World Tag League night 3 (November 22) Preview
Main event: Bishamon (YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto) (1–0) vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Yota Tsuji & Shingo Takagi) (1–0)
Our main event sees back to back to back winners Bishamon facing the new team of Takagi and Tsuji. Hirooki Goto will be a common point as far as LIJ are concerned; Goto and Shingo’s NEVER history is well documented, while Tsuji and Goto will pick up from trading wins in the New Japan Cup final and G1 Climax league competition.
After both teams got off to a strong start in the league, only one can stay undefeated tonight. Who will maintain their 100% record?
7th Match: Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino (0–1) vs TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.) (1–0)
It’s a preview of the January 4 main event when Shota Umino goes head to head with Zack Sabre Jr. Just six weeks away from their Tokyo Dome showdown, tensions are sure to build in Yokohama tonight.
Intrigue is also sure to be present in Ryohei Oiwa’s first in ring ineteractions with Umino since his entry into TMDK. As Oiwa has proclaimed his generation the ‘super new generation’ ready to take the spotlight off the current young stars before they even complete their ascent, how might Umino react? Last year’s World Tag League saw Oiwa and then partner Kaito Kiyomiya in a highly spirited fight with Umino and Ren Narita, and this is definitely one to keep a close eye on.
6th Match: War Dogs (SANADA & Gabe Kidd) (0–1) vs BULLET CLUB (KENTA & Chase Owens) (0–1)
Faction derbies are always unpredictable when they come up in tournaments like these. This is a case of two wings of BULLET CLUB colliding that don’t necessarily always get along. New War Dog SANADA has previous with both KENTA and Chase Owens, while Gabe Kidd’s list of firm friends is famously brief. There will likely be no honour among thieves in this battle; as frustration is high after a pair of BULLET CLUB losses in Tochigi this week, what will happen next?
5th Match: Funky Sauce (Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi) (0–1) vs United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) (1–0)
Alex Zayne brought the element of surprise to the World Tag League when he brought Ryusuke Taguchi to the tournament, but it wasn’t enopugh to garner them victory against difficult competition on the first night. After defeat at the hands of Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi, will they find their way against Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb?
4th Match: Katsuya Murashima, Jado & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs United Empire (Jakob Austin Young, HENARE & Great-O-Khan)
Before they meet in the next night’s league action in Fujisawa, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jado face off with HENARE and Great-O-Khan. Tanahashi’s attendant Katsuya Murashima will have a first hand education tonight, but will have to deal with a Jakob Austin Young who wants to receover from a difficult start to the tour in his support role.
3rd Match: Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI)
In a rare situation for World Tag League previews, two on two action pits Boltin Oleg and Toru Yano against half of their opponents Saturday in Tetsuya Naito and partner for tonight, BUSHI. Naito admitted that he had considered BUSHI as well as Hiromu Takahashi for WTL entry, and tonight will see just how effective that combination might have been.
2nd Match: Just Four Guys (TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & DOUKI) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Ren Narita & Dick Togo)
Fujisawa will see the TAKATaichi team take on HOUSE OF TORTURE for their second campaign match. Both members, and DOUKI too have it in them to deal with H.O.T’s nefarious tactics; will they come away with a win tonight?
1st Match: TMDK (Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita) vs BULLET CLUB (Tome Filip, Stevie Filip & Taiji Ishimori)
Six man action will see TMDK and BULLET CLUB collide. Fujisawa’s collision between Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls and the Natural Classics will liklely sdee a fiercely competitive Australian derby, while Kosei Fujita will pick up again with Taiji Ishimori after the two wrestled to a draw at Ishimori’s ‘Ridiculous’ card in Shinjuku FACE earlier in the month.
Kickoff Match: Shoma Kato (1–0 this tour) vs Daiki Nagai (0–0–1 this tour)
On a high after recording his first career singles win in Tochigi this week, Shoma Kato will be looking to repeat the feat against Daiki Nagai in this opening contest. Much of Nagai’s ‘spirited’ attitude has been directed toward Kato, but can the tempetuous young man pick up the win over his Dojo senior?
