By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Junior Team League – Night 6”
October 31, 2024 in Toyama, Japan at Techno Hall West Building Center
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. This is another large gym with all seating on the floor. The crowd is maybe 600 but it does appear at capacity.
* 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 6 of the tournament, and the B Block is in action with three tournament matches. So, any team that falls to 1-3 today will be eliminated.
1. Masatora Yasuda and Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima and Daiki Nagai. Nagai and Murashima were shoving each other before the bell. Yasuda and Murashima traded hard overhand chops at 6:30. Murashima hit a shoulder tackle and was fired up. Murashima applied a Boston Crab, and Yasuda tapped out. Okay. Murashima has a wider body and seems to be the most advanced of these four.
Katsuya Murashima and Daiki Nagai defeated Masatora Yasuda and Shoma Kato at 9:23.
2. Toru Yano, Capitan Suicida, and Tiger Mask vs. Tomoaki Honma, Dragon Dia, and Ryusuke Taguchi. Dia and Suicida opened and traded fast-paced reversals; they both went for a dropkick and had a standoff. Tiger Mask and Taguchi entered at 1:30. Suicida hit a flip dive to the floor onto his opponents. In the ring, Tiger Mask hit a butterfly suplex on Taguchi at 3:00, then a backbreaker over his knee. Yano and Honma entered and traded shoulder tackles. Yano got a rollup for the pin. Yuck. At least it was short.
Toru Yano, Capitan Suicida, and Tiger Mask defeated Tomoaki Honma, Dragon Dia, and Ryusuke Taguchi at 6:32.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Robbie Eagles vs. “House of Torture” Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Yujiro Takahashi. The HoT attacked from behind. Kosei hit a dropkick on Sho. The HoT began working over Fujita in their corner. Eagles finally got a hot tag at 5:30 and he cleared the ring. He gave Kanemaru a drop-toe-hold, sending him crashing headfirst into Sho’s groin. Sho hit a spear on Eagles at 7:30. Eagles hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread and they were both down. Oiwa and Yujiro entered, with Oiwa hitting a dropkick. Yujiro hit an inverted DDT on Oiwa. Yujiro hit a diving headbutt to Oiwa’s groin at 10:00. He got his staff, but Oiwa avoided it. Fujita hit a springboard double dropkick. Fujita and Eagles hit stereo moonsaults from the apron to the floor. In the ring, Oiwa hit a discus clothesline and pinned Yujiro. Good action, actually; on the high end of what you can expect from a HoT match.
Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Robbie Eagles defeated Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Yujiro Takahashi at 10:47.
* Sho struck Fujita with his wrench on Fujita’s damaged shoulder after the match! That shoulder is already taped up!
4. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Clark Connors. The BCWD attacked before the bell. Connors brawled with Bushi in the ring while the other four fought on the floor. Gedo got a bell hammer and struck Naito with it. Drilla and Hiromu were fighting amongst the fans. In the ring, Naito hit a tornado DDT on Drilla at 4:00. Hiromu hit a shotgun dropkick that sent Connors flying backwards into Drilla. Hiromu hit a Falcon Arrow on Drilla. Drilla nailed a spinebuster on Bushi at 6:30. Gedo got back in and hit some jab punches on Bushi. Bushi tied Gedo in a Figure Four, and Gedo tapped out. Decent brawl.
Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Clark Connors at 7:46.
5. Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino vs. “Just 5 Guys” Sanada, Douki, and Taichi. Shota’s team attacked to open. He hit a flying forearm on Sanada. Sanada hit a dropkick. Douki entered and twisted Shota’s left arm. Shota hit a dropkick on Taichi at 4:00. Wato entered and hit a bulldog on Douki for a nearfall. Douki applied the Douki Chokey (modified Triangle Choke) but Wato reached the ropes. Taichi worked over Jado. Sanada hit a Shining Wizard on Jado, then he applied a Skull End (dragon sleeper) and Jado tapped out. Passable.
Sanada, Douki, and Taichi defeated Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino at 8:27.
6. Rocky Romero and Yoh (4) vs. Ninja Mack and The DKC (2) in a B Block tournament match. DKC and Rocky opened. Yoh and Mack locked up at 2:30. Mack hit some deep armdrags. Yoh and Romero each did some comedy of running on their knees to hug their teammate in the corner. DKC hit a head-scissors takedown. Yoh hit a plancha to the floor on DKC at 5:00. In the ring, Rocky hit some chops and forearms on DKC, and they worked DKC over.
Mack hit a superkick on Yoh on the floor at 9:00. In the ring, Mack applied a rear-naked choke on the mat and kept Yoh grounded. Rocky hit a Lungblower to Mack’s back at 11:30, and Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Mack nailed the Sasake Special to the floor on his opponents at 13:00. In the ring, he hit a corkscrew senton on Romero for a nearfall, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. DKC and Mack hit front-and-back kicks on Yoh. Rocky hit his Forever Clotheslines on Mack. Mack and DKC hit superkicks on Yoh. DKC hit a senton on Rocky at 15:30, then his knife-edge chops to Yoh’s chest. Mack hit his top-rope 630 Senton and scored the pin on Romero! Good match.
Ninja Mack and DKC (4) defeated Yoh and Rocky Romero (4) at 15:49.
7. “Jet Setters” Kevin Knight and Kushida (4) vs. “Velocities” Jude London and Paris De Silva (2) in a B Block tournament match. The JS are back in their yellow gear, after wearing blue a day ago. Knight and De Silva opened with an intense lockup. Kushida and London tied up at 1:30. London dove to the floor onto his opponents. The Velocities tied up Kushida in the middle of the ring, with De Silva applying an Octopus Stretch at 5:30. Kushida finally hit a handspring-back-double elbow. Knight got the hot tag and hit bodyslams on each opponent. He hit his dropkick to London’s jaw, then a backbreaker over his knee on De Silva. Knight hit a springboard double clothesline at 7:30.
The Velocities hit stereo Helluva Kicks in opposite corners. De Silva hit a plancha to the floor on Knight. London hit a spinning back kick to the back of Kushida’s head for a nearfall at 9:00. De Silva hit a huracanrana on Knight, but he missed a Shooting Star Press. Knight hit a D’Lo-style Sky High. Knight hit his jump-up Frankensteiner. Knight set up for his frogsplash, but De Silva grabbed his ankle to keep him in the corner. Meanwhile, London got a flash rollup to pin Kushida! Good action, and a big victory over the IWGP Junior Tag Team champs.
Jude London and Paris De Silva (4) defeated Kevin Knight and Kushida (4) at 10:48.
8. “Catch 2/2” TJP and Francesco Akira (2) vs. “Bullet Club” Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X (4) in a B Block tournament match. The BC came out first; they attacked C2/2 before they had even removed their robes. Robbie hit an assisted standing moonsault on Akira. TJP suplexed teammate Akira onto Robbie X for a nearfall. TJP snapped Robbie’s left arm backward at 2:30 and C2/2 began working Robbie over in their corner. They went to the floor, where Ishimori whipped Akira head-first into the ring post at 4:00. Robbie hit a slingshot senton on Akira. Ishimori snapped Akira’s neck between his ankles. TJP got a hot tag and hit a springboard flying forearm, then some rolling suplexes on Robbie. Akira tagged back in at 9:30 and he hit some forearm strikes on Robbie and a head-scissors takedown. He hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall.
Ishimori hit a Lungblower move to the chest, and Robbie hit a Lionsault on Akira for a nearfall at 11:00. Akira hit a doublestomp to Ishimori’s chest. Robbie hit a superkick on Akira; Akira hit one back. Robbie hit a standing powerbomb on Akira. Ishimori went for a handspring-back-spin kick, but TJP caught Ishimori’s leg. Ishimori tied TJP in the Bone Lock at 13:00, but TJP escaped and got a rollup. TJP tied Ishimori in the Pinoy Stretch. Ishimori hit a superplex on Akira. TJP hit a tornado DDT on Robbie at 14:30. Robbie hit a Pele Kck on TJP. Ishimori hit his sliding German Suplex. Robbie hit a superkick on TJP. Robbie went for his top-rope Phoenix Splash, but TJP got his knees up to block it. C2/2 hit their team X-Factor face plant on Ishimori. They hit their front-and-back running kicks and scored the pin on Ishimori. Another fantastic match from C2/2 here; this makes my ‘top 10 of the tournament’ list.
TJP and Francesco Akira (4) defeated Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X (4) at 16:08.
Final Thoughts: A really, really good main event that easily takes match of the night, but all three tournament matches were good. I don’t mean to keep bashing how poorly the Blocks were divided, but a day ago, we had Ryusuke Taguchi in a main event, riding a skateboard on his butt and looking like a cartoon character. It’s just not evenly divided. The downside, of course, is all six teams are 2-2, and I’m not even going to look at tie-breaker scenarios. The tournament resumes Friday with the A Block in their final round-robin match.
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