New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/25/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 5

New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/25/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 5

Yuto Nakashima vs. Katsuya Murashima

KM = Katsuya Murashima

They do some amateur wrestling then Yuto armlocks him. Yuto headlock takeovers him and KM headscissors him. KM trips him and Yuto hammerlocks him. Yuto fujiwara armbars him then hiptosses him. Yuto stomps on him then half-crabs him. Yuto stomps him more then slams him.

KM dropkicks him at 5 minutes then Yuto slams him. Yuto back body drops him then crabs him. KM then taps out.

It was your usual not-so interesting young lions match. KM got nearly nothing in.

Atlantis Jr., Oleg Boltin & Soberano Jr. vs. Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer) & Oskar Leube

Atlantis and Alex start us off. Atlantis flying headscissorsh im then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Oleg hits forearms and chops on Alex then Alex's team clears the ring. Alex is hiptossed into Oleg in the corner then slammed onto him. Oskar hits boots on Oleg for 2 then does a nice overhand chop. Lance hits chops and forearms on Oleg.

Oskar boots Oleg in the corner then Oleg does a nice slam on him. Soberano gets in and dropkicks Alex. He spins him into a knee in the face. Soberano then gets on Alex's back and legdrops his neck. Atlantis pops up Soberano into a splash on Alex. Alex is then held up for a step up enzugiri. Lance powerbombs Atlantis then Oleg shoulders him over. Oskar slams Oleg.

Soberano tries to roll up Oskar, but Oskar pins him down. Oskar is tripped by Soberano then Sob top rope legdrops him to win it.

It was a short match but it was okay with everyone getting a little in before the bell.

Master Wato, Minoru Suzuki, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya takes down Yuji then Yuji goes for a cross armbreaker. Yuji side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Yuya armdrags then double chops him. Yuji knees him in the gut. Wato hits forearms on Yuya then bulldogs him. Yuya armdrags Wato several times.

Douki works Wato's neck and pulls back both arms. Wato forearms Taichi then is clubbed and stomped on. Sanada gets in and puts Wato in the paradise lock. Sanada then dropkicks Wato in the butt. Sanada flips over him on the 2nd rope then takes a dropkick. Suzuki gets in and forearms Sanada. He PK's him for 2.

Suzuki puts a fujiwara armbar on Sanada. Sanada dropkicks Suzuki then Taichi kawada kicks Suzuki. Suzuki trades forearms for kicks with him. Taichi facekicks him then back body drops him. Yuji exploders Taichi then Honma falling headbutts Taichi. Honma takes kicks from opponents then a lariat from Taichi for 2.

Honma blocks Taichi's kick and headbutts him. They lariat each other then Taichi hits a gamengiri. Douki topes Wato outside then Taichi puts Honma in a stretch plum. Taichi taps him out and wins it.

It was pretty much a nothing match. There wasn't enough time for anyone to do too much here.

Yuji forearms Yuya after. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Yota Tsuji) & Zandokan Jr. vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado)

Zand = Zandokan, Hiku = Hikuelo, ELP = El Phantasmo

Hiku and Yota stare down to start us off. Yota hits him in the gut then Zand trips Hiku. Yota splashes Hiku then baseball slides him. Hiku double lariats Bushi and Yota over. Jado bangs Bushi's head into ELP's and Hiku's feet. ELP suplexes Bushi. Hiku delay suplexes Bushi then Bushi cradles Jado when he gets in. Jado shoulders Bushi over.

ELP goofs around with cartwheels then Bushi flying headscissors him. Zand gets in and hits forearms on ELP then flying shoulders him. Zand grabs him by the head and shakes him then ELP goes up and over in the corner. ELP springboard twisting crossbodies him then Zand tilt-a-whirl backbreakers and gutbusters him. Zand then basement dropkicks him for 2.

ELP is popped up into a kick. Yota forearms ELP then ELP superkicks him. Hiku takes shots from all 3 opponents. Jado gets splashed in the corner then takes a double basement sandwich dropkick. Bushi topes Hiku into the rails then Yota gets on Zand's shoulders for a splash on Jado. Yota picks up the win.

I really didn't think this one was anything special. It got good towards the end, but that's when it ended.

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

The four trade forearms to start. Toa is pulled over the top and is sent into the rails, knocking Milano Collection AT over. Back in the ring, Kaun hits forearms on Ren then Ren flying neckbreakers him. Ren boots Toa off the apron and goes after him then Kaun plancha's Ren. Kaun throws Ren into the rails and apron then Kaun sends Shota into the rails. Toa then shoulders Shota over the rails.

Shota takes corner attacks then is tripped into a Toa back splash. Kaun suplexes and germans Shota then Kaun backdrops both opponents. Shota is put on the 2nd rope then takes a codebreaker + a splash. Ren is then thrown out by Toa.

Toa piefaces Shota then Shota fights back with forearms. Shota slams Toa. Ren facekicks Toa then forearm flurries him in the corner. Ren hits another facekick on Toa then backdrops Kaun. Ren puts a sleeper on Kaun then Kaun hiptosses him. Kaun does a small pop-up samoan drop on Ren for 2.

Ren avoids a double team and tags in Shota. Shota forearms over Kaun then Shota tornado ddt's Toa. Shota exploders Kaun. Kaun hits a nice lariat on Shota then gorilla press gutbusters him for 2. Ren takes a sandwich lariat for 2 then Ren is full-nelson'd and thrown into a spear. Shota takes a t-gimmick style move for 2. Ren breaks up an open the gates attempt and germans Toa. Kaun shotgun dropkicks Toa hard then Shota enzugiri's Kaun. Shota death rider ddt's Kaun and wins it.

They had a botch during a tornado ddt spot here but Shota covered it pretty well. It was a fast paced affair here with no lack of action whatsoever. I was disappointed to see the GoA lose again here. It's too bad this couldn't have been the main event of the night as another 5-10 minutes would have made this match even better.

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd)

Yano and Ishii jump War Dogs before the bell. Yano uses a chair on Alex and Ishii swings a railing at Kidd. Ishii and Kidd trade forearms in the crowd. Yano eye rakes Alex then Ishii drops Kidd with a forearm. Alex is sent over the rails then Yano drops a rail on Alex. Kidd is thrown into the rail hard by Ishii. The fighting continues and the ref starts doing countout counts after about 5 minutes of outside brawling.

The four trade forearms inside then Ishii sent into the rail outside. Kidd chops and forearms Ishii outside. Kidd sends Ishii into the rails then Alex corner lariats Yano. Yano grabs Alex by the hair and pulls him down. Ishii sends Kidd into Alex then Kidd accidentally lariats Alex. Ishii backdrops Alex.

Alex black hole slams Ishii as he comes off the ropes then Alex suplexes Ishii by the ears over his head. Alex deadlift germans Ishii then Ishii germans him back. Ishii headbutts him then they lariat each other. Yano eye rakes Kidd then sends him into an exposed turnbuckle. Kidd eye rakes him then rebound lariats him.

Alex fallaway slams Ishii then Yano takes a double chokeslam for 2. Ishii lariats Kidd against the ropes then Yano belly to belly suplexes Kidd for 2. Alex lariats Yano then Ishii battering rams Alex. Yano spears Kidd then Ishii enzugiri's Alex. Yano spears Kidd in the back and rolls him up for 2.

Yano eye rakes Kidd then is tripped and chopped. Yano takes a lariat + german combo for 2. Ishii takes a double fishermans suplex then Yano low blows Alex. Yano rolls up Kidd for 2 then Kid punches him. Kidd jumping piledrivers him and wins it.

Good match, bad booking. I didn't like the faces jumping the heels here during their entrance. I didn't like the ref watching people get hit with weapons. I also didn't like the ref letting people brawl for 5 minutes outside then start trying to do a countout. If you can get past that, the match was fun. Kidd and Ishii are a great fit together and Yano stepped up his game to do more than comedy here. It was heated, fast paced and lots of nice strikes were thrown here. It was also totally out of control for most of this. 

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs. House Of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

Kaito and Oiwa get jumped before intros as usual. Evil works Oiwa's arm then Oiwa shoulders him over. Evil takes a double armdrag and double dropkick. Evil eye rakes Kaito then throws him into the exposed buckle. Oiwa then gets sent into the post. Kaito is sent into the rail then hit with the turnbuckle pad. Kaito is then sent into the exposed buckle and slammed.

Yujiro punches, eye rakes and leg drops Kaito. Kaito comes back with shots on Evil then suplexes Evil. Oiwa gets in and double dropkicks his opponents. Togo is knocked off the apron then Oiwa splashes Evil for 2. Evil single leg crabs Oiwa then Oiwa gets his legs split. Oiwa gutwrench suplexes Yujiro and tags out.

Kaito gets the hot tag in and dropkicks Yujiro. Kaito hits corner punches then flying lariats him for 2. Yujiro facekicks him on the ropes then fisherman busters him for 2. Kaito then is chopped in the crotch by Togo off the 2nd rope. Yujiro puts Kaito on his shoulders and slams him down. Yujiro then takes a double dropkick. Oiwa backdrops Evil.

Sho and Kanemaru come out. Kanemaru mists Kaito with something and the ref somehow doesn't see it. Sho low blows Oiwa. Kaito rolls up Yujiro but the ref is arguing with HoT. Togo gets in the ring on another pin attempt. Yujiro ddt's Kaito while he's on his knees for 2.

Kaito hurricanrana's Yujiro after pushing him into his partners. Then Kaito picks up the win.

It was your usual House of Torture garbage with stupid refs and cheating heels. Had they just toned down some of the nonsense, it would have been a passable match.

The faces get beat up after but they eventually thwart the HoT. Kaito shining wizard's Evil.

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & HENARE)

Shane and Khan start us off and do some amateur wrestling before standing off. Mikey and Henare trade forearms. Henare back elbows him then shoulders him over. Henare hits kicks to the back then Henare takes a cartwheel senton + fist drop combo. Henare bangs his own head off the buckle then shoulders Shane out. Shane is then thrown into the rails and knocks Alex over on commentary.

Back in the ring, Henare sentons Shane at 5 minutes. Khan gets in and mongolian chops Shane's neck then sits on his neck in the corner. Khan slams Shane then Henare kicks Shane's chest. Shane flying headscissors him then Mikey gets tagged in and hits offense on Henare. Mikey ddt's Henare for 2. Henare forearms im then take a death valley driver for 2.

Henare jumping knees Mikey then spinning heel kicks him. Mikey spinebusters Khan. Shane reverse slams Khan then dropkicks him. Shane running euros Khan then cannonballs him in the corner. Khan eye rakes Shane up top then Shane gets on Mikey's shoulders to suplex Khan.

Henare hits a berzerker bomb on Shane then Mikey sliding lariats Henare. Khan flying lariats Mikey and all 4 are down. Shane and Khan trade chops then Khan straight punches him. Khan sheep killer suplexes him then Khan throws Shane into a Henare powerbomb. Mikey lariats Henare over the top to the floor then Khan takes a tank buster for the TMDK win.

It was an okay main event but it wasn't anything special. It was not their best work and they did not try for an epic match here.

Overall thoughts: The War Dogs vs Ishii/Yano match was the best match of the night, but it had the usual issues with HoT's interference. The semi-main could have been good with less HoT shenanigans as well and the GoA/Umino and Ren match was decent. I still wouldn't recommend this though.