By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League”
December 2, 2024 in Kochi, Japan at Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is night nine 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 A Block is in tournament action. We have four teams that are 3-2 with the other four at 2-3, so no one has mathematically been eliminated yet.
This is a big gym and the floor is full; a second deck is sparsely filled. Walker Stewart provided solo commentary as the show began, and he announced that Shota Umino WILL compete tonight despite an ankle injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s show.
1. Shoma Kato vs. Daiki Nagai. Daiki dominated this match. However, Kato applied a Boston Crab late in the match, and Nagai tapped out.
Shoma Kato defeated Daiki Nagai at 9:27.
2. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Henare, and Great-O-Khan vs. “Bullet Club” Gedo, Stevie Filip, and Tome Filip. O-Khan and Stevie opened, with O-Khan hitting his Mongolian Chops. Young entered and hit a missile dropkick. The BC worked over Jakob. Henare got a hot tag at 5:30 and hit some shoulder tackles, then a senton on Tome. Gedo entered and hit some jab punches on Henare. However, Henare applied the Full Nelson, and Gedo submitted.
Jakob Austin Young, Henare, and Great-O-Khan defeated Gedo, Stevie Filip, and Tome Filip at 8:03.
3. “Just 4 Guys” Taichi, Douki, and Taka Michinoku vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, and Mikey Nicholls. Taichi and Haste opened. TMDK worked over Taka. Kosei hit a springboard dropkick for a nearfall at 4:00. TMDK took turns hitting blows in a corner on Taka. Taichi entered and hit a double clothesline at 6:30. Douki dove through the ropes on Kosei. Taka tried to lift Mikey but couldn’t. Mikey hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Taka got a rollup, leaned forward for added pressure, and pinned Mikey! A rare pin victory for Taka!
Taichi, Douki, and Taka Michinoku defeated Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, and Mikey Nicholls at 7:47.
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jado, and Katsuya Murashima vs. Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, and Tiger Mask. Boltin and Tanahashi opened, with Oleg knocking him down with a shoulder tackle. Yano entered and whipped each opponent into an exposed turnbuckle. Jado and Tiger Mask tied in a Figure Four. Jado hit a clothesline and they were both down at 6:00. Hiroshi entered and hit a flying forearm on Yano; Stewart reminded viewers they are members of the six-man tag champs. Hiroshi hit his second-rope somersault senton. Oleg tagged back in and flipped Tanahashi around in his arms, then the gut-wrench suplex at 8:00. Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Oleg. Murashima applied a Boston Crab on Oleg. Oleg hit a hard bodyslam on Murashima for a nearfall and he applied a Boston Crab. Oleg hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) and pinned Murashima. Decent action.
Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, and Tiger Mask defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jado, and Katsuya Murashima at 11:03.
5. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Bushi, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, EVIL, and Dick Togo. The HoT attacked before the bell and the action immediately went over the guardrail and into the crowd. In the ring, Narita tried to untie Bushi’s mask, and the HoT kept Bushi in their corner. Naito entered at 5:30 and hit a basement dropkick on EVIL. EVIL whipped Naito into an exposed corner. Togo hit his knife-edge chop on Hiromu’s groin at 8:30. Hiromu tied Togo in his standing Figure Four, then dropped to the mat, and Togo tapped out. Passable.
Bushi, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ren Narita, EVIL, and Dick Togo at 11:05.
* Mikey Nicholls joined Walker Stewart on commentary. Stewart said Shota’s ankle injury is minor and he’s good to go.
6. Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino (4) vs. “Bullet Club” Kenta and Chase Owens (4) in an A Block tournament match. The losing team will be eliminated. Shota and Honma came out first and were attacked from behind as they walked to the ring; I started my stopwatch at first contact, and they quickly brawled to ringside. Chase kicked Umino’s left leg, and Shota collapsed on the thin mat at ringside. Chase got a chair; Honma leapt onto Shota and took the chairshot to the back, rather than Shota taking one to the ankle! Chase still swung a chair that hit Shota’s ankle, and Umino writhed on the floor in pain. Kenta rolled Honma into the ring and we had a bell at 2:23 to officially begin. Honma hit a DDT-and-Flatliner combo. Chase knocked Umino off the ring apron, with Shota collapsing to the floor. Honma went for a flying Kokeshi headbutt, but Chase caught him with a C-Trigger jumping knee! Chase hit the Package Piledriver and pinned Honma! Shota technically never got in the match. Honma and Shota are officially eliminated at 2-4.
Kenta and Chase Owens (6) defeated Shota Umino and Tomoaki Honma (4) at 7:46/official time of 5:23.
7. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Sanada and Gabe Kidd (6) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Alex Zayne (4) in an A Block tournament match. Zayne and Sanada opened, with Alex hitting the Cinnamon Twist corkscrew senton. They all brawled past the guardrail and along the walls of the gym. Kidd and Alex fought on one side, while Taguchi and Sanada squared off. Kidd tossed a guardrail link onto Zayne at 3:00, and the ref finally started counting. Kidd and Taguchi got into the ring, with Kidd keeping Ryusuke grounded. Zayne whipped Gabe into rows of empty chairs at 7:00. Taguchi finally made the hot tag to Zayne, who traded punches with Sanada. Zayne dropped Gabe stomach-first on the guardrail, then hit a flipping axe kick on him!
In the ring, Taguchi hit a flying buttbump on Sanada. Zayne hit an enzuigiri on Kidd. Sanada put Taguchi in Skull End, but Zayne hit a running neckbreaker on Sanada to make the save at 10:30. Taguchi hit an enzuigiri on Kidd, then he put Sanada in an ankle lock. Zayne accidentally collided with Taguchi (this didn’t look ‘natural’). Sanada nailed a Shining Wizard on Taguchi, but he couldn’t hit Deadfall. Sanada hit a low blow mule kick and was immediately booed. He then hit the Deadfall (Jay White’s Blade Runner swinging faceplant) to pin Taguchi. Decent match. Taguchi and Zayne also fall to 2-4 and are eliminated, while Sanada and Kidd have risen to the top of the Block.
Sanada and Gabe Kidd (8) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Alex Zayne (4) at 13:12.
8. “Bishamon” Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto (6) vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb (6) in an A Block tournament match. Newman and Goto opened. Cobb stood on Goto’s chest on the floor at 3:00. Newman and Yoshi-Hashi traded forearm strikes in the ring. Cobb hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall on Yoshi-Hashi at 6:00. Goto entered and hit a spin kick in the corner on Cobb, then a bulldog for a nearfall. Cobb hit a suplex on Yoshi-Hashi, and Newman hit a running penalty kick at 9:30. Goto hit a hard clothesline on Callum, then a neckbreaker over his knee. Yoshi-Hashi hit a Dragon Suplex on Callum at 11:30, then a hard clothesline on Cobb. Bishamon hit the Shoto team slam on Callum for the clean pin. Good match but I had hoped for even more here. Even at 3-3, Cobb and Newman are officially eliminated because of tiebreakers. ALSO, Zack Sabre and Ryohei Oiwa are officially eliminated because of tiebreakers!
Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto (8) defeated Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb (6) at 12:11.
9. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (4) vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi (6) in an A Block tournament match. Tsuji and Oiwa opened with intense reversals on the mat. Sabre entered and twisted Tsuji’s ankle and tied him up on the mat. Shingo got in and brawled with Oiwa, and they traded forearm strikes at 9:00. Sabre got back in and hit some European Uppercuts on Takagi, then he snapped Shingo’s neck between his ankles. Shingo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 11:30, and Sabre collapsed to the mat. Sabre snapped Shingo’s left arm between his ankles, and Shingo sold the pain in his elbow.
Oiwa re-entered and hit a series of knee drops on Tsuji’s left knee. Oiwa hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 18:00; it felt like they might be going for a time-limit draw. Shingo set up for a Pumping Bomber, but Sabre blocked it. Moments later, Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber clothesline on Zack. Oiwa hit a German Suplex on Yota, then a second one for a nearfall as the 20:00 call was spot-on. Oiwa hit a frogsplash for a believable nearfall. Tsuji hit a jumping knee to Oiwa’s jaw. Tsuji hit the Marlow Crash (top-rope Stomp) on Oiwa, but Sabre made the save. Oiwa nailed a Doctor Bomb gut-wrench powerbomb on Tsuji for a believable nearfall at 23:00. Tsuji hit the Gene Blaster spear and everyone was down. Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber clothesline, and Tsuji hit a second Gene Blaster to pin Oiwa. The excellent match you expected between these two teams.
Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi (8) defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (4) at 24:12.
Final Thoughts: A thoroughly enjoyable main event, but I actually expected Oiwa and Sabre to win; I didn’t expect them to fall to 2-4. So, this means we have a three-way tie at 4-2, and presumably everyone else is eliminated. United Empire vs. Bishamon was good for second, and I acknowledge my disappointment with the match has more to do with the fact I was cheering for Cobb and Newman to win.
The tournament takes Tuesday off and resumes on Wednesday with Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Ren Narita and EVIL in the main event. As I look at the A block lineup for Thursday, I now presume Honma/Shota beat Shingo/Tsuji, which means the winner of Bishamon vs. Kidd/Sanada would win the Block as the only team at 5-2. We’ll see how it shakes out.
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