By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Junior Team League – Night 4”
October 28, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. There is always a different energy in Korakuen Hall, and it appears to be a sellout.
* This year’s SJTL is a 12-team tournament. There are two Blocks with six teams in each Block. It is a round-robin tournament, so each team has five matches. The winners of each Block will advance to the finals. This is Night 4 of the tournament, and BOTH the A Block and the B Block are in action with six tournament matches. So, any team that falls to 0-3 today will be eliminated.
1. “Velocities” Jude London and Paris De Silva (0) vs. “Catch 2/2” TJP and Francesco Akira (2) in a B Block tournament match. Velocities attacked at the bell, got some quick nearfalls, and worked over TJP. Akira hit a plancha to the floor at 2:00. In the ring, C2/2 hit some quick team offense on London, and TJP applied a Muta Lock, leaned back and cranked on Jude’s head. TJP hit a backbreaker over his knee at 4:30. Akira hit a Doomsday Senton for a nearfall on Jude. London hit a moonsault press on Akira and they were both down. De Silva got a hot tag and hit a huracanrana on Akira, then a bulldog for a nearfall at 6:00.
Akira hit a doublestomp to the chest. TJP hit a springboard forearm, then some butterfly suplexes. TJP hit a bucklebomb on De Silva, tossing him onto London, then he hit a running Facewash on them at 8:30. TJP applied a double Pinoy Stretch on both Velocities! Nice. TJP tied London in the Tree of Woe and hit a doublestomp on his chest, and Akira made the nearfall at 10:30, and suddenly everyone was down. De Silva got the hot tag. However, 2/2 hit their team X-Factor face plant on De Silva. Velocities hit superkicks on TJP. They slammed Akira to the mat and got a nearfall on him. London hit a top-rope Shooting Star DDT and pinned Akira. A needed win for the Velocities, but it also means Catch 2/2 is on the verge of elimination.
Paris De Silva and Jude London (2) defeated TJP and Francesco Akira (2) at 12:57.
2. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney (4) vs. Tiger Mask and Capitan Suicida (0) in an A Block tournament match. Drilla and Suicida opened; Suicida is in green with yellow trim today. Suicida hit a huracanrana at 1:30, then a standing moonsault for a nearall. TM and Connors entered, with Tiger Mask hitting some spin kicks to the thighs and some blows in the corner. Connors nailed a Pounce on Tiger Mask, and the BCWD began working TM over. Connors tugged at TM”s mask at 4:30 and he jawed at the crowd. Suicida hit a corkscrew Asai moonsault onto the heels; he rolled Drilla into the ring and got a nearfall at 6:30. Suicida hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall. The BCWD hit front-and-back spears on Tiger Mask for a nearfall. Suicida hit a top-rope crossbody block onto the heels. Moloney hit a standing powerbomb on Suicida, then the Drilla Killa swinging powerbomb for the pin. Suicida and Tiger Mask are the first team eliminated.
Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors (6) defeated Tiger Mask and Capitan Suicida (0) at 8:57.
3. “Jet Setters” Kushida and Kevin Knight (2) vs. The DKC and Ninja Mack (2) in a B Block tournament match. DKC and Knight opened with basic reversals. Kushida and Mack entered at 1:30 and they traded intense mat holds. The Jet Setters began working over DKC in their corner. Kushida snapped the left arm of both opponents over the top rope at 4:00, and they kept working over DKC. DKC finally hit an enzuigiri, and Mack got the hot tag at 5:30. Knight accidentally clotheslined Kushida. Mack leapt off of Kushida’s back and kicked Knight. Cool. Knight hit his dropkick to DKC’s jaw, then a springboard crossbody block on Mack. Knight hit his jump-up Frankensteiner on Mack, but Mack rolled through and popped up.
Mack nailed his Sasuke Special to the floor onto the Jet Setters at 8:00. In the ring, DKC got a Crucifix Driver on Knight, then he tied him in a Vendeval, but Knight got his feet on the ropes. DKC hit his knife-edge chops to Knight’s chest. Knight hit a Poison Rana out of the corner, then a springboard double clothesline. Knight then hit a frogsplash to pin DKC. Really good, fast-paced action.
Kevin Knight and Kushida (4) defeated Ninja Mack and The DKC (2) at 9:51.
4. “House of Torture” Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2) vs. Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi (2) in an A Block tournament match. The HoT attacked before the bell. Dia and Taguchi have drawn marks on their foreheads. The heels stomped on the smaller Dia and worked him over. Kanemaru bodyslammed Dia on the thin mat at ringside at 3:30. In the ring, Kanemaru put Dia in a Boston Crab, but Dia eventually reached the ropes. Dia hit a dropkick on Sho, then an enzuigiri on Kanemaru. Taguchi got in at 6:30 and he slammed Sho’s head into Kanemaru’s groin. He put Sho in an ankle lock, but Sho quickly reached the ropes. Taguchi hit a snap suplex but he missed a running buttbump.
Sho hit a spear on Taguchi at 8:00. Kanemaru got his whiskey bottle, and Sho got his wrench, but Taguchi avoided being hit. Taguchi reapplied an ankle lock on Sho. Sho grabbed the ref. It allowed Kanemaru to jump in and hit an inverted DDT on Taguchi. Sho hit Taguchi in the head with Dragon Dia’s skateboard. Sho then hit the Shock Arrow cross-armed piledriver and scored the tainted pin on Taguchi. Decent; the usual HoT shenanigans.
Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4) defeated Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi (2) at 10:30.
5. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji. Sabre and Takagi opened with standing switches and a cautious feeling-out process. They switched to forearm strikes at 2:30, with Sabre hitting some European Uppercuts. Oiwa and Tsuji entered and tied up, with Oiwa grounding him with a headlock, then a leglock around the neck. LIJ began working over Oiwa in their corner. Oiwa hit a delayed vertical suplex on Shingo at 9:00. Sabre got the hot tag and tied Shingo in an Octopus Stretch, and he snapped Shingo’s neck between his ankles, then a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall.
Shingo hit a suplex and they were both down at 10:30. Shingo hit a suplex for a nearfall. Sabre applied a crossarm breaker, but Shingo quickly reached the ropes. Sabre hit a running Penalty Kick to the chest at 13:00. Oiwa tagged back in and hit a gut-wrench suplex on Shingo. Shingo hit a clothesline. Tsuji tagged in and hit a Mafia Kick on Oiwa, then a huracanrana and a shoulder tackle for a nearfall at 14:30. Oiwa hit a dropkick. Tsuji stomped on his head, then a powerbomb for a nearfall. Oiwa hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 17:30. Oiwa hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Shingo hit a clothesline on Oiwa. Oiwa hit a discus clothesline on Shingo, but Yota immediately hit the Gene Blaster spear on Oiwa for the pin. That was really fun.
Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa 19:04.
6. “Bullet Club” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori (2) vs. Rocky Romero and Yoh (4) in a B Block tournament match. Robbie and Rocky opened, and the BC worked Romero over early on. Robbie hit a slingshot senton at 3:00. Ishimori snapped Rocky’s left arm, and Romero writhed on the mat and sold the pain. Yoh got the hot tag at 6:00 and hit some flying forearms on each heel. Ishimori hit a shoulder breaker over is knee on Yoh (on his already taped shoulder!) and Yoh sold the pain. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow on Ishimori for a nearfall at 8:30. Ishimori hit his sliding German Suplex on Yoh, and Robbie hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall.
Rocky hit his Forever Clotheslines on the heels at 10:30. Ishimori hit a Lungblower move to the chest. Yoh hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Robbie. Rocky and Robbie began trading forearm strikes, and Rocky got some rollups. Robbie hit a Pele Kick at 13:00, but Romero blocked a Lethal Injection. Rocky hit a tornado DDT. Rocky hit an assisted Dominator faceplant for a nearfall, and suddenly all four were down. Yoh and Rocky hit their team Flatliner on Ishimori! Yoh superkicked Robbie. Rocky hit a top-rope Sliced Bread on Robbie for a believable nearfall at 15:30. Robbie hit the Lethal Injection on Yoh! Robbie hit a top-rope corkscrew splash on Romero, and Ishimori immediately hit a top-rope 450 Splash for the clean pin on Rocky. A really good match.
Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X (4) defeated Yoh and Rocky Romero (2) at 16:47.
7. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita (2) vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi (2) in an A Block tournament match. Bushi and Kosei opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. Eagles and Hiromu entered at 2:00, with Eagles getting the crowd fired up. Eagles hit a huracanrana. Fujita entered and traded chops with Hiromu, and this exchanged went on for a a bit. Bushi entered and tied Fujita in a Trailer Hitch leg lock at 7:30, but Fujita reached the ropes. Kosei hit a spin kick on Hiromu and they were both down. Eagles got the hot tag at 9:30 and he hit some Yes Kicks to Hiromu’s chest.
Bushi accidentally collided with Hiromu. Eagles powerbombed Hiromu and tied him in a leg lock, but Hiromu reached the ropes. Hiromu hit a belly-to-belly suplex, tossing Eagles onto the corner pad at 11:30, and they were both down. Both TMDK tied up the LIJ opponents. Bushi hit a Rewind Kick on Kosei, then a DDT. Robbie hit a mid-ring sliced Bread on Bushi. Kosei hit a German Suplex on Hiromu at 13:30 and suddenly everyone was down. Bushi hit a dropkick. He slammed Kosei’s knee against the mat and tied up Fujita’s legs. Meanwhile, Hiromu applied his modified Figure Four on Eagles. LIJ hit stereo superkicks. Bushi dove through the ropes and barreled into Eagles at 17:30. In the ring, Bushi got a rollup on Fujita for a nearfall. LIJ hit a team powerbomb on Fujita. Fujita got an O’Connor Roll, leaned back for leverage, and pinned Bushi. Good action.
Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles (4) defeated Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi (2) at 18:16.
Final Thoughts: I noted this yesterday — everyone seems to step up at an energized Korakuen Hall, and the top three matches really delivered. I’ll go with Ishimori/Robbie X’s tag for best, with the TMDK main event for a close second. The Shingo/Tsuji tag was really good non-tournament action and takes third. The show opening Velocities-Catch 2/2 was particularly good, too.
So, the tournament is already halfway over and Drilla/Connors are the only team at 3-0, while Tiger Mask/Suicida are the only eliminated team at 0-3. The tournament takes an off-day on Tuesday and is back in action on Wednesday, with just the A Block in tournament competition.
Be the first to comment