By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League”
November 28, 2025, in Aomori, Japan, at Kakuhiro Group Athletic Stadium
Streamed live on New Japan World
This was a fairly large gym with a crowd of maybe 600-800; the upper tier was empty. The lights were on and it’s easy to see. Walker Stewart is back and he provided commentary. Sadly, no one joined him later, so he did the whole show solo.
* 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. Today, just the B Block is in tournament action. Because only one team advances from each Block, any team that loses its third match is all but mathematically eliminated. I’ll reiterate that the B Block is far and away better than the A Block, and I’m intrigued to see what we get today.
1. “House of Torture” Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Daiki Nagai and “War Dragons” Drilla Moloney and Shingo Takagi. The HoT came out first and attacked as the WD entered the ropes. Drilla dropkicked Yujiro. Shingo entered at 2:00 and hit some shoulder tackles and cleared the ring. Daiki hit a Spinebuster on Chase. Chase hit a Package Piledriver out of nowhere to pin Daiki. Quick and to the point.
Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Daiki Nagai, Drilla Moloney, and Shingo Takagi at 4:30.
2. “House of Torture” EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo vs. Taichi, Satoshi Kojima, and Masatora Yasuda. The HoT once again attacked before the bell, and we’re underway. Fale and Taichi immediately traded forearm strikes, and Fale hit some punches to the gut. EVIL entered and choked Taichi. Kojima backed Togo into a corner at 3:00 and hit his rapid-fire chops and hit an elbow drop for a nearfall. Yasuda hit a dropkick on EVIL. EVIL nailed Yasuda with a hard clothesline and pinned him. Just like the last time the mediocre A Block had preview tags on Night 4, these are wrapping up quickly, and I’m perfectly okay with that.
EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo defeated Taichi, Satoshi Kojima, and Masatora Yasuda at 5:35.
3. El Desperado, Shuji Ishikawa, and Shoma Kato vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, and Tatsuya Matsumoto. Despe and Yoshi-Hashi opened. Shuji hit a shoulder tackle that dropped both Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. The Young Lions entered at 2:00 and traded forearm strikes. Matsumoto hit a dropkick on Desperado, then a bodyslam for a nearfall. Desperado hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall, then the Pinche Loco (Angel’s Wings) for the pin.
El Desperado, Shuji Ishikawa, and Shoma Kato defeated Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, and Tatsuya Matsumoto at 5:02.
4. Katsuya Murashima, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Yota Tsuji, Gabe Kidd, and Gedo. Yano and Gedo opened with some hair-tugging comedy. Kidd got in, and Yano played with Kidd’s bald head. Oleg entered at 3:30 and traded shoulder blocks with Tsuji. Oleg hit a bodyslam and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. He went for a Vader Bomb, but Tsuji got his knees up. Tsuji hit a huracanrana at 6:00. Kidd tagged back in and hit some forearm strikes and chops on Oleg. Boltin fired back with a belly-to-belly suplex. Murashima entered for the first time and hit some forearm strikes on Kidd. He hit a Bulldog Powerslam and went for a half-crab. Kidd hit a back suplex for a nearfall, and he dropped him with a punch to the jaw. Kidd pulled down his knee pad and hit a running knee to Murashima’s jaw for the pin. Easily the best of the preview tags.
Yota Tsuji, Gabe Kidd, and Gedo defeated Katsuya Murashima, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg at 9:12.
5.David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi (4) vs. Alex Zayne and Lance Archer (2) in a B Block tournament match. Walker talked about how Finlay has used Hiromu as a weapon to be tossed onto opponents. Archer and Hiromu opened, but Takahashi immediately ducked out before locking up. So, Finlay entered and hit some forearm strikes. Archer hit some loud overhand chops on David. Archer hit a double crossbody block at 2:00. He picked up teammate Zayne and bodyslammed him onto each opponent, then he bodyslammed Hiromu onto Finlay. Zayne hit a snap suplex on Hiromu for a nearfall.
Finlay got a hot tag and battled Zayne, hitting a running back elbow in the corner. Finlay hit an Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee at 5:30. Hiromu got back in, but Archer also tagged back in. Hiromu hit a basement dropkick, then a clothesline that had no effect. All four fought to the floor. The ref was counting! Hiromu hopped on Archer’s back and choked him. However, Archer climbed the stairs and flipped Takahashi into the ring. Archer then hit a hard chokeslam for a believable nearfall at 7:30, but Finlay made the save. Archer hit a second chokeslam, but Finlay again made the save. Finlay again powerbombed Hiromu over the top rope onto their opponents. In the ring, Archer hit the Blackout (flipping Razor’s Edge) on teammate Zayne, dropping him on Hiromu for the pin.
Alex Zayne and Lance Archer (4) defeated David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi (4) at 9:01.
6. Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino (2) vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan (w/Jakob Austin Young) (2) in a B Block tournament match. Walker immediately talked about how Jakob helped the UE cheat to win in their last tournament match. Newman and Yuya opened. Shota entered and hit some European Uppercuts. O-Khan got in and hit some Mongolian Chops on Shota. Callum pushed Shota into the guardrail at 5:30, and Young hit some cheap shots on Shota, too! In the ring, Umino hit a tornado DDT on O-Khan, and they were both down. Yuya got the hot tag and battled O-Khan, hitting a splash into the corner and a bulldog for a nearfall.
Newman entered and hit some roundhouse kicks to Yuya’s chest, then one to the head that dropped Uemura, and he got a nearfall at 9:30. Yuya set up for the Deadbolt Suplex, but Newman fought it off. Yuya and Shota hit stereo dropkicks on Newman, then a team back suplex for a nearfall at 11:30. Newman hit a doublestomp to Umino’s chest as he was tied in the corner. Shota hit an enzuigiri. Newman hit a running neckbreaker on Umino for a nearfall at 14:00, but Yuya made the save. Yuya and O-Khan traded forearm strikes, and Uemura hit a dropkick. Newman hit a jumping knee that dropped Umino, then a doublestomp on Umino’s back for the pin! Good match.
Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan (4) defeated Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura (2) at 15:18.
7. “House of Torture” Sanada and Ren Narita (2) vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (4) in a B Block tournament match. The HoT came out first; TMDK charged into the ring and attacked, and we’re underway! Oiwa stomped on Ren. Narita and Sabre brawled to the floor, past the guardrail, and into the crowd. Sanada and Oiwa also brawled into the crowd. Back in the ring, the HoT worked over Oiwa and kept him grounded. Sabre tagged in and hit some European Uppercuts on Sanada at 6:00. Sabre tied up Ren’s arms while he was using his legs to tie up Sanada.
Sanada applied a Skull End, but Sabre escaped and got a rollup for a nearfall. Sanada hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, but he missed a Shining Wizard. Sabre hit his neck-snap between his ankles. Oiwa tagged back in at 9:00. However, Sanada hit a low blow in the ropes. Ren choked Oiwa. Oiwa hit a splash for a nearfall. Ren applied a modified Figure Four on Oiwa, with Ryohei reaching the ropes at 11:00. Sabre got back in and hit a running Penalty Kick on Ren and rolled him up for a believable nearfall.
TMDK hit stereo blows on Ren, and Oiwa hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Oiwa hit a Doctor Bomb for a believable nearfall, but Sanada pulled the ref from the ring! Sanada grabbed his guitar, but Hartley Jackson appeared and took it away. Yujiro Takahashi appeared and hit a low blow on Oiwa, and EVIL hit a clothesline on Oiwa! Meanwhile, Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Sabre’s eyes! Where did they all come from? Ren hit the Hell’s Guillotine (top-rope flying knee to the throat) for the tainted pin on Oiwa. And just like that, we have no undefeated teams in the B Block.
Sanada and Ren Narita (4) vs. defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (4) at 14:07.
8. “Bullet Club” Oskar and Yuto-Ice (0) vs. El Phantasmo and Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) in a B Block tournament match. Tanahashi and Yuto-Ice charged at each other at the bell and immediately traded forearm strikes. The BC rolled to the floor at 3:00 to regroup. Back in the ring, Tanahashi hit some punches to the gut. Yuto-Ice kicked him in the side of the head, and the BC began working Hiroshi over in their corner. ELP got in at 5:00 and hit some chops on Oskar. Yuto-Ice tripped Phantasmo, and it allowed Oskar to beat down ELP. Yuto-Ice unloaded a series of roundhouse kicks in the corner on Phantasmo, then hit his running knee for a nearfall at 7:00.
Oskar kept Phantasmo grounded as he pulled back on ELP’s head, but Phantasmo reached the ropes at 9:30. Tanahashi finally got a hot tag and hit a flying forearm on Yuto-Ice, then his second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall at 11:00. ELP hit a superkick on Yuto-Ice, and Hiroshi hit a Sling Blade for a nearfall. ELP hit a Twist-and-Shout neckbreaker, and Hiroshi hit a High Fly Flow frog splash for a nearfall, but Oskar made the save. ELP and Osakar fought to the floor. Tanahashi missed a second High Fly Flow! Yuto-Ice immediately hit a running knee to the back of Tanahashi’s head, and they were both down at 13:30.
Yuto-Ice and Tanahashi got up and traded forearm strikes. Yuto-Ice hit a running penalty kick for a nearfall and another spin kick to the ear for a nearfall at 15:00. Oskar hit his leaping Tombstone Piledriver on Hiroshi, but ELP made the save. ELP superkicked Oskar, but Oskar immediately hit a Choke Bomb on Phantasmo. Yuto-Ice hit a running kick to Tanahashi’s face and scored the pin! Good match. Walker stressed that Yuto-Ice got his “long-awaited win” over Tanahashi.
Yuto-Ice and Oskar (2) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo (0) at 16:42.
Final Thoughts: It’s not my imagination, right? The B Block is simply better, top to bottom. I will narrowly go with the UE vs. Shota/Yuya for the best match of the night, and it came with a surprisingly clean win for the Empire. The main event was good and earned second. So, we have five teams at 2-1, two at 1-2… and Hiroshi/ELP, who are essentially eliminated at 0-3.
This tournament is a grind and keeps going. The A Block is back in tournament action on Saturday, with Kidd/Tsuji vs. Oleg/Yano as the headliner.
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