Penultimate night of WTL in Kochi
As World Tag League enters its penultimate night in Kochi, cheering fans see five teams still alive and fighting for that survival to be in the top two come Sendai on December 14.
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Main event: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) (5-2) vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer) (3-4)
Suzuki & Archer are mathematically eliminated
The main event will see old enemies Los Ingobernables De Japon and Suzuki-Gun do battle, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA taking on Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer. Naito’s last hopes of Wrestle Kingdom championship glory seem to be pinned on winning World Tag League and facing FTR on January 4, and one win off the pace means that those hopes are very much still alive. Yet a loss could, in theory and depending on other results, end LIJ’s tag league, and with Suzuki and Archer on a path of destruction, Naito and SANADA’s status December 11 against EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi could be called into question regardless of the result.
7th Match: TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) (5-2) vs Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) (7-1)
Aussie Open automatically advance with a win
While the two Australian teams in World Tag League haven’t had perfect results, their positions at first and joint second have shown the power of both Aussie Open and TMDK this year. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls have been heralded for forging a path for Australian wrestling on the global, and especially Japanese stage. Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis have acknowledged that, but Aussie Open have also stated that the current tag team scene worldwide belongs to them. Though this represents the last league match for Fletcher and Davis, one more win will guarantee their place in Sendai on December 14, but TMDK are not going to cede their position as top Aussie tag team just yet.
6th Match: Be-Bop Tag team (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano) (4-3) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)(1-6)
Tag record: 1-0 Yano & Tanahashi
Tanahashi & Yano must win
EVIL & Yujiro are mathematically eliminated
‘Good faces evil’ would normally describe a match involving Hiroshi Tanahashi and EVIL, but Be-Bop Tag Team tends to allow Hiroshi to walk on the wild side, and last year it was existing in that grey zone that allowed he and Toru Yano to score a deeply satisfying win over HOUSE OF TORTURE. Be-Bop Tag will need to repeat that achievement here in Kochi if they are to be in the Sendai final conversation.
5th Match: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (5-2) vs Gabriel Kidd & Alex Coughlin (1-6)
Kidd & Coughlin are mathematically eliminated
After a long struggle through their first World Tag League, Alex Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd finally turned a major corner in Saga on Monday. Their victory over EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi not only brought the crowd to their feet, but brought the ‘Mechanical Bulls’ side their first two points, and Kidd and Coughlin closer than ever together. Now, as they mull the possibilities of a future NEVER Openweight Six Man Championship match, they also will look to build on their success, even if it comes at the expense of Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI’s league hopes.
4th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Titan, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) vs Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Six man action sees Los Ingobernables De Japon continue their battles with Suzuki-gun. Hiromu Takahashi continues to heat up in his wars with El Desperado, while Shingo Takagi continues to prepare for his December 19 KOPW match with Taichi.
3rd Match: Kevin Knight, KUSHIDA, Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo, Chris Bey, Ace Austin & Taiji Ishimori)
Eight man action sees BULLET CLUB face Hontai. Though they came up just short, KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight’s match with Chris Bey and Ace Austin was one of the inarguable highlights of the league, and the two teams will look to pick up where they left off in Kochi.
2nd Match: Oskar Leube & Ryohei Oiwa vs United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare)
Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare’s World Tag League hopes have ended in disappointment after a hard fought loss against faction partners Aussie Open Monday in Saga. As the Dominator and the Ultimate Weapon look to reset for the rest of the year, they seek to show their power against Young Lion prospects Ryohei Oiwa and Oskar Leube.
1st Match: Yuto Nakashima vs Bad Luck Fale
Singles action kicks off the night, as Yuto Nakashima battles Bad Luck Fale. Before entering the Noge Dojo system, Nakashima was a part of Bad Luck Fale’s New Zealand Dojo, making this a mentor vs student affair. Nakashima’s fellow NZ Dojo alum Oskar Leube survived a hair over four minutes against Fale in Saga this week; will Nakashima last longer?
