By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “World Tag League.”
December 14, 2025, in Kumamoto, Japan, at Grandmesse Kumamoto
Streamed live on New Japan World
The lights were low, but the ring was well-lit. During some brawling in the second match, I could see this was just a large room with a crowd of maybe 800-1,000. Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary.
* This is it! After three weeks, we’re down to the finals of “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “The Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji.
* It has been announced that Douki will no longer compete in the four-way at Wrestle Kingdom. Instead, Sho will be in the match, and it will be a No. 1 contender’s match.
1. “House of Torture” Don Fale, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. El Desperado, Shuji Ishikawa, Shoma Kato. For those who are just tuning in, Ishikawa is 50, but he’s a legit 6’5″ and 280 pounds, and he’s done quite well throughout the tournament. Sho got on the mic and badmouthed this city. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway! Shuji hit a second-rope doublestomp to Fale’s chest. Charlton said here that Shuji has been a “ton of fun” to watch throughout this tournament. Fale knocked Shuji down with a shoulder tackle.
Desperado entered at 2:00 and battled Sho, and he locked in a Stretch Muffler, but Sho reached the ropes. Shoma entered at 4:30 and hit some armdrags and a suplex on Sho, and he applied a Boston Crab, but Fale made the save. Fale hit the Grenade (pop-up heart punch) on Shoma, and Sho covered Kato for the pin.
Don Fale, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated El Desperado, Shuji Ishikawa, and Shoma Kato at 5:45.
2. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney, and Taiji Ishimori vs. “House of Torture” Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens. The commentators immediately said they’d love to see this version of the UBC go after the six-man tag titles. Our first time seeing Ishimori and Douki on this tour! Those two opened. Ishimori hit a Pele Kick. On the floor, Douki shoved Ishimori head-first into the ring post, then crotched him around the post at 1:30. Chase and Shingo brawled into the crowd. The HoT worked over Taiji in their corner.
Ishimori finally hit double knees to Douki’s chest at 4:00, and Drilla finally got the hot tag. He battled Chase, but he couldn’t hit a piledriver, so he hit a dropkick on Owens. Moloney hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor, then a suplex in the ring for a nearfall. Shingo and Drilla hit stereo top-rope elbow drops for a nearfall at 6:30. Shingo hit some jab punches; Chase hit a jumping knee and a clothesline for a nearfall, then the C-Trigger knee at 8:00, but he couldn’t hit the package piledriver. Drilla and Shingo hit some team offense on Chase, then the “War Dragon” (team flipping powerbomb) for the pin on Chase. Good action.
Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney, and Taiji Ishimori defeated Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens at 8:41.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Yuto-Ice, Oskar, and Daiki Nagai. Charlton talked about how Wrestle Kingdom is now a sellout with 50,000 tickets sold for Tanahashi’s final match, while also acknowledging John Cena’s final match just hours earlier. Oskar and Shota traded shoulder blocks to open, and Shota hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Oskar hit a windup bodyslam. Nagai wanted the tag, but Oskar tagged in Yuto-Ice at 3:00 (and Nagai was livid). Yuto-Ice hit his roundhouse kicks in the corner and a running knee on Shota.
Daiki tagged in, but Oskar tagged in and shoved his teammate back to the corner! Shota dropkicked Oskar. Yuya finally tagged in at 5:00 and battled Yuto-Ice, and those two traded forearm strikes. Yuya hit a flying forearm. Daiki got in and hit a suplex and a Spinebuster on Tanahashi. He went for a Boston Crab, but Tanahashi fought free. Hiroshi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. The babyface trio hit stereo dropkicks on Oskar. Shota hit a clothesline on Oscar, while Yuya also hit a Dragon Suplex. Hiroshi hit a Sling Blade clothesline, then the High Fly Flow frog splash to pin Nagai. Fun match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino defeated Yuto-Ice, Oskar, and Daiki Nagai at 10:42.
* Hiroshi spoke on the mic and thanked the crowd for their support.
4. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan (w/Jakob Austin Young) vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi (w/Gedo). As the UE walked to the ring, Finlay attacked Newman from behind. Charlton talked about how Newman blames Finlay for his leg injury last year. I started the stopwatch at first contact. Newman choked Finlay with a shirt. Finlay switched to battling O-Khan as they brawled to the far wall. Newman and Hiromu fought to ringside at 2:30, but Callum shoved Takahashi into the guardrail.
Those two got in the ring and we had a bell at 3:26 to officially begin. They traded forearm strikes and chops. O-Khan tagged in and beat down Hiromu, who hit a clothesline at 7:00, and they were both down. Finlay got the hot tag, and he clotheslined Newman to the floor. In the ring, Callum threw a chair at Finlay’s head. The ref saw it and called for the bell! Callum and Finlay continued to fight. Callum grabbed a GHC title belt and struck Hiromu in the head with it, then he spat on the title. The crowd loudly booed Callum’s actions here.
David Finlay and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan via DQ at 9:33/official time of 6:07.
* Gedo hit an Orton-style punt kick to Gedo’s head, too. Newman put a chair over Gedo’s head and was going to ‘Pillmanize’ it, but Finlay chased him off. While O-Khan and Callum fled, Finlay grabbed Jakob Austin Young and hit the Overkill (pop-up knee strike to the sternum). Finlay got on the mic and challenged Callum. “You are marching down a very dangerous road,” Finlay said. David challenged Newman to a match at Wrestle Kingdom! Based on the words he used, I wonder if it will be a first blood match or perhaps some other type of special stipulation.
5. Toru Yano, Yoh, and Master Wato vs. “House of Torture” EVIL, Ren Narita, and Sanada for the NEVER Six-Man Tag Titles. The HoT attacked during the ring introductions; we finally got a bell at 00:36. All six were brawling. Charlton tried to convince me that the six-man tag division is exciting, but I’m not buying. (Sanada hit a low blow on Yoh and worked him over, putting Yoh in a Skulls End (dragon Sleeper.) Kanemaru jumped in the ring, wearing a ref shirt, and he called for the bell at 2:26 and declared that the match was over. The HoT were about to head to the back, pretending they had won the belts.
However, Olympian Aaron Wolf appeared, and he ordered the HoT back to ringside. The HoT (there are so many of them!) stomped on Wolf, Yoh, Wato, and Yano. EVIL and Wolf argued — those two will have a match at Wrestle Kingdom. The real ref called for the match to be restarted at 6:30; I never stopped my stopwatch. The HoT worked over Yano. EVIL choked him on the mat. Wato got a hot tag at 9:30, and he hit a flying headscissors takedown. He hit a flip dive to the floor onto the heels.
Sho jumped in and hit a knife-edge chop to Wato’s groin. (Wolf had gotten most of the HoT to the back, but as Charlton said, they are kind of like cockroaches; you see one, there are more lurking by.) Sanada ‘accidentally’ hit a low blow on Yoh. Sanada got his guitar. On the floor, Wolf confronted EVIL. In the ring, Sanada missed with his guitar shot. Yoh hit a low blow on Sanada and got an inside cradle for the pin. Wolf and EVIL were trading punches on the floor. A very ‘meh’ match; I just do not care one iota about these belts.
Toru Yano, Yoh, and Master Wato defeated EVIL, Ren Narita, and Sanada to retain the NEVER Six-Man Tag Titles at 15:06/official time of 14:30.
* It’s time for the main event! That sadly means no Murder Sauce or Oleg tonight. I would have much rather watched them than that NEVER Six-Man Tag…
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “The Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji in the World Tag League finals. Oiwa and Yota opened and traded intense-but-friendly mat reversals. Sabre and Kidd locked up at 4:00 and tied up on the mat, as it is already evident that this match is going long. Kidd and Oiwa traded shoulder blocks, and Oiwa hit an armdrag at 7:30. Yes, there has been little to describe thus far. While all on the mat, TMDK each grabbed one of Kidd’s arms and stretched him in opposite directions.
Kidd unloaded some chops on Sabre. Those two rolled to the floor at 12:00, with Gabe unloading more chops. Zack got back into the ring at the 17-count, but Gabe hit more loud chops on him. Gabe hit a tilt-a-whirl sideslam for a nearfall at 14:30. Oiwa got in, and he powerbombed Yota for a nearfall at 16:30. Yota hit a Stinger Splash in the corner on Oiwa. Kidd hit a top-rope superplex on Oiwa, with Yota making the cover for a nearfall at 18:30. Kidd and Yota’s knees accidentally collided, and Oiwa hit a back suplex on Tsuji.
Sabre got in and applied an Octopus Stretch on Yota; Yota hit a Flatliner. Kidd hit more chops on Sabre. Zack stomped on Gabe’s right elbow at 20:30, then a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall. He leaned back on a rollup for a nearfall. Kidd got a rollup for his own nearfall. Oiwa hit a German Suplex with Zack getting the floatover cover (how they won the semifinals!) for a nearfall on Kidd at 22:00. Sabre and Kidd traded big boots to the sternum. Gabe hit a knee to the jaw, and they were both down. (Walker said “we’re over 15 minutes,” but we were at 23:00, so I guess he’s not technically wrong.)
Tsuji missed the Marlowe Crash (top-rope stomp), but he put Sabre in a Boston Crab. Sabre tied both of Yota’s arms behind his back; Charlton said Tsuji must think about his Wrestle Kingdom match. The 25:00 call was spot-on, and Walker noted it. Sabre hit some European Uppercuts on Yota. Tsuji hit a knee strike to Zack’s chest, and this time, he hit the Marlowe Crash! He set up for a Gene Blaster, but Sabre caught him and hit a Zack Driver at 26:30. Kidd and Oiwa tagged back in and traded forearm strikes, and Oiwa dropped him!
Kidd opened his mouth to the camera and showed he just lost a tooth! He got up and traded more forearm strikes with Oiwa. Kidd hit a powerbomb for a nearfall at 29:30. Gabe set up for a running knee, but Oiwa collapsed. Oiwa nailed a Doctor Bomb for a nearfall; the 30:00 call was 10 seconds late. Kidd and Yota hit their “War Blaster” (spear and clothesline combo), but Sabre immediately made the save. Yota dove through the ropes onto Sabre; Kidd hit a jumping piledriver on Oiwa for a believable nearfall, and this crowd was HOT now. Kidd and Oiwa hit stereo clotheslines. Oiwa hit one more stiff clothesline and scored the pin on Kidd.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji to win the 2025 World Tag League at 32:37.
* Oiwa got on the mic first and boasted that TMDK has won the World Tag League. He noted that it’s only been 15 months since he returned from excursion. He said he’s only gotten stronger, and he thanked ZSJ. (It’s great to have Charlton at ringside for that instant translation.) They were then covered in streamers as they held the World Tag League trophies. Zack never got a chance to speak.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event. As I noted … early on it was clear they were going long. While I always suggest watching a match in its entirety, it would be perfectly acceptable to jump in at about the 12-minute mark and watch the rest from there. Charlton reminded us a few times that Yota has his title match against Konosuke Takeshita (which to me felt like a subtle reminder that it was unlikely Yota was going to win here, too, as he’s not having two matches at Wrestle Kingdom). So, at least to me, there wasn’t a lot of mystery over who was winning.
A really good tournament overall. I’m satisfied with the winners. The B Block was consistently good night after night. The A Block struggled with Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi spread over three of the eight teams, guaranteeing some matches I just didn’t care about — but at least Taichi and Kojima and Chase and Yujiro each went 1-6, so they weren’t beating teams better than them. And they were blessed with a largely injury-free tournament, too! Alex Zayne essentially skipped his final night of round-robin action but wrestled the following nights in undercard action.
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