By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League” Night 3
November 24, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Machida City General Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
This was a large gym with a second tier, and it was fairly full with a crowd of perhaps 800. The lights were on, and it was easy to see. Chris Charlton provided commentary.
* 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. Just the A Block is in action for this show.
1. Zane Jay and “Monster Sauce” Alex Zayne and Lance Archer vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin. Charlton immediately said the UE “are united in name only” as he talked about how the faction is imploding. Archer and O-Khan opened, but all six were brawling just seconds in. Archer bodyslammed each of his teammates onto their opponents. Jakob attacked Zane on the floor. In the ring, O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops on Jay at 2:30 as the UE worked over Zane in their corner.
Zayne tagged in and hit the Cosmic Swirl (corkscrew senton) on Callum. Alex hit his jump-up Frankensteiner at 5:00. Callum missed a top-rope doublestomp. Zane hit a dropkick on Newman and went for a Boston Crab, but Callum escaped. Callum hit a spin kick to the head, then a doublestomp to pin Jay. Good action.
Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin defeated Zane Jay, Alex Zayne, and Lance Archer at 6:59.
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi, El Phantasmo, and Jado vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Hiromu Takahashi, David Finlay, and Gedo. Gedo and Jado opened. ELP and Finlay locked up. Finlay stomped on Jado in the corner. Hiromu entered at 3:30 and worked over Jado. Hiroshi tagged in and hit a flying forearm on Hiromu, then his second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Gedo, then he applied a vertical Texas Cloverleaf, and Gedo tapped out! That wrapped up quickly!
Hiroshi Tanahashi, El Phantasmo, and Jado defeated Hiromu Takahashi, David Finlay, and Gedo at 6:52.
3. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, and Daiki Nagai vs. “House of Torture” Sanada, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The HoT attacked before the bell, and we’re underway! Yuto-Ice battled Sanada and hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Those two brawled into the crowd. Meanwhile, Ren and Oskar also fought into the crowd. Ren got the ring bell hammer and struck Oskar in the head with it! In the ring, Kanemaru had a rear-naked choke on Yuto-Ice at 3:30. Oskar got a hot tag and cleared the ring.
Oskar choked Ren. Ren applied a sleeper but Oskar shrugged him off. He grabbed Sanada and Ren by their throats and hit a double-noggin-knocker. Sanada again ‘accidentally’ hit a low blow on Oskar. Daiki tagged in for the first time at 6:30 and hit a dropkick on Kanemaru, then a spinebuster for a nearfall. Kanemaru put Daiki in a Boston Crab, pulled him to the center of the ring, and Daiki tapped out. Decent.
Sanada, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Oskar, Yuto-Ice, and Daiki Nagai at 7:50.
* Lance Archer joined Charlton on commentary. His voice is far less gruff than when he’s cutting a short promo.
4. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson vs. Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, and Shoma Kato. Shota and Oiwa opened. Hartley beat up Shoma. Sabre entered and twisted Kato’s ankle. Kato hit a bodyslam at 3:30. Yuya entered and hit a flying knife-edge chop on Sabre and a bulldog for a nearfall. Oiwa and Sabre stomped on Yuya. Shota hit a shotgun dropkick. Yuya hit a dropkick on Sabre, and they were both down at 5:30.
Kato and Hartley tagged in, with Hartley hitting a flying crossbody block. He splashed Kato in the corner and clotheslined him for a nearfall. Kato hit a senton on Hartley, and he went for a Boston Crab, but Hartley quickly escaped. Hartley nailed the Jagged Edge (DVD) and pinned Kato. Good action; I said it the other day, but it’s clear the B Block just has a much better pool of wrestlers.
Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson defeated Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, and Shoma Kato at 7:37.
5. “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi (0) vs. “House of Torture” Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi (0) in an A Block tournament match. Chase and Goto opened, but Yujiro immediately jumped in. Yoshi-Hashi planted his foot in Chase’s throat. Charlton was explaining the history of how Chase joined the HoT this year (Lance clearly isn’t keeping up with NJPW storylines!). The HoT kept Goto grounded, with Yujiro hitting an inverted DDT for a nearfall at 4:30. Yoshi-Hashi finally got a hot tag and hit a standing neckbreaker on Yujiro for a nearfall.
Goto hit a back suplex on Chase for a nearfall at 7:30. Bishamon went for the Shoto team slam, but Yujiro broke it up. Yujiro hit a fisherman’s buster on Goto, and Chase immediately hit a running knee to Goto’s forehead for a nearfall. Chase set up for a package piledriver, but Goto escaped. Chase hit the C-Trigger running knee for a believable nearfall at 9:30, and the crowd finally came alive. Y-H and Yujiro traded forearm strikes. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Chase, and they hit Shoto to pin Chase.
Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi (2) defeated Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi (0) at 10:30.
6. Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg (2) vs. Taichi and Satoshi Kojima (2) in an A Block tournament match. After some shenanigans on who would start, Oleg and Kojima locked up. Kojima hit a DDT on Yano. Taichi got a hot tag at 4:30, and he kicked Yano. Taichi crashed into an exposed corner, but he hit a clothesline that dropped Yano. Oleg entered and hit a splash to the mat on Taichi, then he flipped Taichi around in his arms. Satoshi got back in and hit his rapid-fire chops on Oleg, then a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 8:30. Satoshi hit a clothesline that dropped Oleg, and he was fired up. Satoshi accidentally clotheslined Taichi. Oleg immediately hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) to pin Kojima. Fairly basic and slow; not bad but not particularly exciting, either.
Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg (4) defeated Taichi and Satoshi Kojima (2) at 11:01.
7. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney (2) vs. El Desperado and Shuji Ishikawa (0) in an A Block tournament match. I’ll reiterate that 50-year-old Shuji is a legit 6’5″ and 280 pounds — he’s a big guy! Lance said it’s his first time seeing him, too. He opened against Shingo, with Shingo hitting a big clothesline. Drilla hit some hard chops on Desperado. Shuji hit a second-rope doublestomp to Drilla’s chest for a nearfall at 6:00. Despe went for a Stretch Muffler, but Shingo reached the ropes. Shingo hit a suplex on Shuji for a nearfall at 9:30. They traded clotheslines. Takagi bodyslammed Despe. Shingo and Drilla hit stereo top-rope elbow drops.
Drilla tried a Gore on Shuji, but Shuji just blocked it. Moments later, Drilla hit the Gore for a nearfall at 11:30. Despe hit a spinebuster on Shingo, but Drilla immediately hit a spinebuster on Desperado. Shuji then clotheslined Drilla, and they were all down. Moloney picked up Shuji for the Drilla Killa, but Despe made the save. Shuji slammed Drilla for a nearfall. Shingo and Despe traded forearm strikes. Despe hit team powerbomb on Shingo. Shuji hit a running knee on Moloney for a nearfall. He hit another hard running knee for a believable nearfall at 14:30; I thought that was it. Shuji hit a back suplex on Moloney for the pin. That was really good; that probably should have headlined the show.
El Desperado and Shuji Ishikawa (2) defeated Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney (2) at 14:51.
8. “House of Torture” EVIL and Don Fale (w/Dick Togo) (2) vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji (0) in an A Block tournament match. The HoT came out first; the UBC attacked, and we’re underway, but we haven’t had a bell. They brawled into the crowd. Kidd hit a chair across EVIL’s back at 2:00. EVIL threw a chair at Kidd’s head. EVIL and Kidd got in the ring and we had a bell at 3:15 to officially begin. Fale stomped on Kidd. EVIL choked Kidd with a small chain. On the floor, Togo whipped Tsuji with a corner pad.
Tsuji entered the match for the first time at 8:00, and he hit a flipping powerbomb on EVIL for a nearfall. EVIL hit a fisherman’s suplex on Yota for a nearfall. Lance noted he’s fought each of the four at least once. Yota stomped on EVIL’s head at 11:00. EVIL pushed Yota into the ref. Togo jumped in the ring and helped stomp on Yota; EVIL and Togo hit a Magic Killer, and EVIL got a nearfall. EVIL hit a Darkness Falls powerbomb for a nearfall at 12:30. Kidd and Fale got in, and Gabe unloaded some chops, then a clothesline in the corner, then a basement dropkick to the face in the corner. Gabe hit a moonsault for a nearfall.
Togo tripped Kidd, allowing Fale to hit a running splash in the corner. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Kidd’s groin, and Fale got a nearfall at 15:30. Fale hit the Grenade (pop-up punch) on Kidd, and he set up for a Razor’s Edge, but Yota made the save. Fale hit a double shoulder tackle that dropped the UBC. The UBC hit stereo headbutts on Fale, then front-and-back kicks on Fale. Gabe hit a Rebound Lariat while Yota was also hitting a Gene Blaster, and Kidd pinned Fale. That topped expectations.
Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji (2) defeated EVIL and Don Fale (2) at 17:14/official time of 13:59.
* Kidd got on the mic and swore a lot, saying they run things here.
Final Thoughts: Yes, Shingo/Drilla vs. Despe/Shuji was the best match. It appears I wasn’t alone in not being familiar with Shuji before this tournament. Yes, he’s a step slower, and he looks his age of 50, but he has such size and power. It was fun seeing the interaction between Desperado and Shingo; the juniors don’t get a chance enough against the heavyweights. The main event wasn’t great, but it was good and topped my expectations. There are still a lot of guys in this Block that don’t interest me — Yano, Kojima, Owens, and Yujiro — and the first two tournament matches aren’t really worth checking out.
I’m really glad the English-speaking wrestlers continue to hop into the booth to help out Charlton. I enjoyed Archer’s insights, and he does a great job in calling kayfabe action, even though it was evident he wasn’t up to speed on the storylines. The tournament has kicked into high gear, and the B Block will be back in action on Tuesday, with Uemura and Umino vs. Sabre and Oiwa in the main event!
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