New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/29/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/29/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 8

Here's what I saw:

Kaito Kiyomiya, Oleg Boltin & Ryohei Oiwa vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)

Oleg and Kosei go at it. They do some amateur wrestling and Kosei flips out of a wristlock. Kosei arm takeovers him and they stand off (which the announcers really pop for). Mikey gets in and Oleg pulls him down face first. Shane gets in. Oleg takes a double shoulder then shoulders both over. Kosei hits dropkicks on Oleg and is shouldered over. Shane hits a nice dropkick on Oleg.

Kosei elbows Oleg over the back of his head then hits a big chop. Oleg slams Mikey then Oiwa splashes Mikey. Oiwa dropkicks Shane then does a nice gutwrench on Kosei. Oiwa suplexes Mikey then Mikey ddt's him. Shane dropkicks Oiwa then cannonballs him.  Shane running kicks him for 2.

Oiwa powerslams Shane. Kaito flying neckbreakers Shane for 2. Shane falcon arrows Kaito then Kosei spinning heel kicks Kaito. Kosie hits a big chop on Kaito then springboard dropkicks him.  Kaito takes corner attacks then Kosei is slammed on Kaito for 2. Everyone comes in to do a move and Shane takes a double dropkick. Mikey takes a double suplex then TMDK are both lariated over the top by Oleg. Kosei take a crossbody doomsday device then Kaito shining wizards him to win it.

I thought this one went too long. It was an okay trios match though with everyone getting some time to shine.

Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) & Yuto Nakashima vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) 

GoA are knocked off the apron onto Yuto then beaten up outside. Evil shoves a mic in Kaun's face then stomps him. Sho works Kaun's arm and Kaun's arm is wrapped around the ropes. Kaun uranage's Evil then jumps off his back to dropkick Yujiro. Toa gets the hot tag in and cleans house. Toa hits running corner moves thne splashes Evil and Yujiro at the same time. Toa then shoulders over both.

Yuto tags himself in and shoulders over Sho. Yuto hits kicks to the chest and forearms him against the ropes. Yuto running forearms him for 2. Yuto crabs Sho and Togo gets on the apron. The GoA surround Togo outside. Togo runs for it and Yuto slaps Sho. Sho does a triangle on Yuto and taps him out to win.

Togo then makes peace with GoA after. GoA are given HoT t-shirts and seemingly join the group.

It was fun to see Toa work face here and do hot tags. I'd be interested to see more of that. The finish was out of nowhere.

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

Zand = Zandokan Jr.

They all fight before the bell and pair off in the corners. Zand's head is banged off the buckle then Zand and Yota dosey do when thrown into each other. They attack their opponents in the corner and Yota splashes Fale in the corner. Yota's team both hit topes outside. Jack is popped up into a Yota kick.

Yota pounds on Jack then Yota takes a stun gun on the ropes. Fale then hits him from the apron. Jack chokes Yota with a shirt then chops him down. Fale slams Yota then stands on his back. Jack double leg grapevine's Yota's legs then Yota suplexes him.

Zand forearms Jack multiple times then double knee drops his back. Zand basement dropkicks Jack's back and trips Fale onto him. Zand dropkicks Fale then Jack takes a double hiptoss drop. Yota splashes Jack and Zand 2nd rope moonsaults Jack.

Jack takes a double superkick then a double hammerlock suplex. Yota gets on Zand's shoulders and breaks it up. Fale then pop up samoan spikes Yota. Fale splashes Zand in the corner then Zand takes a backbreaker and an elbow drop.

It wasn't anything too special. Zand did a moonsault here and they kept Fale mostly out of it. On top of it being short, they probably did the best you could to hide some of the weak links in this one.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)

ELP = El Phantasmo, Hiku = Hikuleo

ELP and Suzuki start us off. They trade side headlocks and Suzuki works the arm. ELP atomic drops him then does the same to Yuji. Suzuki triangles ELP over the top rope then sends him into the rails. Hiku and ELP are sent into the rails at the same time. Suzuki drops ELP with a forearm outside.

Yuji knees ELP then forearms him in the gut. Suzuki forearms ELP then trades with him. ELP gets dropped with a forearm at 5 minutes. Yuji hits chest kicks on ELP then running facekicks him. Yuji exploders him for 2 then ELP step up enzugiri's him. Hiku shoulders over Yuji, hits snake eyes then running facekicks him.

Yuji dropkicks him in the knee and tags out. Suzuki hits forearms on Hiku then Hiku side slams him. ELP and Suzuki trade forearms and ELP gets dropped. Yuji step up knees ELP in the corner then ELP takes a sandwich PK. Yuji and Suzuki argue. Hiku pushes one into the other then double lariats them.

ELP back elbows Suzuki in the corner then Hiku powerslams Suzuki. ELP asai moonsaults Suzuki then Suzuki sleepers him. Yuji crossfaces Hiku at the same time. Suzuki has ELP almost done and then releases the hold to try and pin him. ELP rolls up Suzuki off a piledriver then superkicks him. ELP straightjacket pedigrees him and wins it.

It wasn't anything too special with Suzuki and Nagata being limited. ELP did try to sell hard here for Suzuki and we didn't see a lot of Hikuleo here.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer) vs. Just 5 Guys (Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

 

Lance tells Taichi everybody dies then pie faces him. Taichi hits chops that don't hurt him then Lance forearms him. Taichi does a weak enzugiri then is bodyblocked. Lance bangs Yuya's head off the buckle. Yuya pushes Alex into him then hits an armdrag and dropkick. Yuya chops Alex in the corner then takes back elbows there. Alex headscissors Lance into Yuya.

Lance says Yuya has "great f**king hair" and says, "you like the chop, don't you?". Lance then forearms him down and talks more trash. Yuya takes a big bump in the corner off an irish whip then takes a short arm lariat. Alex and Yuya trade shots then Yuya backdrops him.

Taichi hits Kawada kicks on Alex then running facekicks him in the corner. Lance comes in to help and takes a side kick from Taichi. Lance is then pulled down over the top. Taichi running lariats Alex. Alex upkicks Taichi from the mat then does a flipping legdrop on him while he's bent over.

Alex falcon arrows Taichi for 2. Lance superkicks Taichi then Taichi boots him out of the corner. Taichi enzugiri's him. Yuya gets in and armdrags Alex. Yuya dropkicks Lance off a chokeslam attempt and hits another dropkick. Lance blocks his armdrag then Yuya hits an armdrag and knee dropkick. Lance step up knees Yuya then Yuya rolls him up. Yuya diving bulldogs Lance off the 2nd rope for 2. Yuya comes off the top, Lance catches him and Yuya rolls him up.

Yuya double chops and enzugiri's Lance. Yuya takes a flipping legdrop + side slam combo. Alex forward flipping side slams Taichi then Lance chokeslam flips Alex. Yuya takes a forearm from Lance then is chokeslammed. Lance hits blackout on Alex onto Yuya and gets the win.

This was a very fun tag. Yuya played the big man vs little man story well with Lance and and Alex and Lance's double teams were a lot of fun. This couldn't of gone much better than it did and everyone came off looking good here.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

AJ = Atlantis Jr., Sob = Soberano Jr.

Yoshi and Sob (in nice gold and white gear) start us off. Yoshi side headlocks him then Sob hooks the leg. Yoshi goes for an armbar. They end up doing a stand off. Yoshi side headlocks him and Sob headscissors him. Sob then pulls both arms on it and they stand off again. They argue with each other then AJ and Goto get in.

AJ clean breaks him and Goto side headlock takeovers him. They stand off and Goto side headlocks him. AJ shoulders him over then takes a double shoulder. Goto hiptosses Yoshi onto him then Sob gets the double clubs on his back. Goto works over AJ then bangs his head off the buckles. Yoshi works AJ's arm and drops him with a chop. Goto boosts AJ into a hurricanrana on Yoshi on accident. AJ then armdrags and dropkicks Goto.

Sob is tagged in and top rope crossbodies Goto. Goto forearms Sob several times. Sob dropkicks and standing moonsaults him for 2. Sob legdrops Goto then chinlocks him at 10 minutes. Sob sends Goto into the rails then 619's him outside. AJ chokes Goto over the rail. AJ snapmares and chinlocks Goto. Goto gets stomped by both opponents. Goto gets kicked in the knee and 2v1'd. Goto tries to fight out of it but is knocked down. Sob boots Goto in the gut then Goto spinning lariats him at 15 minutes.

Yoshi kicks Sob in the gut and knee dropkicks him. Yoshi then hits a running headhunter. Yoshi delay suplexes Sob for 2. Yoshi and Sob trade forearms then they trade chops. Yoshi double chops him then Sob hurricanrana's him. Sob pump kicks him then powerslams him. Goto and AJ are tagged in. They trade forearms and Goto shoulders him over.

Goto spinning heel kicks him in the corner then backdrops him for 2. AJ powerslams Goto then basement dropkicks him. All 4 men get in and AJ crossfaces Goto. Sob fosbury flops Yoshi outside and Goto ropebreaks after a long time in the crossface. Goto is bridged on the 2nd rope and Sob 2nd rope moonsaults him for 2 at 25 minutes.

Yoshi breaks up a double team on Goto then gets stomped 2v1. Sob pump kicks Yoshi then Yoshi fires up and lariats him. AJ forearms Yoshi over then Goto neckbreakers AJ over his knee. Goto suplexes AJ then Yoshi hits a big lariat on AJ. Yoshi superkicks AJ in the face and puts him in a submission then Goto puts Sob in an arm submission. The holds are broken up.

Yoshi corner lariats AJ then AJ takes a superkick into a neckbreaker on the knee. AJ is superkicked again then Sob breaks up a double team. AJ and Yoshi lariat each other and the time limit expires.

It was the most generic and simple 30 minute draw you could do. There weren't any dangerous bumps here and Soberano only did two dives. It wasn't that great or interesting and it definitely did not need to go 30. Soberano and Atlantis had to play heel at times here which was interesting since they would usually be the faces otherwise, but they didn't really do that much heeling. I give them credit for going 30 minutes without doing a lot, but it wasn't that good or interesting. Sob and Atlantis haven't impressed all tournament and did not do so here.

Overall thoughts: The main was a long 30 minute draw. It was very simple and basic and not that great. The semi main was fun and seeing Toa work as a babyface earlier in the show was fun. I would say this was an average to somewhat good show.