By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Junior Team League – Night 5”
October 30, 2024 in Niigata, Japan at Tsubame-city Physical Education Center
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided solo commentary. This is a gym and while it appears packed, attendance is maybe 500-600. The lights are on, so no issues with lighting.
* This year’s SJTL is a 12-team tournament. There are two Blocks with six teams in each Block. It is a round-robin tournament, so each team has five matches. The winners of each Block will advance to the finals. This is Night 5 of the tournament, and the A Block is in action with three tournament matches. So, any team that falls to 1-3 today or 0-4 will be eliminated.
1. Mastora Yasuda vs. Nagai Daiki. Nagai is smaller with the sides of his head shaved. Walker said this is already the 17th match in this feud; I don’t know if that was a joke or not! As with most Young Lion matches, this was fought on the mat as they traded holds. Daiki applied a Boston Crab, but Yasuda held on for the final 30 seconds to force a draw.
Masatora Yasuda vs. Nagai Daiki ended in a time-limit draw at 10:00.
2. Shoma Kato and “Jet Setters” Kushida and Kevin Knight vs. Katsuya Murashima and “Velocities” Paris De Silva and Jude London. Kato’s hair is really wavy now. Knight (in blue pants today instead of yellow!) opened against De Silva and overpowered him early. Kato and Murashima got in at 2:30 and fought. Kushida entered and planted a knee in Murashima’s back and kept him grounded. London made the hot tag at 6:00 and hit a dropkick on Knight. The Velocities hit stereo Helluva Kicks on Kushida. Knight hit a picture-perfect dropkick. Murashima hit a dropkick on Knight! He put a Boston Crab on Knight, but Kato made the save. The Velocities hit stereo kicks on Kato. Knight hit a top-rope double clothesline. Knight then hit his assisted frogsplash to pin Murashima. Good action.
Shoma Kato, Kushida, and Kevin Knight defeated Katsuya Murashima, Paris De Silva, and Jude London at 9:35.
3. Tomoaki Honma, Ninja Mack, and The DKC vs. Toru Yano, Rocky Romero, and Yoh. Mack and Romero opened with basic reversals, and Mack made a superhero landing that startled Romero. Yoh entered at 2:00 but Mack kicked him in the rear. Romero and Yoh hit stereo dropkicks on Mack and DKC. Yano entered and removed a corner pad, and he whipped Mack into the exposed turnbuckle at 3:30. Yoh hit a snap suplex and his team kept Mack in their corner.
DKC got a hot tag and traded blows with Romero. He hit his knife-edge chops to Yoh’s chest, then he did it to Romero, too. Honma tagged in for the first time at 7:30 and traded offense with Yano, but he missed his Kokeshi falling headbutt. He missed it again! Honma finally hit a leaping headbutt, then the Kokeshi for a nearfall. Romero and Yoh hit stereo jumping knees on Honma; Yano immediately rolled up Honma for the pin. Basic.
Toru Yano, Rocky Romero, and Yoh defeated Tomoaki Honma, Ninja Mack, and The DKC at 9:12.
4. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, and TJP vs. “Bullet Club” Gedo, Robbie X, and Taiji Ishimori. First appearance of this tournament for Young. The BC attacked from behind. Robbie and TJP fought in the ring as the others were brawling at ringside. Young and Gedo traded blows in the ring, and the BC worked Jakob over. TJP got a hot tag at 6:30 and he hit a Facewash on Ishimori in the corner. TJP hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker on Ishimori, but he missed a Mamba Splash.
Akira and TJP hit some quick team offense. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-spin kck. Akira hit an enzuigiri on Robbie X. Gedo got a hot tag at 9:00 and hit a buzzsaw kick on Akira for a nearfall. Young hit a jumping knee on Gedo. The UE trio hit stereo kicks on Gedo. Akira hit a swinging faceplant and pinned Gedo. Good action.
Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira and TJP defeated Gedo and Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori at 9:56.
5. “Just 5 Guys” Taichi, Douki, and Sanada vs. Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino. Rivals Wato and Douki opened and traded armdrags. Shota and Sanada entered at 4:30 and traded blows, and Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Sanada hit a Russian Legsweep. Jado tagged in at 6:30 and got a nearfall on Taichi. Sanada hit a plancha on Shota. In the ring, Taichi hit a clothesline on Jado for a nearfall. Taichi tied him in a Stretch Plum submission hold, and Jado tapped out. Really basic. Shota and Sanada brawled some more after the bell.
Taichi, Douki, and Sanada defeated Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino at 8:44.
6. Capitan Suicida and Tiger Mask (0) vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles (4) in an A Block tournament match. Suicida and Tiger Mask are already eliminated at 0-3. Suicida is in red-and-yellow, looking like Fuego Del Sol today. He opened against Eagles. They traded armdrags and had a standoff at 1:30. Tiger Mask and Fujita entered and they immediately traded forearm strikes. Eagles and Fujita hit front-and-back kicks on Suicida. Fujita tied up Tiger Mask’s left arm. Tiger Mask hit a backbreaker over his knee on Eagles at 5:30.
Suicida hit a Lethal Injection on Fujita. Suicida hit an enzuigiri on Eagles, then a tornado DDT. Suicida hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor onto both opponents at 7:30. He ht a top-rope inverted senton on Eagles for a nearfall. TM hit a Tiger Driver on Eagles for a believable nearfall, but Fujita made the save. Tiger Mask tied up both of Eagles’ arms behind his back, but Robbie reached the ropes at 9:30. TMDK hit a team slam on Tiger Mask for a nearfall. Fujita hit a moonsault to the floor on Suicida. Robbie hit a 450 Splash on Tiger Mask’s leg, and he immediately locked in the Ron Miller Special leglock, and Tiger Mask tapped out. TMDK remains in the hunt for a playoff spot!
Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles (6) defeated Capitan Suicida and Tiger Mask (0) at 11:10.
7. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi (2) vs. “House of Torture” Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Sho (4). A loss would eliminate LIJ. Tetsuya Naito joined LIJ to ringside. HoT attacked to open. They handcuffed Naito to the ring post! They fought throughout the building, with Sho and Bushi going near a stage at one end of the gym; those two went up a flight of stairs and fought in the balcony. Sho handcuffed Bushi to a guardrail on that second level at 3:00 and he left! In the ring, it was two-on-one, with HoT hitting a team suplex on Hiromu. Bushi was stranded upstairs!
Hiromu hit a basement dropkick on Kanemaru’s knee. On the floor, Sho threw Hiromu into rows of empty chairs. In the ring, Sho continued to dominate the action. Kanemaru hit a suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Sho put him in a Boston Crab. One of the Young Lions raced through the arena, up the flight of stairs, and used a key to free Bushi! Bushi raced down the stairs and back to ringside. The Young Lion also released Naito. Bushi got into the ring and hit a huracanrana. Bushi hit a double huracanrana at 10:00.
Sho got his wrench but Bushi ducked getting hit with it. Bushi and Hiromu each applied modified Figure Four leg locks. Yujiro Takahashi appeared and struck the ring bell, which caused the LIJ duo to release their holds. Bushi hit a basement dropkick on Sho’s knee. Yujiro hit Bushi! Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Hiromu’s eyes. Yujiro hit Bushi with his cane. Sho hit a Dominator swinging faceplant to pin Bushi. So, Hiromu and Bushi are eliminated.
Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) defeated Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi (2) at 12:50.
8. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors (6) vs. Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi (2). Connors and Taguchi opened. Dia entered at 3:00 and hit some chops on Drilla, who no-sold them. Dia hit a nice satellite head-scissors takedown. Taguchi hit a plancha. Dia rolled down the ramp on his skateboard and hit the heels. In some (bad) comedy, Taguchi sat down on the skateboard and rolled down the ramp, but he was beat up by the BCWD. The heels buried Taguchi under a pile of guardrail pieces. Meanwhile, Drilla dropped Dia face-first on an open chair at 6:30.
They got back into the ring with the BCWD fully in charge. Dia finally hit a dropkick on Connors at 9:00. Taguchi finally got a hot tag at 11:00 and hit his running buttbumps in the corner, then a double DDT. Taguchi hit a series of splexes on Drilla. He applied an ankle lock, but Connors made the save. Dia and Taguchi hit stereo buttbumps on Drilla for a nearfall at 14:00. Taguchi went back to an ankle lock, but Connors made the save. Connors hit a powerslam on Taguchi. Dia got a hot tag and hit a double dropkick and a double DDT at 16:00.
Dragon Dia hit a standing moonsault on Drilla for a nearfall. Drilla hit an enzuigiri on Dia, but Dia avoided the Drilla Killa. BCWD hit a team stunner move on Dia for a nearfall. Taguchi hit an enzuigiri on Connors; Connors hit a spear, then the No Chaser spike DDT on Taguchi. Drilla hit a spinebuster on Dia. BCWD hit front-and-back spears on Dia for a believable nearfall that should have been it. They set up for the Full Clip but Dia broke free. Dia then got a huracanrana and rolled up Moloney for the pin! The last undefeated team has gone down.
Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi (4) defeated Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney (6) at 18:49.
Final Thoughts: I can’t put into words how much better the B Block is this year than the A Block. The A Block has too much of Taguchi’s juvenile humor, too much of the House of Torture lazy interference, and a Tiger Mask team that could go winless. Not terrible action, but nothing here is worthy of “top 10 matches of the tournament” consideration. Glad to see a big win for Dragon Dia, but Taguchi’s comedy is just awful in a main event. This tournament is a non-stop war; the B Block teams will have their fourth tournament matches on Thursday, with TJP and Francesco Akira vs. Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori as the headliner.
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