New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/24/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 4

New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/24/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 4

I saw 6 of the 9 matches:

Oskar Leube vs. Katsuya Murashima

KM = Katsuya Murashima

KM has all kinds of nasty bruises all over him. Oskar wrestlers him down then KM trips him and side headlocks him. Oskar headlock takeovers KM then shoulders him over. KM dropkicks him in the gut and gets kicked. Oskar chinlocks him then KM hits some chops. Oskar drops him with a single chop then drops him with a single forearm.

Oskar hits a hard knee to the gut then KM dropkicks him. KM hits forearms and chops then Oskar clubs his back. Oskar then wins it with a facekick.

It was your usual young lions match. It was quite boring until the last minute or so when Katsuya took a hard knee and came back with a dropkick.

Shota Umino, Ren Narita and Master Wato vs The Gates of Agony and Yuto Nakashima

 

Kaun throws Ren around to start then Ren flying neckbreakers him. Ren and Shota do senton variations on Kaun and double elbow drop him. Wato forearms and chops Kaun. Wato goes for a springboard and is dropkicked off the apron. Toa then throws Wato into the rails. Wato is atomic dropped then takes a splash and knee drop combo.

Wato double bulldogs GoA then he leg lariats Toa. Shota forearms Toa in the corner then back elbows both GoA members. Shota hits a nice exploder on Kaun then slams Toa. Toa belly to belly suplexes Shota for 2. Kaun misses a punch on Shot and punches the mat then Shota dropkicks him.

Kaun shotgun dropkicks Ren then gorilla press gutbusters Shota for 2. Yuto back elbows Ren then shoulders him over. Ren exploders Yuto for 2 then dropkicks Kaun on the apron. Ren sleepers Yuto then cobra twists him. Yuto taps out.

It was an okay undercard match. Nothing super memorable about it.

Shota and Toa butt heads outside after.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. vs. Rogue Army (Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza)

Sob = Soberano Jr., AJR = Atlantis Jr.

They stand off then the heels face shove the luchadores. Fale takesa double dropkick. Jack is held up for an enzugiri then Sob jumps on Fale's back and legdrops his back and neck. Fale kind of headbutts Sob on the apron and Sob goes down to the floor. Jack then sends Sob into the rails.

Fale slams Sob then stands on his back. Jack gori specials Sob. Sob tries to escape it and is powerbombed. Fale elbow drops Sob. Sob tries to spinning headscissors him but Jack ankle locks him then surfboards him. Fale slams Sob then does a surfing motion while standing on his back.

Sob boots Jack in the corner then hits a code red for 2. AJR spinning headscissors Jack then spinebusters him. AJR single leg crabs him then slams him. AJR is tripped into the buckles then Jack underhook suplexes him into the buckles. They trade forearms and AJR superkicks him. They botch a suplex + top rope crossbody on Jack twice and Sob lands on his head on the landing. Fale comes in and is double dropkiked in the back. Sob top rope dropkicks him out.

Sob fosbury flops Fale outside then AJR top rope splashes Jack to win it.

It wasn't good. There were a few botches and the teams just didn't have any chemistry. 

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr.

Zand = Zandokan Jr.

Suzuki and Yuji argue then get attacked before the bell. Suzuki and Zand trade shots. Zand stomps him then takes a triangle choke over the top rope. Yuji chest kicks Yota outside then Suzuki kicks the rail with Zand's arm in it. Yuji wrings and stomps on Zand's arm.

Suzuki yanks down on Zand's arm then Yuji faekicks Yota off the apron. Suzuki hits forearms on Zand then Zand lariats him. Yota gets in and hits forearms on Suzuki. He shoulders him over then baseball slides him. Yota suplexes Suzuki for 2 then takes forearms. Yota corner splashes him then Suzuki puts a choke on him.

Yuji hits chest kicks on Yota then exploders him with Suzuki's help. Yuji crossfaces yota while Suzuki sleepers Zand. Yota pumping knees him then takes an enzugiri. Yuji suplexes him  for 2. Zand superkicks Yuji then Yota does as well. Yuji takes a double hammerlock suplex for 2. Zand dropkicks Suzuki off the apron then Zand top rope splashes Yuji for 2.

Yuji forearms and chops Zand then Zand chest headbutts him. Yota gets on Zand's shoulders and then jumps off of them to splash Yuji. Yota gets the pin.

It wasn't too good. Suzuki and Yuji are kind of limited and we didn't get to see Yota and Zand do much at all.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer)

 

Alex and Goto trade basic holds. Goto shoulders him over then Alex rolls him backwards. Alex is double shouldered then Goto hiptosses Yoshi onto him. Lance gets in and also gets the double shoulder and hiptoss. Alex then gets his back double clubbed. Lance hiptosses Alex into Goto then Lance running lariats Goto.

Lance punches and chops Goto. Lance lariats him and puts his hand on him to cover him. Alex chops Goto then Goto chops him back. Goto hits a nice lariat off the ropes then Yoshi back elbows Alex. Yoshi superkicks him in the gut and neckbreakers him. Alex is laid on the top rope and Yoshi dropkicks him while he hangs for 2.

Alex lariats Yoshi then Yoshi lariats him. Goto spinning heel kicks Alex in the corner then backdrops him for 2. Alex hits his unusual forward flipping side slam on Goto then hits a straightjacket, wrist-clutch bomb on him. Yoshi running headhunters Lance then avoids Alex's forward flipping side slam. Yoshi superkicks Alex into a neckbreaker on the knee of Goto. Alex is lifted for a elbow slice bomb.

Lance chokeslams Alex off the apron onto Yoshi. Lance facekicks Goto then Goto suplexes him for 2. Lance step up knees Goto in the corner then hits blackout to win it.

It was okay. It went a little over 10 minutes. We got Bishamon's usual offense here and Lance/Alex tried some, though Alex didn't quite bust out his best stuff.

Alex and Lance grab the tag titles and hold them up after. Lance says they will win the tag league then beat Bishamon for the tag titles at the Dome.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (w/Jado) vs. Just 5 Guys (Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

ELP = El Phantasmo, Hiku - Hikuleo

Yuya does a nice combo into a snapmare then armlocks ELP. ELP flips out of a wristlock and is headscissored. They stand off and push each other. ELP shoulders him over and they dropkick each other at the same time then headflip at the same time.

Taichi and Hiku get in. Taichi kicks him in the leg and they grab each other by the throat. Hiku shoulders him over and knocks Yuya off the apron. Taichi is sent into the rails by ELP then ELP 2nd rope connector moonsaults him outside. Hiku doesa nice elbow drop on Taichi for 2.

ELP is sent into Hiku's boot in a messed up spot then ELP low dropkicks Taichi. Taichi kicks Hiku in the leg multiple times then enzugiri's him. Yuya is tagged in. He hits dropkicks on Hiku an darmdrags ELP. Yuya then 2nd rope twisitng crossbodies Hiku and armdrags him. Yuya comes off the 2nd rope and bulldogs Hiku for 2.

Hiku running facekicks Yuya then Hiku side slams Yuya. ELP 2nd rope moonsaults Yuya but Yuya gets his knees up. Taichi hits Kawada kicks on ELP then side kicks him. Taichi running lariats him then takes his pants off. ELP step up enzugiri's him then takes a gamengiri.

Taichi ridge hand chops ELP in the face then Yuya bulldogs ELP for 2. Hiku gets in and facekicks Taichi. Hiku hits snake eyes on Yuya then shoulders him over. Hiku runs through a double chop then hits a double lariat. Hiku powerslams Yuya for 2 at 15 minutes in. Yuya rolls up Hiku then does a rverse triangle choke on him. Taichi then puts stretch plum on ELP at the same time.

Yuya tries to front suplex Hiku but he can't. Hiku slaps him and Yuya reverses his chokeslam with a ddt. Taichi hits chest kicks on Hiku, spin kicks him then is powerslammed. ELP springboard splashes Taichi for 2. Taichi takes a head kick + spinning cut throat bomb for 2. Hiku chops Yuya so hard that he rolls out of the ring. ELP accidentally superkicks Hiku then Taichi rolls up ELP for 2. Yuya flying dropkicks ELP in the corner then lariats hiku over the top. He struggles to skin the cat back in then plancha's Hiku. ELP rolls up Taichi for 2 then Taichi superkicks him. Taichi schwein's ELP and wins it.

They tried but it wasn't that great. It was long and slower than it needed to be. Hiku's also just not that great of a worker nor does he really have the fire to take his matches to the next level. It would have been better with anyone else in Hiku's place and with a better crowd.

Overall thoughts: The crowd was awful and ruined everything. They only cheered in the main. I don't know if they weren't allowed to cheer or just didn't, but it destroyed the show.  The show also just wasn't that great. It was a house show so they weren't going all out and the only match where they truly gave full effort was in the main, but that match was not that great. The semi-main was okay too, but the other two tag league matches stunk. Zandokan Jr. has not impressed yet and some of the styles clashes are too much to overcome.