NJPW: King of Puroresu

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Power Struggle- November 12th, 2022

Attendance: 16,000 at Osaka-jo Hall (Osaka, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

We kicked things off here in Osaka with a video hyping up our three biggest matches of the night. With the IWGP Junior Heavyweight, NEVER Openweight, & IWGP World Heavyweight Titles all on the line tonight, it's going to be one hell of a night on our final major stop before Wrestle Kingdom 17! After a quick card rundown from Shinpei & Milano, we went straight into our opening contest...

 

VS

DEATH RIDERS vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima

The three young lions demanded another shot at DEATH RIDERS and NJPW's newest stable was more than happy to oblige. This match was nothing more than a squash match that DEATH RIDERS completely dominated. KUSHIDA was able to finish off Nakashima in just under eight minutes after making him tap out to the DEATH LOCK.

WINNERS: DEATH RIDERS

 

 

VS

Bullet Club (Jay White, Taiji Ishimori, & El Phantasmo) vs Yuji Nagata & Six or Nine

Bullet Club have been on a bit of a roll recently, with White winning the IWGP US Title a few months ago and Taiji & Phantasmo almost defeating the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in the 2022 Super Junior Tag League. Can they continue that tonight in Osaka? This match was a decent match and the crowd was solidly behind Nagata & Six or Nine. Phantasmo and Wato started things off with Phantasmo taunting Wato. That backfired almost immediately though, as Wato hit Phantasmo with a dropkick that sent him crashing into the corner. Wato then ran off the ropes and hit Phantasmo with a spinning wheel kick before hitting him with a standing moonsault. Wato then threw Phantasmo into the corner, ran into the other corner, and hit Phantasmo with a running handspring back elbow! Wato went to the top rope to attempt an early RPP, but Ishimori shook the ropes, leading Wato to lose his balance and crash to the mat. Phantasmo then scooped up Wato and hit him with a powerslam before tagging out to Ishimori. The two men hit Wato with a double superkick before Ishimori hit Wato with a dragon suplex. Ishimori then attempted the Bloody Cross, but Wato was able to reverse it into a hurricanrana. Wato then tagged out to Taguchi, who ran wild on Ishimori with a series of lariats before wrapping things up with a flying hip attack! Taguchi then threw Ishimori into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop. Taguchi then attempted another hip attack, but Ishimori caught him with a German suplex! Ishimori then tagged out to Jay White, who blasted Taguchi with a big boot. Taguchi then rolled to his corner and tagged out to Nagata, who hit White with a flying shoulder block. The match came to an end when Nagata picked up White and attempted a brainbuster, but White kneed Nagata in the head and hit him with the Blade Runner! White made the cover and got the three.

WINNERS: Bullet Club

 

 

After the match ended, Jay White told Phantasmo & Ishimori to go backstage so he could have the ring to himself. White grabbed a microphone and began to boast about how he's become the best Bullet Club leader of all time. White namedrops Prince Devitt, AJ Styles, & Kenny Omega, calling them trash compared to himself. As White continued to brag about his recent success, some commotion began in the crowd. Suddenly, a masked man jumped the barricade and started attacking White! The man hit White with a steel chair numerous times before throwing the chair down and unmasking himself to reveal...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KENTA!

 

The Osaka crowd damn near exploded as KENTA grabbed a microphone and screamed that he wanted an IWGP United States Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom! KENTA then threw the microphone in White's face and stood tall as the Osaka crowd chanted his name.

 

 

VS

United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, & Great O-Khan) vs CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, & Robbie Eagles)

This one's a bit of a preview of the upcoming World Tag League. Cobb & Khan and Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will both be participating in it alongside 12 more of the best tag teams in the world all for a shot at the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Wrestle Kingdom. Speaking of Wrestle Kingdom, Ospreay will be facing either Kazuchika Okada or Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship there, so a win here would be nice for him. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind CHAOS. YOSHI-HASHI and Jeff Cobb started things off with Cobb blasting YOSHI-HASHI with a lariat. Cobb then threw YOSHI-HASHI into the corner and hit him with a body avalanche before hitting him with a fallaway slam. Cobb then ran off the ropes and attempted a big senton, but YOSHI-HASHI moved out of the way at the last second. YOSHI-HASHI then hit Cobb with a standing double foot stomp before tagging out to Goto. Goto hit Cobb with a lariat and then went to attempt a powerslam, but Cobb overpowered him and hit him with a German suplex. Cobb then tagged out to Great O-Khan, who hit Goto with a Mongolian chop. Khan then threw Goto off the ropes and hit him with a spinning heel kick. O-Khan then picked up Goto and hit him with a military press slam. Khan then went to attempt the Eliminator, but Goto reversed it into an overhead belly to belly suplex. Goto then threw Khan into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop. Goto then threw Khan off the ropes and attempted a flying shoulder block, but Khan knocked him out of the air with a lariat. Khan then tagged out to Ospreay, who went to the top rope and hit Goto with a missile dropkick. Ospreay then ran off the ropes and hit Goto with the Hidden Blade! Ospreay made the cover, but Goto kicked out at two. Ospreay went to attempt the StormBreaker, but Goto reversed it into a butterfly suplex. The match came to an end when Goto tagged out to Eagles, who jumped off the top rope and hit Ospreay with a springboard forearm smash. Eagles hit Ospreay with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors before attempting the Turbo Backpack. That failed though, as Ospreay wiggled out of it and hit Eagles with a roundhouse kick! Ospreay then picked up Eagles and hit him with the StormBreaker! Ospreay made the cover and got the three.

WINNERS: United Empire

 

 

Before the NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match started, 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor made his way out to the ring to reveal the two members of Team Filthy that he's been hyping up. After a little more hyping, Lawlor officially revealed the two newest members of Team Filthy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clark Connors & Alex Coughlin!

 

The two former young lions made their way down to the ring before fist-bumping Lawlor. CHAOS then made their way down to the ring and the match began!

 

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match:

VS

CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, & YOH) © vs Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Alex Coughlin, & Clark Connors)

CHAOS have been dominant 6-Man Tag Team Champions, defeating everyone from Bullet Club to United Empire, but now they face their toughest challenge in the virtually unknown Team Filthy. Lawlor's already shown himself to be a dominant force in NJPW USA, but Coughlin & Connors have come a long way since their days as young lions. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind CHAOS. Toru Yano and Alex Coughlin started things off with Yano trying to sell his DVD to the returning young lion. Coughlin responded by blasting Yano in the face with a forearm smash! Yano recoiled, but Coughlin quickly pounced on him, unloading a barrage of punches into the side of his head. Coughlin then picked up Yano and launched him across the ring with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Coughlin then threw Yano into the corner, shoved him to the ground, and started stomping a mudhole into him. Coughlin then tagged out to Connors, who continued the kicks in the corner before hitting Yano with a release German suplex. Yano tagged out to YOH, who went to the top rope and tried taking Connors down with a missile dropkick, but Connors rolled out of the way and hit YOH with a high knee. Connors then hit YOH with a spinning back suplex before going into the corner and attempting a spear. That failed though, as YOH rolled out of the way and took Connors out with an enzuigiri! YOH then threw Connors into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop and quickly followed that up with a tornado DDT. YOH then tried locking Connors in the Stargazer, but Connors was able to reverse it and lock YOH in an ankle lock! YOH desperately clawed for the ropes, but as soon as he got close, Connors dragged him back to the middle of the ring! YOH was eventually able to reverse the hold, sending Connors flying headfirst into the turnbuckle! YOH then tagged out to Ishii, who blasted Connors with a lariat before sending him flying across the ring with a biel throw. The match came to an end when Connors tagged out to Lawlor. Lawlor and Ishii stared each other down before Lawlor smashed him in the face with a forearm smash. Ishii responded in-kind with one of his own! The two men went back and forth for a bit before Lawlor was able to wiggle out of an attempted Brainbuster from Ishii thanks to a well-timed eye rake! Lawlor then locked Ishii in the Rear Naked Choke! Connors and Coughlin took care of YOH & Yano as Ishii quickly faded and referee Daichi Murayama rang the bell! Team Filthy are your new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions!

WINNERS: Team Filthy

 

 

Super Junior Tag League 2022 Final:

VS

Bandido & Ryu Lee vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey)

Lee & Bandido, the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, weren't even supposed to be in the Super Junior Tag League this year, but were forced in under the threat of stripping them of their titles. They got here by defeating Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita and Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo. Meanwhile, Bailey & Akira may be the division's newest tag team, but they've been dominant in this tournament so far, defeating DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Roppongi 4 Lyfe. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Akira & Bailey. Mike Bailey and Bandido started things off with a bit of back-and-forth before Bandido took control with a well-timed superkick to the back of Bailey's head. Bandido then threw Bailey off the ropes, bounced off of them, did a backflip, and hit Bailey with a Pele kick. Bandido picked up Bailey, hit him with a jumping DDT, and attempted a cover, but Bailey kicked out at two. Bandido then went to the apron and attempted a springboard tornado DDT, but Bailey caught him and hit him with an exploder suplex. Bailey then threw Bandido into the corner and hit him with an enzuigiri before quickly following things up with a roundhouse kick! Bailey tagged out to Akira, who went to the top rope and hit Bandido with a diving crossbody. Akira picked up Bandido, threw him off the ropes, and hit him with a spinning heel kick before hitting him with a standing moonsault. Akira then tried hitting Bandido with the Akirasault, but Bandido reversed it into a high-angle German suplex! Bandido then tagged out to Ryu Lee, who leaped off the top rope and hit Akira with a springboard hurricanrana! Lee made the cover, but Akira kicked out at two. Lee then threw Akira into the corner and hit him with a running double knee strike. Lee went to the top rope after that and hit Akira with a beautiful-looking corkscrew leg drop! Lee made the cover once again, but that only got the two. Lee then tried hitting the Desnucadora, but Akira reversed it into a hurricanrana! The match came to an end when Akira tagged out to Bailey, who went to the top rope and hit Lee with his finisher, the Ultimate Weapon! Bailey made the cover and got the three! Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey are your 2022 Super Junior Tag League winners! They'll now face Lee & Bandido at Wrestle Kingdom 17 for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships!

WINNERS: United Empire

 

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:

VS

SHO © vs El Desperado

SHO won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Despy back at Dominion in June. Since then, he's gone on a torrid winning streak, beating everyone that's stood in his way. Now Despy is looking to get back his title that he lost five months ago, but can he stop the 'Murder Machine?' This match was a good match and the crowd was surprisingly behind El Desperado. Despy made the first move here, hitting SHO with a running shoulder tackle. Despy then threw SHO into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop. Despy then hit SHO with a double arm suplex before hitting him with a standing moonsault. Despy then went to attempt the Pinche Loco, but SHO reversed it into an overhead belly to belly suplex. SHO then threw Despy off the ropes and hit him with a high knee. Despy rolled to the outside, which allowed SHO to run off the ropes and hit him with a suicide dive! SHO picked up Despy, threw him into the ring post, and then threw him head-first into the Osaka crowd! The two junior heavyweights began brawling in the crowd, with referee Red Shoes not being able to really see them. That allowed SHO to pull out a hidden wrench and crack Despy over the head with it! SHO then disposed of the evidence and quickly made his way back to the ring. Despy desperately made his way back to the ring, climbing over the barricade as Red Shoes made the 18 count. With one last burst of energy, Despy got back into the ring right before Red Shoes counted him out! A pissed-off SHO began stomping the living hell out of Despy before attempting the Shock Arrow. That failed though, as Despy managed to reverse it into a spinning neckbreaker! Despy then locked SHO in the Numero Dos (Argentine Leglock)! SHO tried his best to reach for the ropes, but Despy kept wrenching the hold in. Out of options, SHO grabbed Red Shoes by the leg and sent him flying into Despy! The match came to an end when SHO pulled out a second wrench from ringside and tried hitting Despy with it. Despy dodged it though and hit SHO with the Pinche Loco!!! Despy made the cover, but referee Red Shoes was still out! Despy tried waking up Red Shoes, but was interrupted when SHO hit him over the head with the wrench! SHO then picked up Despy and hit him with the Shock Arrow! Red Shoes eventually came to and slowly, but surely, counted the three for SHO.

WINNER: SHO

 

 

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

VS

Bryan Danielson © vs Zack Sabre Jr.

These two technical-wrestling masters have never faced off before and a match between them has long been seen as a dream match. Now with Danielson as NEVER Openweight Champion and Sabre looking to get some momentum back following a disappointing loss to Kazuchika Okada at King of Pro-Wrestling, these two are finally set to square off in Osaka! This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Danielson. Danielson started things off by offering a handshake to Sabre, to which Sabre responded by flipping off Danielson! Danielson responded by grabbing Sabre's finger and snapping it! Sabre recoiled in pain as Danielson hit Sabre with a running single-leg high knee! Danielson made the cover, but Sabre kicked out at two. The two men then did some chain wrestling, which finished with Danielson hitting Sabre with a Tiger suplex. Danielson then started targeting Sabre's left arm, stomping it and even locking in an armbar at one point. Sabre managed to wiggle out of the armbar though and hit Danielson with a running penalty kick! Sabre then threw Danielson into the corner and hit him with a running high knee. Sabre then hit Danielson with a dragon screw leg whip before locking in a leg lock. Danielson quickly reached the ropes, but as soon as Sabre released the hold, he began stomping the living hell out of Danielson's calf. Sabre then tried locking in the Orienteering with Napalm Death, but Danielson kicked him away with his good leg and hit Sabre with a discus elbow smash. Danielson then threw Sabre off the ropes and hit him with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Danielson then locked Sabre in an Indian deathlock! Sabre desperately clawed for the ropes and was able to reach it just in time. Danielson kept the hold in for a bit before referee Marty Asami forced him to break the hold. Danielson told Asami that he had until five before hitting Sabre with multiple shoot kicks to his chest. Danielson tried following that up with a roundhouse kick, but Sabre ducked it and hit Danielson with a northern lights suplex! Sabre then picked up Danielson and hit him with a sitout powerbomb. The match came to an end when Sabre tried locking Danielson in the Orienteering with Napalm Death. That failed though, as Danielson wiggled out of it and locked Sabre in the LeBell Lock! Sabre desperately clawed for the ropes and was just able to get a finger on the bottom rope before passing out from the pain. Danielson tried locking in the LeBell Lock again, but Sabre managed to poke him in the eye! Sabre then spun Danielson around and hit him with the Zack Driver!!! Sabre made the cover...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3!

 

Zack Sabre Jr. is your new NEVER Openweight Champion! Sabre's first ever singles title win in New Japan Pro-Wrestling comes after a legendary fight with Bryan Danielson.

WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr.

 

 

After the match ended, Sabre continued celebrating his win as confetti fell from the ceiling. Sabre grabbed a microphone, called the Osaka crowd a bunch of d*ckheads, and said no one in the world can stop Zack Sabre Jr. and Sabre-gun! As soon as he said that, the lights went out! Suddenly, some familiar music filled the arena...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT'S MINORU SUZUKI!

 

Suzuki's back after getting kicked to the curb by Zack Sabre Jr. back at Destruction in Fukuoka! Sabre looked like he saw a ghost as Suzuki slowly made his way down to the ring and the crowd sang along to his theme. Suzuki entered the ring and Sabre tried attacking him, but Suzuki dodged him and hit him with an European uppercut! Suzuki then locked Sabre in the Rear Naked Choke! Sabre eventually passed out and that's when Suzuki let his lifeless corpse fall to the floor. Suzuki grabbed the NEVER Openweight Championship and held it over Sabre before screaming at him that he wanted him one more time in the ring!

 

 

After that shocking return, we cut to a hype video for our main event of the evening, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Kazuchika Okada and Hiromu Takahashi. The video showed how Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada during the G1 Climax back in August, a huge win for the recently-graduated junior heavyweight. Since then, Hiromu went on to nearly win the G1 Climax, ultimately losing in the final to Will Ospreay. Now he's challenged Okada to a title match here in Osaka and sent the champ a message by slapping him across the face! Okada has promised to put some respect into him, but with Hiromu already holding a win over him, this might be the 'Rainmaker's' toughest fight yet. Who will walk out of Osaka and enter the Tokyo Dome in January with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?

 

 

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:

VS

Kazuchika Okada © vs Hiromu Takahashi

This match was an amazing match, probably one of the best of the entire year, and the crowd was split between Okada & Hiromu. Hiromu jumped Okada as the bell rang, before Okada could even take off his jacket, hitting him with a running missile dropkick! Hiromu then threw Okada out of the ring, went to the top rope and hit Okada with a diving senton to the outside! Hiromu continued his explosive start to the match by throwing Okada into the ring barricade, running to the opposite barricade, and hitting him with a missile dropkick that sent him flying into the crowd! Hiromu went back to the ring, broke the count, and tried grabbing Okada out of the crowd, but the champ hit him with a stiff forearm smash. Okada jumped back over the barricade and threw Hiromu head-first into the ring post, busting open the 'Time Bomb.' Okada then threw Hiromu back in the ring, went to the top rope, and hit Hiromu with a diving crossbody. Hiromu quickly got back up though, but was met by a beautiful-looking dropkick from Okada. Okada then tried hitting Hiromu with the Rainmaker, but Hiromu reversed it and hit Okada with a fisherman's suplex! Hiromu then scooped up Okada and hit him with the Time Bomb!!! Hiromu made the cover...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No!

 

Okada kicked out at two! Hiromu tried hitting Okada with another Time Bomb, but Okada reversed it this time into a backdrop suplex. Okada then threw Hiromu off the ropes and hit him with a big back body drop. Hiromu rolled out to the apron, but was quickly hit by a springboard dropkick from Okada. Hiromu tried recovering on the outside, but Okada ran off the ropes and tried hitting Hiromu with a springboard plancha. That failed though, as Hiromu dodged it at the last second! Hiromu then ran back in the ring as Okada made his way back onto the apron. Hiromu then ran off the ropes and hit him with a sunset flip powerbomb onto the outside! Hiromu then threw Okada into the ring steps before throwing him back into the ring. Hiromu scooped up Okada and hit him with the Dynamite Plunger (Fireman's carry into sitout side powerbomb). He made the cover after that, but Okada kicked out at two. A desperate Hiromu then threw Okada off the ropes and hit him with a pop-up sitout powerbomb! Another cover followed that, but Okada once again kicked out at two. The match came to an end when Hiromu attempted another Time Bomb, this time his second variation of it (a leg-hook Emerald Flowsion), but Okada reversed it into an Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker! Okada then picked up Hiromu and hit him with the RAINMAKAH!!!!! Okada made the cover...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3!

 

Kazuchika Okada has survived against Hiromu Takahashi to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! Hiromu put damn near everything into this, but it just wasn't enough to defeat the 'Rainmaker!'

WINNER: Kazuchika Okada

 

 

After the match ended, Okada went up to Hiromu and extended a hand. After thinking about it for a few seconds, Hiromu accepted the handshake! The crowd cheered and chanted Hiromu's name as he made his way to the back. Okada nodded in approval, but suddenly he was attacked by...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Ospreay!

 

Okada's Wrestle Kingdom 17 opponent started beating the living hell out Okada, unloading a barrage of punches onto him. He then ran off the ropes and hit Okada with the Hidden Blade right to the back of Okada's head! Ospreay grabbed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, kissed it, and held it high in the air as officials tended to Okada and Power Struggle came to a close.

 

FINAL GRADE:

Popularity: Increased in 30 Regions

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Power Struggle Post Show Comments:

 

KENTA:

"It is good to be back! I'm going to keep this short and sweet, Jay White! Wrestle Kingdom 17! Tokyo Dome! I'm taking that IWGP United States Championship!"

 

 

Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Alex Coughlin, & Clark Connors)

Tom Lawlor (in English): "I told all of you that was I going to bring two of the best wrestlers to NJPW to take those NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Filthy Tom does not lie! Alex Coughlin, this guy is like Dan Severn if Dan Severn wasn't a geriatric old man who couldn't last a second with Tom Lawlor. Clark Connors, this man is RUGGED! He is a BEAST, a wild rhino if you will. We are Team Filthy and this is only the beginning, Okada, Jay White, hell even Shingo & SANADA, you've got nowhere to hide because Team Filthy is here to take over!

 

 

SHO:

"WHO ARE YOU TO DOUBT THE MURDER MACH-"

 

Suddenly, SHO was interrupted by...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOH!

 

SHO: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU IRELLEVANT PIECE OF-"

 

Suddenly, YOH slapped SHO across the face!

 

YOH: "Look at yourself man! You're calling yourself the "Murder Machine?" What the hell does that even mean?!? You go around hitting people with wrenches like some sort of horror movie villain, you clearly need some sense beaten into you. So, I want to be the one to do that. At Wrestle Kingdom 17, I want you one on one ONE. MORE. TIME!"

 

SHO: "HAHAHAHA, YOU REALLY THINK YOU DESERVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT THE IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP?!?!? THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! HOWEVER, I AM A GENEROUS MURDER MACHINE, SO HERE'S AN OFFER. IF YOU CAN DEFEAT EVERY MEMBER OF HOUSE OF TORTURE, THEN YOU CAN HAVE A SHOT AT WRESTLE KINGDOM 17 IN A MATCH OF MY CHOOSING!"

 

YOH: "That sounds like a deal old friend, I look forward to sending your ass back to Roppongi."

 

 

Minoru Suzuki:

"HAHAHAHA, Who is Zack Sabre Jr. to think that he can just waltz in here and take over what's rightfully mine?!? I'm taking that NEVER Openweight Title from him at Wrestle Kingdom and hell, let's spice it up a little, I want to take the title in an UWFi Rules Match! If Sabre wants to call himself a "Technical Wizard," then I'd imagine he's more than willing to put his money where his dirty little mouth is!"

 

 

Will Ospreay (in English):

"Tonight is the beginning of a new era in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the era of United Empire! I took out that d*ckhead Okada, by the way Okada, consider that just a warning shot before Wrestle Kingdom. My boys Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey took care of Ryu Lee & Bandido and will do so again in a few months to take those IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles once and for all. Our ultimate weapon Aaron Henare is the most dominant KOPW Trophy holder ever seen, low bar I know, but still and all. And now with the World Tag League starting soon, one of our finest tag teams will certainly be winning the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Wrestle Kingdom! Face it folks, United Empire is here to stay and we're here to take over!"

[Uncrewed]

Just an update for y'all, we're not dead here! I've been moving out of my current place recently, so things have been a bit spotty on the writing side of things. World Tag League preview will go up tomorrow and the first night should be up on Tuesday!

[ctessier197]

Just an update for y'all, we're not dead here! I've been moving out of my current place recently, so things have been a bit spotty on the writing side of things. World Tag League preview will go up tomorrow and the first night should be up on Tuesday!

 

I feel your pain, just completed a move myself! Looking forward to World Tag League!

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Preview:

 

United Empire

AUSSIE OPEN (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)

 

Accomplishments:

British Tag Team Championship- 2x

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

Team Filthy

ALEX COUGHLIN & CLARK CONNORS

 

Accomplishments:

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship- 1x (CURRENT)

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

YUJI NAGATA & TOGI MAKABE

 

Accomplishments:

Nagata- IWGP Tag Team Championship- 2x, World Tag League winner- 2x

Makabe- IWGP Tag Team Championship- 2x, World Tag League winner- 2x

 

 

DEATH RIDERS

SHOTA UMINO & KARL FREDERICKS

 

Accomplishments:

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

FINJUICE (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

World Tag League winners- 1x

 

 

GUERRILLAS OF DESTINY (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 7x

World Tag League winners- 1x

 

 

CHAOS

TORU YANO & TOMOHIRO ISHII

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making 5th World Tag League appearance

 

 

BRYAN DANIELSON & CLAUDIO CSRO

 

Accomplishments:

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon

SANADA & SHINGO TAKAGI

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x (CURRENT)

Making 2nd World Tag League appearance

 

 

United Empire

JEFF COBB & GREAT O-KHAN

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making 2nd World Tag League appearance

 

 

House of Torture

EVIL & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI

 

Accomplishments:

EVIL- IWGP Tag Team Championship- 2x, Yujiro- IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making 3rd World Tag League appearance

 

 

Bullet Club

BAD LUCK FALE & HIKULEO

 

Accomplishments:

Hikuleo- Making his return from excursion

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

CHAOS

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)

 

Accomplishments:

GHC Tag Team Championship- 2x

Making World Tag League debut

 

 

CHAOS

BISHAMON (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

Defending World Tag League winners

 

 

AEW

FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 1x

AEW World Tag Team Championship- 2x (CURRENT)

ROH Tag Team Championship- 1x (CURRENT)

AAA World Tag Team Championship- 1x (CURRENT)

 

 

Bullet Club

KARL ANDERSON & DOC GALLOWS

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship- 3x

World Tag League winners- 1x

Making NJPW return after six years away

 

World Tag League 2022 kicks off tomorrow night in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall!

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night One- November 17th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match to kick things off in Tokyo. The former IWGP Tag Team Champions showed why they are still a threat here in Japan as they destroyed the two former IWGP Heavyweight Champions. Dax & Cash were eventually able to finish off Nagata with the Big Rig in just under nine minutes. (70/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) defeated Aussie Open in a decent match. Hikuleo made his return to NJPW after his excursion tonight and he certainly showed off what he learned. He tore apart Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis, with him finishing off Fletcher in just over 10 minutes with the T-Bomb (Neck Hanging Bomb). (70/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a decent match. Before they moved to America, TMDK were one of Japan's top tag teams, racking up all the gold in Pro Wrestling NOAH. They showed those flashes of brilliance here tonight, with both men finishing off Yujiro in just under 12 minutes after hitting him with the Tank Buster (Haste diving DDT into Nicholls over-the-shoulder facebuster). (64/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated Bishamon in a decent match. In Team Filthy's first tag team match since winning the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles, Coughlin & Connors systematically took apart Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI with a good mix of technical wrestling and brawling. In the end, Connors was able to hit YOSHI-HASHI with the Trophy Kill (belly to back suplex into powerbomb) in just over 14 minutes. (71/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: Guerrillas of Destiny defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match. Tama Tonga made his long awaited return from injury here, reuniting with his cousin to earn their first win in the World Tag League. They finished off Yano in just under 15 minutes after hitting him with the Guerrilla Warfare (Aided Double Arm DDT). (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson in a good match. In their first match teaming together in NJPW since they left in 2017, Gallows & Anderson nearly got the better of the once-enemies-turned-allies, but Danielson and CSRO were able to pull out a win after nearly 18 minutes. Danielson eventually finished off Gallows by making him tap to the LaBell Lock. (78/B)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan)

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a good match to close the show. The former IWGP Tag Team Champions were almost able to take down the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, but LIJ pulled it out in the end. After nearly 20 minutes of action, Shingo managed to catch O-Khan with the Last of the Dragon to get the team's first two points of the tournament.

 

GRADE:

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night One Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Two- November 18th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a dull match. The two Bullet Club big men were almost defeated by the two remaining New Japan dads, but it wasn't enough and Bad Luck Fale finished off Nagata with the Grenade in just over nine minutes. (58/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: TMDK defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste continued their hot start to the World Tag League by defeating the former seven-time IWGP Tag Team Champions. TMDK finished off Tanga Loa in just under 12 minutes after hitting him with the Tank Buster. (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a decent match. Finlay & Juice haven't been able to get much momentum this year, but they started off their World Tag League performance with a solid win over EVIL & Yujiro. After just under 12 minutes, Juice finished off Yujiro with the Pulp Friction to get the win. (65/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. Team Filthy have quickly become one of the most dominant groups in NJPW, but they were still no match for the former IWGP Tag Team/current AEW World Tag Team Champions. After about 13 minutes, Dax & Cash hit Coughlin with the Big Rig to secure the win. (80/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Bishamon in a decent match. The defending World Tag League winners were not able to stop one of the hottest-rising tag teams in NJPW today, as Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks took care of Goto & YOSHI-HASHI in just under 14 minutes after Umino hit YOSHI-HASHI with the DEATH RIDER DDT. (71/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Aussie Open in a great match. What Danielson & CSRO lacked in experience, they certainly made up for in hard-hitting abilities. CSRO & Danielson meticilously tore apart Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis for nearly 15 minutes, with the United Empire team barely able to get any offense in. In the end, Danielson made Fletcher tap out to the LeBell Lock to secure the win. (84/B+)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match. This was a hoss battle through-and-through, with Cobb, Ishii, Khan, and even Yano just trying to overpower each other. However, United Empire came out on top thanks to Cobb blocking a groin kick from Yano and hitting him with the Tour of the Islands to finish him off in just under 15 minutes. (81/B)

 

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) vs Gallows & Anderson

 

Gallows & Anderson defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon's SANADA & Shingo Takagi in a great match to close the show. The former three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions took the win over the current IWGP Tag Team Champions tonight in Tokyo, despite an excellent showing from LIJ. In the end, Anderson was able to wiggle out of the Skull End from SANADA and hit him with the Gun Stun! Gallows and Anderson then hit SANADA with the Magic Killer (Aided snap swinging neckbreaker) to finish him off in just under 20 minutes.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Two Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Three- November 19th, 2022

Attendance: 1,500 at Fujisawa City Akibadai Cultural Gymnasium (Fujisawa, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a good match. Nagata & Makabe had their flashes of brilliance, but in the end, Danielson & CSRO finished the two veterans off in just under 11 minutes after CSRO hit Nagata with the Swiss Death. (75/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) defeated Aussie Open in a good match. In a battle between two of the best tag teams to emerge from the land down under, TMDK were able to score a win over the United Empire tag team. TMDK managed to catch Kyle Fletcher with the Tank Buster in just under 11 minutes to get the win. (74/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Bishamon in a good match. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa have been looking to get some momentum going since reuniting for the World Tag League and they may have done so tonight with a solid win over last year's winners. Tama Tonga finished off YOSHI-HASHI with the Gun Stun in just under 13 minutes to secure the two points. (75/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. This was an interesting battle between experience and tenacity, with Coughlin & Connors putting up a hell of a fight against Gallows & Anderson. In the end though, Gallows & Anderson hit Connors with the Magic Killer for the win in just under 13 minutes. (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. The two Bullet Club big men have had a great start to the World Tag League so far, but that was stopped in it's tracks by the current IWGP Tag Team Champions. Shingo managed to finish off Hikuleo in just under 14 minutes after hitting him with the Last of the Dragon. (80/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. These two teams put on a surprisingly hard-hitting outing for nearly 15 minutes, with EVIL & Yujiro nearly getting the win on numerous occasions thanks to underhanded tactics. In the end, Cobb managed to reverse an EVIL from EVIL and hit him with the Tour of the Islands for the three. (75/B-)

 

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: FTR vs CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)

 

FTR defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match to close the show. Ishii & Yano put up a good fight against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions, but it just wasn't enough to stop the experience advantage that Dax & Cash had. After about 18 minutes of action, Dax & Cash hit Yano with the Big Rig to get the win.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Three Standings:

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Forgot to post yesterday, so here's an extra show to get us back on track!

 

 

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Four- November 20th, 2022

Attendance: 1,200 at Ai Messe (Kofu, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. The two New Japan dads nearly pulled a win out tonight thanks to their experience, but Connors and Coughlin were able to overcome that. In the end, Coughlin hit Nagata with the Filthy Deadlift (Deadlift Release German Suplex) to get the win in just about 10 minutes. (71/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a decent match. EVIL was certainly looking to get his disaster of a year back on track with a win over the man who arguably*started his downward descent in Tama Tonga. He got that after about 11 minutes when he reversed the Gun Stun from Tama and hit him with the EVIL for the win. (69/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated TMDK in a decent match. Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks were able to stop the hot start of TMDK in it's tracks with a nice win over them here in Kofu. After nearly 12 minutes of back-and-forth action, Fredericks was able to reverse a brainbuster from Shane Haste into the Manifest Destiny for the win. (69/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated Aussie Open in a good match. These two put a surprisingly hard-hitting performance tonight, with Aussie Open pushing the former three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions to their limit on numerous occasions. However, it wasn't enough and Kyle Fletcher was hit with the Magic Killer after just under 14 minutes to secure the win for Gallows & Anderson. (80/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) in a good match. The FinJuice comeback tour continued to roll through the World Tag League with a solid win over Yano & Ishii. After about 15 minutes of action, Juice Robinson was able to dodge a turnbuckle pad attack from Yano and hit him with the Pulp Friction for the three. (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated Bishamon in a good match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI looked to get back on track following a slow start to their World Tag League run, but they just couldn't overcome the IWGP Tag Team Champions. Shingo finished off YOSHI-HASHI in just over 16 minutes with the Last of the Dragon to get the win. (74/B-)

 

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: FTR vs Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO

 

FTR defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO in an amazing match to close the show. These two have been two of the best tag teams in the World Tag League so far and they certainly proved that tonight in Kofu. In a back-and-forth classic, Dax & Cash ultimately scored the decisive blow when they hit Claudio CSRO with the Big Rig for the win in just under 20 minutes.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Four Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Five- November 21st, 2022

Attendance: 1,500 at Culttz Kawasaki (Kawasaki, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a good match. Aussie Open finally got on the board with a solid win tonight in Kawasaki over the two New Japan dads. After a little under 10 minutes of action, Fletcher & Davis finished off Nagata with the Corealis for the win. (73/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. The two Bullet Club big men used their strength advantage a lot in this match, with Finlay & Juice barely able to get anything going. However, that all changed when Juice stomped on Hikuleo's foot to get things back in control. In the end, Juice hit Hikuleo with the Pulp Friction for the win after about 12 minutes. (72/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated TMDK in a good match. Jeff Cobb was able to take care of his old 2019 World Tag League partner (Mikey Nicholls) tonight with the help of his "new" partner, Great O-Khan. That was despite TMDK's best efforts, as they nearly beat the former IWGP Tag Team Champs on numerous occasions. After about 14 minutes, Cobb hit Nicholls with the Tour of Islands to secure the win. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Gallows & Anderson in a good match. Funnily enough, this is a rematch of a match that took place on AEW Dynamite last month during one of FTR's open challenges. FTR won that one and did so again tonight, despite Gallows & Anderson's best efforts. In the end, after nearly 15 minutes of action, Dax & Cash hit Karl Anderson with the Big Rig for the win. (79/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. This one was surprisingly competitive, with the two newest members of the NJPW roster almost defeating Danielson & CSRO on numerous occasions. In fact, the only reason why Danielson & CSRO won was because Danielson was able to take advantage of a slip up from Connors and roll him up in a small package for the three after about 15 minutes. (77/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Bishamon in a decent match. In Ishii's home town of Kawasaki, Ishii & Yano put on a hell of a performance against the defending World Tag League winners/CHAOS stable-mates. In the end though, Ishii and Yano emerged on top thanks to a BRAINBUSTAHHHH!!!! from Ishii to YOSHI-HASHI in just under 15 minutes. (75/B-)

 

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi)

 

DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) in a good match to close the show. This was definitely an upset win, but Shota & Fredericks showed why they are a force to be taken seriously in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After a little under 19 minutes of action, Shingo tried hitting Shota with the Last of the Dragon, but Shota reversed it into the DEATH RIDER DDT to secure the win for DEATH RIDERS.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Five Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Six- November 22nd, 2022

Attendance: 3,000 at Big Palette Fukushima (Koriyama, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match. Yano was up to his old nefarious tricks in this one, but they weren't enough to stop the two Bullet Club big men tonight. After about 10 minutes of action, Fale grabbed Yano by the throat and hit him with the Grenade for the three. (72/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Aussie Open in a good match. Aussie Open tried to get things going after a solid win over Nagata & Makabe last night, but the DEATH RIDERS tag team stopped them dead in their tracks (pun intended). After just under 12 minutes of action, Shota caught Kyle Fletcher with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. (77/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated TMDK in a good match. This one was a solid brawl between two of the most surprising tag teams of the tournament so far, with TMDK nearly getting the win a few times thanks to their experience advantage. After a little under 13 minutes of action, Connors hit Shane Haste with the Trophy Kill (Belly to Back Suplex into One-Handed Powerbomb) for the win. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. This battle between the two former top Bullet Club tag teams was a hard-hitting affair, with Anderson & Tama specifically going at it a lot over the course of the match. In the end though, after a little over 14 minutes, Gallows & Anderson caught Tanga Loa with the Magic Killer for the three. (79/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Bishamon in a good match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI started showing the effects of the World Tag League schedule so far, with YOSHI-HASHi especially being noticeably gassed. This allowed FTR to take advantage of the defending World Tag League winners, with Dax & Cash hitting YOSHI-HASHI with the Big Rig in just under 15 minutes for the win. (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a good match. Cobb & Khan were surprisingly off their game tonight, with the United Empire tag team not able to get out of first gear in this 16 minute-long match. Juice was able to finish off Khan with the Pulp Friction to secure the win for the suddenly momentum-blessed FinJuice. (82/B)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO vs House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

 

Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match to close the show. The two House of Torture members used a bunch of underhanded tactics to defeat Danielson & CSRO, with EVIL nearly hitting Danielson with the EVIL on more than one occasion. However, after nearly 18 minutes of action, Danielson reversed the EVIL and locked EVIL in the Cattle Mutilation for the submission win.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Six Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Seven- November 24th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (Nagoya, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Bishamon defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a decent match. The day off between Night Six and Seven definitely helped Goto & YOSHI-HASHI, with the defending World Tag League winners looking fresher tonight against the two Bullet Club big men. After a little over 11 minutes, Goto hit Hikuleo with the GTR for the win. (68/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) defeated TMDK in a good match. This battle between two of CHAOS's top tag teams was a close one, with TMDK and Ishii & Yano both having good chances at winning throught the 13 minute run-time of the match. However, it was Ishii & Yano who came out on top after Ishii hit Shane Haste with the BRAINBUSTAH!!! (72/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. This one was interesting, with both teams essentially trying to out-cheat the other. The Good Brothers emerged on top on that battle and won by hitting Yujiro Takahashi with the Magic Killer after a little over 14 minutes of action. (73/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. GOD tried to use their experience advantage over the recently-returned Connors & Coughlin, but Connors & Coughlin used their recently-developed MMA-style techniques to win here tonight. After about 15 minutes, Connors hit Tanga Loa with the Trophy Kill to secure the win for Team Filthy. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated FinJuice in a good match. These four men took each other to task for nearly 15 minutes tonight in Nagoya, with Juice Robinson nearly hitting the Pulp Friction on a couple of occasions. However, it was Shota & Karl who came out on top when Shota hit Finlay with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. (74/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a great match. This one was definitely a shocking upset, with the crowd-perceived "lesser United Empire tag team" scoring a surprising win over the former IWGP Tag Team Champions. After about 16 minutes, Kyle Fletcher was able to reverse the Eliminator from O-Khan into a small package for the win! After the match, the two United Empire teams shook hands. (83/B+)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) vs Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Tagaki & SANADA) defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO in a great match to close the show. This one was an absolute barn-burner, with the current IWGP Tag Team Champs and Danielson & CSRO damn near tearing the house down over the course of nearly 20 minutes here in Nagoya. However, it was LIJ who came out on top here, with SANADA making Danielson tap out to the SKULL END to get the win.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Seven Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Eight- November 25th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Yoshitsune Arena (Komatsu, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. Juice & Finlay completely wiped the floor with the two New Japan dads, with Nagata & Makabe not being able to get anything going tonight. Juice eventually finished off Yuji Nagata with the Pulp Friction in just under 10 minutes. (70/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. The two Bullet Club big men tried using their size advantage to their advantage tonight in Komatsu, but Shota & Fredericks were able to persevere. After about 12 minutes of action, Shota hit Hikuleo with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. (72/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. House of Torture tried their best to use a bevy of underhanded tactics to defeat NJPW's newest tag team, but it just wasn't enough to overcome Coughlin & Connors. Coughlin finished off Yujiro with the Filthy Deadlift in just under 13 minutes. (73/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Bishamon in a good match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI just couldn't get anything going against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions, as Cobb & Khan completely wiped the floor with Bishamon for nearly 14 minutes. Cobb eventually finished off YOSHI-HASHI with the Tour of the Islands for the win. (77/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated TMDK in a good match. The top Australian tag team of CHAOS did their best to take down the former three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, but it just wasn't enough tonight in Komatsu. After a little under 15 minutes, Gallows & Anderson caught Mikey Nicholls and hit him with the Magic Killer for the win. (72/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a great match. Tama Tonga tried beating the living hell out of Danielson here, maybe rightfully so considering Danielson took him out of action for five months. However, Tama Tonga's rage probably got the better of him here as he was disqualified after refusing to let go of an armbar after about 16 minutes of action. Referees tended to Danielson after the match as Tama had to be held back by Tanga Loa. (86/B+)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: FTR vs Aussie Open

 

Aussie Open defeated FTR in a great match to close the show. This was definitely the most shocking result of the tournament so far and it only happened thanks to FTR overlooking their opponents. Cash & Dax have beaten Aussie Open in the past, but this was a different, more game-ready Aussie Open than their previous encounter. After a little under 18 minutes of back-and-forth action, Dax & Cash tried hitting the Big Rig on Kyle Fletcher, but Fletcher reversed it and rolled Dax into a small package for the three!

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Eight Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Nine- November 26th, 2022

Attendance: 3,000 at Hamamatsu Arena (Hamamatsu, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: Bishamon defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI desperately needed to win to reclaim some sort of momentum going into the second half of the World Tag League and they got it tonight against the New Japan dads. After about 10 minutes, Goto hit Yuji Nagata with the GTR to secure the victory. (64/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. DEATH RIDERS have completely steamrolled everyone that's stood in their way since the tournament began and that continued tonight with a solid win over EVIL & Yujiro. After a little under 12 minutes, Shota reversed an EVIL from EVIL and hit him with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. (73/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. Tama Tonga's rage from his match against Danielson & CSRO continued here tonight, with Tama unleashing his rage on Aussie Open throughout the entirety of the contest. That came back to bite him though as the match ended when Kyle Fletcher kicked out of a spinebuster from Tama. Tama raged at referee Marty Asami, which allowed Fletcher to roll him up for the three! (80/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) in a good match. Danielson didn't really work most of this match, as he was still recovering from that beat down from Tama Tonga last night. CSRO more than made up for him though, finishing off Toru Yano in just under 13 minutes after hitting him with the Swiss Death. (80/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. Coughlin & Connors tried their best against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions, but they were just too inexperienced to defeat Cobb & Khan. Cobb finished off Coughlin with the Tour of the Islands in just under 15 minutes. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated TMDK in a good match. Haste & Nicholls fought valiantly against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions/current AEW Tag Team Champions, but they couldn't match their pure wrestling abilities tonight in Hammamatsu. After nearly 16 minutes of action, Dax & Cash hit Shane Haste with the Big Rig to get the win. (81/B)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) vs FinJuice

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated FinJuice in a good match to close the show. Finlay & Juice looked pretty good tonight in Hamamatsu, nearly defeating the current IWGP Tag Team Champions on a few different occasions. However LIJ still had the upper hand, proving why they are still a force to be reckoned with despite a somewhat middling WTL performance so far. Shingo finished off Finlay with the Last of the Dragon to secure the win after about 20 minutes.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

Post-Night Nine World Tag League Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Ten- November 27th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a dull match. EVIL's underhanded tactics finally paid off during this match, as he & Yujiro used all the tricks in the book to pull out the win tonight. After about 10 minutes, EVIL hit Togi Makabe with the EVIL to secure the win for House of Torture. (61/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a decent match. Connors & Coughlin were definitely the better wrestling team tonight, but they just couldn't match the Bullet Club team's size and strength advantage. After about 12 minutes, Fale grabbed Coughlin by the throat and hit him with the Grenade for the win. (71/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) in a good match. Shota & Karl continued their amazing, undefeated run in the World Tag League tonight, dispatching of Yano & Ishii in just under 12 minutes. That's when Karl Fredericks reversed a BRAINBUSTAHH!!! from Ishii into the Manifest Destiny for the win. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated Bishamon in a good match. Anderson & Goto tore into each other in this one, with the 2012 World Tag League-winning team beating the living hell out of each other for nearly 13 minutes. However it was Anderson's 2013 World Tag League-winning partner who made the difference tonight as Gallows & Anderson hit Goto with the Magic Killer for the win. (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated TMDK in a good match. Finlay & Juice were able to rebound pretty well tonight after losing to the IWGP Tag Team Champions last night in Hamamatsu, taking out a pretty good tag team in TMDK. After nearly 15 minutes, Juice Robinson hit Mikey Nicholls with the Pulp Friction to secure the win for FinJuice. (74/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO in a good match. Danielson was still hampered by his injury tonight and that definitely cost him & CSRO the match. Danielson wasn't able to do much, which led to CSRO doing way more than he probably should have. After about 17 minutes, Cobb reversed a press slam from CSRO into the Tour of the Islands for the three. (82/B)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) vs Aussie Open

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated Aussie Open in a great match to close the show. Aussie Open gave it their all against the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, almost defeating Shingo & SANADA on a few occasions. However, Shingo pulled out the win in just under 18 minutes after hitting Mark Davis with the Last of the Dragon.

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Ten Standings:

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NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Eleven- November 28th, 2022

Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)

Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

 

-World Tag League Match: TMDK defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste completely wiped the floor with Nagata & Makabe tonight, a bad performance from the two New Japan dads. After about 10 minutes, Nicholls & Haste caught Nagata with the Tank Buster for the win, giving TMDK their first win since Night Three! (63/C)

 

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a decent match. Aussie Open continued their impressive comeback run here, taking care of the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL and Yujiro in a little under 12 minutes. The end came when Fletcher & Davis hit Yujiro with the Correalis, which gave Aussie Open their 10th points in the tournament. (71/C+)

 

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated Bullet Club (Hikuleo & Bad Luck Fale) in a good match. This battle between Bullet Club's two tag teams in the World Tag League was an interesting one, with Karl Anderson using his size disadvantage to his advantage. After about 13 minutes, Anderson wiggled out of the Grenade from Fale and hit him with the Gun Stun for the win. Afterwards, the two teams shared a "Too Sweet." (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. This one was a bit of an upset, but Coughlin & Connors' inexperience came back to bite them here, with the more experienced CHAOS members winning tonight after about 14 minutes of action when Ishii hit Connors with the BRAINBUSTAH!!! (76/B-)

 

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny by disqualification in a good match. Shota & Karl looked set to continue their undefeated run in the World Tag League by defeating Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa tonight, but Tama Tonga had other plans. In his continued fit of rage, Tonga cracked a chair over Karl Fredericks's head! Referee Daichi Murayama called for the bell, giving DEATH RIDERS the win. (78/B)

 

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO in a great match. Danielson's arm injury was once again the story of this match, with Finlay & Juice going after the injured arm for nearly the entirety of the match. That forced CSRO to carry the bulk of the match and eventually the numbers game caught up to him. After about 16 minutes, Juice hit CSRO with the Pulp Friction to secure the win. (85/B+)

 

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

World Tag League Match: FTR vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA)

 

FTR defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) in a good match to close the show. In a rematch of their King of Pro Wrestling match, it was FTR who came out on top this time, despite an amazing performance from Shingo & SANADA. After nearly 20 minutes, Dax & Cash finished off SANADA with the Big Rig for the win. After the match, FTR challenged LIJ to an IWGP Tag Team Title match on AEW Dynamite next year!

 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Eleven Standings:

[Uncrewed]

*Taps Mic* is this thing on?
 

So, a forum changeover happened at the best possible time for yours truly, as I've been moving homes for the past two weeks! Now that everything's all up on here and at the new place, shows will resume starting tomorrow with Night 12 of the World Tag League!

 

Here's a live Yano reaction:

Edited August 29, 2022 by Uncrewed

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Twelve- November 29th, 2022
Attendance: 2,000 at Aimesse Yamanashi (Otsu, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: Bishamon defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a dull match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI had last night off and that definitely helped them, with Goto & YOSHI-HASHI looking like a brand new tag team with the extra night of rest. Goto finished off Yujiro after hitting him with the GTR after just over 10 minutes of action. (61/C)

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. Nagata & Makabe performed surprisingly well against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions, with Makabe even hitting the King Kong Knee Drop on Cobb! However, Cobb kicked out of it and hit Makabe with the Tour of the Islands to get the win after just under 12 minutes. (71/C+)

-World Tag League Match: Guerrilas of Destiny defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. Tama Tonga's rage continued tonight, this time against his brother Hikuleo and cousin Fale. After nearly 13 minutes of back-and-forth action, Tama hit Hikuleo with the Gun Stun for the win. He sarcastically apologized to his brother afterwards before celebrating with his other brother/tag partner. (75/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated TMDK in a good match. Danielson's arm was finally getting back to normal tonight, which alongside CSRO's abilities gave the team a solid win over TMDK, who just haven't been able to get much momentum recently. After about 14 minutes, Danielson caught Shane Haste in the LeBell Lock and got the submission win. (75/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) in a great match. In Shingo's home prefecture, him and SANADA put in a great effort against Yano & Ishii. However, it was SANADA who secured the win for LIJ tonight, making Yano tap out to the SKULL END in just under 15 minutes. (83/B+)

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Frdericks) defeated Gallows & Anderson in a good match. This battle between two of the top teams in the World Tag League was fierce, with both teams having some good opportunities to win on numerous occasions. However, it was DEATH RIDERS who emerged on top tonight, with Shota hitting Gallows with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. (79/B)

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

World Tag League Match: FTR vs FinJuice
FTR defeated FinJuice in a good match to close the show. This one had big World Tag League implications going into the final five days of the tournament, with a FinJuice win propelling them into the finals potentially. However, that failed tonight as FTR emerged the better team here in Otsu. After nearly 20 minutes, Dax & Cash caught David Finlay with the Big Rig to get the win.

FINAL GRADE: 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Twelve Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Thirteen- December 1st, 2022
Attendance: 4,000 at Edion Arena Osaka (Osaka, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a dull match. This battle between four Bullet Club members was won by the House of Torture subgroup, with EVIL finishing off Hikuleo in just under 10 minutes after hitting him with the EVIL. A surprising win for EVIL & Yujiro in a tournament full of disappointment. (65/C)

-World Tag League Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a dull match. This battle between four of the most veteran wrestlers on the roster was an interesting one, but in the end, Ishii & Yano were just too much for Nagata & Makabe to handle. After a little under 11 minutes, Nagata fell victim to a BRAINBUSTAHHHH!!! from Ishii for the win. (65/C)

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated Bishamon in a good match. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI just couldn't get anything going tonight in Osaka against Aussie Open and that eventually led to their downfall after about 13 minutes of action. That was when Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis hit YOSHI-HASHI with the Corealis to get the win for Aussie Open. (77/B)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) defeated TMDK in a good match. This battle between the current IWGP Tag Team Champions and the former GHC Tag Team Champions was surprisingly competitive, but in the end, LIJ showed why they're the current champs and came out of Osaka with the win. That win came when Shingo hit Shane Haste with the Last of the Dragon after a little under 14 minutes of action. (80/B)

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated FinJuice in a good match. Gallows & Anderson kept their chances of making the World Tag League Final alive tonight, while at the same time probably killing the chances of FinJuice. That was by no fault of FinJuice though, as Anderson was able to use some underhanded tactics to get the win tonight. He hit Finlay with a low blow while referee Daichi Murayama was distracted, leading to a Gun Stun and a win in just under 15 minutes. (78/B)

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. The night off between this show and the last show definitely calmed down Tama Tonga, who was able to restrain himself more in this one. That didn't help Guerrillas of Destiny's chances of winning though, as Dax & Cash were able to hit Tanga Loa with the Big Rig to pick up the win after about 16 minutes. (82/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan)
DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a great match to close the show. These two teams put on a very physical performance, with Cobb and Fredericks especially showing off their raw power on numerous occasions tonight in Osaka. After about 18 minutes, Cobb tried hitting Shota with the Tour of the Islands, but Shota was able to wiggle out of it and hit Cobb with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win.

FINAL GRADE:

 

World Tag League Post-Night Thirteen Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Fourteen- December 2nd, 2022
Attendance: 2,000 at Kochi Prefectural Gynasium (Kochi, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a good match. The two New Japan dads were no match for the undefeated Shota & Fredericks tonight in Kochi, with DEATH RIDERS completely dominating for nearly the entire 10 minute length of the match. Shota finished off Makabe with the DEATH RIDER DDT to get the win. (73/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) in a good match. Despite already being eliminated from the World Tag League, Aussie Open put in a great showing tonight against Ishii & Yano. That was however, despite Yano's usuaul shenanigans. After just under 12 minutes, Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher hit Toru Yano with the Corealis to get the win. (75/B-)

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. EVIL & Yujiro's no-good, very bad, horrible World Tag League run continued with a disappointing loss to Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler tonight in Kochi. After about 13 minutes of action, Dax & Cash hit Yujiro Takahashi with the Big Rig to get the win. (76/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. Danielson & CSRO kept their World Tag League hopes alive tonight in Kochi with a nice win over the two Bullet Club big men. After just under 14 minutes of action, Danielson made Hikuleo tap out to the Cattle Mutilation for the win. This sets up a big match tomorrow night in Fukuoka against DEATH RIDERS, a match that will probably determine who advances to the World Tag League Final! (80/B)

-World Tag League Match: Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) defeated FinJuice in a good match. FinJuice were officially eliminated from winning the World Tag League tonight with a heartbreaking loss to the upstart Team Filthy, who were undoubtedly helped by Tom Lawlor at ringside. In the end, after about 15 minutes, Connors hit David Finlay Jr. with the Trophy Kill to secure the win. After the match, Finlay apologized to Juice, but Juice just threw his hands up in frustration and left. (78/B)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a great match. LIJ kept their hopes of winning the World Tag League alive tonight with a nice win over the former seven-time IWGP Tag Team Champions. Tanga Loa tried his best to light a fire back in Tama, but it didn't work tonight and Tanga fell victim to the Last of the Dragon from Shingo after nearly 16 minutes. (83/B+)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan)
Gallows & Anderson defeating United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a good match to close the show. The Good Brothers ended United Empire's hopes of winning the World Tag League tonight here in Kochi with a solid win over the former IWGP Tag Team Champions. After nearly 18 minutes of action, Gallows & Anderson hit Khan with the Magic Killer to get the win and keep their hopes of winning the World Tag League alive. 

FINAL GRADE: 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Fourteen Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Fifteen- December 3rd, 2022
Attendance: 1,000 at ACROS FUKUOKA (Fukuoka, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a decent match. Tanga Loa was able to get a little bit more fire out of Tama Tonga tonight and that probably made the difference in this surprisingly competitive match. After just over 10 minutes of action, Tama Tonga caught Yuji Nagata with the Gun Stun to secure the win. (71/C+)

-World Tag League Match: TMDK defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a dull match. The smaller TMDK were able to overcome the odds tonight in Fukuoka, defeating the gigantic Bullet Club tag team, but not despite some strong offense from Fale & Hikuleo. After about 12 minutes, Nicholls & Haste were able to lift Hikuelo up and hit him with the Tank Buster for the win. (64/C)

-World Tag League Match: FinJuice defeated Bishamon in a good match. After a little bit of dissension following their match last night, FinJuice were able to rebound nicely tonight in Fukuoka with a good win over the defending World Tag League winners. After a little under 13 minutes, Juice Robinson hit YOSHI-HASHI with the Pulp Friction to get the win. (74/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Gallows & Anderson defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match. This one was a bit of a comedy match, with Gallows and Yano specifically nearly putting on a comedy show in the ring tonight in Fukuoka. However, Gallows & Anderson got serious when it mattered most and finished off Yano with the Magic Killer after just under 14 minutes of action. (73/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. LIJ kept their low chances of making the World Tag League Final alive tonight in Fukuoka with a nice win over the upstart team of Coughlin & Connors. Despite many chances to win from Team Filthy, SANADA was able to make Coughlin tap out to the SKULL END to get the win after about 15 minutes. (76/B-)

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) in a great match. FTR clinched their spot in the World Tag League Final tonight in Fukuoka with a solid win over the team they beat to break into NJPW, Cobb & Khan. After nearly 16 minutes of some great tag team action, Dax & Cash caught Khan with the Big Rig to get the win. (82/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) vs Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO
-World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO in a great match to close the show. A win here would have kept Danielson & CSRO in contention for a shot at the World Tag League Final, but they just couldn't topple the undefeated DEATH RIDERS. After nearly 20 minutes of back-and-forth action, Shota reversed an attempted LeBell Lock from Danielson into the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. DEATH RIDERS will now meet FTR in the finals of the World Tag League in three nights in Hiroshima! 

 

After the match, Danielson & CSRO shook hands and took a bow in front of the Fukuoka crowd. The two then hugged it out before Danielson went to leave. That's when suddenly CSRO hit Danielson with an uppercut to the back of the head! CSRO started beating the living hell out of his former tag team partner, eventually throwing him off the ropes and hitting him with the Swiss Death! CSRO stood tall over his former partner as the 15th night of the World Tag League came to a close.

 

FINAL GRADE: 

 

World Tag League Post-Night Fifteen Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Sixteen- December 4th, 2022
Attendance: 3,000 at Grand Messe Kumamoto (Mashiki, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated House of Tortue (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a decent match. This match was full of shenanigans, with essentially everyone but Ishii getting in on the cheating/underhanded tactics. Funnily enough, Ishii was the one who emerged with the win, pinning Yujiro after about 10 minutes after hitting him with the BRAINBUSTAHHHHH!!! (66/C+)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) defeated Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe in a good match. The two New Japan dads put on a surprisingly competitive showing against the current IWGP Tag Team Champions. However, it was not enough to defeat Shingo & SANADA. Shingo finished off Nagata with the Last of the Dragon in just about 11 minutes. (74/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Bryan Danielson & Claudio CSRO (in spirit) defeated Bishamon in a good match. CSRO didn't even show up for this match after turning on Danielson last night in Fukuoka. However, that didn't stop Danielson from winning this handicap match against the defending World Tag League winners. Danielson finished off YOSHI-HASHI by making him tap to the LeBell Lock in just under 12 minutes. (79/B)

-World Tag League Match: FTR defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. The two Bullet Club big men tried to use their raw strength and power to their advantage tonight, but they just couldn't overcome the tag team abilities of Dax & Cash. After about 13 minutes of action, Dax & Cash managed to get Hikuleo in the air and hit him with the Big Rig for the win. (79/B)

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated FinJuice in a good match. Communication issues were the name of the game tonight in Mashiki for FinJuice, as Finlay & Robinson just couldn't get anything going against Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis. After a little under 14 minutes of action, Aussie Open hit Finlay with the Corealis to get the win. Afterwards, Juice & Finlay argued, with Juice yelling at Finlay to get his act together. (80/B)

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny in a good match. Tama Tonga tried to get the rage going again tonight, but he just couldn't against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions tonight in Mashiki. After just under 16 minutes of action, Cobb hit Tanga Loa with the Tour of the Islands to secure the win for United Empire. (77/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

World Tag League Match: DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) vs Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors)
DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match to close the show. Shota & Karl capped off their World Tag League run tonight with a great win over fellow upstarts Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors. After nearly 18 minutes of back-and-forth action, Shota hit Coughlin with the DEATH RIDER DDT for the win. 

 

    
Afterwards, DEATH RIDERS celebrated their victory until FTR made their way out to the ring! The two teams shared a staredown going into their World Tag League Final match in two nights in Hiroshima. Who will win the World Tag League between these two great teams? We'll find out soon enough!

FINAL GRADE:

 

World Tag League Post-Night Sixteen Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW World Tag League 2022 Night Seventeen- December 6th, 2022
Attendance: 6,000 at Hiroshima Sun Plaza (Hiroshima, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-World Tag League Match: TMDK defeated Bishamon in a good match. Bishamon capped off their very disappointing World Tag League run with a bad loss to Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste in Hiroshima. After just under 10 minutes of action, Haste & Nicholls hit YOSHI-HASHI with the Tank Buster to secure the win. Afterwards, TMDK took the mics and said that they would be bringing in someone soon to challenge for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles! (73/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe defeated Gallows & Anderson in a decent match. In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, the veteran team of Nagata & Makabe defeated Gallows & Anderson tonight in Hiroshima. The upset happened when Anderson tried hitting Nagata with the Gun Stun, but Nagata reversed it and rolled Anderson into a small package for the win! Afterwards, Gallows & Anderson beat the living hell out of Nagata & Makabe for revenge. (69/C+)

-World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated Team Filthy (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) in a good match. This battle between two of the biggest upstart tag teams in NJPW saw the United Empire team of Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher come out with the win tonight in Hiroshima. After about 13 minutes of back-and-forth action, Davis & Fletcher caught Connors with the Corealis to secure the win. (80/B)

-World Tag League Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & Shingo Takagi) defeated House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) in a good match. The current IWGP Tag Team Champions finished their World Tag League run with a nice win over the House of Torture tag team. After about 14 minutes, SANADA made Yujiro tap out to the Skull End for the win. (77/B)

-World Tag League Match: United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo) in a good match. Cobb & Khan concluded their decent World Tag League run with a solid win over the two Bullet Club big men tonight in Hiroshima. After just under 15 minutes of action, Cobb used all his strength to hit Fale with the Tour of the Islands to get the win. (73/B-)

-World Tag League Match: Guerrillas of Destiny defeated FinJuice in a good match. Juice & Finlay's communication issues continued tonight in Hiroshima, with the two just simply not being on the same page against the former seven-time IWGP Tag Team Champions. This came to a head after about 16 minutes of action when Tama Tonga interrupted an argument between Finlay and Juice by hitting Finlay with the Gun Stun for the win. Afterwards, Juice and Finlay got in a bit of a shoving match and the two had to be separated by the young lions. (78/B)

-United Empire (Will Ospreay, Francesco Akira, & Mike Bailey) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, YOH, & Robbie Eagles) in a great match. In a preview of their Wrestle Kingdom 17 match, it was Ospreay's United Empire that emerged on top tonight in Hiroshima. After just under 17 minutes of action, Ospreay hit Eagles with the StormBreaker to secure the win. (86/B+)

 

World Tag League FINAL:

 VS 
DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) vs FTR
Shota & Karl have been undefeated since their debut in NJPW back in August, including in the World Tag League, defeating every tag team that's stood in their way (including the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, Los Ingobernables de Japon). Meanwhile, FTR have proven themselves to be one of the top tag teams in the world today, currently holding the AEW World Tag Team Titles, the AAA Tag Team Titles, and the ROH Tag Team Titles. Hell, they even held the IWGP Tag Team Titles until LIJ won it from them a few months ago. Now, we get to find out which tag team is truly the best tag team in the world today here in Hiroshima! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind DEATH RIDERS. Karl Fredericks and Dax Harwood started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Harwood was able to take Fredericks to the ground with his superior technical wrestling abilities. However, that advantage quickly faded when Fredericks overpowered Harwood on the mat and hit him with a beautiful deadlift powerbomb! Fredericks then throwed Harwood off the ropes and hit him with a spinning heel kick before quickly following it up with a running knee drop. Fredericks then went to attempt a running powerslam, but Dax wiggled out of it and shoved Fredericks headfirst into the turnbuckle. Dax then tagged out to Cash and the two hit Fredericks with a double suplex. Dax & Cash then hit Fredericks with a double knee drop/leg drop combo before Cash hit Fredericks with a scoop slam. Cash then threw Fredericks into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop. Cash attempted a powerslam after that, but Fredericks reversed it into a German suplex. Fredericks then tagged out to Shota, who hit Cash with a lariat that sent him flying inside-out! Shota then threw Cash into the corner and hit him with a running knee to the head. Shota then threw Cash off the ropes and hit him with a big back body drop. Shota then attempted the DEATH RIDER DDT, but Cash reversed it into a belly to belly suplex. Subtly, Dax tagged in and the two caught Shota with a surprise Big Rig! Dax made the cover...

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No!

Shota got his foot on the bottom rope at the very last second! The match came to an end when a frustrated Dax began stomping the living hell out of Shota. Dax tried grabbing Shota by the hair, but Shota caught him in a small package! That only got a two count, but as Dax and Shota got up, Shota grabbed him and hit him with the DEATH RIDER DDT! Shota made the cover...

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3!


Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks of DEATH RIDERS are your 2022 World Tag League winners! The undefeated run of DEATH RIDERS continues with an amazing performance tonight against FTR. After the match, as confetti rained down from the ceiling of the Hiroshima Sun Plaza, the two teams shook hands and FTR promised that they would be watching Shota & Fredericks very closely. World Tag League Night 17 came to a close as Shota & Fredericks posed in the ring with the World Tag League trophies.
WINNERS: DEATH RIDERS

FINAL GRADE:

 

Final World Tag League Standings:

Edited September 4, 2022 by Uncrewed

[Uncrewed]

BREAKING NEWS: NJPW TO INTRODUCE IWGP WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

 

In a press conference in Tokyo, NJPW President Takami Ohbari, STARDOM CEO Rossy Ogawa, and AEW President Tony Khan unveiled the IWGP Women's Championship. Ohbari said that the title would be designed to be fought for by the best women's wrestlers in the world, both foreign and domestic. In doing so, Ohbari announced that two tag team matches would take place at Wrestle Kingdom 17 to determine the first four challengers for the IWGP Women's Championship:

-STARDOM's KAIRI & Mayu Iwatani vs Syuri & MIRAI

-AEW's Thunder Rosa & Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker DMD

 

Ohbari said the inaugural champion would be determined during the finals of New Japan Cup in March and finished by saying that he was very excited to give women a global showcase to show off their talent.

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome Tour Night One- December 19th, 2022
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Hikuleo, & El Phantasmo) defeated young lions Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, & Yuto Nakashima in a dull match. The three Bullet Club members completely dominated the young lions to kick off the Road to Tokyo Dome Tour. After about 10 minutes of action, Fale grabbed Fujita by the neck and hit him with the Grenade to get the win for Bullet Club. (58/C-)

-YOH House of Torture Trial Series Match One: YOH defeated Dick Togo in a decent match. YOH kicked off his trial series to get a shot at SHO's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in a good way tonight in Tokyo, defeating the legendary Dick Togo. After about 13 minutes of back-and-forth action, YOH caught Togo in the Stargazer and made him tap out. (63/C)

-Bullet Club (Jay White & Taiji Ishimori) defeated KENTA & Master Wato in a good match. KENTA surprisingly chose Wato to go up against Jay White & Ishimori, and while there were some flashes of excellence, Wato failed to live up to expectations tonight. After about 14 minutes, White caught Wato in the Blade Runner and pinned him for the victory. Afterwards, White taunted KENTA with the IWGP US Title. (80/B)

-Minoru Suzuki & Bryan Danielson defeated Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) in a good match. Less than two weeks before Suzuki goes for his revenge on Sabre and Danielson goes for his revenge on CSRO, they teamed up in a good effort tonight against Sabre & Taichi. Sabre mostly avoided Suzuki for most of the match, leaving Taichi to get his metaphorical sh*t kicked in by the veteran. After just under 15 minutes of action, Suzuki hit Taichi with the Gotch-style Piledriver for the win. (80/B)

-DEATH RIDERS (KUSHIDA, Shota Umino, & Karl Fredericks) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & SANADA) in a great match. KUSHIDA and co. notched another important win going into Shota & Karl's IWGP Tag Team Title match against Shingo & SANADA at Wrestle Kingdom 17. The end came when Shota was able to hit SANADA with the DEATH RIDER DDT after about 16 minutes to secure the win. Afterwards, Tetsuya Naito (who was at ringside grabbed Hiromu and slapped him across the face, telling him to get his sh*t together! (86/B+)

 

 

-After the match ended, DEATH RIDERS celebrated their victory until some somewhat familiar music sounded throughout Korakuen Hall...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkU8O-JG2C4&ab_channel=AdrianHarken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JON MOXLEY EMERGES FROM THE CROWD AND ATTACKS KUSHIDA!

The original DEATH RIDER has returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and he's beating the living hell out of the leader of DEATH RIDERS! Karl Fredericks tried ripping Moxley off of KUSHIDA, but he wasn't given any help by Shota, who looked very confused in the corner. Eventually, the young lions and Fredericks were able to get the two men separated, but not before KUSHIDA was left as a bloody mess. Moxley then grabbed a microphone and challenged KUSHIDA to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 to determine who the DEATH RIDER in New Japan Pro-Wrestling really is!

 

MAIN EVENT:

 

VS

 

United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, & Great O-Khan) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, & Tomohiro Ishii

United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, & Great O-Khan) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, & Tomohiro Ishii) in a good match to close the show. Ospreay and his United Empire crew scored another win over CHAOS tonight in Tokyo, with Ospreay smartly avoiding Okada for most of the match, instead taking care of Goto & Ishii to secure the win. After about 20 minutes of action, Ospreay hit Goto with the StormBreaker to get the win for United Empire. 

 

FINAL GRADE: