of the bout made it excellent.

Night 18 results —

Togi Makabe & Henare defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Makabe scored the win with a knee drop off the top, in a battle of the only winless teams in the tournament. It seems to me that both Finlay and Kitamura are better than Henare and have something that he lacks, but making Henare look strong in defeat was a theme throughout the tournament. 

Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) defeated Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor)

KES worked over Beretta for several minutes at the outset. Beretta tagged Taylor after nailing Archer with a DDT. Taylor hit a tope, but KES quickly regained the advantage, using a chokeslam on the apron and a Hart Attack. 

Beretta fought back, escaping a Killer Bomb and nailing Smith with a Dudebuster. Taylor got a near fall on Archer but missed a moonsault, allowing Archer to regain control. Archer hit a Blackout, but Taylor turned it into a backslide for a great near fall. 

The finish saw Smith take Beretta outside, then jump back into the ring to help Archer hit Taylor with the Killer Bomb for the win. The Best Friends didn’t get as much offense as I expected.

War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) defeated Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb (B Block)

Four big hosses slamming into each other was the entire psychology in this one. They did a cool bodyslam spot at the outset, and Hanson and Elgin teased suplexing each other for a long time before neither succeeded. 

Elgin hit a superplex and Cobb followed up with a standing moonsault for a near fall. Hanson hit a big dive to the outside onto Elgin, leaving Cobb to eat Fallout for the pin. This was not as good as expected, but it wasn’t bad by any means. Cobb started strong, but did not blow away the Japanese audiences with his performances.

Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (B Block) — Guerrillas of Destiny win the B Block and advance to the finals

The Guerrillas took the first five minutes, first taking out Ishii, then working over Yano. Ishii made a comeback and ran wild with some cool corner clothesline spots that got a good reaction and a series of suplexes. Loa cut him off, and they both tagged out.

Yano untied a turnbuckle pad, with Tonga crashing into the exposed buckles and giving Yano some time to ham it up for the crowd. Yano hit an inverted atomic drop and a slingshot into the exposed buckles on Tonga. Loa ran in to cut Yano off, but Yano escaped and nailed a low blow on Tonga for a two count.

The Guerillas used teamwork to evade another Yano low blow, then hit Guerrilla Warfare on Ishii, taking him out of the picture, and another Guerrilla Warfare on Yano to secure the victory. By virtue of their head-to-head wins over the teams they tied with, the Guerrillas advanced to the finals. 

Final standings —

A Block

  • SANADA & EVIL — 10
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI — 8
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi — 8
  • Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) — 8
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 6
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 6
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka — 6
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata — 4

B Block

  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) — 10
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) — 10
  • Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) — 10
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb — 8
  • Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) — 8
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano — 8
  • Togi Makabe & Henare — 2
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura — 0

NJPW World Tag League: Tournament up for grabs with one week left

Posted on by F4W Staff

By Ethan Renner

With one week to go, the 2017 World Tag League remains up for grabs.

SANADA & EVIL stand alone atop Block A, while Best Friends and Guerrillas of Destiny share Block B’s lead, setting the stage for the tournament’s final week of events.

While the booking of the tournament seemed designed to have a dominant team emerge from Block B, while Block A would be more competitive, the results from the last three nights have further upended that line of thinking.

After a strong second week, the match quality was middling at best over the last several nights, with the competitors likely both feeling the effects of a grueling schedule, as well as saving their A game for the tournament’s final bouts.

Night 11 results —

Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (A Block)

They brawled outside at the outset, and Tenzan and Kojima briefly got the upper hand, before being overtaken.

The Bullet Club worked over Kojima, who eventually made a hot tag to Tenzan. The heels regained the advantage and Kojima was nailed with the Pimp Juice DDT for the victory.

SANADA & EVIL defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata (A Block)

SANADA offered Nagata a handshake, but he refused. Nakanishi tagged in and did some powerhouse stuff while Nagata and EVIL brawled outside. SANADA got the upper hand for several minutes, then Nakanishi made a hot tag to Nagata.

Nagata scored a near fall on EVIL, and got the best of a striking battle with SANADA. It broke down, and while SANADA took the referee, EVIL came in and nailed Nakanishi with a chair, allowing SANADA to score the pin.

Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) (A Block)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Suzuki and Iizuka jumped Death Juice during the introductions as they brawled. While Suzuki and Robinson worked outside, Iizuka got the business from Callihan. Suzuki grabbed Robinson in an armbar from the outside, and they brawled all over the building. Iizuka and Suzuki used chairs while El Desperado took the ref.

Back inside, Iizuka worked over Callihan, who made the tag to Robinson. The place was really into Robinson’s comeback, but Iizuka cut him off with bites to the foot and an inverted atomic drop. Desperado took the ref, and Iizuka used his iron fist on Robinson, with Suzuki nailing him with the Gotch piledriver to pick up the pinfall. Suzuki and Iizuka continued to beat up Death Juice with chairs after the match.

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (A Block)

Goto and Fale kicked things off with some shoulder blocks and power stuff. They brawled to the outside, with the Bullet Club gaining the advantage.

Back inside, Owens and Goto worked, and Owens scored a good near fall. YOSHI-HASHI interfered as the illegal man. He and Goto double-teamed Owens, eventually nailing him with the GTR for the victory.

Night 12 results —

Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Finlay and Taylor both landed planchas early on. Best Friends double-teamed Finlay, and repeatedly knocked Kitamura off the apron to maintain their advantage. Kitamura finally got the tag and ran wild on Beretta with forearms and shoulder blocks, then fell victim to Best Friends and their teamwork.

Taylor missed a moonsault on Kitamura, but it never really appeared as though he and Finlay might score their first win of the tournament. Best Friends nailed Kitamura with Strong Zero for the victory.

Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb defeated Togi Makabe & Henare (B Block)

Henare and Elgin started off, and did some basic power stuff. Henare showed good fire. Cobb tagged in and threw Henare all over the place, and he tagged Elgin in for their suplex exchange spot.

Makabe tagged in and worked with Cobb, but it was quickly back to Henare and Elgin exchanging strikes. Henare got a near fall, but the crowd didn’t buy it. While Cobb took Makabe outside, Elgin hit a lariat and a sit-out powerbomb for the win.

Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) (B Block)

The Guerillas double-teamed Smith at the outset, but Archer and Smith quickly regained the early advantage. Archer worked over Tonga’s left arm before he was able to tag in Loa. Loa ate a boot, but he took Archer down with a flying headscissors. Smith tagged in and the Squad remained in control.

Loa made the tag to Tonga, who ran wild with a headscissors of his own and hit a Stinger Splash. A good closing sequence saw Tonga survive a powerbomb attempt with Loa’s help. Archer nailed Loa with a lariat, but Tonga turned a chokeslam attempt from Archer into a Gun Stun. While Archer and Loa rolled outside, Tonga hit Smith with a Gun Stun for the win.

This started slow, but it picked up at the end.

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) (B Block)

Hanson and Yano did some comedy early. Hanson trapped Yano in the ropes, then hit him with his beard. Business picked up as Ishii and Rowe tagged in, while Yano and Hanson brawled outside. Ishii undid the turnbuckle pad and rammed Rowe into the exposed buckle.

Rowe recovered and whipped Yano into the buckle. He made the tag to Hanson, who ran wild with a series of clotheslines in opposite corners on Yano and Ishii. Rowe and Ishii worked together, exchanging strikes before Ishii landed a suplex. They continued to pound on each other, exchanging headbutts, forearms and lariats, before Ishii scored a near fall.

Yano tagged in and whipped Rowe into the exposed buckle, but Hanson made the save. Hanson did a suicide dive to Ishii, while Rowe scored a near fall on Yano. While Ishii took the ref, Yano hit low blows on Hanson and Rowe, and rolled up Rowe for the surprise victory.

Night 13 results —

This show took place in Kochi on Sunday and was recently uploaded to NJPW World. Here are quick results from the two tournament matches:

Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens defeated Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) (A Block)

Owens defeated Sami Callihan by pinfall with a schoolboy.

SANADA & EVIL defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (A Block)

SANADA pinned Tenzan after a Magic Killer to give Los Ingobernables de Japon the lead in the A Block.

Standings after night 13 —

A Block

  • SANADA & EVIL — 8
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka — 6
  • Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) — 6
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 6
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi — 6
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI — 6
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 4
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata – 2

B Block

  • Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) — 8
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) — 8
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano — 6
  • Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) — 6
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) — 6
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb — 6
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura — 0
  • Togi Makabe & Henare — 0

NJPW World Tag League: Both blocks competitive after 10 shows

Posted on by F4W Staff

By Ethan Renner

Just when I thought I had the answers, New Japan changed the questions.

After eight nights, the 2017 World Tag League featured a competitive A Block, and a B Block that had one dominant team. All of that has changed after the last two shows.

Entering night eleven, four teams sit tied atop the B Block, while the A Block features a six-way tie for second place. Who will emerge from the A Block? Who will conquer the B Block? Your guess is as good as mine.

Elsewhere in New Japan, Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada remain in each others’ orbit as their January 4th IWGP Heavyweight Championship match looms.

Okada once again got the upper hand on Naito in a tag match on November 30th at Korakuen Hall. Although Naito did get the pinfall, Okada got the best of their exchanges in the bout. It seems clear that Naito will be the one to end Okada’s reign, and the people are ready for that if the crowd response in Korakuen is any indicator. Before being leveled by Okada, Naito fired up, and the sense that the audience wanted to see Naito get the advantage on Okada was palpable.

The Tokyo Dome will be electric, come January 4th, 2018.

Night nine results –

Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (A Block)

Nagata and Robinson started and figured to work most of the way, but Nakanishi and Callihan quickly tagged in for a chop battle. This was the best that Nakanishi has looked so far in the tournament, largely due to Robinson and Callihan bumping all over the building for him.

Nagata and Callihan worked well together, with Juice interfering at will. Nagata hit an exploder suplex on Callihan, throwing him onto Robinson, who was seated in the corner. Robinson and Callihan tried to suplex Nakanishi, but he suplexed both of them at once instead. That was scary, as Callihan almost got dropped on his head. Robinson and Callihan hit Nakanishi with their double team move for the victory.

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (A Block)

Kojima ran wild on Goto in the early going and flexed his pecs. Tenzan and Kojima worked over YOSHI-HASHI, who continues to look dreadful in this tournament. He just sticks out like a sore thumb when you’re exposed to all these guys who are so fundamentally sound, if nothing else. I don’t mean to totally bury the guy, so I’ll also mention that he throws a nice superkick.

The place went crazy when Kojima started doing his trademark spots on YOSHI-HASHI. They traded strikes in the middle of the ring until Goto tagged in and worked over Kojima. They did a great near fall on Kojima, but Goto scored the pin on him seconds later anyway. Kojima is still pretty great.

Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (A Block)

Suzuki and Iizuka jumped Fale and Owens as they made their entrance, and the teams brawled through the crowd. Ultimately, Suzuki and Owens made their way to the ring and the match started.

Very quickly, though, Suzuki took things back to the outside and chased Owens through the audience, hammering him with guardrails and chairs. Iizuka and Fale brawled at the opposite end of the arena, but the camera largely focused on Suzuki and Owens, thank goodness.

As they worked back to the ring, Suzuki worked on Owens with a kimura, before he and Iizuka traded off taking the ref while the other choked Owens. Fale and Iizuka tagged in, and, given their limitations, it went about as well as it could have.

Suzuki sold a lot for Owens and Fale, and Owens in particular looked excellent as a result. The finish saw El Desperado take the referee, allowing Iizuka to use the iron hand on Owens. Suzuki then hit the Gotch piledriver to pick up the win.

SANADA & EVIL defeated Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi (A Block)

Takahashi and EVIL started off and did very basic stuff, which to their credit, the crowd loved. Things picked up after Page posted SANADA’s knee and hit it with a chair. The crowd really got in to SANADA’s selling.

EVIL tagged in and ran wild on the Bullet Club before yielding to SANADA, who continued to have his leg worked over. He recovered long enough to hit the Magic Killer on Takahashi, with some assistance from his partner, scoring the fall for their team. This was pretty average, but the crowd seemed to like it a lot.

Night 10 results –

Guerrillas of Destiny defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Tama Tonga and Kitamura had a hilarious chop battle early on, which the crowd loved. Finlay got more offense than you might expect, looking excellent in doing so. Kitamura continues to keep it very basic, as he should.

Finlay broke up a near fall, then Kitamura kicked out of a Blue Thunder Bomb before succumbing to Tanga Loa’s finisher.

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Togi Makabe & Henare (B Block)

The story of this match was Henare displaying an ability to take a beating and keep fighting. He got destroyed early on but kept firing up after. When working with someone like Ishii, this was bound to get over, and it did.

They did a great near fall with Henare hitting Ishii with a spear, which the crowd totally bought as the finish. Henare kicked out of one pinning predicament but succumbed to Ishii’s brainbuster.

Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) defeated Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb (B Block)

Taylor was absolutely more over on this night than he has been at any point yet in the tournament, even eliciting a “Chuckie T” chant at the opening bell.

All four guys had their working boots on, and they had a really good match. The place went nuts for Elgin and Cobb’s power stuff, as usual, and they came up with some innovative spots that I’ve never seen, including a vertical suplex where they passed Beretta back and forth to each other while maintaining the suplex.

Taylor and Beretta were on point with their aerial tactics as well. Taylor hit a crazy dive from the top rope in to the crowd. Beretta’s selling isn’t my cup of tea, but he did the bulk of it for his team, and did a fine job.

The place went crazy for the near falls, and the match felt like it reached its climax at the perfect time. Taylor and Beretta hit Strong Zero on Cobb to pick up the win.

War Machine defeated Killer Elite Squad (B Block)

These guys tried their best to follow the previous match, which was quite the tall order, but they were successful.

Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. have been positioned as the dominant star team of the tournament so far, and the crowd reacted to them as such, responding in a big way when they lost.

This was four mean guys having a fight, but in an artful way. They looked like they were beating each other up, but with worked or safe forearms and strikes, rather than wailing on each other for real. There’s a time and place for chops, but they can be a crutch.

They did a great spot late in the match where all four guys missed moves from the top rope, and ended up down and selling, which set up the last few minutes nicely. Hanson broke up a near fall after a Hart Attack. Archer broke up a near fall after Fallout, but Smith eventually fell victim to the same move.

Standings after night 10 —

A Block

  • Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) — 6
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 4
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi — 4
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 4
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI — 4
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka — 4
  • SANADA & EVIL — 4
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata – 2

B Block

  • Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) — 6
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) — 6
  • Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) — 6
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) — 6
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb — 4
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano — 4
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura — 0
  • Togi Makabe & Henare — 0

NJPW World Tag League: Updated results, standings & analysis

Posted on by F4W Staff

By Ethan Renner

As the 2017 World Tag League continues, each block tells a different story. 

After eight nights, and three matches for each team, Block A is one of parity. Each team has scored at least one victory, and also tasted defeat once. Block B stands in contrast, with one dominant, undefeated team, Killer Elite Squad, and two winless teams. 

As a rule, I prefer the booking of the B Block, as I believe in a firm pecking order. In practice, I can nitpick the choice of team, as I can point out three other teams in the block that have looked as good or better than Killer Elite Squad. I also understand that the A Block is stacked with a couple of more veteran teams, and to honor and respect the legacy of more veteran performers, and perhaps to placate fading stars, a more parity-based approach is understandable. 

Another story that continues to bear watching is the fate of the newcomers, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, and Sami Callihan. 

Of the three, Callihan has continued to receive the best reactions. His confidence seems renewed, and his loose cannon shtick, and the way that veterans like Satoshi Kojima have sold for that act, have helped in that regard. Cobb’s reactions were notably less vibrant than in his first two outings, but his pairing with Elgin, who reminds me of a modern Vader in Japan right now, will continue to serve him well. Elgin is really over and his power stuff has received some of the bigger reactions of the tournament. 

Chuck Taylor, as predicted in my previous tournament piece, seems to be having the toughest time getting over. The Best Friends comedy has been subtle at best, and non-existent at times. Without the comedy act, I would expect that Taylor would need a winning streak or a blow-away match to solidify him with the new crowd.

None of those things have happened yet, but I am still confident that the overall quality of Taylor’s work will shine through, and the New Japan audience will take note.  

Night five results —

Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page (A Block)

Both Bullet Club teams here, so the match began with a group hug. Fale and Yujiro did some comedy, then Page and Owens tagged in for a nice mat work sequence. Owens and Fale proved to be the badder of the bad guys, and put the boots to Page and Takahashi.

Page did a nice top rope moonsault from the post to the outside. The finish saw Fale hoist Page for the Bad Luck Fall, but Takahashi begged him not to do it. While Takahashi dealt with Fale, Owens hit him with a schoolboy for the win. The teams hugged after the match, so no Bullet Club dissension here.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (A Block)

This had great heat. The crowd was very forgiving of the physical limitations of these four veterans. The match was good when Nagata, Tenzan, and Kojima were in, but Nakanishi is clearly hurting.

Nagata and Nakanishi worked over Kojima for a long time. Nakanishi hit a crossbody off the top rope onto Kojima, which the place went nuts for. Kojima hit a stunner, a suplex, and a massive lariat on Nakanishi for the pinfall victory. 

Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated EVIL & SANADA (A Block)

The fans loved Iizuka’s entrance through the crowd. Suzuki attacked EVIL and SANADA while the introductions were still taking place. They brawled all over the arena and Suzuki repeatedly used a chair on EVIL. Back in the ring, they worked over EVIL’s right arm, which was heavily taped up.

SANADA tagged in and looked great, even in working with Iizuka. SANADA did the Ric Flair turnbuckle spot out onto the apron and followed up with an awesome dropkick to Suzuki. The finish saw El Desperado take the ref, allowing Iizuka to hit EVIL with a loaded glove, and Suzuki nailed him with the Gotch piledriver for the win. 

Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (A Block)

I would be hard pressed to explain the psychology of this match to you. YOSHI-HASHI and Robinson worked the bulk of it, most of which was YOSHI-HASHI working over Robinson, getting the better of every striking exchange, and Juice’s only hope spots coming when YOSHI-HASHI missed a move.

Callihan continued to get over well with his intensity and the loose cannon stuff, including kissing YOSHI-HASHI, which ultimately led to the finish. 

Night six results —

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Finlay and Kitamura jumped Ishii and Yano before the bell to claim the early advantage. That was short-lived. As they brawled into the crowd, Yano took over on Kitamura, nailing him with a chair. Ishii was great selling Kitamura’s chops, but refusing to bump for them.

Ishii and Yano continued to work over Kitamura in the ring. Finlay got a tag and ran wild on Yano, who undid a turnbuckle pad. Finlay and Yano did some crotch comedy. Kitamura and Ishii traded gutwrench suplexes and chops while Yano and Finlay went outside. Ishii hit a brainbuster on Kitamura for the victory. 

Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Henare & Togi Makabe (B Block)

Henare hit a couple of beautiful arm drags in the opening minute. Tama Tonga’s standing frog splash looked awesome. Everything Makabe did was technically sound, but he looked to be moving in slow motion compared to the other three guys in the match.

Makabe broke up a near fall and brawled with Tonga on the outside. Tanga Loa hit a lariat and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall, before eventually hitting Henare with a reverse piledriver for the win. Nothing special.

War Machine defeated Best Friends (B Block)

The teams shook hands before the match. To call this a clash of styles would be an understatement. They did some stuff early to establish both that War Machine can do comedy, and that Beretta and Taylor can be serious competitors.

Ray Rowe worked the bulk of the match for his team and did a ton of impressive throws and power moves. War Machine hit a modified Hart Attack for a cool near fall. Beretta hit a top rope release German suplex on Hanson and followed with a piledriver for a near fall. They really had the crowd by this point.

War Machine hit a double team powerslam and Hanson connected with a tope on Taylor. Taylor was the legal man, so Hanson threw him inside. Rowe escaped a schoolboy, and War Machine hit Fallout on Taylor for the victory. Good match. 

Killer Elite Squad defeated Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb (B Block)

Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Cobb did a lot of grappling and mat work early on, which Smith largely got the best of. If Smith is going to work jiu-jitsu into his matches, shouldn’t he wear a gi? If you’re a shooter, dress like a shooter, not like a street brawler from 1999 in jeans and work boots.

Elgin did some good power spots with Smith, and the crowd was into everything he did. On the other hand, Cobb was not as over as he was in his last outing. Elgin hit a superplex to Lance Archer, with Cobb following up with double standing shooting star presses for a near fall. Archer and Smith recovered and hit Cobb with their double team powerbomb move for the finish. 

Night seven results —

EVIL & SANADA defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (A Block)

Owens and Fale worked over EVIL for several minutes, and both teams brawled into the crowd. Owens used a guardrail on EVIL. Maybe the crowd brawling gets over live, but I have always hated it on television. SANADA tagged in and did his Flair corner bump into a dropkick spot, which still looks amazing.

Owens hit a Codebreaker on EVIL for a great near fall. EVIL, SANADA, and Owens did a great finishing sequence which saw Owens eat a pin from EVIL. This really picked up towards the end and turned into a good match. 

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defeated Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan (A Block)

Tenzan and Kojima got some chants. Tenzan worked with Callihan and Kojima with Robinson, early on. Robinson worked over Kojima, who then hit a DDT to shift the momentum. Tenzan tagged in and worked on Juice, but Callihan ran in and interfered at will. Kojima tagged in and did some of his trademark spots with Robinson, with Callihan again breaking up TenKoji’s momentum.

Kojima kicked out of a powerbomb. Callihan spit on Kojima and kissed him, but Kojima turned him inside out with a lariat and scored the pinfall. The crowd was into this perhaps more than any match in the tournament to this point. 

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi defeated Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka (A Block)

It was wild to see Suzuki selling for Nakanishi’s offense, but I suppose there’s a respect factor there. After an initial flurry from Nakanishi and Nagata, everyone brawled outside. Shocking, I know. Back inside, Suzuki worked over Nakanishi for what felt like days. Nagata got a tag and briefly got the upper hand, then Suzuki reclaimed control.

Iizuka got in and did some brawling and biting comedy with Nagata. The finish was something of a cluster. Suzuki took the ref, Iizuka went for the loaded glove, Suzuki gave up the ref, the ref took the glove away, Suzuki and Nakanishi brawled outside, and Nagata hit Iizuka with a backdrop hold for the pin. This is not worth going out of your way to see. 

Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (A Block)

Goto and YOSHI-HASHI ran wild in the opening minute until Page and Takahashi took over. They worked over YOSHI-HASHI, with Page doing most of the heavy lifting. They did a nice tandem clothesline into a leg drop and senton double team.

Goto tagged in and cleared Page out of the ring, and went to work on Takahashi. Page recovered and did an awesome dropkick/standing shooting star combo on Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. YOSHI-HASHI and Page did some more spots. YOSHI-HASHI sure gets a lot of offense for someone of his skill level, doesn’t he? Takahashi broke up a pin on Page, who rolled outside. Page flew back in and nailed YOSHI-HASHI with the Rite of Passage for the pinfall win. A decent match to close night seven. 

Night eight results —

This show took place in Nagoya on Sunday, and was just recently uploaded to NJPW World. Here are quick results from the four tournament matches:

Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb defeated David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (B Block)

Best Friends defeated Henare & Togi Makabe (B Block)

Killer Elite Squad defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (B Block)

Guerrillas of Destiny defeated War Machine (B Block)

Current Standings — 

A Block

  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 4
  • Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan) — 4
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi — 4
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 4
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI — 2
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka — 2 
  • SANADA & EVIL — 2
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata — 2

B Block

  • Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) — 6
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson) — 4
  • Best Friends (Beretta & Chuck Taylor) — 4
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb — 4
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) — 4
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano — 2
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura — 0
  • Togi Makabe & Henare — 0

NJPW reveals full World Tag League 2017 lineup

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Some familiar faces to fans in the United States will be debuting for New Japan Pro Wrestling as part of this year’s World Tag League tour.

NJPW announced that Jeff Cobb, Chuck Taylor, and Sami Callihan would all be debuting in the tournament. Cobb, who was originally scheduled to team with Matt Riddle before plans changed, will partner with Michael Elgin, Taylor will be paired with usual partner Trent Barreta, and Callihan will team with Juice Robinson.

In a change from recent years, wrestlers who already have matches announced for Wrestle Kingdom 12 (including top stars like Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kenny Omega) won’t be participating in World Tag League.

Whichever team wins will likely challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th. Killer Elite Squad, the team that currently holds the titles, will also be in the tournament.

World Tag League 2017 begins on November 18th in Tokyo. The finals will take place on December 11th in Fukuoka, with the winners of the A Block facing the winners of the B Block. Here’s the full list of teams for the tournament.

A Block —

  • Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
  • Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka
  • EVIL & SANADA

B Block —

  • Togi Makabe & Henare
  • Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb
  • David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura
  • War Machine (Ray Rowe & Hanson)
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
  • Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa)
  • Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)

NJPW World Tag League 2016 results: Tanahashi & Robinson vs. Tencozy

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Here is an update on the World Tag League currently going on in New Japan Pro Wrestling. The latest event took place this morning in Aichi. A pretty decent card with a good main event, but nothing going out of you way to see, as is the norm with the World Tag League. Here are prelim results, tournament results, and the latest standings.

Prelim bouts:

Teruaki Kanemitsu defeated Hirai Kawato after Kawato submitted to the Boston Crab. This was a good, stiff match with Kawato’s mouth bleeding at the end.

Togi Makabe, Jushin Liger, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask defeated Billy Gunn, Ryusuke Taguchi, Yoshitatsu & David Finlay when Makabe pinned Finlay with the King Kong knee drop.

Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata & KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA when Shibata pinned BUSHI following a penalty kick.

Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Bone Soldier when Goto pinned Soldier with the GTR.

Tournament Matches (Block A):

Leland Race & Brian Breaker defeated Henare & Manabu Nakanishi

This was just kind of there as far as a match goes. It went a bit too long and was devoid of heat. Henare and Nakanishi are a good pairing and work together well in terms of chemistry. Leland Race scored the win, pinning Henare with the standing assisted sliced bread.

Guerillas of Destiny defeated War Machine

They brawled all around the arena, with War Machine throwing both Roa and Tonga into walls. It was a pretty cool, different kind of brawl. They went back to the ring and had some good back and forth, with the crowd picking up as the match continued. GoD managed to catch Rowe, laid him out, and pinned him with the Guerilla Warfare.

Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Rush & Tetsuya Naito

Okay match. People were into the Ingobernables, but were quiet for most of this match. Nothing about it was bad, but just kind of average with no real heat and the crowd was dead for the finish. Page pinned Rush with the Omori Driver.

Tencozy defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson

Pretty good main event, with the last few minutes being great as it got really good with Robinson kicking out of everything and there being actual heat for once on this show. It had solid back and forth action throughout. There was a funny spot at one point where both Robinson and Tanahashi had Tencozy in double abdominal stretches and played air guitar on their ribs.

Tanahashi missed a High Fly Flow which gave Tencozy an opening to attack. Robinson came in for a hot tag and helped Tanahashi do an assisted slingblade. Tanahashi took out Tenzan on the outside as Kojima fired back with a lariat on Robinson for a nearfall. Robinson also kicked out of the 3D. Kojima then busted out another lariat and pinned Robinson for the win.

Current standings as of 11/23:

Block A:

  • Tencozy [6]
  • War Machine [4]
  • Brian Breaker/Leland Race [4]
  • Hangman Page/Yujiro Takahashi [4]
  • Rush/Tetsuya Naito [2]
  • Guerillas of Destruction [2]
  • Henare/Manabu Nakanishi [0]
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi/Juice Robinson [0]

Block B:

  • Billy Gunn/Yoshitatsu [4]
  • EVIL and SANADA [4]
  • Hirooki Goto/Tomohiro Ishii [4]
  • Great Bash Heel [2]
  • Kazuchika Okada/YOSHI-HASHI [2]
  • Bad Luck Fale/Bone Solider [0]
  • Chase Owens/Kenny Omega [0]
  • Katsuyori Shibata/Yuji Nagata [0]

NJPW World Tag League day 3 results: Tencozy vs. Rush and Tetsuya Naito

Posted on by Bryan Rose

We are already at the third day of World Tag League action, this time held in Guma. You’ll find prelim results, thoughts on the tournament matches and latest rankings below. Let’s do this!

Prelim results:

– Teruaki Kanemitsu defeated Hirai Kawato after Kawato submitted to the Boston Crab.

– Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger, Yuji Nagata and Tiger Mask defeated Yoshitatsu, Billy Gunn, David Finlay and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA when Nagata pinned Finlay following the backdrop driver.

– SANADA, BUSHI and EVIL defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma and Ryusuke Taguchi when SANADA submitted Taguchi with the skull end.

– IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Bone Soldier when Goto pinned Bone Soldier with the GTR.

Main show results:

– Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page defeated Manabu Nakanishi and Henare

Henare and Nakanishi come off as a good team based on the look alone while Henare comes off as a total heavyweight, at least by New Japan standards. He was worked on a lot throughout this match. This was an okay match since Henare did most of the work on his team. Yujiro got the win with the Pimp Juice DDT on Henare.

– IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerillas of Destiny defeated Leland Race and Brian Breaker

The action was fine, but the crowd was dead for a lot of it. Breaker comes off as having something while Race is just kinda there, at least at this point in the tournament. Tonga took out Breaker and sent him to the outside. They ganged up on Race and leveled him with the Guerilla Warfare for the win.

– War Machine defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Juice Robinson

This ws a good match. War Machine is very good, Tanahashi provided the star power and Juice works hard. It all came together here. Juice was worked on for the bulk of it until Tanahashi made the hot tag. He kept beating on War Machine until he tired out and War Machine went back on the offensive. Juice came back but War Machine dominated him. They went for their wheelbarrow/springboard clothesline combo, but Juice rolled up Rowe for a cool nearfall. They levelled Juice with a double chokeslam but he still kicked out. They finally hit Fallout to end the match.

– Tencozy defeated Rush and IWGP I-C Champion Tetsuya Naito

This was a pretty standard main event. Rush took out Kojima early outside of the ring and both Ingobernables worked on him for a long time. Then, Kojima just fired back with a lariat and pinned Rush — an anticlimactic finish. This was fine, but nothing special. Tencozy then cut a promo to close out the show.

War Machine/Tanahashi and Juice was great, and the show was fine overall, but there’s nothing here fans absolutely need to watch.

Current Standings as of 11/20:

Block A:

  • War Machine [4]
  • Tencozy [4]
  • Brian Breaker/Leland Race [2]
  • Rush/Tetsuya Naito [2]
  • Hangman Page/Yujiro Takahashi [2]
  • Guerillas of Destruction [2]
  • Henare/Manabu Nakanishi [0]
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi/Juice Robinson [0]

Block B:

  • Billy Gunn/Yoshitatsu [2]
  • EVIL and SANADA [2]
  • Hirooki Goto/Tomohiro Ishii [2]
  • Great Bash Heel [2]
  • Bad Luck Fale/Bone Solider [0]
  • Chase Owens/Kenny Omega [0]
  • Katsuyori Shibata/Yuji Nagata [0]
  • Kazuchika Okada/YOSHI-HASHI [0]

NJPW World Tag League 2016 results: Tetsuya Naito’s mystery partner revealed

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s final tournament of the year started this morning as World Tag League kicked off at Korakuen Hall, with the winners very likely getting a shot at the heavyweight tag titles at WrestleKingdom 11. Here are prelim results and recaps of the main tournament matches:

Teruaki Kanemitsu defeated Hirai Kawato by submission with a Boston crab. Kanemitsu showed pretty good fire. Solid match overall.

Yoshitatsu, Billy Gunn, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Jushin Liger & David Finlay when Billy Gunn pinned Finlay with the famouser. They teased a Makabe/Gunn showdown after the match since their respective teams are facing off soon.

SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI defeated Tiger Mask, Yuji Nagata & Katsuyori Shibata when SANADA submitted Tiger Mask with the Skull End. It looked like SANADA was injured early after botching a leapfrog on Nagata, but he finished the match just fine.

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Bone Soldier when YOSHI-HASHI pinned Owens with Karma. The match got a ton of heat toward the end when Okada and Omega were in.

War Machine defeated Henare & Manabu Nakanishi

This was better than you’d think. War Machine are pretty good. Henare shows a lot of potential and Nakanishi didn’t look nearly as bad as he usually does. Henare kicked out of an aided powerslam and Nakanishi broke up a pin to save him. War Machine isolated Henare again then pinned him with Fallout (belly-to-back suplex/legdrop from the top rope combo).

Brian Breaker & Leland Race defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page

Decent match. Page worked a lot of it. Breaker and Race looked fine but don’t really stand out. Page looks good while Yujiro is, well, Yujiro. Breaker comes off as a big powerhouse type and works well with that style.

Yujiro and Page were looking to finish it but Page was shoved to the floor. Breaker did a big dropkick that sent Yujiro to the corner, then Race pinned him with an assisted standing sliced bread.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa)

This was a pretty solid match throughout, but nothing interesting. GoD are coming off as a more polished team, and will probably be even more polished when this tournament is all over. It seems like Tencozy haven’t actually been a team in forever even though they are in eight and six-man tags all the time. Kojima hit the cutter on Roa, gave him a lariat to the back of the head, then one more to the throat for the win.

Tetsuya Naito came to the ring, wearing a white suit. BUSHI followed, then EVIL, and of course SANADA followed. The ref wanted answers. After a minute or so, another man came out wearing the Ingobernables hood. He revealed himself to be none other than original Ingobernables member, Rush from CMLL.

Tetsuya Naito & Rush defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson

This was just okay, but it picked up toward the end. Crowd was into Rush and were very into the main event. Rush’s offense looks (and probably is) super stiff and he spent a lot of the match beating up Juice Robinson. Rush drilled Tanahashi with the Rush Driver and Naito followed suit with the Destino on Robinson to score the win.

Naito cut a promo on Tanahashi after the match and reaffirmed Rush’s standing in the group to close out the show.

A solid show overall. Nothing blow away, but this tour isn’t going to have a lot of out of this world matches anyway. Everything’s being set up for WrestleKingdom.

NJPW reveals full World Tag League lineup, four Wrestle Kingdom matches

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

New Japan Pro Wrestling held a press conference Monday to announce the January 4th Wrestle Kingdom show, although nothing was announced that wasn’t already clear from Saturday’s Power Struggle show in Osaka.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP title, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IC title will be the two top bouts on the show.

Also announced: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi (Kamaitachi) for the IWGP jr. title, and Young Bucks vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for the IWGP jr. tag titles.

Additionally, we got the lineup for the World Tag League tournament that will run from November 18 at Korakuen Hall to December 10 in Miyagi, which will be the A block winner vs. B block winner.

Block A:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson
  • Tetsuya Naito & a mystery partner
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
  • War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson)
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
  • Leland Race & Brian Breaker
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Henare
  • Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page

Block B:

  • Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Katusyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto
  • Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn
  • Kenny Omega & Chase Owens
  • SANADA & EVIL
  • Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier

They also announced that the November 15 show from Singapore will air live on New Japan World, headlined by Evil vs. Shibata for the Never title and Okada & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Omega & Yujiro Takahashi.