By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League – Night 2”
November 21, 2024 in Chiba, Japan at Funabashi Arena
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is night two of the 15-show, month-long tournament. This year’s field features 16 teams in two eight-team Blocks. It is a round-robin tournament, so each team has seven matches in the Block round. Tonight, just the B Block is in tournament action.
Like night one, this is a big, empty gym, with no one seated in a second deck. The crowd is maybe 500; they are starting this tour off with some small crowds. Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary.
1. Masatora Yasuda vs. Nagai Dakai. Basic mat-based action from the Young Lions. Yasuda applied a Boston Crab late in the match, but Dakai held on until the bell sounded, and he didn’t tap out.
Masatora Yasuda vs. Nagai Dakai ended in a time-limit draw at 10:00.
2. Katsuya Murashima, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Alex Zayne vs. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young. The more I think about it, Ryusuke Taguchi is the worst possible mystery partner Zayne could have had. Ugh. Zayne and Cobb opened, and Jeff knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Jakob entered and hit a missile dropkick on Zayne for a nearfall. Jakob brawled with Murashima. Cobb hit a standing moonsault on Murashima. Newman hooked Katsuya’s leg and hit a brainbuster for the pin. Okay.
Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young defeated Katsuya Murashima, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Alex Zayne at 6:07.
3. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gedo, Sanada, and Gabe Kidd vs. “Bullet Club” Taiji Ishimori, Kenta, and Chase Owens. I think this is the first time we’ve ever had Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club War Dogs; frankly, I’m surprised these teams aren’t in opposite Blocks. Ishimori and Gedo were set to lock up, but Kidd and Sanada jumped in the ring and attacked Ishimori. I really wasn’t sure if these teams were going to fight, but they are! Sanada whipped Ishimori into a guardrail, and they fought into the crowd. Gedo raked Ishimori’s face in the ring. Owens and Gedo fought in the ring. Chase hit a running knee to the jaw to pin Gedo. A heatless match; the crowd wasn’t going to cheer for either. Just bizarre to see them have an actual fight.
Taiji Ishimori, Kenta, and Chase Owens defeated Gedo, Sanada, and Gabe Kidd at 7:25.
4) Shoma Kato and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Bushi and Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji. Shingo and Yoshi-Hashi immediately started brawling and this is already better than the first three matches. LIJ began working over Kato. Kato hit a dropkick on Yota at 5:30. Goto got a hot tag and battled Tsuji. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Yoshi-Hashi, then one on Goto. Bushi and Kato re-entered and fought. Shingo hit a double clothesline on Bishamon. Bushi hit a back suplex on Kato, then he applied a Boston Crab at 9:00. Kato nearly got to the ropes, but Bushi pulled him back to the center of the ring, and Kato tapped out.
Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji defeated Shoma Kato, Hirooki Goto, and Yoshi-Hashi at 9:17.
5. Tiger Mask, Shota Umino, and Tomoaki Honma vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita, and Ryohei Oiwa. Oiwa and Honma opened and traded forearms and chops. Sabre entered and snapped Honma’s neck between his ankles at 2:30, and he applied a leglock around Honma’s neck. Honma hit a double DDT. Sabre snapped Umino’s neck between his ankles, too. Sabre hit a Pele Kick on Umino’s shoulder at 6:30. Tiger Mask and Oiwa entered. Honma hit a Kokeshi on Oiwa. Tiger Mask hit a buzzsaw kick to Oiwa’s head. Oiwa hit a discus clothesline for the pin. Basic.
Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita, and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Tiger Mask, Shota Umino, and Tomoaki Honma at 9:35.
6. Jado and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Stevie Filip and Tome Filip in a B Block tournament match. Interesting; the Filips are listed on the NJPW website as “Bullet Club Rogue Army.” Well, I guess that explains why there are two Bullet Club tag teams in the A Block, as there are technically three Bullet Club teams overall in the tournament. Tanahashi opened with a Filip and they posed before locking up. The Filips collided mid-ring. The Filips tied up Jado’s leg on the mat and kept him grounded, and they tied Jado’s knees around the ring post. This is dull. Tanahashi got in and hit his second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall at 8:30. He hit a Twist and Shout neckbreaker, then a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Jado and the other Filip got back in. Jado hit a DDT out of the ropes for a nearfall at 11:00. He applied a crossface, but the Filip reached the ropes. The Filip brother applied a Figure Four, and Jado tapped out. Ugh.
Stevie Filip and Tome Filip (2) defeated Jado and Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) at 12:50.
7. “Just 4 Guys” Taka Michinoku and Taichi vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan and Henare in a B Block tournament match. Henare and Taka opened. Henare hit a senton for a nearfall. O-Khan entered and hit his Mongolian Chops. Henare applied a Full Nelson. Taka hit a Shining Wizard. Taichi entered and hit some spin kicks on Henare, then a clothesline at 5:30. They traded blows. Henare hit a Blue Thunder Bomb and they were both down. He applied a Cobra Clutch-style submission hold on the mat, but Taichi reached the ropes at 7:30. O-Khan put Taichi along his back and spun him to the mat and got a nearfall. J4G hit stereo supekicks. Taichi hit another superkick on O-Khan. Taichi hit a Black Mephisto (Air Raid Crash) and pinned O-Khan! A mild upset, as the UE are tag champs!
Taka Michinoku and Taichi (2) defeated Great-O-Khan and Henare (0) at 10:47.
8. Boltin Oleg and Toru Yano vs. “House of Torture” EVIL and Ren Narita in a B Block tournament match. The HoT came out first; they attacked Yano and Oleg as the babyfaces got in the ring, and the action immediately spilled to the floor. In the ring, Oleg hit a double shoulder tackle. The HoT hit a team suplex on Oleg on the thin mat at ringside at 2:00. Back in the ring, the heels worked over Yano. Oleg got a hot tag at 5:00 and he hit some running shoulder tackles, then a gut-wrench suplex on Narita. Oleg hit a double suplex at 7:30.
Yano got back in and began removing corner pads. Yano hit a belly-to-belly suplex on EVIL. Oleg hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on EVIL. Dick Togo hopped in the ring as the ref was bumped, and he helped beat down Yano. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Yano’s groin; the ref got back in and counted a nearfall at 10:00. Oleg hit a double dropkick. Yano got a rollup on EVIL but the ref got bumped AGAIN. Togo and EVIL hit a team Magic Killer swinging slam. EVIL then covered Yano for the tainted pin. This match played out exactly as you would have expected going in.
EVIL and Ren Narita (2) defeated Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg (0) at 11:03.
9. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls in a B Block tournament match. Walker Stewart noted that TMDK are on a losing streak in recent weeks, having lost both of their NJPW tag title belts within the same week to different opponents. Hiromu and Nicholls opened. Nicholls hit a spinebuster at 2:30. Haste tagged in and whipped Hiromu into a guardrail. Naito finally entered at 6:30 and battled Haste; Stewart reminded us that Haste scored a pin on Naito earlier this year. Haste hit a dropkick and they were both down.
Naito hit a tornado DDT at 10:00 and they were both down. Naito hit a huracanrana on Nicholls. Hiromu hit a basement dropkick on Nicholls and got a nearfall. Haste hit a sit-out powerbomb on Hiromu for a nearfall at 12:00. Hiromu hit a double DDT. Mikey hit a discus clothesline on Naito, and TMDK hit a team powerbomb move on Naito for a nearfall at 14:30. Naito hit a Destino on Nicholls but didn’t go for a cover. He got a jackknife rollup on Haste. Naito hit a tornado DDT on Haste, then a Destino to pin Haste. Good match. The TMDK losing streak continues.
Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi (2) defeated Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls (0) at 16:11.
* Naito got on the mic but didn’t say anything really of value.
Final Thoughts: A good main event. But like night one, there are just too many teams that you just can’t take seriously in this tournament, and nothing else really stood out. I wasn’t overly surprised to see Taichi get a win, even though O-Khan and Henare are the new tag champs. I would frankly be surprised if Jado, Tomoaki Honma, Taka Mchinoku or Ryusuke Taguchi score any pins in tournament action, but their partners (like Taichi in this case!) undoubtedly will.
I am just so disappointed this field is filled with numerous makeshift tag teams. I noted in my night 1 review that AEW could have sent the Dark Order or The Righteous. Well, how about top free agent tag teams like the West Coast Wrecking Crew or Violence is Forever? If Anthony Henry hadn’t gotten injured, the Workhorsemen would have been a perfect choice for a spot here. Or the Infantry could have benefitted from a trip here. NJPW could have paired Zayne with a mystery partner Tanahashi… and we could have a tournament without Taguchi or Jado.
This 15-show tournament plays out in just over a three-week span. So, the A Block is right back in action on Friday, headlined by Bishamon vs. Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji. The B Block will be back in action on Saturday with Naito and Takahashi headlining again, this time against Yano and Oleg.
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