NJPW World Tag League live results: SANADA & EVIL vs. Guerrillas of Destiny
NJPW returns to Korakuen Hall this morning for more World Tag League action.
The main event will be much like yesterday morning’s tag team match, but it will now be an eight man tag team match. Rocky Romero joins Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and KUSHIDA while Gedo joins Jay White, Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori.
More tag team action is set for tonight. Togi Makabe & Toa Henare vs. Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Best Friends, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka, Killer Elite Squad vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi, Jeff Cobb & Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano and SANADA & EVIlL versus Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa will all take place tonight.
Current standings show EVIL & SANADA just slightly ahead of their competition. But Ishii & Yano, Guerillas of Destiny and Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi are not too far behind, and anything can change during the next week.
Join us for live coverage starting at 4:30 a.m. EDT.
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World Tag League: Togi Makabe & Toa Henare defeated Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino
Yoshida and Henare worked together for a bit; Yoshida showed great fire. Makabe was in there, but a lot of this was Henare. Umino came in and got the heat with some good near falls. Of course, in the end, Henare won with the Samoan Drop. Patterned, but pretty good.
World Tag League: Best Friends defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
Solid stuff to start things out with. Nakanishi was in working mode, launching off with a plancha that…well, didn’t look good at all, but A for effort. He did something that vaguely looked like brawling with Beretta near the entrance as Chuckie T and Nagata went after it. Chuckie cut off Nagata with a knee to the face, then grabbed his leg and rolled him up out of nowhere for the win.
This was fine, a different kind of match up that wasn’t too offensive when Nakanishi wasn’t in there.
World Tag League: Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
Juice was wearing gear that resembled 80’s Randy Savage, complete with the headband, robe and glasses.
Juice and Finlay controlled early but Juice then accidently sledged Finlay. Despite that, he remained in control. Kojima came in and did his number, but got cut off. Kojima came back after grabbing Juice from the top rope and landing the Koji Cutter.
Kojima motioned for the lariat but Juice ducked and went for the Pulp Friction. Kojima blocked it, but walked into a fist from Juice and a stunner from Finlay. Juice then connected with the Pulp Friction for the win. Good match.
World Tag League: Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
Since this was a Suzuki-gun match, naturally this wound up as a brawl around the arena. Suzuki took care of Yujiro while Iizuka went after Hangman Page. Suzuki whacked Yujiro with the ring bell hammer.
Iizuka was eventually unleashed, muzzle off, and attacked both Yujiro and Page by biting them. Page made a comeback, at one point dropkicking Iizuka and landing a moonsault on Suzuki at the same time.
Yujiro was in control as Page hit the slingshot lariat on Suzuki as an assist. He and Iizuka brawled on the outside as Yujiro tried for the pimp juice DDT. Suzuki countered and instead hit the Gotch piledriver for the win. It was fine, just kind of there for the most part.
World Tag League: Killer Elite Squad defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
Taka cut a promo before the match saying it would be a hard match to predict, but anyone who faces Zack will just tap out. He also said in English “let’s have a clean fight.”
Taichi stalled a lot in the beginning. He wanted a handshake. He tried to jump Archer when he accepted the handshake, but it didn’t work in his favor. They chased one another around the arena until both Taichi and Archer made it at 19.
Archer chased Taichi to the back as Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Sabre went at it. They chained wrestled before Sabre focused on the knees. DBS had the advantage when Archer came back in carrying Taichi.
Both KES worked on Sabre as he avoided offense from DBS. Taichi was tagged in as he worked on Archer. He went for the superkick, but Archer countered with the pounce. He and DBS then hit the killer bomb for the win. Another just okay match, though DBS/Sabre chain wrestling was cool while it lasted.
Everyone shook hands after the match.
World Tag League: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Michael Elgin and Jeff Cobb
This got pretty heated as time went on. Yano did his comedy early. Cobb and Yano were going at it. Cobb hit the standing moonsault but Yano countered with a belly to belly suplex. Cobb fired back when Ishii entered, hitting a spinning slide slam. Ishii and Elgin then battled one another, with Ishii absorbing a lariat.
Elgin actually landed a Chaos Theory suplex then Germaned him after. Both he and Cobb hit dual German suplexes. Yano managed to spear Cobb and ow blow Elgin. Ishii hit a lariat, but Cobb broke it up. Together, Elgin and Cobb double teamed Ishii
Elgin hit the Elgin bomb, but Ishii kicked out. The two brawled, Elgin connecting with a roaring elbow. Ishii came back with a lariat but Elgin kicked out. Ishii finally connected with the brainbuster for the win. Damn, this turned into an amazing match toward the end. Really worth watching if you’re picking and selecting matches to watch during this tour.
World Tag League: Guerillas of Destiny defeated EVIL & SANADA
SANADA has grown a beard during this tour. It’s the weirdest look.
After some back and forth early (including SANADA putting Tonga in the Paradise Lock), everyone brawled into the crowd. SANADA manages to make it to the ring by 19. Tonga teases the paradise lock a few times, but prefers to stomp on SANADA instead.
SANADA tries to tag EVIL in, but Loa keeps him away. He finally manages to break free, but Tonga takes EVIL off the apron. Finally he tags in, but GoD keep at him, working him over as well. After a brief back and forth, EVIL takes out Tonga with a lariat.
SANADA is tagged in again as he runs wild, even taking out Jado with a plancha.Everyone winds up in the ring. SANADA goes for a moonsault on Loa but messes up his foot on landing. The referee is bumped as Jado gets involved. Loa charges, but hits Jado instead. Loa kicks out of a rollup, sending SANADA into the ropes and also into a cane shot by Jado.
GoD hit the Guerrilla Warfare on EVIL, then take SANADA to the top rope. Loa launches off the middle rope with a powerbomb and pins SANADA for the win. Good stuff overall, basic match but the crowd was good.
Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Taiji Ishimori and Gedo defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA and Rocky Romero
Okada is in and takes out Ishimori, then hones in on Gedo, who is quickly laid out with a DDT. White comes and and plants Okada with a side suplex then tags himself in to continue his work. KUSHIDA and Ishimori are tagged in, having some great back and forth with one another.
Okada and Tanahashi work together, taking out White with a double suplex and send Fale to the floor with a double clothesline. Rocky and Ishimori are in as Ishimori looks to finish. He goes for a lifting DDT into a lungblower but KUSHIDA stops it. Rocky fights back, but then falls to Ishimori’s finish, scoring the win for the Bullet Club. Good, fast-paced main event.
White tries to attack Okada after the match but Okada gets the better of him until Fale splashes him in the corner. White lays out Okada with the bladerunner then bails as the rest of his teammates make the save. White eventually makes the rest of the team leave so the Bullet Club can post in the ring.
White cuts a promo saying that the “dream team” of Okada and Tanahashi are now 0-2. But no worries, he is here to save the day. They can’t beat him, they can’t beat us, and this is the cutthroat era of the Bullet Club. They will breathe with the Switchblade in his new era.
Updated Standings:
- EVIL & SANADA (6-2) — 12 points
- Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (6-2) — 12 points
- Guerrillas of Destiny (6-2) — 12 points
- Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi (5-3) — 10 points
- Killer Elite Squad (5-3) — 10 points
- Best Friends (5-3) — 10 points
- Juice Robinson & David Finlay (5-3) — 10 points
- Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb (4-4) — 8 points
- Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka (4-4) — 8 points
- Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi (3-5) — 6 points
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (3-5) — 6 points
- Togi Makabe & Toa Henare (3-5) — 6 points
- Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (1-7) — 2 points
- Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino (0-8) — 0 points