New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/22/2024 World Tag League 2024 Day 3

New Japan Pro Wrestling 11/22/2024 World Tag League 2024 Day 3

Day 2 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/new-japan-pro-wrestling-11212024-world.html

Shoma Kato vs Daiki Nagai

They mat wrestle then they trade chops and forearms. Nagai side headlocks him then stomps on him. Kato flying forearms him and hits forearms. Kato hip throws him for 2 then slams him. Kato slams him then crabs him.

They trade forearms. Nagai dropkicks him then corner dropkicks him. Nagai slams him and hits forearms. Kato dropkicks him. Kato hiptosses him for 2.  Nagai sunset flips him. Kato hits an armdrag and dropkick. Kato crabs him and surprisingly gets the submission win.

Thoughts: It was your usual young lions match between these two with nothing but the basics. It went longer than it needed to as these have been. These two did more strikes than Nagai and Yasuda were doing.

Kato forearms him down after and boots him out of the ring.

BULLET CLUB (Stevie Filip, Taiji Ishimori & Tome Filip) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)

Kosei and TI go at it. Kosei armdrags him then dropkicks him. TI eye pokes him and throws him out. Everyone fights outside. Stevie sends Kosei into the buckles. Kosei takes corner attacks and a german. Kosei then takes a suplex from Tome for 2. TI chokes Kosei with a shirt.

TI and Kosei trade then Kosei step up enzugiri's him. Shane hits a nice euro on Stevie then reverse slams him. Shane pumping knees Stevie. Shane takes a head kick + a drop for 2. Shane backdrops Tome then takes a headscissors from Stevie. TI handspring corkscrew kicks Shane.

TI rolls up Shane for 2 then eye rakes him. Shane lariats TI over. Shane hits a sitout last ride on him for 2. Mikey hits a double lariat. Kosei moonsaults off the apron onto Tome then TI takes a blue thunder + uranage and is pinned.

Thoughts: It didn't get enough time. The two teams were doing pretty well together and it ended in what should have been the middle of the match. I feel like The Filip Brothers have a good match in them but they aren't super charismatic and these short trios matches don't really show what they can do. I liked the blue thunder + uranage finish TMDK did though I don't think they meant to do it.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Ren Narita) vs. Just 4 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

Everyone goes out to fight to start. Taka is sent into the rails by Evil. Evil chokes him with a microphone and talks trash. Taka is sent into the exposed buckle. Togo stomps on Taka then sends him into the exposed buckle again. Togo fist drops him.

Ren throws Taka out then Evil chairs Taka in the gut outside. Ren chokes Taka. Taka step up knees him in the corner. Taka facelocks Togo but Evil breaks it up. Taka pump kicks Evil from the side.

Tai gets in and hits Kawada kicks on Ren. Tai side kicks Ren. Tai running facekicks Evil then corner facekicks Ren. Ren rolling armbars Tai and Douki breaks it up.

Tai spin kicks Ren then Ren eye rakes him. Douki and Togo go at it. Douki armdrgas him then springboard armdrags him. Douki takes corner attacks. Togo 2nd rope chops Douki in the nuts. Togo grabs a weapon and Douki springboard back elbows Ren. Togo chokes Douki with a weapon.

The faces get some offense in. Togo misses a orner charge on Douki then is put in the douki chokey. Douki then submits Togo.

Thoughts: It was a short HoT match. They used their weapons as usual and the faces overcame them. It didn't really get enough time and it was nothing of note.  

Taichi takes off his pants after and Douki stares down YOH at commentary.

Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito)

Yano and Naito goof around to start. Yano is pushed into Bushi and Naito rolls him up. Yano hits him in the back of the head then Oleg shoulders Naito over. Yano takes off a turbuckle pad and nails Oleg with it on accident.  Bushi and Naito hit Yano with the turnbuckle pad. Bushi chinlocks Yano and Yano ropebreaks.

Naito spints in Yano's eyes and Yano pulls him down by the hair. Oleg slams Naito then karelin's lifts him. Oleg splashes Naito for 2. Naito step up enzugiri's Oleg. Bushi facekicks Oleg then pulls him over the top. Bushi topes Oleg into the rails.

Bushi dropkicks Oleg in the knee then basement dropkicks him. Oleg blocks Bushi's sunset flip then Oleg F-5's him. Oleg finlay rolls Bushi and wins.

Thoughts: It was a shorter one here. Naito and Yano mostly just screwed around and I thought Bushi went down easy to Oleg's finlay roll. I know Naito's limited and stuff but I don't like him losing these undercard matches as it further exposes him.  

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jado & Katsuya Murashima vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jakob Austin Young)

Jado and Hen pose down before the match and Katsuya pushes Jake. Tana and Khan go at it. Khan rams him into the corner. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Tana and Jado hit double back elbows on their opponents. Khan and Hen hit forearms on Tana and Jado, then they get pulled out.

Jado and Tana do air guitars then Katsuya joins in. Hen beats up Tana outside then throws him into the rails. Khan mongolian chops Jado in the ring. Khan sits on Jado's neck in the corner.

Jake bangs Jado's knees into the mat. Hen gets in and chops Jado down. Hen sentons him for 2. Jado lariats Hen over. Tana gets in and flying forearms Hen. He dragon screws Jake and Khan. Tana 2nd rope swantons Hen.

Tana and Hen trade full nelsons. Tana hits a twist and shout. Katsuya gets in. He hits forearms on Hen and dropkicks him over. Hen takes a triple team that ends in a nice Katsuya slam for 2. Katsuya dropkicks Hen and rolls him up for 2. Hen PK's Katsuya for 2. Jake hits a 2nd rope double dropkick. Hen step up knees Katsuya in the corner and pins him.

Thoughts: I absolutely hated this. Henare and Khan should have been destroying Jado and Katsuya yet were taking whoopings from them. Winning this did nothing to offset that either. This match was match was like everything that's wrong with NJPW outside of House of Torture. 

World Tag League 2024 Block A Match - Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb vs Alex Zayne and Ryusuke Taguchi

Alex and Newman go at it. Alex cartwheels over him then Newman running facekicks him. Alex slingshot headscissors him and then flipping legdrops him over the back of the neck. Alex leapfrogs over RT to dropkick Newman then headsicssors RT into him. Alex then cannonballs Newman for 2.

Newman spin kicks RT in the gut. Cobb gets in and surfs on RT's back. Cobb headbutts RT over. RT boots Newman out of the corner and bangs Newman's head off his butt. RT goes for a hip attack but takes an atomic drop. RT then rolls into a hip attack on him.

Alex tags in and pumping knees Newman. Newman's on the top rope and Alex flips into a hurricanrana on him. Alex then hits a baja blast for 2. Alex moonsaults into a final cut on Cobb. Alex shoulders Newman over then running corkscrew ssp's him. Newman then tries to pin him off of it.

RT goes for a hip attack and is caught with a GTH from Newman. Cobb flying euros RT in the corner. RT takes a top rope double stomp + attitude adjustment. Cobb hip attacks RT then misses a standing moonsault. RT running hip attacks him for 2.

RT hip attacks Cobb and springboard hip attacks him. Alex hits a standing corkscrew ssp on Cobb. RT ankle locks Cobb the running hip attacks him for 2. RT is caught on a hip attack and takes a facekick + german combo for 2. Cobb hits a tour of the islands slam on RT and wins.

Thoughts: It was okay but this would have been better with anyone but Taguchi in there. He's a low rank comedy wrestler and it's hard to take him seriously because of it. This was always going to be the problem with the Taguchi/Alex team. NJPW probably knew this too yet didn't care. I liked some of Cobb's and Newman's double teams here and just wish Taguchi had better offense for them.

World Tag League 2024 Block A Match - BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd & SANADA)

Kenta and Chase get nailed before they enter. Kenta and Gabe trade forearms. Sanada sends Chase into the seats. Sanada chairs Chase in the gut. Kenta and Gabe go into the stands to fight. Sanada and Chase go into the stands to fight as well.

Gabe chokes Kenta with something on the outside. Gabe charges Kenta from behind then sends Chase into the post. They finally get in the ring and the bell rings. Sanada gets stomped on by Chase. Kenta corner dropkicks Sanada then Chase top rope elbow drops Sanada.

Chase gets the rope kicked into his crotch by Sanada. Sanda dropkicks Kenta then hits a magic screw on Chase. Chase does an elbow slice on Gabe for 2. Gabe hits a hard shot on Chase then rebound lariats him. Gabe suplexes Chase for 2.

Gabe running knees Chase on the ropes then piledrivers him for the win.

Thoughts: It was pretty much all outside brawling here and then 3 minutes of them fighting in the ring. It wasn't much more than that. It made sense but wasn't much of note. 

Gabe gets on the mic after. He says Kenny Omega crossed the line and says he doesn't care what anyone he wants out of him. He says let's f*cking go and then says he's already dead.

World Tag League 2024 Block A Match - Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Shota and Zack go at it. Zack facekicks him then Shota shoulders him over. Shota hits a nice dropkick. Zack facekicks Shota then Shota dropkicks him. Honma foot chokes Zack then clubs on him. Honma chops up Zack then back elbows him. Honma thinks about a falling headbutt drop but Zack triangles him.

Oiwa elbow drops Honma then armlocks him. Zack comes in and cravates Honma with a bridge. Zack slaps around Honma then Honma drops him with a slap. Shota comes in and running back elbows Zack. Shota running euros Zack in the corner then fisherman suplexes him for 2. Shota stf's Zack but Zack slips out and puts an armbar on Shota.

Shota armdrags him then gets his neck twisted with Zack's feet. Oiwa gets in and shoulders Shota over. Oiwa hiptosses Shota, dropkicks him and kips up. Oiwa falling splashes Shota for 2.

Honma comes in and chops up Oiwa. Honma bulldogs him. Oiwa forearms him then spinning forearms him down. Oiwa corner dropkicks Honma then backdrops him. Oiwa hits some short arm lariats on Honma for 2. Shota comes to help out and Zack grabs him. Zack gets pushed into the rails.

Oiwa sleepers Honma then Honma headbutts him. Zack and Shota get in. They trade shots and Shota drops Zack. Zack slaps Shota. Shota stf's Zack and Oiwa breaks it up. Shota pop-up knees Zack then exploders him. Honma headbutts Zack and Shota hits ignition on Zack for 2. Zack does a combo legbar + armbar on Shota and Honma breaks it up with a headbutt.

Honma nails Oiwa with a headbutt when he misses a spinning lariat. Shota tornado ddt's Zack then Zack pele kicks Shota's arm. Zack germans Shota then Shota hits a death rider ddt. Zack michinoku drivers him.

Oiwa backdrops Shota then Zack running lariats Shota for 2. Honma takes a kick and a spinning lariat. Shota tornado ddt's Oiwa off of Zack. Zack and Shota then lariat each other at the same time. Zack slaps Shota. Shota hits a nice euro.

Shota hits a death rider ddt on Zack and pins him.

Thoughts: It was the best match of the tag league so far but that's not saying much. Shota was extra stiff here. There were some style differences but they tried to power through it and make the best they could of it. This was really all about Shota vs Zack. They showed some promise, but I don't see a Tokyo Dome main event out of these two. Like the Alex/Taguchi match earlier, it's hard to take Honma seriously in a match like this when he's been a low card guy going down so early for most of the year prior to this. I enjoyed this one and appreciated the effort they put out.

World Tag League 2024 Block A Match - Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji)

Goto and Yota lock up. Goto clean breaks him. They shoulder each other and Goto is knocked over. They chop each other and Yota takes a double shoulderblock. Yoshi is hiptossed onto Yota then Shingo gets double clubbed on.

Yota dirves Yoshi's head into the mat with his feet. Yota chinlocks Yoshi. Shingo hits elbows on Yoshi. Yoshi takes a double shoulderblock then a senton and splash. Goto is tagged in and shoulders over Yota. Goto lariats Yota over and suplexes Shingo onto him for 2.

Goto and Yota trade and Yota curbstomps him. Goto takes corner attacks then a double backdrop for 2. Goto ushiogoroshi's Yota. Shingo ddt's Yoshi. Shingo takes a headhunter + russian legsweep. Yota flying headscissors Yoshi. Yota takes a double team GTR. Shingo takes a dragon suplex but no sells it. Shingo fights off both opponents then runs into a Goto lariat. Goto GTR's Shingo.

Yota superkicks both opponents. Yota 2nd rope superplexes Yoshi then Shingo sliding lariats Yoshi. Shingo wheelbarrow germans Yoshi. Yota pumping knees Goto then Shingo lariats Goto. Yoshi rolls up Shingo for 2. Yoshi and Shingo trade forearms.

Shingo hits a spinning lariat then a running lariat. Yoshi crucifix bombs Shingo and picks up the win.

Thoughts: The crowd wasn't that good for this but I liked the match. Bishamon always put out a good effort and it was a good strong style match with lots of hard shots. This had pretty much everything you would want from these guys and it was maybe the second best match of the tag league so far. I wish this would have gone even longer as it was going well.

Yoshi and Goto then talk on the mic after.

Overall thoughts: The top two matches delivered and made this into an entertaining show. Outside of that, the show had a weak to average undercard and bad team selections that hurt the tag league matches. I would give it a 6 out of 10 overall.