By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Jr. Tag League”
October 23, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and the injured Francesco Akira provided commentary. It appeared there was a full house in Korakuen Hall.
This year’s tournament features 12 teams in two six-team Blocks. It’s a round-robin tournament, so each team will have at least five matches. This is the same format as last year. However, only THREE teams are back from a year ago (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles and Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X and Ryusuke Taguchi and Dragon Dia.)
* Notable that we don’t have any top-notch U.S.-based teams, and that’s disappointing. In recent years, they’ve brought in wrestlers like Ace Austin, Chris Bey, Lio Rush, ACH, and Alex Zayne to add some U.S. flavor to the field. I can’t feel anything but disappointed by this field. Imagine if they had “Crush Boys” Starboy Charlie and Titus Alexander, or Bang and Matthews, or Miracle Generation, or Sinner and Saint, or “Top Team” Terry Yaki and Jay Lucas. Or if AEW had sent them Top Flight or Lio Rush and Action Andretti… it would have helped so much.
* So instead, we have a lot of thrown-together teams. The Bullet Club War Dogs and the Unaffiliated (former LIJ) have reached a truce, and they have two teams in the field with a member from each group. So, Hiromu Takahashi is teaming with Gedo, while Daiki Nagai is teaming with Clark Connors.
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zane Jay vs. Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji in a non-tournament match. Hiroshi and Tsuji opened. Zane and Shingo entered and locked up at 2:00 with faster reversals. I will reiterate that Zane has let his hair grow out — he was bald all summer — and it has entirely changed his whole look. Akira said he is 70 percent recovered from his broken wrist. Jay suplexed Yota. Tanashi re-entered and hit a flying forearm on Tsuji at 6:00. Tsuji hit a bodyslam and a splash to the mat. They traded suplexes.
Shingo and Zane got back in at 8:00, and Zane hit a dropkick, and he applied a Boston Crab. Hiroshi put Shingo in a Texas Cloverleaf, too. Shingo hit a double clothesline. The former LIJ hit a team back suplex on Zane. Shingo hit a clothesline on Zane for a nearfall, then a sliding clothesline. He tied Zane’s arms behind his back, and Zane tapped out. That is the lamest finisher I think I’ve ever seen. Decent match.
Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji defeated Zane Jay and Hiroshi Tanahashi at 10:55.
2. “House of Torture” Sho and Douki vs. “United Empire” Templario and Jakob Austin Young in a Super Junior Tag League A Block tournament match. Sho berated them before the bell. Templario and Douki opened. Young hit a dropkick on Douki. They all brawled to the floor, and I can now see that Korakuen Hall is full. Sho put a chair over Templario’s neck and choked him. Akira talked about the recent struggles of the United Empire faction. Back in the ring, Sho got a nearfall on Young at 4:30. Young hit a tornado DDT, and they were both down. Templario hit a springboard crossbody block, then a huracanrana on Douki, and one on Sho at 7:00.
Templario hit a Go To Sleep-style knee strike on Sho for a nearfall. Sho hit a spear, and they were both down. Templario hit an enzuigiri. Young and Douki tagged back in, with Jakob hitting a Sling Blade and a twisting suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. Sho struck Young in the back with a chair. Douki applied the “Darkness Stretch 32” (Triangle Choke), but Templario made the save. Sho got a wrench, but Templario kicked it out of his hands. Jakob hit a brainbuster on Douki for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. However, Douki immediately got a backslide and put his feet on the ropes for added leverage for the tainted pin. Good action.
Sho and Douki (2) defeated Templario and Jakob Austin Young (0) at 11:51.
3. “Bullet Club” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori vs. “House of Torture” Dick Togo and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a Super Junior Tag League B Block tournament match. The HoT attacked from behind, and we’re underway. Akira noted that the HoT has more than 60 years of combined ring experience. They all brawled to the floor. I believe Kanemaru has a tremendous, absurdly one-sided win-loss record against Ishimori for their career (in singles action anyway.) In the ring, Togo tied up Ishimori on the mat, and the HoT kept Ishimori grounded. OKAY, Charlton just confirmed what I wrote — Kanemaru is 14-1 all-time against Ishimori.
Robbie X finally got a hot tag at 5:30, and he hit a springboard dropkick. Togo targeted Robbie’s left knee. Dick applied the Figure Four around the ring post, and Charlton made the obligatory Bret Hart reference. They got to their feet, and Togo hit some jab punches. Robbie hit a Pele Kick at 8:30. Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Robbie’s eyes! Togo tied Robbie in a crossface, but Robbie reached the ropes. Robbie hit a double Lethal Injection. The BC hit a modified Magic Killer team slam. Robbie hit his top-rope “X Express” (Phoenix Splash) and pinned Togo. Solid. Robbie limped to the back.
Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori (2) defeated Dick Togo and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0) at 10:13.
4. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Clark Connors and Daiki Nagai vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Hiromu Takahashi and Gedo in a Super Junior Tag League A Block tournament match. Again, it would not have been surprising if Takahashi and Nagai had teamed, and Gedo and Connors had teamed; we’ll see how well they get along! Gedo and Hiromu threw their opponents into each other and were in charge early on. Connors worked over Gedo, with Charlton noting this “is War Dogs versus War Dogs.” They went to the floor, and Clark got his car tire. Gedo begged for forgiveness and said, “Don’t hurt me” in English. Of course, Gedo then attacked Connors. The crowd was enjoying a lot of the comedy in this.
In the ring, Hiromu hit a huracanrana on Connors at 4:30. Daiki hit a dropkick on Hiromu. (Again, part of his own faction!) Daiki put Hiromu in a Boston Crab at 7:00, but Takahashi reached the ropes. Gedo and Hiromu started arguing, and Hiromu tugged on Gedo’s beard! Gedo pulled Connors aside and talked to him and distracted him, while Hiromu got a Gedo Clutch rollup and pinned Nagai! Connors was completely tricked! Some good comedy throughout. (I do not expect Hiromu or Connors to get pinned a single time in this tournament. Let’s see if I’m right on that.)
Gedo and Hiromu Takahashi (2) defeated Clark Connors and Daiki Nagai (0) at 8:25.
5. Kushida and Yuki Yoshioka vs. Yamato and Tiger Mask in a Super Junior Tag League B Block tournament match. Kushida and Yamato opened with some standing switches. I’ve seen Dragon Gate’s Yamato a few times, but he’s certainly not an NJPW regular. Tiger Mask tied up Yuki on the mat. My first time seeing Yuki, who has short hair, and he wore blue-ish trunks with gold trim. Kushida targeted Yamato’s left arm. This was methodical, mat-based tie-ups early on with little to describe. Yamato laid in some hard chops on Kushida at 8:00.
Yuki and Yamato traded forearm strikes. Yamato hit a suplex for a nearfall at 10:30. Kushida went for a Hoverboard Lock on Yamato, but Yamato escaped. They traded ankle locks. Kushida hit a handspring-back-double elbow. Yuki hit an impressive flip dive to the floor on Yamato. Meanwhile, Kushida applied a cross-armbreaker on Tiger Mask, who tapped out. Good mat-based action.
Kushida and Yuki Yoshioka (2) defeated Yamato and Tiger Mask (0) at 13:24.
6. Yoh and Master Wato vs. Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi in a Super Junior Tag League A Block tournament match. Wato and Dia opened and traded some quick reversals. Taguchi hit a mid-ring butt-bump on Yoh. Dia ran corner to corner, hitting butt-bumps as Taguchi played coach; this was more comedy. Dia tied Yoh in a pendulum and swung Yoh’s head into Taguchi’s butt at 5:30 for more comedy. Taguchi was tied in the Paradise Lock, and Wato kicked him at 8:00. This is borderline unwatchable at this point.
Dia and Yoh got back in at 9:30, and they sped it up, and Dia hit a one-footed dropkick. Yoh hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, then another. Dia tied Wato in an Octopus Stretch, but Wato hit a backbreaker over his knee at 12:00. Wato tied Dia in the Vendeval submission hold, but Dia got a foot on the ropes. Dia hit a second-rope missile dropkick on Wato at 14:00. Taguchi was tied in a Paradise Lock on the bottom rope; Dia kicked him to free him.
Dia hit a satellite headscissors takedown, then an Asai Moonsault, landing in the laps of fans in the front row. In the ring, Dia hit a spin kick on Wato for a nearfall at 16:00. Yoh and Wato hit stereo superkicks on Dia, and they got a nearfall. They hit a spin kick-and-neckbreaker over the knee combo on Dia for the pin. An okay match; Dia is fast and fun, but Taguchi’s humor just does not work for me, and I hated his ‘comedy’ throughout the match.
Yoh and Master Wato (2) defeated Dragon Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi (0) at 17:08.
7. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita vs. El Desperado and Kuukai in a Super Junior Tag League B Block tournament match. TMDK went 4-1 in Block action last year, then won the finals; again, they are one of just three teams back this year (seven other wrestlers are back with different tag partners, though.) Again, I had never seen Kuukai until about three weeks ago, and I noted that I hope he becomes a regular here. Eagles and Despe opened. Kuukai and Fujita traded some forearm strikes. TMDK worked over Kuukai in their corner, and Eagles hit a LOUD chop at 7:00 that popped the crowd.
Kuukai hit a Lumbar Check-style knees to Eagles’ chest at 8:30. Desperado hit a sit-out powerbomb on Fujita for a nearfall at 11:00. Despe and Fujita traded forearm strikes. Fujita tied up Desperado’s arms on the mat, and Eagles also tied up Kuukai. Despe got a foot on the ropes to break the hold. TMDK hit a “Sweet Bomb” team slam for a nearfall. Eagles and Kuukai tagged back in and traded offense at 14:00. Kuukai hit a moonsault for a nearfall. Kuukai tied Eagles in a Bow-and-Arrow, bending Robbie in half, but Kosei made the save at 16:30. Kosei hit a dropkick to Desperado’s chin.
TMDK hit spin kicks to Kuukai’s head and hit a team slam for a nearfall, but Desperado made the save. Fujita unloaded some chops on Kuukai. Eagles kicked Kuukai off the apron to the floor onto Despe. Fujita then hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor on both opponents. In the ring, TMDK hit a team Copkillah (backslide driver) and pinned Kuukai. Charlton and Akira agreed that they hadn’t seen that finisher before. A very good match and easily the best of the show.
Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles (2) defeated El Desperado and Kuukai (0) at 19:44.
* Fujita got on the mic and vowed that they are winning the tournament in back-to-back years. Eagles said a couple of words in Japanese, then switched to English, saying that Despe and Kuukai made them work hard to get the win. He also vowed a back-to-back victory.
Final Thoughts: Fujita just shows so much confidence and poise in the ring, and he looked great here. Despe is always great, and the only match I incorrectly predicted was that main event, as I thought Despe and Kuukai were going to get the win to put the defending tournament winners in the chase position. The Unaffiliated War Dogs teams will make for some fun action, but it feels like neither team is meant as a serious contender to win. In fact, I feel like only three or four teams are serious contenders. But again, just about everyone will go 2-3 or 3-2. In fact, TMDK was the only 4-1 team last year (which meant we also had one team that went 1-4).
I am okay with one comedy match, but we had more than that here. It’s only night one, and I’m already out of patience with Taguchi’s juvenile brand of humor. The tournament resumes Friday, still at Korakuen Hall. With just five round-robin matches and the finals, this will wrap up quickly.
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