New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/7/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 14

New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/7/2023 World Tag League 2023 Day 14

I saw 5 of the 8 televised matches (the pre-show match didn't air).

Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) & Yuto Nakashima vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE)

 

Yuto and Newman start us off. Yuto chops him on the ropes then Newman runs the ropes fast and boots him in the chest. Newman takes a big back body drop. Kaun teases hitting Newman with a belt outside then throws it to him. Toa then pounces Newman hard into the rails. Toa shoulders Khan over outside and throws Newman in.

Kaun suplexes Newman then Toa stands on Newman in the corner. Toa knee drops Newman. Khan comes in to help and is thrown over the top. Kaun stomps on Newman and Newman has to fight his way out of the corner. Newman dropkicks Kaun after missing one. Khan gets in and double chops Kaun. Khan hiptosses Kaun. Toa tries to get in and Khan kicks the middle rope into his crotch.

Khan sits out Kaun's neck in the corner then suplexes him. Kaun hits a big lariat on Khan the fireman's carry gutbusters him. Khan and Kaun trade forearms. They then pump kick each other and lariat each other over. Henare and Toa get in. They do haka's at each other.

They shoulder battle and Henare pumping knees him. Toa hits a huge lariat on Henare then splashes him. Yuto is tagged in and Toa slams him on Henare. Yuto suplexes Henare. Kaun hits a plancha on the outside then Yuto hits forearms on Henare. Henare spinning heel kicks him then PK's him. Newman plancha's Toa outside then Henare hits a big slam on Yuto and wins it.  

It was an entertaining tag with lots of stiffness and the usual fun stuff with Henare vs Toa. It started off a little slow but got better after.

Khan/Henare and GoA stare down after.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Rogue Army (Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza)

 

Jack and Yuji start us off. Jack loses his bandana and puts it back on. Yuji works his arm. Suzuki gets in and is knee'd in the gut. Fale pounds on Suzuki and Jack holds Suzuki's leg so Fale can splash him. Suzuki is sent into the rails. Suzuki hits Jack with a water bottle then Jack eye rakes him. The ref yells at Jack and Jack rightfully gets mad, saying he got hit with a water bottle. Jack chokes Suzuki and Fale throws Suzuki in.

Jack surfs on Suzuki's back then Fale stands on Suzuki. Yuji pushes Suzuki out of the way on a samoan spike and is lariated for it. Suzuki hits forearms on Jack then Jack hits punches on him. Jack foot chokes him. Fale gets in and takes forearms from Suzuki. Fale clubs his back and Suzuki tags out. Yuji running face kicks Fale then enzugiri's him. Yuji knocks him over with a kick for 2. Fale shoulders him over and falls over with him. Jack gets in and forearms Yuji. Yuji dropkicks his knee. Suzuki gets back in and forearms Jack. Suzuki running face kicks him and Jack blocks his PK. Suzuki takes forearm and face kicks for 2.

Jack backbreakers Suzuki and Fale elbow drops him for 2. Suzuki knees Jack in the gut and takes a big lariat for 2. Suzuki sleepers Jack then Yuji exploders Jack. Suzuki gotch style piledrivers Jack and wins it.

It wasn't anything too special as expected though it wasn't as bad as expected. Jack took a nice bump here for the piledriver at the end.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) 

Alex drops double knees on ELP's back then running corkscrew ssp's him. Alex flips over Hiku's back and hits chops. One Hiku chop sends him down. Lance and Hiku shoulder battle then forearm battle. Hiku lariats him down. Lance goes up and over in the corner and lariats him. Hiku lariats Lance over the top then corner splashes Alex. Alex then takes a big back body drop from Hiku.

Lance flips Alex into ELP then Alex headscissors him into Hiku. Lance slams Alex onto ELP. Alex slingshot headscissors ELP and they trade forearms. ELP tornado ddt's him. Hiku gets in and big boots Alex. Hiku powerslams Lance then ELP slingshot sentons Alex. Alex takes a head kick into a spinning torture rack neckbreaker.

ELP superkicks Hiku on accident and Alex rolls him up for 2. Alex does a forward rolling side slam. ELP is lifted in the air and Alex flipping legdrops him. ELP is put up top, Lance step up knees him then Alex flips onto him into a hurricanrana. Lance chokeslams ELP then flips ALex onto him. ELP gets his knees up then Hiku jumps off of Alex's back onto Hiku.

Lance and Hiku grab each other by the throat. Hiku big boots him then is lariated over the top. Lance black hole slams ELP then ELP takes a samoan drop + blockbuster combo. Lance throws Alex out onto his opponents. Lance hits a thesz press on Hiku then Hiku suplexes him. Alex comes off the top and is caught with a Hiku chokeslam. Hiku rocket launchers ELP onto Alex and ELP wins it.

It was a fun tag. Everyone really tried here and busted out their best offense. The styles clashes weren't really an issue here either as both teams had a giant and a smaller flippy guy.

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr.  vs. Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr.

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

The lucha guys dive on their opponents as they enter. AJ rips off Yota's shirt. Zand chops Yota on accident then AJ headscissors Zand out. AJ monkey flips Yota. Sob flips over Zand's back then jumps off of Yota to headscissors Zand. Zand pops up Sob and Sob hurricanrana's him out of it. Sob flying headscissors Yota. Sob tope con hilos both opponents, is caught then slammed onto the apron. Sob and AJ then are sent into the rails.

Zand chairs Sob in front of the ref, who could care less. Sob and AJ get their masks ripped. Sob is lifted and double backdropped for 2. Sob then rolls to the side and seems hurt. AJ takes a double team and a double basement dropkick. Zand pop up drops Sob then basement dropkicks him for 2. Sob is popped up and lands on Yota's shoulders then flips off. AJ top rope crossbodies Yota then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers both opponents.

Sob dropkicks both opponents at once then AJ crossbodies both opponents at once. Sob tornillos his opponents and AJ on the outside. Yota pumping knees AJ then AJ superkicks him. Yota blue thunders him then knees him in the face. Yota suplexes AJ for 2.  AJ takes a double hammerlock suplex. Yoa gets on Zand's shoulders and drops down onto AJ, who gets his knees up. Sob jumps off the top and hurricanrana's Zand.

Zand takes a double hiptoss into a bomb then Zand lariats AJ over the top. Zand and Sob trade forearms then Zand pop up powerbombs Sob. Zand does a neat delayed tiger driver on Sob for 2. Sob hits a code red on Zand for 2. AJ dropkicks Yota then topes him into the rails. Sob then hits a tilt-a-whirl driver on Zand and wins it.

It was good with everyone putting on their working boots. People were dusting stuff they hadn't done all tournament and it made for the best match Atlantis and Soberano have done so far. Why couldn't these guys have done this kind of stuff all tournament long?

World Tag League 2023 Block B Match - Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Just 5 Guys (Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Taichi and Goto trade shots to start. Goto shoulders him over then takes a face kick. Yuya gets in and hiptosses and slams Yoshi. Yuya armdrags him. Bishamon double shoulders him then Goto hiptosses Yoshi onto him. Taichi is then suplexed onto him. Yuya then gets the double back clubs.

Yuya and Yoshi trade chops. Yoshi suplexes him for 2. Yuya hits chops on Goto then dropkicks him. Taichi hits Kawada kicks on Goto then kicks his back. Taichi side kicks Yoshi then lariats Goto out of the corner. Goto spinning lariats Taichi.

Taichi enzugiri's Goto in the corner then Yuya plancha's Yoshi outside. Taichi saito suplexes Goto then Goto ushigoroshi's him.  Goto lariats Taichi then takes a gamengiri. Yuya elbows Goto over the neck then backdrops him for 2. Goto hits a nice lariat on Yuya off the ropes then Yoshi gets in. Yoshi and Yuya trade chops.

Yuya armdrags and double chops Yoshi. Yoshi takes a corner kick and chop then Yuya dropkicks him in the corner. Yuya top rope crossbodies Yoshi for 2. Yoshi ties up both of Yuya's arms and presses down on him. Yuya cradles Yoshi then flying crossbodies him. Yuya hurricanrana's Yoshi then triangle chokes him. Everyone gets a move in and the sequence ends with Yoshi lariating Taichi. Yuya and Yoshi trade chops. Yoshi gets double teamed. Yuya takes a hard lariat on the ropes then Yoshi dragon suplexes him.

Yuya rolls up Yoshi for 2 then Yoshi hits a canadian destroyer on him. Yoshi flips Yuya with a lariat for 2. Yuya is lifted up and Goto comes off the top with a bulldog. Yuya takes a sit out bomb + elbow slice combo and is pinned.

Things were going really well and then they went into a chop exchange section that killed the momentum here. These guys put out full effort for this one and went over 20. Goto took a nasty suplex on his neck and Yoshi busted out the rare canadian destroyer here. I'd be up for this again with about 5 minutes cut out and no chopping section in the middle of the match. 

Overall thoughts: The main had a shot at being very good but had a chop section that threw it off. The lucha guys showed up and had their best match of the tour. MonsterSauce and GoD had a good one and the Suzuki/Nagata vs Bonza/Fale match wasn't awful. I also liked the opener. This was a good show.