New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/4/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 12

New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/4/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 12

The pre-show match didn't air. Here's what I saw:

Kaito Kiyomiya, Oskar Leube & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) & Oleg Boltin

 

Oleg and Oskar trade shots to start. They shoulder battle and Oleg shoulders him over. Oskar shoulders him over then slams him. Oiwa dropkicks Oleg then Kaito dropkicks Toa on the apron. Oleg takes a double back elbow then a double elbow drop twice. Oiwa is tripped and thrown into the rails outside by GoA. Oiwa and Oleg throw each other around and Oleg karelin's lifts him.

Oleg stomps him then Kaun slams Oiwa for 2. Oiwa gets splashed by Kaun then suplexes him. Kaito hits forearms on Kaun then running forearms him. Kaito hits a nice dropkick on Kaun then Toa takes a double dropkick. Kaun is double suplexed. Oleg belly to belly suplexes Oiwa then Oskar big boots Oleg. Kaun germans Oskar.

Toa pounces Oskar then Oskar takes a t-gimmick and is pinned.

It was short but entertaining. We didn't get to see much of anyone here really and it's a shame they didn't have more time.

Toa beats up a young lion after. 

Ren Narita, Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

Ren wristlocks Togo when he offers a handshake. Ren hammerlocks him and Togo pulls his hair while tripping him. Togo takes a double back elbow, a flipping senton then a double elbow drop. Togo throws Ren out and Shota is thrown into the rails, knocking over the ring announcer.

Togo foot chokes Shota in the corner then kicks the middle rope when Taguchi tries to get in. Yujiro chokes Shota then Evil chokes Shota with a shirt. Ren is then whipped into Shota, knocking both down. Shota dropkicks Evil then Taguchi hip attacks all 3 opponents. Taguchi then runs the ropes, doing hip attacks on all 3 opponents. Taguchi slides out then hip attacks Evil over the 2nd rope.

Evil counters Taguchi's hip attack with an atomic drop. Taguchi then takes a 2nd rope karate chop to the nuts. Taguchi enzugiri's Evil then Togo chokes Taguchi with a weapon. Taguchi crotches Yujiro with it then low blows Evil. Taguchi tries for everything is evil but it is stopped then Evil immediately taps him out with a sharpshooter.

We didn't see much of Ren at all here and it had a lot of Taguchi screwing around.

BULLET CLUB (Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)

 

No Bullet Club pre-match sneak attacks here. Mikey and Alex shoulder battle. Alex hits a knee, takes a back elbow then is shouldered over. Alex takes a double back elbow then a fist drop + flipping senton combo. Kosei forearms Alex, takes him over then running chops him. Alex pop up powerbombs Kosei then Mikey takes a rough bump over the rail outside.

Kidd chokes Mikey with a towel outside then Kosei gets his head banged off an exposed buckle. Taiji chokes Kosei with a towel then neckbreakers him. Kosei spinning heel kicks Taiji then dropkicks him. Shane is sent into the rials outside as is Mikey.  Kosei springboard dropkicks Taiji then pop-up germans him. Everyone gets in and ends up going down. Taiji pump-handle shoulderbreakers Kosei and Kosei slaps Taiji hard. Taiji pump kicks him and eye pokes him. Taiji puts him in la mistica then does a border city stretch to win it.

It was a decent trios match. They didn't have a lot of time but everyone made the most of it. Loved Kosei's pop-up german and Mikey's bump over the rails looked like it hurt.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Just 5 Guys (Taichi & Yuya Uemura) vs. Rogue Army (Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza)

Jack and Yuya start us off. They trade armlocks and Jack piefaces him. Jack shoulders him over. Yuya hiptosses, slams and armdrags him. Fale gets in and slams him. Fale clubs Yuya's back then stands on his back and surfs. Jack then surfs Yuya's back and running back elbows him. Yuya hits a nice dropkick and tags out.

Taichi hits Kawada kicks on Jack, takes forearms and spin kicks him. Taichi running face kicks him then enzugiri's Fale in the corner. Taichi running lariats Jack then Taichi takes off his pants. Jack lariats Taichi then Taichi chops him. Jack backdrops him then Taichi side kicks him. Taichi tries to suplex him but can't and they do sumo. Taichi throws him over then buzzsaw kicks him.

Yuya gets in and armdrags Jack then dropkicks and him and Fale. Yuya armdrags Fale which the announcers pop big for. Fale takes a running facekick and a running Yuya dropkick. Yuya top rope crossbodies Fale and Fale splashes him in the corner. Taichi helps Yuya sunset flip Fale then Yuya armbars Fale. The finish cuts off here but Fale's team ended up getting the win.

The video messed up during the finish here. I'm not sure whose fault that was. What we got wasn't that good though with Fale being slow and immobile as usual and Jack not contributing much either.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) 

 

AJ = Atlantis Jr., Sob = Soberano Jr., ELP = El Phantasmo, Hiku = Hikuelo

Hiku holds up his hand high and lets everyone high five it. Sob shoulders over ELP. They jump over each other. ELP cartwheels out of a headscissors and poses. They push each other and Sob flying headscissors him out. Sob fosbury flops him. ELP takes a double back elbow then is held up for an enzugiri.

AJ chops both of his opponents then runs into a ddt. Hiku chops AJ then misses a running boot. AJ dropkicks him in the back of the knee then single leg crabs him. The luchadores double team Hiku and tease letting him tag in ELP, then manipulate his fingers to middle finger ELP.

Hikukocks AJ off the apron and catches Sob's splash. Hiku lariats both opponents. ELP gets tagged in and facekicks AJ. He atomic drops both opponents then russian leg sweeps AJ. Sob is lariated over the top, banging his face off the apron. ELP springboard twisting crossbodies AJ, asai moonsaults him and plancha's Sob outside. ELP springboard 720 tornado ddt's AJ for 2.

ELP takes a double hiptoss into a powerbomb + neckbreaker combo. ELP and Sob trade punches on the mat in the corner. Sob and AJ go for a double superplex on ELP but Hiku powerbombs them all. Hiku then powerbombs Sob onto AJ. Hiku gets pulled over the top then AJ powerslams ELP. ELP top rope hurricanrana's AJ then Sob top rope spanish flies ELP. 

Hiku bangs his opponents heads together then takes a double dropkick to his knees. Hiku big boots Sob then Sob enzugiri's and superkicks him. ELP superkicks Sob then is springboard rocket launched onto Sob to win it.

I didn't think it was any good. Sob and Atlantis were trying to be tweeners/heels here and didn't do a great job of it. Then add on them trying to work the giant Hikuleo into this and it didn't work. It also went long.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

 

Suzuki and Yoshi trade forearms. Yoshi hits forearms on Suzuki then Suzuki takes a double shoulder. Bishamon is thrown into the rails outside and Suzuki crossfaces Goto over the rails. Suzuki camel clutches Goto. Yuji chinlocks Goto and kicks him in the back. Yuji kicks Goto in the chest then Goto lariats him off the ropes.

Yoshi is tagged in and shoulders over Yuji. Yoshi forearm flurries Yuji in the corner then trades forearms with him. Yoshi hits a hard forearm on Yuji out of the corner then Yuji bridging, twisting neckbreakers him. Yuji takes a weird double neckbreaker on the knee combo. Suzuki comes in to help but is sandwich lariated then takes a russian legsweep + blockbuster combo. Yuji then takes a neckbreaker over the knee + superkick combo.

Yuji running facekicks Goto then Goto takes a sandwich kick. Yuji exploders Goto for 2. Goto takes knees and an elbow to the back of the neck. Yuji is superkicked then Goto rolls up Yuji to win it.

It was nothing special and the finish was very lame here with Yuji essentially succumbing to a one second sleeper and superkick. All 4 guys are older and kind of limited and this was obviously not going to be a classic.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr. vs. Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer)

 

Zand = Zandokan Jr.

Zand and Alex start us off. Alex does a slingshot headscissors early. Zand slides under Alex then takes a double knee drop. Alex then does a corkscrew running ssp on him. Zand double chicken wing drops him on his chest then baseball slides him. Yota sends Lance into the rails outside and Zand throws Alex out. Lance is bridged on the rail and Zand drops on him. Alex then has the same thing happen to him inside.

Alex is popped up into a kick then takes a double baseball slide. Yota double knee drops him. Zand ties up Alex and Yota pushes Lance into the rail outside. Alex and Yota trade shots inside then Alex rolls him into a kick. Alex headscissors Lance into Yota in the corner. Zand and Archer then trade chops.

Lance uranage's Yota onto Zand then Alex jumps over Lance's back to dropkick Yota. Lance flips Alex onto Yota for 2. Alex goes up top and gets hit then Yota throws Lance over the top. Alex flips into a headscissors on Yota then Zand wheelbarrow germans Alex off a missed enzugiri. Lance ripcord black hole slams Zand then Lance is double suplexed. Alex takes a double hitposs into a double drop then Zand asai moonsaults Alex.

Alex takes a double hammerlock suplex. Yota gets on Zand's shoulders, ends up being caught by Lance then thrown into Zand. Yota takes a samoan drop + flipping neckbreaker combo. Zand is lariated over the top then pulls Lance out. Yota hits a nice spear on Alex and wins it.

Alex and Lance went all out here doing various double teams and doing a pretty good. Yota and Zand were mostly along for the ride and the bumps. It was an entertaining tag that could have used a better finishing stretch.

Overall thoughts: The main and midcard matches were good (minus Taguchi) but the other Tag League matches weren't. I wouldn't recommend this.