By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League”
December 7, 2025, in Ehime, Japan, at Kihoku General Park Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. This venue is a really large gym. The lights are on. The second tier is full; there might be 800 here today.
* 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. Today, just the B Block is in tournament action. We’re in the stretch run, and this is the sixth tournament match for all teams.
1. “House of Torture” Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Shoma Kato and El Desperado and Shuji Ishikawa. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway. Despe battled Chase. Yujiro hit a guillotine leg drop on Desperado for a nearfall at 2:00. Shuji entered and hit a second-rope doublestomp on Yujiro’s chest for a nearfall. Yujiro tried to lift the massive Shuji but couldn’t. Ishikawa hit a double clothesline at 4:30. Shoma tagged in and battled Kanemaru, and he hit a headscissors takedown, then a suplex for a nearfall. He went for a Boston Crab, but Kanemaru fought it off. Kanemaru hit a back suplex for a nearfall, then he put Shoma in a Boston Crab, and Kato tapped out. Okay.
Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shoma Kato, El Desperado, and Shuji Ishikawa at 6:40.
2. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo vs. Taichi, Satoshi Kojima, and Masatora Yasuda. Gabe was going to start, but Yota tagged in; uh-oh, it’s starting already! Kidd and Kojima traded shoulder tackles. Satoshi hit his rapid-fire chops in the corner at 2:00. Gedo entered and stomped on Kojima. Yasuda entered and hit a huracanrana on Tsuji at 5:30. Tsuji hit a suplex on Yasuda. Taichi hit a superkick on Gedo. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee on Tsuji. Kidd and Tsuji collided and argued! Taichi hit a double clothesline on them both! Satoshi hit a Koji Cutter on Gedo. Taichi and Kojima hit front-and-back clotheslines on Gedo, with Taichi getting the cover and the pin. More trouble in the UBC…
Taichi, Satoshi Kojima, and Masatora Yasuda defeated Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo at 7:53.
3. “House of Torture” EVIL, Don Fale, and Sho (w/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Katsuya Murashima, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano. The Hot attacked on the floor and we’re underway. Yano and Oleg were handcuffed to the guardrails. So, the HoT worked over Murashima in the ring. Katsuya hit a flipping senton on EVIL for a nearfall at 2:00. Fale hit a splash in the corner. Sho hit a Dick Togo-style knife edge chop to the groin. Kanemaru also hit one. EVIL applied a Sharpshooter, and Murashima tapped out! Yep, that was the whole match; Oleg and Yano literally never got into the ring.
EVIL, Don Fale, and Sho defeaterd Katsuya Murashima, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano at 3:22.
4. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto. Shingo and Goto opened. Drilla got in and hit a Gore in the corner on Yoshi-Hashi, then a knee drop on the forehead, and Shingo got a cover for a nearfall at 2:30. The Young Lions tagged in and battled and traded forearm strikes. Moloney got back in at 4:30 and traded forearm strikes with Matsumoto. Tatsuya applied a Boston Crab. Moloney hit a senton, then a Gore. Drilla superkicked Goto. He hit a Razor’s Edge on Matsumoto and pinned him. (Shingo tried to catch Matsumoto’s head before he hit the mat but missed.) Solid.
Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto, Yoshi-Hashi, and Hirooki Goto at 6:56.
5. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman (w/Jakob Austin Young) (6) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo (4) in a B Block tournament match. Hiroshi and O-Khan opened. O-Khan hit a Mongolian Chop, so Hiroshi hit one back, then a second-rope twisting crossbody block. Newman tagged in at 1:30, so ELP also got in. Phantasmo hit a headscissors takedown, then a second-rope elbow drop, and he paused to play some air guitar. They all fought to the floor. Back in the ring, the UE kept Phantasmo in their corner. ELP hit an enzuigiri at 6:30 and made the hot tag to Hiroshi.
Tanahashi hit some Dragonscrew Legwhips. He bodyslammed O-Khan and hit hit second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall. O-Khan hit a Pump Kick. Newman hit a running penalty kick on Tanahashi for a nearfall at 9:00. ELP hit a Lionsault on Newman for a nearfall. He put Callum on his shoulders, spun him, and slammed him for a nearfall. Tanahashi hit another Dragonscrew Legwhip on O-Khan. ELP hit a superkick on Callum and got a nearfall. Tanahashi hit a plancha to the floor on O-Khan. Meanwhile, ELP and Newman traded rollups for nearfalls. Callum got a rollup with a handful of tights for the cheap pin!
Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman (8) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo (4) at 12:17.
6. “Murder Sauce” Lance Archer and Alex Zayne (4) vs. “Bullet Club” Yuto-Ice and Oskar (6) in a B Block tournament match. Murder Sauce came out first and got into the ring. However, they left the ring and attacked the BC as they emerged through the curtain, and they started brawling around the venue. O-Khan whipped Zayne into rows of empty chairs at 1:30. I don’t think we’ve had a bell yet. Oskar whipped Archer into rows of chairs. Zayne got into the ring, only to hit a flip dive on the BC. They finally entered the ring at 4:00. Oskar bodyslammed Archer and chopped him in the corner.
Yuto-Ice hit his series of roundhouse kicks to Zayne’s chest, then his running double knees to the face for a nearfall. The tall guys, Oskar and Archer, tagged in at 6:00 and stood nose-to-nose — I’m not sure who is taller! — and they traded blows. Archer did an Undertaker-style tightrope walk and strike to Oskar’s shoulder. Zayne bodyslammed teammate Archer onto Oskar at 8:00. Oskar hit a back suplex for a nearfall, and he was fired up. Archer hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Oskar for a nearfall, then he slammed teammate Zayne onto Oskar for a nearfall. Yuto-Ice made the hot tag and hit a second-rope flying clothesline on Archer at 11:00.
Yuto-Ice dropped Lance with a forearm strike and was fired up. He hit a running knee to the sternum for a nearfall. Archer nailed a chokeslam on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall at 12:30. Archer hit a Blackout Slam on Zayne, dropping him on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall, but Oskar made the save. Alex went for his jump-up huracanrana in the corner, but Oskar blocked it. Archer hit the Blackout (flipping Razor’s Edge) on Oskar, dropping him on Yuto-Ice! Lance then covered Yuto-Ice for the pin! I’ll call that an upset! Zayne and Archer posed with the tag titles before dropping them and leaving the ring.
Lance Archer and Alex Zayne (6) defeated Yuto-Ice and Oskar (6) at 14:03.
7. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi (4) vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (4) in a B Block tournament match. Two teams that have under-performed here at 2-3. Finlay and Oiwa opened, and Ryohei hit some armdrags. Finlay hit a senton. Hiromu tried to hit a snap suplex on his teammate Finlay, but Oiwa got his knees up on Finlay! Sabre entered at 2:00, and he stomped on Hiromu’s left elbow and twisted his left arm. Oiwa got back in and twisted Hiromu’s arm, and TMDK kept Hiromu grounded. Finlay got in, and he whipped Hiromu into a rolling cannonball in the corner at 6:30.
Finlay hit a Dominator swinging faceplant on Hiromu, dropping him on Sabre for a nearfall. Sabre and Finlay stood toe-to-toe and traded European Uppercuts. Hiromu and Oiwa got in and traded chops at 9:30. Oiwa applied a top hammerlock, but Hiromu immediately got to the ropes. Sabre snapped Hiromu’s elbow. Oiwa went back to the top hammerlock on Hiromu, but Finlay made the save at 12:30. Oiwa hit a frog splash on Hiromu for a nearfall. Hiromu hit a superkick; Oiwa hit a dropkick, and they were both down.
Sabre got back in and hit a running penalty kick for a nearfall. Hiromu hit a Michinoku Driver on Sabre for a nearfall at 14:30, then a clothesline. All four fought in the ring. Finlay hit a running European Uppercut on Sabre, then a clothesline on Oiwa. Finlay picked up Hiromu, but the opponent moved, so Finlay accidentally hit a Buckle Bomb on Hiromu! Sabre immediately got a floatover rollup and pinned Hiromu. Really good action. At 2-4, Hiromu and Finlay are officially eliminated. Sabre and Hiromu barked at each other as they headed to the back.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa (6) defeated Hiromu Takahashi and David Finlay (4) at 15:22.
8. “House of Torture” Sanada and Ren Narita (6) vs. Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura (6) in a B Block tournament match. The winner will move into a tie for first place in the Block. Sanada and Yuya opened with some standard reversals. Ren tagged in, and the HoT stomped on him. Yuya hit a second-rope twisting crossbody block on Narita. Umino got in and battled Ren. All four brawled to the floor at 4:30, and they went into the crowd, with Sanada whipping Yuya into the rows of chairs. Ren and Umino also fought into the rows of chairs.
Back in the ring, Sanada tied Yuya in the Paradise Lock at 7:30 and struck him with a corner pad. Ren hit a brainbuster for a nearfall on Yuya, and those two traded forearm strikes. Shota got a hot tag at 10:00, and he dropkicked Sanada. He hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall on Ren. Ren hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Umino for a nearfall, and he grabbed his push-up bar. He swung but missed. Umino hit a tornado DDT, and they were both down at 13:00. Yuya hit an armdrag and a dropkick on Sanada, then a bulldog for a nearfall. Yuya snapped Sanada’s arm and applied a hammerlock. Ren hit a snap German Suplex on Umino.
Sanada fell backwards but ‘accidentally’ hit a low-blow kick on Yuya. Sanada locked in a Skull End (dragon sleeper), but he missed a moonsault. Yuya immediately hit a huracanrana and went back to a hammerlock at 16:30. Shota hit a clothesline on Narita, then an enzuigiri. Ren fired back with a Double Cross (X-Factor faceplant). Sanada swung his guitar, but he accidentally hit Narita on the head! Yuya got an O’Connor Roll on Sanada; Sanada hit a Shining Wizard on Uemura. He missed a second one, and Yuya hit a step-up elbow drop. That’s new! He nailed the Deadbolt (belly-to-belly double underhook suplex with a high bridge) to pin Sanada! Good match and the right winner.
Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura (8) defeated Sanada and Ren Narita (6) at 18:46.
Final Thoughts: Another really strong night from the B Block. I really wasn’t sure who was winning either of the final two matches, so there was a lot of mystery. I’ll narrowly take the TMDK-UBC semi-main for best match, ahead of the Shota/Yuya main event for second. Both were really good. In fact, that’s probably the best Sanada has looked this tournament. The Murder Sauce-Bullet Club match was really good, too. I know I’m repeating myself, but the B Block is so much better than the A Block, it’s hard to believe that Gedo thought he split the Blocks evenly.
We’re in the stretch run! The tournament will end later this week. The A Block is back in action on Monday, and the B Block wraps up round-robin play on Tuesday. Then, it’s off to the playoffs!
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