By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League”
November 22, 2025, in Kanagawa, Japan, at Fujisawa City Chichibunomiya Memorial Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is a really large gym, and it’s fairly packed with a crowd of maybe 1,200. There is a second level that is also fairly full. Chris Charlton provided commentary; he said Drilla Moloney will join him later. He also said they are at a near-sellout, which seems accurate.
* This year’s tournament features 16 teams, divided into two Blocks of eight squads. It’s a round-robin tournament, so each team has seven matches. The winners of each Block will then face off in the finals. There are teams from the House of Torture and three teams from the “Unaffiliated Bullet Club,” with a member each of the Bullet Club and the former LIJ faction. Today, just the B Block is in tournament action (and it’s clear to me that the B Block is going to give us much better tournament matches.)
1. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway! Yujiro chopped Goto. The babyfaces pounded on Kanemaru’s back. Matsumoto entered at 2:00 and battled Yujiro. Chase bodyslammed Matsumoto on the thin mat at ringside, and the heels took over and kept the Young Lion in their corner. Kanemaru hit a suplex for a nearfall at 4:00.
Yoshi-Hashi got a hot tag and beat up Owens. He hit a running Headhunter on Yujiro. Yoshi-Hashi hit a superkick on Owens; Chase hit a clothesline onto Yoshi-Hashi, and they were both down. Kanemaru and Matsumoto re-entered at 6:00, with Tatsuya hitting a dropkick. Kanemaru hit a basement dropkick on Matsumoto’s knee, and he applied a half-crab in the center of the ring, but the Young Lion crawled to the ropes. Kanemaru applied a Figure Four, and Matsumoto tapped out. Basic but fine.
Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto, Hirooki Goto, and Yoshi-Hashi at 8:21.
2. Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg and Katsuya Murashima vs. Taichi and Satoshi Kojima and Masatora Yasuda. Taichi and Murashima opened, with Taichi hitting a stiff kick to the spine. Taichi was thrown to the floor and sold a knee injury. He got back into the ring, and Oleg stomped on him and chopped him. Yano entered and kicked at the damaged knee. Kojima tagged in at 3:30, and he hit his rapid-fire chops on Yano, then an elbow drop for a nearfall. Oleg re-entered and knocked Kojima down with a shoulder tackle, then he flipped him around in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex at 5:00.
Oleg went for Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll), but Satoshi escaped. Yasuda hit a shotgun dropkick on Oleg. Oleg hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Taichi flipped Yasuda onto Oleg for a nearfall. Yasuda applied a Boston Crab at 7:00, but Oleg quickly got to the ropes. Yasuda hit a dropkick and went for a huracanrana, but Oleg blocked it and nailed a standing powerbomb for the pin. Solid.
Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg and Katsuya Murashima defeated Taichi and Satoshi Kojima and Masatora Yasuda at 7:39.
3. Shoma Kato, Shuji Ishikawa, and El Desperado vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, and Drilla Moloney. Despe and Drilla opened and traded shoulder blocks. Drilla hit a dropkick at 1:30. Shingo and Ishikawa entered. Again, I saw Shuji for the first time on Thursday, and he’s huge! He might be 6’4″. (Yep, Cagematch.net lists him at 6’5″ and 286 pounds.) Those two traded chops; I just didn’t expect him to be that much bigger than Shingo. Shingo hit a suplex, and they were both down. Shoma and Nagai entered at 4:00.
Moloney hit a delayed vertical suplex on Kato. Shoma hit some forearm strikes. Despe hit a doublestomp to Moloney’s chest, then Ishikawa hit a doublestomp to the chest! Kato applied a Boston Crab on Drilla. Moloney nailed a spinebuster on Kato. Moloney hit a top-rope elbow drop on Kato, then the Drilla Killa (swinging piledriver) to pin Kato. I’ll reiterate that the move looks awesome, and no one in NJPW has ever kicked out of it.
Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, and Drilla Moloney defeated Shoma Kato, Shuji Ishikawa, and El Desperado at 8:03.
4. “House of Torture” EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo. The HoT came out first. The UBC charged into the ring and attacked, and we’re underway! Kidd hit a senton on Togo, and Gedo got a nearfall. EVI whipped Yota into the guardrail, and he shoved a mic into Yota’s face. Fale stood on Gedo’s back, and the HoT worked over Gedo. The bell rang at 3:25, but of course, it was just Togo hitting the bell. EVIL celebrated nonetheless.
Kidd got in and clotheslined Togo in the corner at 5:30. Togo offered a handshake; Kidd responded with a punch to the jaw and a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall. Yota low-bridged the top rope to send Fale to the floor at 7:00. Kidd hit a jumping piledriver to pin Togo. At least it didn’t overstay its welcome.
Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo defeated EVIL, Dick Togo, and Don Fale at 7:13.
5. “Monster Sauce” Lance Archer and Alex Zayne vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita and Sanada in a B Block tournament match. Archer and Narita opened. I’ll note that Archer and Zayne have teamed in a prior World Tag League and at least a few times in North America. Archer slammed Zayne onto Narita. Alex hit a dropkick at 1:30, then a springboard knee drop to the back. They fought to the floor, and Zayne was whipped into the guardrail. In the ring, Ren choked Zayne and kept him grounded.
On the floor, Ren jabbed Zayne in the gut with a chair at 4:00. In the ring, Sanada stomped on Zayne. Ren walked over to Archer and sprayed fluid in his eyes, and the heels continued to work over Zayne. Zayne hit his standing corkscrew press. Archer tagged in at 5:30 and beat up both of the smaller heels, hitting running back elbows in opposite corners. Lance set up for Blackout, but Ren escaped. Sanada hit a dropkick, and he low-bridged Archer to the floor. Sanada missed a moonsault but landed on his feet. He ‘unintentionally’ hit a low blow on Archer and got a guitar.
Sanada swung it, but Archer blocked it. Archer accidentally struck the ref, and Sanada immediately hit a low blow mule kick. Kanemaru ran to the ring, but he accidentally sprayed whiskey in Sanada’s eyes! Archer hit a Black Hole Slam on Narita. Sanada got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a believable nearfall. Archer chokeslammed Sanada. Archer flipped Zayne onto Sanada, then Archer made the cover for the pin! Good action.
Lance Archer and Alex Zayne (2) defeated Sanada and Ren Narita (0) at 9:06.
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan in a B Block tournament match. I’ll reiterate that Callum is growing increasingly frustrated with the UE’s losing streak. O-Khan and Oiwa opened and traded some intense reversals. The action went to the floor, with Callum whipping Oiwa into the guardrail, while Sabre and O-Khan also fought at ringside. In the ring, the UE worked over Sabre. Newman barked at the ref again. Oiwa got a hot tag and hit some dropkicks at 7:00. Sabre hit a series of European Uppercuts on O-Khan. Newman clocked Oiwa with a running knee.
Oiwa hit a double clothesline at 10:00. Sabre tagged in and hit a running Penalty Kick on O-Khan for a nearfall, then he applied an Octopus Stretch, but O-Khan escaped and applied a sleeper. They traded kicks to the sternum. O-Khan put Sabre along his back, spun, and slammed him stomach-first for a nearfall at 12:00. Oiwa and Newman brawled on the floor. Sabre hit a Pele Kick to O-Khan’s shoulder. Oiwa hit a German Suplex on O-Khan, with Sabre floating over and rolling up O-Khan for the pin. Nice, fluid move for the finish. The camera shows a frustrated Newman storming to the back; is he going to turn on O-Khan on the final night of the tournament?
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (2) defeated Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan (0) at 13:03.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo vs. Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino in a B Block tournament match. ELP and Shota opened. They traded quick reversals and had a standoff. Tanahashi and Yuya locked up at 2:00. Tanahashi hit a second-rope twisting crossbody block on Yuya and played some air guitar. Yuya and Shota stomped on Tanahashi’s right knee. Shota hit some elbow drops on the knee. They got up and traded forearm strikes; Shota hit another kick on the right knee to drop Tanahashi. Yuya hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 6:00.
Shota hit a Dragoonscrew Legwhip and applied an STF at 7:30, and he switched to a half-crab, but Hiroshi got to the ropes. ELP hit a plancha, then a Lionsault on Yuya for a nearfall at 9:30. Yuya fired back with a back suplex, and they were both down. ELP hit an enzuigiri, and he made the hot tag to Tanahashi at 11:30. Hiroshi bodyslammed Shota, then Yuya, and he hit a second-rope somersault senton across both opponents! He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Shota. Hiroshi and ELP applied stereo Texas Cloverleafs at 13:00! Shota eventually reached the ropes.
Shota hit a second-rope superplex on ELP, and Yuya hit a frog splash for a nearfall, but Tanahashi made the save. Yuya and Shota hit stereo dropkicks. Umino hit a running knee to ELP’s jaw for a believable nearfall at 15:30. ELP got a crucifix rollup for a nearfall. He set up for CR2, but Shota escaped. Yuya hit a Dragon Suplex on ELP, then a plancha to the floor on Tanahashi. Shota nailed his Snow Plow Driver on ELP for the pin. A really good match.
Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino (2) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo (0) at 17:18.
8. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Hiromu Takahashi and David Finlay vs. “Bullet Club” Yuto-Ice and Oskar in a B Block tournament match. I’ll remind readers that it was Finlay who went out and brought the New Blood duo back to NJPW and into the Bullet Club. Yuto-Ice and Hiromu opened. Finlay slammed Hiromu onto Yuto-Ice. Finlay targeted Yuto-Ice’s left arm. Oskar and Yuto-Ice began working over Takahashi in their corner. Oskar hit some loud chops. Yuto-Ice hit a series of roundhouse kicks to the chest and a running knee to the face in the corner at 5:30.
Finlay whipped Hiromu into the corner on their opponents, then he slammed Hiromu stomach-first onto Oskar. (This happened Thursday, too; Finlay is just using Hiromu as a weapon.) Oskar bodylammed Finlay at 7:30 and hit a senton for a nearfall, and he applied a sleeper. Finlay hit a back suplex and they were both down at 9:30. Yuto-Ice and Takahashi got in and traded chops. Yuto-Ice hit more roundhouse kicks to the chest.
Finlay once again scooped up Hiromu and powerbombed him over the top rope and onto Oskar on the floor at 12:30. (Again, he did that Thursday.) Finlay and Yuto-Ice traded kicks and forearm strikes. Finlay hit the Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee. Hiromu hit a DVD on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall at 14:00. Yuto-Ice fired back with a buzzsaw kick to the head for a nearfall. Hiromu superkicked Yuto-Ice. Finlay made a blind tag; Yuto-Ice didn’t see it. Yuto rolled up Hiromu, and the ref didn’t count. Finlay flew in, rolled up Yuto-Ice out of nowhere, and scored the flash pin. A really good match.
David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi (2) defeated Oskar and Yuto-Ice (0) at 16:16.
Final Thoughts: I was really, really down on Super Junior Tag League; the second night of that tournament didn’t have a single good match. But I’m really upbeat about this year’s World Tag League, and in particular, this B Block is stacked and loaded with wrestlers I want to see. The Yuya/Shota vs. Tanahashi/ELP match narrowly earns best match ahead of the main event. The TMDK match was third here, but it would have been second-best if it had been on Thursday’s A Block show.
The tournament doesn’t have too many days off, but we have another one on Sunday before it kicks into high gear with nearly daily events. As I noted, the best match of the A Block on paper (Kidd/Yota vs. Shingo/Moloney) has already happened, so I do see some ugly days ahead for the A Block. Anyhow, Monday’s show features Kidd/Yota vs. EVIL/Fale in the main event.
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