By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Jr. Tag League 2023”
October 24, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is Night 2 of Super Junior Tag League. Another packed crowd here, and Chris Charlton provided solo commentary.
I have broken the 10 teams down into three tiers. The four teams in the upper tier went undefeated on night one, and I would contend that any matches where these four teams battle will be the most important of the tournament. The first of those matches takes place here in the main event, when “Catch 2/2” TJP and Francesco Akira face the champs, Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors.
1. “United Empire” Callum Newman, Henare, and Great-O-Khan defeated Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Oskar Leube at 9:17. Narita and Newman opened. Great-O-Khan entered and hit his Mongolian Chops on Narita at 2:00. Henare hit a senton on Narita. Shota entered at 4:30 and hit a dropkick on O-Khan. Newman accidentally kicked Henare. Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex on Henare for a nearfall. Henare nailed a spin kick to Shota’s head and they were both down. Oskar tagged in at 6:30 and traded shoulder tackles with O-Khan. Oskar hit a big bodyslam for a nearfall. O-Khan nailed a butterfly suplex, then a modified Cobra Clutch on the mat, and Oskar tapped out. Solid.
2. “Just 5 Guys” Sanada and Yuya Uemura and Taichi vs. “Los Ingobernobles de Japon” Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji ended in a time-limit draw at 20:00. This feels like a marquee match. Sanada has his title belt; EVIL had stolen in so he hasn’t been carrying it much lately. Sanada and his Wrestle Kingdom opponent Naito opened with an intense lockup. Uemura entered at 3:00 to face Tsuji and they just glared at each other for several seconds before locking up. (I am LOVING how New Japan has waited the right length of time to bring these two (and Shota) back from excursion.) Shingo jumped in and attacked Yuya from behind. Sanada hit a snap suplex on Tsuji at 5:30 and he tagged in Taichi for the first time, with Taichi hitting stiff kicks to Yota’s spine.
All three LIJ hit basement dropkicks on Taichi. Naito beat up Taichi on the floor. Yota and Yuya also rolled to the floor. Back in the ring, LIJ kept working over Taichi in their corner. Naito applied a Figure Four Leglock at 9:00. Yota hit a bulldog powerslam for a nearfall. Sanada entered at 12:30 and he hit a basement dropkick on Shingo’s left knee. Shingo hit a DDT. Sanada placed Naito’s feet on the top rope and hit a twisting neckbreaker, and they were both down at 15:30. Tsuji hit a huracanrana on Yuya. Tsuji applied a Boston Crab, but Yua reached the ropes at 17:00.
Taichi entered and hit a side suplex. Sanada hit a missile dropkick on Shingo. Sanada applied Skull End on Naito, but Naito quickly escaped and hit a tornado DDT, and suddenly everyone was down at 19:00. Yuya and Yota traded forearm shots. Yuya hit an enzuigiri. They traded rollup attempts while the other four fought on the floor. Chris’ voice was cracking as they fought on the mat as the time limit expired. I had it just a bit over 20 minutes but I didn’t mind, and the non-finish was entirely predictable. Really good action from these six.
3. Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Boltin Oleg to retain the NJPW TV Title at 13:38. Oleg earned this title match more than a month ago but the match was canceled due to Oleg having an infection in his wrist. I’ve made this comparison before, but Oleg is a big, wide body, like Lars Sullivan in size, and he hit some fireman carries early on, showing his power advantage. Charlton said nobody has beaten Sabre in less than 15 minutes since August 2022. They traded standing switches. They brawled to the floor, where Sabre slammed the left hand into a guardrail, then stomped on the left elbow at 5:00. Oleg got back in the ring but was selling the arm pain, and Sabre immediately targeted the left arm and wrist.
Sabre applied a Dragon Sleeper at 7:30 but Oleg powered out and got a nearfall. Sabre hit a spin kick to the head and they were both down. Sabre nailed some Yes Kicks to the chest at 9:30. Oleg applied a bearhug and hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall. Oleg applied a Boston Crab and sat down for pressure, but Sabre reached the ropes at 11:00. Sabre immediately applied a mid-ring Cobra Twist. However, Oleg was able to put Sabre on his shoulders and he hit a forward Finlay Roll. (A 12-minute call was right-on.) They got up and traded forearm shots, and Oleg dropped him with a stiff blow. Oleg hit a German Suplex. Out of nowhere, Sabre tied him, applied a cross-armbreaker, and Oleg tapped out. That was really a quick finish. Charlton said Sabre’s reign has reached 294 days.
* Once again, Henare has joined Charlton on commentary. His voice is low and he’s not always easy to comprehend, but I really like having at least two people in the booth.
4. The DKC and Ryusuke Taguchi (2) defeated “Los Ingobernobles de Japon” Titan and Bushi (2) in a tournament match at 8:26. LIJ are among the four ‘top tier’ teams in the tournament. Titan and DKC opened. DKC hit a top-rope missile dropkick at 1:30. Titan hit a springboard crossbody block, then a flip dive to the floor on both opponents. In the ring, Bushi worked over DKC. Taguchi entered at 5:00 and hit his buttbumps. Bushi stomped on Taguchi’s groin for some comedy purposes, for Taguchi’s facial expressions.
Taguchi’s green pants came down as he sat on Bushi’s face for a nearfall at 7:00; his lime-green underwear was fully exposed. Titan hit a springboard frogsplash for a nearfall. “I’m begging Taguchi to pull his trousers up,” Charlton said. Titan set up for his springboard doublestomp to the chest, but DKC yanked him off the ropes. Meanwhile, Taguchi rolled up Bushi for the clean pin! That’s the first upset of the tournament. Taguchi kept pushing his butt into Titan’s face after the match.
5. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita (w/Zack Sabre Jr.) (2) defeated “Just 5 Guys” Douki and Taka Michinoku (0) in a tournament match at 11:02. I consider both of these teams to be in the lower tier and either team could win this one. Douki and Fujita opened. Fujita hit a flip dive to the floor onto both opponents. Charlton pointed out that NJPW viewers haven’t seen the flipping skills and athleticism of Fujita yet. Taka tagged in at 2:00 and he tied up DKC. Eagles made the hot tag at 4:30 and cleared the ring. Eagles missed a 450 Splash. He hit a Sliced Bread on Douki.
Fujita tagged back in and hit a dropkick on Taka at 7:30. Taka tied him up on the mat, but Fujita quickly reached the ropes. Taka again tied him up and cranked back on the head, then he tied up the left arm and fingers, but Fujita again reached the ropes at 10:00. Douki nailed the Daybreak slingshot DDT, and Taka hit a running knee for a nearfall, but Eagles made the save. Eagles hit some spin kicks on Taka. Fujjita hit a TKO stunner move on Taka for the clean pin! That was fun.
* Side note: Last year, Kevin Knight took loss after loss in his pairing with Kushida; it felt like a big deal when he got a pin late in the tournament. Point being, it feels huge for Fujita to not just be on the winning team, but to score a clean pin, in the tournament’s second match. Yes, it was over Taka, who almost never wins, but it feels big nonetheless.
6. Yoh and Musashi (2) defeated El Desperado and Master Wato (2) in a tournament match at 12:06. Desperado and Wato are reluctant partners in this tournament but I see a legit likelihood they reach the finals. Yoh and Musashi wore identical T-shirts showing off their new team. Yoh and Wato started. Desperado grabbed a chair from ringside; Wato had to calm his partner down and stop him from getting them disqualified. In the ring, Musashi grounded Wato. Desperado entered and applied a Lion Tamer/vertical Boston Crab on Yoh at 3:30. Wato entered and hit some moves; when he went to tag out, Desperado just stood there, so Wato grabbed his arm and tagged in. “I don’t know if this tag team will survive,” Henare said. I’m enjoying this, as Desperado just comes across as such a bad-ass who wouldn’t want anything to do with Wato.
Desperado accidentally slapped Wato in the face at 6:00 but he didn’t seem too bothered about striking his partner, either. Desperado hit a back suplex on Musashi. Musashi hit a neckbreaker over his knee, then an Exploder. Desperado fired back with a spinebuster and they were both down at 8:30. This crowd was really into this one. Wato tagged in and hit a leg lariat. Yoh hit a plancha to the floor on Wato. In the ring, Yoh hit his Vader Bomb-style elbow drop on Wato. Wato hit his double-armbar slam for a mousetrap pin attempt at 10:30. Yoh hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Wato, then a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall, but Despeardo made the save.
Musashi hit a flip dive to the floor on Desperado but came up a bit short, causing Henare to exclaim “oh shit!” (I think Musashi hit the back of his head on the ring apron as he came down.) In the ring, Yoh nailed the Direct Drive double-arm DDT to pin Wato. Desperado was clearly unhappy with his partner that they lost.
7. “House of Torture” Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2) defeated Kushida and Kevin Knight (2) in a tournament match at 10:47. The HoT attacked at the bell. Knight wore blue warmup pants instead of his usual oranage. They all brawled to the floor, with Kanemaru beating down Knight while Sho worked over Kushida. In the ring, the HoT worked over Kushida extensively in their corner. Kushida nearly made the hot tag, but Dick Togo appeared at ringside and dragged Knight off the apron. Knight entered and hit a top-rope crossbody block on both men at 6:00, then a double Pele Kick. “It’s gotta be the shoe!” Charlton shouted. Knight hit a double Stinger Splash, then his impressive jump-up Frankensteiner on Sho for a nearfall.
Knight set up for a springboard move, but now EVIL appeared at ringside and dragged him off the apron. Kushida began beating up all the House of Torture. Kushida and Knight set up for a move but Kushida fell so unclear what they had in mind. Knight hit his Doomsday Dropkick for a believable nearfall. The ref got bumped at 9:30. Sho immediately went to his corner and got his wrench and was loudly booed. However, Knight avoided being hit with it. Kanemaru sprayed alcohol in Knight’s eyes. He then hit Knight in the head with the glass bottle of alcohol. Sho hit the Shock Arrow cross-armed piledriver on Knight for the pin. As I noted in my preview article, the House of Torture will cheat their way to a 5-4 or 4-5 record.
8. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors (4) defeated “Catch 2/2” TJP and Francesco Akira (2) in a tournament match at 16:30. Catch 2/2 came out first and they attacked the BCWD as they walked to ringside. Once again, Henare has turned into a cheerleader for his United Empire teammates. They brawled into the crowd, with TJP hitting a running Facewash on Connors in the short bleachers. Connors hit a snap suplex on Akira onto the thin mat at ringside. Charlton talked about how Drilla Moloney “stabbed the United Empire in their back” last summer. In the ring, C22 worked over Connors with some quick team offense. Akira hit a missile dropkick. Connors hit some hard chops on TJP’s chest and back.
Moloney stomped on TJP’s fingers at 6:00, and the War Dogs kept TJP in their corner. Akira finally made the hot tag at 8:30 and he hit a dropkick, then a moonsault for a nearfall, then a German Suplex on Moloney for a nearfall. Moloney hit a doublestomp on Akira’s chest. TJP tied Connors in an Octopus stretch then dropped him to the mat for a nearfall at 11:00. Akira hit a doublestomp on Connors’ chest. TJP hit an inverted DDT on Connors, then the Mamba Splash frogsplash for a believable nearfall. Akira hit a Doomsday stunner for a nearfall and suddenly everyone was down at 12:30. Akira hit a Canadian Destroyer. TJP accidentally hit a kneestrike on Akira!
The BCWD hit high-and-low spears on TJP for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Akira hit a Frankensteiner on Connors. TJP and Moloney hit a double clothesline and they were both down again at 15:00. Connors shoved TJP into the referee, and the ref was knocked out. Connors grabbed a belt, but TJP had a belt; he did the ‘Eddie spot’ by tossing the belt at Connors and pretending he had been hit. Connors hit the No Chaser spike DDT on TJP while Moloney hit a piledriver on Akira. Moloney then held TJP upside down, with Connors hitting the “Full Clip” spear to TJP’s exposed stomach for the pin. Easily the best match of the first two nights of the tournament.
Final Thoughts: This felt like a really strong show; NJPW always puts its best foot forward in their Korakuen Hall events. The three undercard matches were really good, even without a finish to the six-man tag. I’ll go with the main event for best match, ahead of the six-man tag. Yoh/Musashi’s first win earns third place, although Musashi showed he’s not quite at Yoh’s level.
The tournament continues Wednesday and Thursday before the next day off on Friday. The finals will be the top two teams meeting for a second time on Nov. 4.
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