After Sunday’s disappointing tournament match, it’s off to Miyagi as LIJ wrapped up their Super Junior Tag League campaign.
Super Junior Tag League: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. ACH & Ryusuke Taguchi
It’s pretty much win or bust for LIJ – as Roppongi 3K hold a tie-breaker over them, they need to finish on ten points and hope for a favour on Thursday if they’re to make it to this weekend’s finals at Power Struggle.
I’ll say this – ACH and Taguchi got their rugby entrance down pat quickly enough!
When we finally get going, it’s Shingo and Taguchi who start the match, with the latter getting kicked and spanked in the arse. Standard stuff. He eventually lands a hip attack before tagging in ACH, as they tried to double-team Shingo… which just turned into a cardio session as Taguchi launched himself repeatedly into the corner. Of course, it ends with Taguchi getting thrown into ACH’s rear end.
One quick flapjack later, and ACH is on the defensive, with BUSHI coming in for some t-shirt choking ahead of a neckbreaker as ACH was down for just a one count. Shingo’s back as ACH cowers away, only to take a double chop as they began to wear him down. There’s some Bryan Danielson-like elbows to ACH from Shingo, who brings BUSHI back in for more double-teaming.
ACH tries to chop his way free, but he only runs into a double-team hiptoss before he’s caught over Shingo’s knees for a low dropkick as LIJ continued to run amok… at least until BUSHI ran into a sit-down splash in the corner. That allowed ACH to roll out for a tag, with Taguchi having to fend off Shingo along with BUSHI with hip attacks, before Taguchi actually dove, hitting a step up plancha then a tope con giro to Shingo and BUSHI respectively. You feeling okay there, Ryusuke?
Back in the ring, Taguchi set up for a Bummer-ye knee, and gets it for a near-fall on BUSHI, before hauling him up for a Dodon… but BUSHI wheelbarrows through and scores a near-fall as he then proceeded to pull Taguchi down into a back cracker. Shingo’s back, but ACH manages to sneak in a low dropkick before wiping out BUSHI with a plancha… and that may have been a bad move as that looked to aggravate ACH’s some more.
Returning to the ring, ACH is able to trip Shingo and whack him with a hip attack of his own, sending the Dragon into the corner for a clothesline and a frog splash… which did more damage to the ribs as ACH took his time in making a cover. Taguchi comes into help, launching into Shingo with a hip attack… as does ACH as they set up for a double-team wheelbarrow facebuster that BUSHI broke up the cover on. Another Taguchi hip attack is countered as BUSHI simply sidesteps him, as the double teaming turned back around with the spinebuster/backcracker on ACH getting a near-fall. Taguchi breaks THAT up and gets sent outside for a tope, leaving Shingo and ACH alone… with the latter almost snatching the win with a sunset flip out of a Gory Bomb.
Second time was the charm though, as Shingo obliterates ACH with a Pumping Bomber, before a Gory Bomb drew a near-fall, as a wheelbarrow lungblower ends up getting the win. This felt like a pretty elementary result, but at least the match was nowhere near as lethargic as the Suzuki-gun tag from the prior night. ***
With two matches left, here’s how the league lays…
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi); Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (5-2; 10pt)
Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH); (4-2; 8pts)
Bullet Club OG (Robbie Eagles & Taiji Ishimori); Chris Sabin & KUSHIDA; (3-3; 6pts)
ACH & Ryusuke Taguchi (3-4; 6pts)
Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask (2-5; 4pts)
Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr. (1-5; 2pts)
That result means that we’re currently looking at a LIJ vs. Suzuki-gun final. Wednesday’s match in Nagano is pretty much a dead rubber, as Robbie Eagles and Taiji Ishimori face the bottom-of-the-table CMLL pairing of Soberano Jr. and Volador Jr. Thursday’s live show in Shizuoka is where all roads point to now, as Chris Sabin and KUSHIDA stand in front of Roppongi 3K and a potential log-jam – if Roppongi 3K win, then all three teams will be tied with nothing to split them.