NJPW World Tag League 2019 night one results: The tournament begins

NJPW World Tag League 2019 kicked off today in Kanagawa. 

Night one of the tournament saw 14 of the 16 teams in action in seven tournament bouts. 

Here are full results and match recaps:

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: DAVID FINLAY & JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO & KARL FREDERICKS

A good opener. Fredericks worked most of the way for his team and continues to impress. 

Juice and Fredericks began. Fredericks got the best of the early exchange with an arm drag takeover, then a crossbody. Finlay entered for a double team and hit tandem back elbows and a tandem bulldog. 

Finlay and Juice isolated Fredericks in their half of the ring. They traded tags and both picked up two near falls. Juice got a third near fall off a senton. Juice and Fredericks traded chops, then Fredericks hit a dropkick into a double down. 

Goto got a tag for his first action of the match. He hit a bulldog on Juice for a two count. Juice countered an ushigoroshi attempt with a leg lariat. Finlay tagged in and hit an uppercut forearm off the second rope. Goto used a misdirection spot and hit a lariat. 

Goto and Fredericks doubled up on Finlay. Fredericks hit a blockbuster and used a jackknife cover for a two count. Juice jumped in and hit some jabs, then brawled to the floor with Goto. 

Fredericks used a small package for a two count. Fredericks hit a spinebuster, then used a single-leg crab, but Finlay forced a break. Juice and Goto re-entered the ring. Finlay and Juice hit tandem dropkicks. Juice hit a plancha to Goto. 

Juice and Finlay hit a flapjack on Fredericks for a two count. Juice hit the Left Hand of God. Finlay followed up with a tornado bulldog for the pin. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: JEFF COBB & MIKEY NICHOLLS DEFEATED TORU YANO & COLT CABANA

This was about what you would expect from two undercard guys and two comedy guys. It was fine for what it was. 

Cabana and Cobb started off. Cobb out-powered Cabana, who did some comedy spots. Yano and Nicholls tagged in. Almost immediately Yano untied a turnbuckle pad. Cobb and Nicholls hit tandem fist drops and cut Yano off. 

Nicholls used a chinlock. Yano used a hair pull on Cobb, then tagged Cabana. Cabana hit some trademark spots, including a quebrada. Yano got a tag and again got cut off. Nicholls hit a sliding lariat, while Cobb used a Black Hole Slam for a near fall. 

Yano tried a low blow, but Cobb blocked it, then hit Tour of the Islands for the pin. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: HIROYOSHI TENZAN & SATOSHI KOJIMA DEFEATED SHINGO TAKAGI & EL TERRIBLE 

This was a spectacle. Tenzan can’t go at this stage of the game. Kojima is still good. Shingo is one of the best guys in the world. Terrible is not very good, but he has a crazy charisma that makes him compelling. The result was not a good match, but a fun train wreck. 

Tenzan and Shingo traded shoulder tackles, with neither man getting a takedown. Tenzan went for a mountain bomb, but Shingo avoided it. Terrible and Kojima tagged in and traded strikes. Kojima hit a shoulder block, then Tenzan jumped in for some Mongolian chops. 

Shingo and Terrible hit tandem left jabs to Kojima and took control of the match. They worked on Kojima’s right arm. Shingo hit a senton. Shingo tried a series of lariats, but Kojima didn’t go down. Kojima hit a DDT, then tagged out. 

Tenzan hit Mongolian chops on Shingo, then used a brainbuster for a two count. Shingo and Tenzan traded strikes. Shingo hit some Mongolian chops of his own. Tenzan answered with a mountain bomb, then tried an Anaconda Vice. Terrible broke up the hold. 

Tenzan tried another brainbuster, but Shingo reversed into his own brainbuster. Terrible got a tag and ate a wheel kick from Tenzan. Kojima tagged in and hit machine gun chops on both Shingo and Terrible. 

Kojima went to the top for an elbow, but Shingo cut him off and hit a superplex. Terrible used a splash for a two count. Kojima blocked a powerbomb attempt and hit a DDT. Shingo jumped in and ate a TenKoji Cutter. Kojima hit a brainbuster on Terrible for a near fall. 

Shingo entered illegally and hit a Pumping Bomber on Kojima, then hit another on Tenzan. Shingo followed Tenzan to the floor. Terrible hit a series of strikes in the corner on Kojima. He hit the ropes, but ran right into a lariat from Kojima. Kojima got the pin as Tenzan held Shingo on the floor. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI DEFEATED YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI

This was a struggle. 

Yujiro and KENTA used an illegal double team shortly after the bell to gain the advantage on Nagata. Nagata just made his own comeback, then tagged out. Nakanishi and Yujiro traded arm wringers, then took turns biting each other. Nakanishi hit a big splash. Yujiro countered with his own splash. 

KENTA and Yujiro worked over Nakanishi in their corner. Nakanishi came back with a spear on KENTA, then tagged Nagata. Nagata peppered KENTA with kicks. Nagata tried an exploder, but KENTA blocked. KENTA tried a swing DDT, but Nagata blocked it, then hit the exploder for a two count. KENTA countered with a powerslam. 

Nagata and Yujiro traded kicks. Nakanishi got a tag and KENTA and Yujiro bumped all over the place while he largely stood still. Nakanishi hit a knee drop on Yujiro for a two count. 

The match broke down and all four jumped in. Nakanishi hit a lariat for a near fall. Nagata held KENTA in a Nagata lock while Nakanishi used an Argentinian backbreaker on Yujiro. Yujiro used a thumb to the eye to break the hold. 

Nakanishi hit a double suplex on Yujiro and KENTA. KENTA and Yujiro answered with a double DDT on Nakanishi for a near fall. Yujiro then hit Pimp Juice on Nakanishi for the pin. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: MINORU SUZUKI & LANCE ARCHER DEFEATED CHASE OWENS & BAD LUCK FALE

One of the only cool things about this tournament is matches like this, where you get to see two heel teams try to out-heel each other. 

Suzuki and Archer went on the attack the second that Kaze Ni Nare stopped playing. All four brawled around the gymnasium and used chairs and barricades as weapons. Suzuki-gun got the best of the brawl. 

Suzuki and Owens ended up the legal men in the ring. Suzuki hit some strikes. Owens raked Suzuki’s eyes, then backed him into the Bullet Club corner, where Fale continued to beat on Suzuki. 

Suzuki no-sold some offense from Owens. Archer and Suzuki proceeded to beat the crap out of Owens with hard strikes. Owens hit a Jewel Heist. Archer and Fale tagged in and did some big man spots. Both tried illegal chokes. Fale hit the slowest Samoan drop I’ve ever seen. 

Owens and Suzuki got tags. Owens hit a shining wizard. Archer came in for a double team and Suzuki and Archer took absolute glee in hitting Owens with corner clotheslines. Archer hit a pounce. 

Owens hit a knee strike on Archer. He tried for a package piledriver, but Suzuki jumped in for the save. Archer slapped on the EBD Claw — and pinned Owens with it. 

JAY WHITE & GEDO DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO & BUSHI 

I’m worried that Naito has reached the stage of his career where he can no longer go, so he has to resort to taking real punishment for his matches to get over. This wasn’t a good match. It wasn’t designed to be. But Naito still took at least one bump on his head. Why?

Gedo and BUSHI started off. Gedo needed an assist from White in the form of an illegal double team to take over. White sent Naito over the barricade, then into the seats. Naito stayed on the outside selling for several minutes while White and Gedo worked over BUSHI. 

Naito finally got a hot tag and hit White with a dropkick and a neckbreaker. Naito hit a series of stomps, then used a crucifix hold, but Gedo broke it up. White used the distraction to plant Naito on the top of his head with a DDT. 

White hit a Blade Buster for a two count. He teased a flatliner, but Naito countered into a swinging DDT. BUSHI and Gedo got tags. BUSHI hit Eat Defeat, a missile dropkick, then a tope suicida. 

BUSHI hit a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. He went for MX, but White jumped in to block it. Naito and White brawled on the outside. BUSHI hit a codebreaker. White jumped in and broke up the pin, then hit a Blade Runner on BUSHI. He then placed Gedo on top of BUSHI for the three count. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOA HENARE DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE & TOMOAKI HONMA

Tana and Makabe started with some chain wrestling. Henare and Honma tagged in and Honma promptly missed a kokeshi. Tana and Henare used quick tags and worked over Honma. They used a double crab, with each taking one of Honma’s legs. 

Honma came back with a brainbuster on Tanahashi, then tagged Makabe. Makabe hit 10 punches in the corner, then used a Northern Lights suplex for a two count. Makabe teased a dragon screw, but Tana blocked it, hit a dragon screw, then tagged out. 

Henare hit a shoulder tackle and a diving chop for a two count. Makabe hit a lariat and tagged out. Honma fought off a double team and hit kokeshi for a near fall. Honma and Makabe hit tandem lariats, then Honma used a kokeshi for a near fall. 

While Makabe and Tana fought on the outside, Honma hit a slam. He climbed to the top rope, but Tana cut him off. Henare jumped up and hit a second rope Samoan drop. Tana got a tag and hit a somersault senton for a two count, with Makabe making the save for Honma. 

Makabe hit a double lariat on Tana and Henare. Henare hit a diving kokeshi, then used a schoolboy on Tana for a two count. Tana blocked a brainbuster and hit Twist and Shout. 

Tanahashi hit a slingblade, but Honma kicked out. Tana then hit High Fly Flow for the pin. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE MATCH: TOMOHIRO ISHII & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAICHI

Sabre hit Ishii with a few strikes, which Ishii didn’t sell. Ishii hit one forearm and Sabre went down. Sabre tried an octopus, but Ishii slid out. Sabre went for an ankle lock, but Ishii reversed into his own ankle lock. 

Frustrated, Taichi and Sabre turned this into a brawl. Taichi sent YH into the barricade, then Sabre and Taichi worked Ishii over in their corner. Taichi stomped on Ishii’s right arm. Sabre raked Ishii’s face. Ishii managed to hit a brainbuster, then tagged out. 

YH hit Sabre with a headhunter, then his running chop in the corner. Sabre cut him off and kicked at YH’s right arm. Taichi tagged in and ate a dropkick to the leg, allowing YH to tag Ishii. 

Ishii and Taichi exchanged chops. Taichi fired back with kicks, while Ishii continued to chop away. Ishii sold his left leg in a big way from the kicks. Ishii blocked a kick, then hit a German. 

The match broke down. YH and Sabre jumped in. Sabre used an octopus on YH. Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick on Ishii for a two count. Taichi hit a powerbomb and made a cover, but YH made the save. 

Taichi teased a hook kick and took his pants off. YH jumped in. Sabre jumped in. Taichi hit a jumping high kick on Ishii into a double down, while Sabre and YH rolled outside. 

Ishii hit Taichi with forearm strikes, then a headbutt. Ishii hit a lariat for a two count. Ishii teased the vertical drop brainbuster. Taichi blocked. Ishii hit the ropes. Sabre tripped Ishii. Taichi used the trip to apply a Gedo Clutch for a near fall. 

Sabre jumped in and put Ishii in a guillotine. YH hit Sabre with a backstabber. YH then hit Taichi with a kumagoroshi. Ishii hit Taichi with a sliding lariat for a two count. 

Ishii then hit the vertical drop brainbuster on Taichi for the pin. Not bad, but not worth going out of your way to see. 

WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2019 STANDINGS:

  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI — 2 points (1-0)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare — 2 points (1-0)
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer — 2 points (1-0)
  • KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi — 2 points (1-0)
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 2 points (1-0)
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls — 2 points (1-0)
  • David Finlay & Juice Robinson — 2 points (1-0)
  • EVIL & SANADA — 0 points (0-0)
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa — 0 points (0-0)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi — 0 points (0-1)
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks — 0 points (0-1)
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana — 0 points (0-1)
  • Shingo Takagi & Terrible — 0 points (0-1)
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi — 0 points (0-1)
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens — 0 points (0-1)
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma — 0 points (0-1)