By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Junior Team League – Night 7”
November 1, 2024 in Ishikawa, Japan at Yoshitsune Arena
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. The venue is a large gym or small arena with everyone seated on the floor; a second deck is almost completely empty. The lights were on so no issue with lighting. The crowd is maybe 800.
* 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 7 of the tournament, and the A Block is in action with the final three tournament matches. We have three teams at 3-1 and I presume one (or more) of them will win to finish 4-1.
1. Masatora Yasuda vs. Nagai Daiki. Basic mat reversals from the Young Lions. Yasuda kept him on the mat in a hammerlock. They sped it up at the end before we again reached the bell.
Masatora Yasuda vs. Nagai Daiki ended in a time-limit draw at 10:00.
2. Katsuya Murashima and “Velocities” Jude London and Paris De Silva vs. “Bullet Club” Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, and Robbie X. All six brawled at the bell, and the action went to the floor. Ishimori shoved Murashima into the ring post at 1:30. Back in the ring, Ishimori beat down the Young Lion. Murashima hit a dropkick on Gedo at 4:30 and he tagged in London. Jude hit a dropkick on Ishimori and a flying knee in the corner. Murashima got back in and traded forearm strikes with Robbie X. Robbie hit a top-rope Phoenix Splash to pin Murashima. Good action.
Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, and Robbie X defeated Katsuya Murashima, Jude London, and Paris De Silva at 7:50.
3. “United Empire” TJP, Francesco Akira, and Jakob Austin Young vs. Shoma Kato, Ninja Mack, and The DKC. Shoma and Young opened. TJP hit a backbreaker over his knee on Shoma at 2:30. DKC got a hot tag and hit some roundhouse kicks on Akira, then a head-scissors takedown. Akira fired back with an enzuigiri at 5:30. TJP and Shoma tagged back in, with TJP hitting a Thesz Press and a running Facewash in the corner. Everyone began hitting kicks. Young hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor. In the ring, TJP hit a standing neckbreaker on Kato. The three UE members hit stereo dropkicks on Shoma for a nearfall. TJP and Akira hit stereo planchas to the floor at 8:30. In the ring, Young hit a Sliced Bread out of the corner and pinned Shoma. Really good energy in this one.
TJP, Francesco Akira, and Jakob Austin Young defeated Shoma Kato, Ninja Mack, and The DKC at 9:04.
4. Tomoaki Honma and “Jet Setters” Kevin Knight and Kushida vs. Toru Yano, Yoh, and Rocky Romero. Knight and Romero opened, and Kevin knocked the shorter Rocky down with a shoulder tackle. Honma entered and hit a bodyslam on Yoh at 2:30 but he missed the Kokeshi falling headbutt. Rocky hit some kneedrops on Honma’s left elbow and worked over the arm. Knight got a hot tag at 5:00 and hit a bodyslam on Yoh, then a double Pele Kick on Yoh and Rocky. Knight hit a leaping DDT on Yoh. Kushida and Rocky hit stereo clotheslines, then another, and they were both down at 7:00. Honma hit a shoulder tackle on Yano, but he missed a Kokeshi. Moments later, Honma hit the Kokeshi on Yano for a nearfall. However, Yano hit a low blow on Honma, rolled him up, and got the tainted pin.
Toru Yano, Yoh, and Rocky Romero defeated Tomoaki Honma, Kevin Knight, and Kushida at 8:44.
5. “Just 5 Guys” Sanada, Douki, and Taichi vs. Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino. Shota glared at Sanada before the bell, but Sanada just turned and looked out at the crowd and ignored him. Wato and Douki opened and immediately traded stiff forearm strikes. Wato hit a head-scissors takedown and a dropkick. Douki dove through the ropes onto him and they were both down at 1:30. Everyone started brawling on the floor. Back in the ring, Taichi worked over Wato. Douki hit a suplex on Wato for a nearfall at 4:30. Wato finally hit a back suplex on Douki and they were both down. Shota and Sanada got hot tags and sped up the reversals. Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 6:30. Sanada missed a moonsault but landed on his feet.
Sanada hit a dropkick. Taichi hit a Helluva Kick on Shota. Shota hit an Exploder Suplex on Taichi. Shota’s team took turns beating up Taichi. Wato hit another dropkick on Douki, then a flip dive to the floor at 9:00. In the ring, Sanada hit the Magic Corkscrew swinging neckbreaker. Taichi clotheslined Jado for a nearfall. Taichi hit a superkick and pinned Jado.
Sanada, Douki, and Taichi defeated Jado, Master Wato, and Shota Umino at 10:24.
6. Capitan Suicida and Tiger Mask (0) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Dragon Dia (4) in an A Block tournament match. Dia and Suicida opened and traded some lucha offense. Tiger Mask and Taguchi got in at 1:30, with Taguchi doing his juvenile humor of ramming Tiger Mask’s face into Taguchi’s butt. More awful juvenile comedy as Suicida rammed Dia’s head into Taguchi’s butt at 4:30. (Yes, NJPW really put this clown in the main event two days ago.) Suicida hit a flip dive over the top rope onto Dia on the floor. In the ring, Suicida hit a swinging neckbreaker move on Dia for a nearfall at 6:30. Taguchi hit his flying buttbumps. Dia hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Tiger Mask hit a top-rope butterfly suplex on Dia. Suicida then hit a top-rope twisting moonsault on Dia for a believable nearfall, but Taguchi made the save. Suicida hit a twisting sideslam on Dia for a nearfall. Suicida hit a hammerlock DDT on Dia, then he tied him in a pretzel off the ground, and Dia submitted. Suicida avoided going winless, and Taguchi’s team was officially eliminated.
Capitan Suicida and Tiger Mask (2) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Dragon Dia (4) at 9:27.
7. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita (6) vs. “House of Torture” Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) in an A Block tournament match. The HoT came out first; TMDK charged into the ring and attacked to begin. Eagles hit a flip dive to the floor on the heels. Sho whipped Fujita into an exposed turnbuckle at 1:30, and he went to work on Fujita’s damaged left shoulder. (A day ago, Sho struck the shoulder with his wrench.) Sho slammed a chair onto the shoulder and got a nearfall and they kept Fujita grounded. Eagles finally got a hot tag at 6:30 and he hit some Yes Kicks on Sho, then a Meteora running double knees in the corner for a nearfall.
Eagles hit a springboard dropkick on Sho’s knee at 8:00 and he immediately applied the Ron Miller Special leg lock. Yujiro Takahashi appeared at ringside and distracted the ref, who missed seeing Sho tap out. Kanemaru got in and put Eagles in a Figure Four. Eagles hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread on Kanemaru but Robbie sold pain in his knee. Fujita and Sho tagged back in. Fujita hit a moonsault from the apron to the floor; he got a nearfall on Kanemaru in the ring at 11:00. Kanemaru hit a moonsault on Kosei for a nearfall, and he applied a hammerlock. Fujita hit a dropkick but he too was selling his left shoulder. Fujita accidentally collided with the ref!
Takahashi immediately jumped in the ring and helped beat up Eagles. Yujiro hit a falling headbutt to Eagles’ groin. Ryohei Oiwa jumped in the ring and hit a clothesline on Yujiro. Fujita hit a springboard dropkick. Fujita hit a German Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall on Kanemaru. Sho got his wrench but the ref stopped him. Fujita chopped Kanemaru, who sprayed whiskey straight up in the air. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT on Fujita for a nearfall at 15:30. Eagles and Fujita hit stereo superkicks. Fujita hit a stunner move and pinned Kanemaru. A really entertaining match.
Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles (8) defeated Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) at 16:23.
* Eagles and Fujita sat down at ringside. They are 4-1, but I believe they only advance if Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors lose.
8. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors (6) vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi (2) in an A Block tournament match. Bushi and Hiromu are already eliminated but can play the role of spoiler here. The BCWD immediately worked over Bushi. Drilla hit a dropkick on Hiromu at 1:30. They brawled to the floor, with both Bushi and Hiromu whipped into rows of empty chairs. The BCWD paused to jaw at Kosei and Eagles. In the ring, Connors backed Hiromu into a corner and repeatedly chopped him at 4:30, and the BCWD worked Hiromu over. Hiromu finally hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Connors at 7:30.
Bushi got a hot tag and traded forearm strikes with Drilla, and Bushi hit a basement dropkick, then a dive through the ropes onto Moloney. In the ring, Bushi hit a basement dropkick on the knee. Connors tagged back in, but Bushi hit a huracanrana at 9:00. HIromu tagged back in and hit a huracanrana. Connors hit a powerslam. Bushi hit a Rewind Kick on Drilla and suddenly all four were down at 11:00. Drilla hit a spinebuster. BCWD hit front-and-back spears on Bushi. Drilla hit a spear on Hiromu, then Connors hit a spear on Hiromu. Hiromu hit a powerbomb move for a nearfall on Connors. Connors hit a double spear at 14:30. He speared Hiromu, and Connors set up for the No Chaser spike DDT. However, Hiromu rolled up Connors and scored the pin! LIJ’s win sends Eagles and Fujita to the finals!
Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi (4) defeated Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney (6) at 14:55.
Final Thoughts: Two really good final matches to wrap up the A Block competition. After TMDK beat the House of Torture in the co-main event, I presumed LIJ was going to beat the War Dogs in the main event, but it was still fun getting there. The B Block wraps up on Saturday, but everyone is 2-2 and I’m just not going to look at tie-breaker scenarios. The winner of B Block will face Eagles and Fujita on Monday.
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