NJPW World Tag League & Super Junior Tag League live results: Winners crowned
NJPW crowns new World Tag League and Super Junior Tag League winners today in Sendai.
In the World Tag League finals, Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) face Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis). Though not officially announced as of yet, the winners will likely challenge FTR for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles at Wrestle Kingdom.
In the Super Junior Tag League finals, CHAOS’s Lio Rush and YOH face Bullet Club’s Ace Austin and Chris Bey. The winners will be next in line to challenge for TJP and Francesco Akira’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles.
The NEVER Openweight title is also on the line at today’s event, with WWE’s Karl Anderson defending against Hikuleo.
A series of tag team matches fill out the undercard, including tag previews of Wrestle Kingdom’s IWGP World Heavyweight and IWGP Junior Heavyweight title matches.
Our live coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.
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Alex Zayne and El Lindaman defeated Ryohe Oiwa and Kosei Fujita
This was a fine little opener. Lindaman is always a delightful watch.
Zayne and Oiwa opened up the match, with Zayne gaining an early advantage over the young lion pairing. Lindaman and Zayne lost their advantage after a hot tag to Fujita opened the door for a rally. Zayne brought the comeback to an end after escaping a Boston crab and tagging out to Lindaman. After a short back-and-forth, Lindaman landed a German suplex to bring the opening match to a close.
Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls (TMDK) defeated Kevin Knight and Kushida
This was a totally forgettable affair.
Kushida and Knight opened the match with a blitz to take the lead early. TMDK slowed the pace to take control, but KUSHIDA turned things back around after a quick tag.
Once Knight was left alone, he tried setting up for something in the corner. TMDK caught him, landed a Tank Buster, and won the match.
Francesco Akira, TJP, Great-O-Khan, & Aaron Henare (United Empire) defeated Gabriel Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Robbie Eagles, & Tiger Mask
The match opened with Coughlin outpowering both junior tag champions before taking TJP to the mat. Eventually, UE overwhelmed the babyfaces by rushing the ring, isolating Eagles from his partners.
A hot tag to Kidd started a turnaround that lasted for some time. TM landed a tiger driver for a nearfall, but UE broke it up and took the match back under their control. After a scramble on the mat, TJP pinned TM to win the match.
Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Lance Archer, & Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-gun) defeated EVIL, SHO, Dick Togo, & Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture)
This was a nothing match, but it was here to get Suzuki in the ring to make his announcement.
This match opened with a brawl. The opening scrap continued until HoT was left alone in the ring with Suzuki; this led to another messy sequence filled with weapons and other chicanery. Somehow, Suzuki emerged from the fog with Togo in a choke. Suzuki then dropped Togo with a Gotch piledriver and won the match.
Suzuki-gun Announcement
After the match, Suzuki took a microphone to make the advertised announcement. Suzuki spoke of the faction’s history and acknowledged the development of its members under the umbrella of Suzuki-gun. To end this somber promo, Suzuki announced the faction would disband at the end of the year.
Titan, Bushi, Sanada, & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Clark Conners, Ryusuke Taguchi, Taru Yano, & Hiroshi Tanahashi
The main unit team gained a lead early by grouping up on Sanada, but LIJ fought back, storming the ring and isolating Taguchi. Taguchi tried to appease LIJ to no avail. A tag to Tanahashi reversed the flow of the match, which Conners helped to maintain.
The match fell apart, leading to a tope from Titan, taking out the main unit squad. As order returned, Naito and Sanada caught Conners, and Naito hit Destino to win the bout.
Taiji Ishimori, Dick Togo, & Jay White (Bullet Club) defeated Master Wato, Tama Tonga, & Kazuchika Okada
This was a very good match.
Okada and White came to blows early. White pulled Okada to the floor, slamming him into the ring apron and choking him with camera wire. Ishimori helped White in his assault, maintaining the Bullet Club lead after the tag.
The tag finally came to Tama, who reversed the momentum for his team. Bullet Club eventually slipped back into control, forcing a tag to Wato. Wato held his own against Ishimori and Gedo. Wato hit Gedo with the RPP, leading to White hitting the ring and dropping Wato with a balde runner. Okada hit the ring, and White answered with a blade runner for his next challenger. White then dragged the lifeless Gedo over Wato, resulting in a Bullet Club win.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (c) defeated Hikuleo
Maybe I’m crazy, but I really liked this.
Hikuleo opened the match with a powerbomb. Anderson retreated to the outside, where Hikuleo continued his assault. Hikuleo slammed Anderson into barricades while verbally barraging the defending champion.
On the way back into the ring, Anderson caught Hikuleo with a dragonscrew. With this window now open, Anderson continued his attack on the outside, focusing the leg.
Anderson and Hikuleo traded blows, but Anderson’s leg work kept them even for some time. Once Hikuleo did gain some footing, Gedo hit the ring, but Hikuleo threw his former faction mate into Anderson. Hikuleo then hoisted Anderson for a chokeslam. Anderson reversed the slam into a gun stun, leading to him winning the match and retaining his title.
After the match, Anderson cut a promo declaring himself the greatest NEVER Openweight champion of all time. He then said he would be champion for all of time. Tama Tonga then walked to the ring and began trading strikes with Anderson. Tama tried for a gun stun, but Anderson reversed and hit one of his own. With Tama looking at the ceiling, Anderson announced he would be defending the belt against Tama at the Tokyo Dome.
Super Jr. Tag League Finals: Lio Rush & Yoh defeated Chris Bey & Ace Austin (Bullet Club)
The match opened with a high pace sequence that left Austin and Rush alone in the ring. Bey and Yoh hit the ring as the sequence peaked, leading to a quick scramble for control. Rush and Yoh pulled ahead with intense offense, leading to Bullet Club’s comeback as Yoh tried to calm Rush.
Bullet Club worked to isolate Yoh after gaining the lead. After some time on the back foot, Yoh scored a hot tag. Rush overwhelmed Bey with quick offense. Yoh hit Bey with DMV, setting Rush up for a splash, but Rush couldn’t finish the job.
Rush landed a dive to the floor to take out Bey, but Austin answered with a dive of his own to take out Yoh and Rush. Yoh hit Austin with a backdrop to bring all men to the floor. Once the men returned to their feet in the ring, all four came to blows.
Yoh and Rush tried for a double-team cutter, but the move was reversed, and Rush hit Yoh instead. The Bullet Club pair hit Yoh with heavy offense, but Rush made the save.
Rush and Bey shared an intense moment in the ring before a miscommunication led to Austin dropping Bey with a kick. Yoh and Rush hit their tandem finish, but Bey interrupted the count. Rush hit a tope to take out Bey. Rush then hit a splash from across the ring, setting up Yoh for a direct drive. Yoh hit his finish and pinned Austin to win the match and the tag league trophies.
World Tag League Finals: Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto (Bishamon) defeated Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher (Aussie Open)
The match opened with a brawl that left Aussie Open with an early lead. Aussie Open proceeded to work over YH for some time, cutting the ring in half.
After Goto tagged in, things began to turn around for Bishamon. Goto and YH took the fight to the outside. On the floor, Aussie Open retook the lead and set up a table next to the ring.
Back in the ring, Aussie Open commanded the lead, scoring a nearfall of YH after an impressive dive to the floor. Goto interrupted a Borealis with a reverse GTR. The action then made its way to the apron, where Goto landed a GTR on fletcher through the table set up earlier in the match.
After the table spot, YH and Davis were left alone in the ring. YH held his own long enough for Goto to return to the ring. Goto and YH hit a tandem finish, but miraculously, Fletcher recovered in time to break up the pin.
Aussie Open cleared the ring of Goto and flattened YH with some kind of elevated double-team drop for a near fall.
YH fought back into the match with a sudden destroyer and rollup for a near fall. Goto then returned to the fray, dropping Fletcher with a headbutt. Goto hit Davis with a lariat which YH followed with a snap dragon suplex. Bishamon then landed Shoto. Instead of going for the pin, Bishamon followed Shoto with Naraku. YH then pinned Fletcher to win the Tag League and advance to the Tokyo Dome.