We’ve got another pair of World Tag League matches now, as Yamaguchi played host to some block B action on Friday.
You know the drill by now: two tournament matches are the only thing from this card that has been posted, so that’s all we can cover…
World Tag League 2016, Block B: Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata
Nagata started by kicking away at Fale, who had little response in the early going until a simple shoulder tackle took down the veteran. In fact, Fale needed help from the Boner before he got going. They spilled outside as this pairing always do, with Nagata being taken into the crowd as Fale decided to go for a stroll. At least he was polite enough to try and close the gate as he looked for a count-out that was always improbable. Sadly, the focus on Fale meant we saw little of what happened with Shibata and the Boner…
The Boner tagged in to wear down Nagata with a front facelock for a near-fall, before Fale simply sat on him for another two-count. Nagata sidestepped a charge and made a tag out to Shibata, who lit into Fale with forearms and kicks, before shrugging off the Boner like the joke he is. Shibata caught Fale in a choke before eventually being thrown off and eventually dumped with a Samoan drop as the pace stayed somewhat sedate.
Nagata returned to kick away at the Boner, only to be taken down with a spinebuster as Fale added in a splash for extra effect. This time the Boner hit a swandive headbutt – landing on his knees as well – for a near-fall as he tries to compete with Leland Race for the worst top rope headbutt of the tournament. Out of nowhere, the Bullet Club pair were caught in submissions as Fale eventually broke Shibata’s sleeper to kick apart Nagata’s armbar.
The Boner forced a ref bump by shoving Nagata into the corner, and then used his belt to choke away at the veteran, but Shibata returned to break it up, then no-sold a low blow before getting knocked down. A uranage got the Boner a near-fall, but it was another bit of miscommunication that led to the finish as the Boner was squashed by Fale, before a brainbuster from Nagata and a PK from Shibata led to a switched up finish… an Exploder for a nonchalant pin from Nagata. Decent stuff, but this was really slow-paced match between a team with nothing to play for, and a pairing that realistically isn’t making the finals. **¾
After the match, Shibata got revenge by choking the Boner. With a belt.
World Tag League 2016, Block B: SANADA & EVIL vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma
Togi Makabe started this one out with EVIL, who didn’t go straight to the chair-on-the-head spot. Instead, they exchanged a few shots before tagging out, which means this is going to be a fairly long one…
SANADA had a little better luck, but was taken down with a Honma shoulder tackle, before rolling away from a falling Kokeshi attempt. A distraction from EVIL – who whipped Makabe chest-first into the guard rails – allowed SANADA to rake Honma’s eyes, before Makabe took the chair shot against the ringpost. Sadly, the fixed camera work meant that we barely saw it… With Makabe incapacitated, Honma was left two-on-one against the Ingobernables, and that extra man was made to count as they regularly double-teamed Honma, with a trip from EVIL leading to him getting tagged in and landing a back senton for a near-fall. Honma managed to fight out and reverse a brainbuster, before tagging in Makabe to take down the Ingobernables.
Makabe overcame the man-disadvantage as the Ingobernables took some mounted corner punches. EVIL had to kick out of a Northern Lights suplex and a lariat, before SANADA tried his luck and also fared poorly until he kicked the middle rope into Makabe’s crotch.The tables turned again, and this time Honma got his Kokeshi in, before SANADA succeeded with a double leapfrog clothesline to end whatever momentum the former tag champs had.
A TKO from SANADA earned a near-fall on Honma, before Makabe made the save as Honma looked to pass out from a Skull End. Another Skull End was switched into a roll-up for a near-fall from Honma, as Makabe made another save to clear the ring of the Ingobernables… only to accidentally drill his partner with a lariat as SANADA ducked their finisher. Honma kicked out of the Fireman’s carry spinebuster at two, before countering a forearm smash with a leaping Kokeshi. They trade more forearms, before EVIL ducks under for a German suplex… which Honma popped up from, only to fall to a back suplex for another near-fall. After breaking that up, Makabe came in and dropped EVIL and SANADA with a double lariat, before lifting up SANADA for a Doomsday Kokeshi… that succeeded, which just left EVIL.
EVIL squirmed out of his Doomsday Kokeshi, but fell to a diving Kokeshi off the top, then another one off the ropes for another near-fall. There’s only one thing left: a swandive Kokeshi – and that was enough to give Makabe and Honma the win. Better than the other match on show, but this wasn’t much of anything until the final stretches. ***¼
Now everyone in block B has had five matches, we’ve got a single leader at the top, and a four-way log-jam in second…
Block A:
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa – 4-1 / 8pts
Tetsuya Naito & Rush, War Machine – 3-2 / 6pts
Hiroshi Tenzan & Juice Robinson, Brian Breaker & Leland Race, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi – 2-3 / 4pts
Henare & Manabu Nakanishi – 0-5 / 0pts
Block B:
Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii – 4-1 / 8pts
EVIL & SANADA, Katsuyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma – 3-2 / 6pts
Billy Gunn & Yoshitatsu, Kenny Omega & Chase Owens – 2-3 / 4pts
Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier – 0-5 / 0pts
We’re back to four matches a day, starting with Sunday’s action from Kobe, which we’ll hope to have looked at early this week!