New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/6/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 13

New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/6/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 13 

Atlantis Jr., Soberano Jr., Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) & Zandokan Jr.

AJ = Atlantis Jr., Sob = Soberano Jr., Zand = Zandokan Jr.

Yota is wearing a Zandokan mask today and does lucha with AJ to start. AJ headscissors him over and they end up doing a stand off. Yota offers AJ a handshake and AJ pulls Yota's mask off instead. Yota hits a nice leapfrog and AJ enzugiri's him on the apron. AJ then does a froggy crossbody to him. AJ is put on the buckles then 2nd rope hurricanrana's Zand.

AJ monkey flips Yota across the ring twice. Honma misses a falling headbutt on Yota then Honma takes a 4 man stomp. Honma suplexes Zand. Sob gets in and enzugiri's him from the apron. Sob tornillo's him off the top. Sob hurricanrana's Zand off a pop-up then Zand step up enzugiri's him. Sob is then flipped into a sit out driver.

Shingo gets in and Sob tornado ddt's him. Tiger is taged in and he hits kicks on Shingo. Shingo goes for a running move on Tiger but Sob crossbodies him off the top. AJ tilt-a-whirlbackbreakers Bushi. AJ topes Yota and Sob fosbury flops Zand. Honma falling headbutts Shingo then Tiger tiger drivers Shingo for 2. Shingo death valley drivers Tiger for 2 then Bushi plancha's Honma outside. Shingo lariats Tiger and wins it.

Some of the early part of this was fun with the lucha guys going at it and Yota trying to do lucha. I thought it was a decent midcard match with Soberano and Atlantis finally doing face work for a change and doing good with it.

Yota rips off Atlantis' mask after and Soberano gets his mask ripped off too. They then cover their heads with shirts. 

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya hammerlocks Yoshi then Yoshi side headlocks him. Yoshi shoulders him over and Yuya hiptosses him. Yuya slams him and armdrags him. Yuya chops Yoshi in the corner then Yuya takes a double shoulder from Bishamon. Goto hiptosses Yoshi onto Yuya then suplexes Taichi onto him. Sanada gets hit by all 4 opponents then Douki takes a 4 person club flurry.

Yuya dropkicks Goto and everyone else fights outside. Goto is snapmared then neckbreakered by Douki. Douki is then double teamed in the corner. Sanada suplexes Goto then Yuya elbow drops Goto for 2. Goto and Yuya trade chops and Goto's chest gets busted open from it. Goto hits a nice lariat on Yuya.

Taichi gets in and piefaces Yoshi off the apron. Taichi running face kicks Goto then Goto lariats him out of the corner. Okada gets in and running back elbows Taichi. Okada ddt's Taichi for 2. Taichi hits Kawada kicks on him then then does a big chop. Taichi hits a side kick.

Sanada gets in and dropkicks Okada in the knee and chest. Okada is put in the paradise lock then dropkicked in the butt. Okada flapjacks Sanada. Tana gets in and flying forearms Sanada. Tana goes for the paraside lock on Sanada, but he escapes then dragon screws him. Douki gets in and reverses Tana's hiptoss with an armdrag. Douki then springboard back elbows Tana.

Tana is lifted and takes a double stomp from Douki off the top for 2. Douki hits a hard lariat on Tana. Douki slingshots in and is caught with multiple twists and shouts. Sanada breaks the pin up then takes an Okada dropkick. Yuya armdrags Okada then dropkicks him. Goto lariats Yuya and Taichi takes a superkick + ushigoroshi combo. Douki rolls up Tana for 2 then Tana slingblades him. Tana hits a high fly flow and wins it.

It was an okay multi-person tag. It went 14:28 and we got to see a little of everyone. Tana didn't look that strong against douki here, but he ended up getting the win on him.

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

Kaun headlock takeovers him and they do some amateur wrestling. Oiwa wristlocks him then fireman's carry slams him. Kaun takes a double armdrag then Kaito works his arm. Kaun pushes Oiwa into a toa forearm then germans him. Kaun forearms Kaito down and hits mounted punches on Oiwa.

Toa misses a corner splash on Oiwa. Oiwa forearms both GoA members then is back body dropped on the apron. Toa sentons Oiwa on the apron. The GoA stand on Oiwa over the middle rope then beat up on him together. Kaun chinlocks Oiwa and Oiwa ropebreaks. Oiwa takes a double slam then elbow drops Oiwa.

Toa puts Oiwa in a traphezus hold. Oiwa dropkicks Toa then Kaito gets in. Kaito running forearms Toa then top rope dropkicks him. Toa swinging side slams Kaito. Kaito avoids a sandwich lariat and GOA nail each other. Kaun and Toa take double dropkicks then Kaun takes a doomsday device crossbody. Kaun is german suplexes for 2 at 10 minutes.

Toa is thrown out then Kaito plancha's him. Kaun shotgun dropkicks Oiwa into the corner. GoA are pushed into eac hother. Toa headbutts Kaito then Kaito takes a powerbomb + back cracker combo. Kaito is then powerbombed into Oiwa in the corner. Oiwa takes a corner hip attack and meteora. Oiwa then takes a t-gimmick and is pinned.

It was a standard heel vs face tag. Not bad and nothing wrong with it, just nothing too amazing either. 

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & HENARE)

Ishii and Henare stare down, grabbing each other by the throat. They shoulder and forearm battle to start. Ishii shoulders him over. Henare 2nd rope twisting kicks him then Ishii takes a double shoulder. Ishii hits Khan and Henare over the head then is legswept. Henare chokes Ishii and forearms him in the corner. Ishii powers up and no sells them then henare headbutt fluries him with a big forearm.

Henare kicks him in the back and sentons him. Khan mongolian chops Ishii then sits on his neck in the corner. Ishii suplexes Khan then suplexes Henare. Yano pulls off a turnbuckle pad. Khan gets sent into it and rolled up for 2. Khan hits a pop-up mongolian chop then Yano fireman's carry rolls him over. Yano catapults Khan into the exposed buckle. Khan lariats him in the back of the neck and torture rack neckbreakers him.

Yano belly to belly suplexes Henare then Ishii running lariat Henare in the corner. Ishii backdrops him then Henare boots him. Henare hits a berzerker bomb then spinning back elbows him for 2. Ishii takes a elbow slice + powerbomb combo. Yano atomic drops Khan and sends him into the exposed buckle. Henare gets sent into there as well and is clipped from behind by Yano.

Henare and Ishii trade strikes and Ishii lariats him down. Henare pumping knees him then hits a big uranage style slam. Henare headbutts him in the chest then Ishii enzugiri's him. Ishii running lariats him for 2. Khan chops Ishii in the throat then Ishii is thrown into a sitout powerbomb for 2.

Yano fights off both opponents then gets his low blow attempt blocked. Yano is lifted up and cuttered. Khan straight punches Ishii then Henare running PK's Ishii. Henare fisherman busters Ishii and gets the win.

It was good. Ishii carried things as usual and his fun strong style exchanges with Henare were the core of this match. Yano didn't contribute much but didn't interrupt things much either.

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. House Of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) 

 

The faces jump the HoT for a change during their entrance. Yujiro stomps on Shota as they get in. Shota low dropkicks Yujiro and goes outside, where Togo hits him from behind. Shota double dropkicks Evil and Togo outside. Back in and Yujiro bites Shota's hand. Yujiro then reverse ddt's him. Shota gets stomped outside by Togo and Evil.

Yujiro beats up on Shota in the corner then Evil sends Shota into the exposed buckle. Yujiro face kicks Shota on the ropes. Evil rakes Shota's back then Shota hits forearms. Shota pushes the heels into each other and exploders Yujiro. Shota dropkicks Evil.

Shota goes to tag in Ren and Ren walks away. Evil suplexes Shota and Ren takes a seat in the aisle way to watch. The ref gets knocked down and goes out then Ren watches as Shota gets group stomped. Togo 2nd rope karate chops Shota in the crotch. Shota half-nelson suplexes Evil then enzugiri's Yujiro. HoT tries to interfere more and Shota thwarts it. Shota half-nelson suplexes Evil then Ren gets up. Ren puts Shota in a choke then throws him into an everything is evil. Shota is pinned.

Ren stands on Shota's face after and chairs him. Ren then facebusters him. Ren then puts on a House of Torture shirt after and poses with them, joining the group.

Ren's turn was out of nowhere. He's still young but so far, he hasn't looked like one of the New 3 Muskeeters. He has an average look. He has a below average body. He doesn't seem to have a lot of personality and he's just average in the ring right now. Maybe a heel turn will help him get more of a personality, but House of Torture sucks and I doubt it will do anything for him. The match wasn't much, just Shota being beaten up before Ren finally denying him the tag. 

World Tag League 2023 Block A Match - TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd)

The War Dogs come out first, beating up Kosei Fujita. Alex jackhammers him and Kidd calls out TMDK. They fight in the ring. Kidd chops up Shane then is thrown out. Kidd goes into the rails then Mikey top rope moonsaults his opponents outside. Mikey and Alex fight in the seats and Mikey is thrown into chairs. Mikey and Alex throw chairs then Alex is sent into the wall. Alex has a rail thrown at him and Mikey is thrown into the wall. Mikey chokes Alex with a rail while Shane chokes Kidd with a chair.

Alex backdrops Mikey on the ramp then Kidd takes a tank buster. Mikey death valley drivers Alex then is lifted for a german. Shane backdrops Kidd then Kidd piledrivers him. Kidd headbutts Shane on the mat and they trade forearms on their knees. They get up and trade forearms and chops. Kidd chop flurries him and takes a euro flurry. Shane falcon arrows him for 2. Shane running lariats him and is bitten. Kidd release saito suplexes him.

Alex hits karlein's lift on Shane then does a weird slam on him. Alex somehow catches his high kick with his neck then lariats him. Alex fallaway slams Shane then Shane dropkicks him. Mikey corner lariats, chops and forearms Alex then delay suplexes him. Mikey sliding clotheslines him for 2. Alex pop-up powerbombs Mikey then Kidd headbutts and chops Mikey. Mikey take a rebound lariat + german suplex combo.

Mikey takes a double muscle buster for 2. Shane high kicks Alex then Mikey picks up Shane for a superplex on Kidd. Kidd takes a highway to hell for 2. Alex tries to bring a chair in and Kidd low blows Mikey. Kidd piledrivers Mikey for 2. Shane is thrown over the top, hitting his face on the apron then Mikey takes a spike piledriver and Kidd wins it.

It went longer than it needed to and got slow during the 2nd half of it. There was still some good stuff here and we avoided the usual sneak attacks before the bell.

Overall thoughts: It was an okay show. Nothing too great or awful here. Ren turning was probably the most notable moment of this one. I thought the Ishii/Yano tag or the main were the best matches on the show.