Sendai’s the host as the tenth day of the World Tag League saw a pair of great matches from block B.
As usual, it’s just the tournament matches that have gone up on New Japan World, so let’s get to them!
World Tag League 2016, Block B: Billy Gunn & Yoshitatsu vs. Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii
Gunn’s advice at the start of this match to Yoshitatsu? “I have no idea what you’re saying…” there’s a team that requires a lot of trust! A slow-paced opening saw Goto try to work with headlocks on Gunn and Yoshitatsu, before Tomohiro Ishii came in and just clocked Gunn on the apron.
The pair then faced off, with Ishii just about on the losing end of things for a spell as Gunn took him into the corner, before Yoshitatsu picked up a two-count from a kick to the back. Goto tagged in and returned the favour for a one-count, before shrugging off a Famouser attempt from Gunn. Gunn powered through the CHAOS pair with a double clothesline before Yoshitatsu’s spinning heel kick knocked Goto to the outside, and followed up with a plancha. Inside. Gunn took a suplex before shrugging off a lariat from Ishii, and replied with a swinging side slam for a near-fall.
Yoshitatsu and Goto returned, and it was Goto who was surprisingly on defence once more before reversing an Irish whip into the corner. An ushigoroshi attempt was blocked as Yoshitatsu again levelled Goto with a kick for a near-fall. They continued to trade blows, until a punch from Goto was ducked and replied to with a Blue Thunder Bomb for another two-count, all whilst Gunn and Ishii were keeping themselves busy on the outside.
Goto almost took a Pedigree from Yoshitatsu, but instead worked free with a headbutt before an ushigoroshi required a save from Billy Gunn to keep the match alive. Gunn quickly fell to a lariat/Russian legsweep combo, as Yoshitatsu was left in the ring to take a series of lariats for another near-fall, before a GTR from Goto earned the win. This was better than either of day nine’s matches – and surprising too, given that it felt like Goto and Ishii were on defence for most of the match before surprising Yoshitatsu with that final rush. ***¼
World Tag League 2016, Block B: Kenny Omega & Chase Owens vs. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI
We started with a Tokyo Dome preview between Omega and Okada, with your usual Okada tropes – mockingly-clean break, an early Rainmaker attempt, and an escape from Omega’s One Winged Angel.
Owens and YOSHI-HASHI came in next for a sequence that ended with a slow-motion bodyslam onto Owens, who replied by shoving his opponent into the ropes, and then yanking him head-first into the top strand. The distraction from there allowed Omega to attacks YOSHI-HASHI with his broom as all four men went outside – giving us our usual fixed-camera woes as Owens and Okada went deep into the crowd.
With Okada seemingly dispatched, YOSHI-HASHI was left two-on-one against the Bullet Club pairing, leaving him vulnerable to such vicious attacks as a back-rake and a pendulum backbreaker. Owens rammed a knee into YOSHI-HASHI’s thigh, then followed that up with a Dragon screw before Omega returned to help wishbone the legs. Eventually, YOSHI-HASHI pushed away from a toe-hold, only for Owens to rush back in with punches, but managed to overcome charges from Omega and Owens. Stupidly, he tried to leap over Owens to make a tag – you know, that tactic that never works – before he was robbed of a tag as Omega pulled Okada down off the apron.
A hurricanrana from YOSHI-HASHI took Omega to the outside, whilst a flipping neckbreaker put paid to Owens as Okada finally got the tag in. Okada lifted Omega onto the top rope, before countering a leap off the top into a flapjack for a near-fall on the Bullet Club leader. A series of reversals led to Okada taking a double superkick, then that flatliner/leg lariat combo for a near-fall as the momentum swung once more.
Owens’ leapover in the corner was caught and turned into a neckbreaker slam as Okada made the tag out, allowing YOSHI-HASHI to fly into Owens with a chop, following-up with his rope-hung dropkick and a Bunker Buster. The pair exchanged forearm shots for a spell, before Owens landed a slingshot back suplex that nearly won the match. Chase went for a package piledriver to finish off YOSHI-HASHI, but instead fell to a lariat and a senton bomb.
YOSHI-HASHI was only able to get a near-fall out of that, so he went straight to the Butterfly lock, which was eventually broken up by Omega, who took care of Okada by sending him into the guard rails on the outside. Somewhere in here, referee Red Shoes was sent into the corner by what looked like Owens grabbing his shirt (the weakest ref bump isn’t actually a bump!), as Owens blocked a pumphandle driver.
Okada returned to make the save after a Codebreaker and a powerbomb onto the knees by Owens then Omega, but the champion’s then dispatched as YOSHI-HASHI took a cross-legged over-the-knee neckbreaker for a near-fall. A back cracker helps YOSHI-HASHI escape a One Winged Angel, but Owens quickly returned to land a rolling elbow, then a package piledriver as Omega nearly took the win.
Okada again broke up the cover and landed a dropkick to Owens, before a Rainmaker was blocked. Omega’s knee strike took Okada to the outside, leaving just YOSHI-HASHI in the ring to take a running knee, then the One Winged Angel as the CHAOS team picked up their second loss of the tournament. A fantastic main event – with plenty of back and forth action in a match that didn’t come close to outstaying its welcome. ***¾
After day ten, these are the standings:
Block A:
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima – 4-1 / 8pts
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa, War Machine – 3-1 / 6pts
Hiroshi Tenzan & Juice Robinson, Brian Breaker & Leland Race – 2-3 / 4pts
Hangman Page & Yukiro Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Rush – 2-2 / 4pts
Henare & Manabu Nakanishi – 0-5 / 0pts
Block B:
Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii – 4-1 / 8pts
EVIL & SANADA – 3-1 / 6pts
Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI – 3-2 / 6pts
Katsuyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma – 2-2 / 4pts
Billy Gunn & Yoshitatsu, Kenny Omega & Chase Owens – 2-3 / 4pts
Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier – 0-4 / 0pts
All in, day 10’s tournament action was much, much better than what day 9 presented; both of the matches from this day are worth going back and seeing. With the tournament now entering its final seven days, we’re getting to the business end of things, where “passable” should be going out of the window. Day 11’s matches should be up on Friday, with the show from Beppu featuring Tetsuya Naito & Rush against War Machine in a match I’m really looking forward to.