By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League 2023”
November 28, 2023 in Aichi, Japan at Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
World Tag League is a 16-show tournament spread over just 21 days, featuring 16 tag teams. They are split into two blocks of eight teams. It is a round-robin tournament, so each team will have seven matches. The top TWO teams from each Block will make the playoffs, as the Block A winner will face the Block B runner-up, while the Block B winner will face the Block A runner-up. The finals will be Dec. 10. This is night 7 with the A Block back in action, as we have reached the mid-point of the tournament.
This is an arena and the lights are low so its hard to see the crowd, but this is much larger than the last few nights. We have Japanese-only commentary until the final night of the tournament.
1. “Los Ingobernobles de Japon” Bushi, Zandokan Jr., Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji defeated “Bullet Club” Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Jack Bonza, and Bad Luck Fale at 10:05. Ishimori and Bushi opened, but Gedo attacked from behind. LIJ did a drop-toe-hold, sending Fale crashing down onto Bonza at 1:00. Suddenly everyone was brawling on the floor. Back in the ring, Fale stood on Bushi’s back, and the BC took over. Gedo choked Bushi. Tsuji made the hot tag at 4:30 and brawled with Bonza. Bonza hit a high back suplex for a nearfall. Shingo entered and hit a suplex on Bonza for a nearfall at 7:30. Bushi nailed a dive through the ropes onto Ishimori. Shingo nailed a Pumping Bomber Clothesline on Gedo for the pin.
2. Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Nagata, and Master Wato defeated “Guerrillas of Destiny” El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, and Jado at 7:46. In a funny spot, ELP bowed before Suzuki and Nagata, then gave the middle finger to Wato. Hikuleo and Suzuki opened. GoD began working over Wato in their corner. Suzuki teased putting the ref in an armbar at 2:30. ELP hit a Lionsault on Wato for a nearfall. Hikuleo hit a Mafia Kick on Nagata for a nearfall at 6:30. Suzuki hit a thudding headbutt on Gedo; he and Nagata hit front-and-back kneestrikes on Gedo for a nearfall. Nagata applied a Crossface, and Gedo tapped out.
3. “Just 5 Guys” Douki, Taichi, and Yuya Uemura defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and “Monster Sauce” Alex Zayne and Lance Archer at 9:52. Taichi and former Suzuki-Gun stablemate Archer jawed a bit before the bell, with Taichi showing off his KoPW Title. (Do you really want to make Archer angry? He might take that title belt from you!) The bell rang and Archer offered a handshake! Taichi went to accept it but then he had to duck an Archer clothesline attempt. Funny. Taichi instead hit some spin kicks to Archer’s thighs. Taguchi entered at 2:00 and faced Douki and they traded quicker offense, with Taguchi dropping him with a buttbump. Douki hit some forearm strikes on Archer that Lance no-sold; Lance then dropped Douki with a forearm at 4:00.
Zayne entered for the first time and hit a standing moonsault on Douki for a nearfall. Yuya entered and hit some deep armdrags on Zayne at 6:00. Zayne hit his summersault axe kick to Yuya’s neck. Taguchi tagged back in and hit buttbumps on Yuya’s head. Monster Sauce hit their running blows on Yuya in a corner while Taguchi was directing traffic. Some decent comedy, as Archer chokeslammed Taguchi but Yuya had moved out of the way. Yuya hit a top-rope crossbody block on Taguchi, then his butterfly suplex with a bridge to pin Taguchi. That was fun and it’s been intriguing watching these former Suzuki-Gun members interact in this tournament.
4. Yoh and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi defeated Tiger Mask, Soberano Jr., and Atlantis Jr. at 8:55. Atlantis and Yoshi-Hashi opened, and Atlantis tied up his legs on the mat. Bishamon hit a team shoulder tackle on Atlantis. Goto has his neck/upper back taped, too. Soberano Jr. entered and battled Goto. Yoshi-Hashi hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker on Soberano Jr. at 5:30. Soberano hit a TKO stunner on Y-H. Tiger Mask and Yoh entered. TM hit a Tiger Driver for a nearfall. Atlantis hit a dive to the floor. Soberano Jr. hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor. In the ring, Yoh hit a jumping knee to the chin for a nearfall; Tiger Mask got a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall. Yoh nailed a Falcon Arrow for a believable nearfall, then a Superkick for the pin.
5. “Gates of Agony” Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona (2) defeated “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin (4) in an A Block tournament match at 10:48. GoA immediately rolled to the floor and invited the BCWD to leave the ring and fight. So, Gabe brawled with Bishop as they went up the risers, while Liona and Coughlin brawled at ringside. They ducked into the ring but went right back to the floor. Liona slammed a guardrail onto Kidd at 4:00. The BCWD then buried Liona under several guardrails. In the ring, Coughlin hit a fallaway slam at 8:30 on Kaun. Kidd hit a clothesline as Coughin hit a German Suplex on Kaun for a nearfall. Kaun hit a short-arm clothesline on Kidd, then a Lungblower for a nearfall at 10:30. Kaun hit a Pedigree for the pin! That was unexpected! A big win for the Gates of Agony.
6. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan and Henare (w/Callum Newman) (4) defeated “House of Torture” EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi (w/Sho, Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (2) in an A Block tournament match at 3:10. The loser will be 1-3 and will be all but eliminated. The HoT attacked as the UE climbed through the ropes. Sho and Kanemaru helped beat up the UE. Togo hit hit knife-edge chop to the groin of an upside-down O-Khan. Yujiro hit a DDT on O-Khan for a nearfall at 1:30. The ref got bumped. Sho hit Henare in the head with his wrench. Kanemaru accidentally sprayed alcohol on Sho. O-Khan hit his Claw Slam on Yujiro’s face for the pin! Shortest match of the tournament so far.
7. “Chaos” Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano (4) defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls (6) in an A Block tournament match at 9:51. Yano and Haste opened. TMDK hit a team neckbreaker on Ishii at 2:00. Yano hit a belly-to-belly suplex. Ishii hit a brainbuster on Nicholls for a nearfall at 4:30. Nicholls hit a DDT and they were both down. Haste made the hot tag and he hit some European Uppercuts on Ishii and got a nearfall. Ishii hit a back suplex on Haste. Yano got the hot tag at 6:30.
Yano hit a slingshot into the corner on Haste for a nearfall. TMDK hit a team neckbreaker on Yano for a believable nearfall but Ishii made the save at 8:30. Ishii hit a German Suplex on Nicholls. TMDK hit a team DDT on Ishii, but Ishii rolled to the floor. Yano hit a low blow on Nicholls, then a low blow on Haste with a rollup for the cheap pin, Another upset on this show.
8. Shota Umino and Ren Narita (6) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa (4) in an A Block tournament match at 27:28. Some young guns here and the crowd seemingly acknowledged this. Shota and Kaito opened with a feeling-out process and standing reversals, but they switched to forearm strikes at 2:00. Ren and Oiwa entered and traded mat reversals. Kaito entered and kept Narita grounded. Shota entered and he hit a senton for a nearfall at 9:00. Kaito made a hot tag and hit a dropkick on Shota at 11:00, then a series of forearm strikes in the corner. Kaito hit a Northern Lights suplex on Shota for a nearfall.
Shota hit a suplex on Kaito and they were both down. Ren tagged back in and hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Kaito for a nearfall at 12:30. Re applied a Sharpshooter, but Kaito reached the ropes. Ren hit a German Suplex on Kaito. Kaito hit a double-underhook suplex for a nearfall, and they were both down at 15:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Kaito hit some European Uppercuts. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down again. Shota hit a modified Air Raid Crash on Kaito for a nearfall. Kaito hit a double dropkick on both opponents. Oiwa made the hot tag at 18:00 and hit a dropkick in the corner on Shota, then an impressive mid-ring dropkick for a nearfall.
Shota hit a Tornado DDT on Oiwa, then a DDT onto the ring apron, and suddenly everyone was down on the floor. Back in the ring, Umino hit a fadeaway stunner on Oiwa for a nearfall at 20:30. Oiwa caught Shota with a powerslam. Oiwa and Kaito hit team dropkicks and they were fired up. Kaito hit a Doomsday top-rope crossbody block. Oiwa hit an Angle Slam on Shota for a believable nearfall. Shota applied a mid-ring crossface, but Oiwa reached the ropes at 23:30. Ren hit a Hart Attack clothesline for a nearfall on Oiwa. Shota hit a running knee and a half-nelson suplex on Oiwa for a believable nearfall but Kaito made the save.
Shota hit a running swinging neckbreaker on Oiwa for a nearfall. Shota hit a half-nelson suplex and he was fired up. Shota set up for a Hidden Blade, but Oiwa collapsed at 26:30. (I think there was a 3 minute warning at 27:00.) Shota hit a Hidden Blade and the Death Rider DDT to pin Oiwa. That was fantastic and maybe the best match of the whole tournament. They stood up and all shook hands. A special moment acknowledging they went out there and just had a stellar match.
* Shota spoke on the mic.
Final Thoughts: The four men in the main event are all under the age of 30, and boy, the future looks bright for NJPW with what happened here. Shota and Ren just came back from excursion. Oiwa in just months removed from being a Young Lion, but you wouldn’t know it by the fight he had here. This felt like a special match at the bell and it just kept building and building.
I wouldn’t blame anyone who tuned in and watched just the main event. It was good to see both the Bullet Club War Dogs and TMDK lose, if only so they don’t ‘run away’ from the pack. Those losses have more teams feeling alive as we are four matches down, three to to. Yano stealing a win is fine; it’s going to happen at some point. And I certainly didn’t mind a short-and-simple House of Torture match.
The B Block will be back in action on Wednesday.
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