Csonka’s NJPW WTL (Night 5) Review 11.23.17

Csonka’s NJPW WTL (Night 5) Review 11.23.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Block A Match: Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale defeated Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page @ 8:45 via pin [*]
– Block A Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi @ 13:48 via pin [**]
– Block A Match: Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka defeated EVIL & SANADA @ 13:20 via pin [**]
– Block A Match: Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan defeated Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI @ 12:10 via pin [***¼]

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– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– Day One Review at this link..
– Day Two Review at this link..
– Day Three Review at this link..
– Day Four Review at this link..

– Going forward, reviews will just be tournament matches, since the shows aren’t live and that’s all New Japan World will be uploading…

– This is small venue, single camera, no commentary.

Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page vs. Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale: The bottom of the Bullet Club barrel do battle here in our opener. They all hug it out and then Fale and Yujiro stars us off. They stall and do nothing, leading to Page and Owens tagging in. They exchange some basic back and forth, and work into a stand off. They push and shove a bit and Owens and Fale want a too sweet, but Page only wants to give a one sweet. Yujiro makes peace and then it breaks down into a brawl. Owens works over Yujiro as Fale takes Page to the floor. Owens and Fale take control, working quick tags and isolating Yujiro. Fale slows things down even further to a Nakanishi like glacial pace. Owens in and they work some uninspired double teams. He and Yujiro take turns raking each other’s eyes. Owens bites Yujiro’s hand, but Yujiro manages a tag to Page. He works over Owens with strikes, and hits chops and a dropsault off of Fale, covering Page for 2. Page then splits the uprights on a moonsault to the floor, great fucking catch assholes. Page follows with a DVD on Owens for 2. Double teams follow on Owens, but Fale makes the save. Fale teases the bad luck fall, Yujiro begs off, and Owens rolls him up for the win. Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale defeated Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page @ 8:45 via pin [*] There was absolutely nothing to this, and still, it was bad.

Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima: This match is a battle of the new Japan dads. Kojima and Nakanishi to begin, Nakanishi uses his power to take Kojima down, and they then trade chops with Nakanishi getting the better of things. Tenzan tags in along with Nagata. They work some back and forth, Tenzan lays in the Mongolian chops and takes control. Kojima tags in, knocking Nakanishi to the floor and he and Tenzan work over Nagata with chops. Nakanishi back in to stop the double teams, and he takes over on Kojima, knocking Tenzan to the floor. Nagata tags in as they work the heat on Kojima. Nagata starts targeting the arm as Nakanishi knocks Tenzan to the floor again. Nakanishi now slowly works over Kojima, hits a slam and splash, covering for 2. Nagata tags back in, laying the boots and knees to Kojima. Nagata follows with corner kicks, and then the running boot. Kojima escapes the XPLODER, and hits a DDT. Tenzan gets the hot tag, runs wild as he knocks Nakanishi to the floor and lays in the chops to Nagata. The corner clothesline and suplex follows, and Tenzan covers for 2. They trade strikes, and Tenzan connects with the mountain bomb for 2. Nakanishi rushes in, knocking Kojima to the floor, and taking down Tenzan. Tenzan tries to fire up but basically whiffs on a spin kick. Kojima tags in and lays in rapid-fire chops to both Nagata and Nakanishi. The corner clothesline and top rope elbow follow but Nakanishi kicks out at 1. Nakanishi hits a lariat, knocks Tenzan to the floor and hits another lariat, covering Kojima for 2. Nagata in as it breaks down. They double team Kojima, but Tenzan makes the save. Kojima and Nakanishi work up top, Nakanishi knocks him to the mat and follows with a high cross, covering for 2. He gets the rack on Kojima, and into a Hercules cutter, but Tenzan makes the save. Nakanishi hits a spear on both Tenzan and Kojima, but Kojima fights off the rack and hits a koji cutter. The brainbuster follows for 2. Kojima takes out Nagata, hits the lariat on Nakanishi and that’s that. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi @ 13:48 via pin [**] This was ok, and had more crowd involvement, but like most of the matches so far, was completely lacking in the drama department.

Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka vs. EVIL & SANADA: Desperado is out with Suzuki-gun. As one would expect, Suzuki-gun attacked before the bell, leading to a floor brawl. LIJ quickly fights back, bringing things into the ring but Suzuki-gun takes control back and brings the fight back to the floor and deep into the crowd. Suzuki beats on EVIL with a chair, Iizuka back in the ring as we get a count out tease. EVIL back in as Iizuka lays the boots to him. Iizuka take a bite of some delicious EVIL arm meat and then tags in Suzuki. Suzuki works the arm of EVIL as Iizuka takes out SANADA. Suzuki continues the heat on EVIL tags in Iizuka and they work over EVIL in the corner. More biting by Iizuka, they distract the ref and continue to work over EVIL. Suzuki back in, lays the boots to EVIL and covers for 2. EVIL finally bites Iizuka back, but Iizuka cuts him off, biting the foot. EVIL finally hits a superkick and hey, SANADA is still here and tags in. SANADA runs wild, hits the big dropkick on Iizuka and ties him up in the paradise lock. The dropkick follows and he covers for 2. Iizuka fights of the TKO, tags in Suzuki and he fires up, hits the PK and covers for 2. They trade strikes center ring, and SANADA then hits the missile dropkick, EVIL tags back in and runs wild, sending Iizuka to the floor, but Suzuki cuts him off, Iizuka returns and they double team EVIL, including Iizuka choking him out with his little rope. LIJ manages to battle back, locking in dueling submissions, seemingly locked in forever, but Suzuki makes the ropes for a break. Suzuki fights off the magic killer, but EVIL hits a lariat for 2. Iizuka takes out SANADA, Desperado takes the ref and Iizuka uses the iron fingers on EVIL; the Gotch piledriver from Suzuki finishes it. Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka defeated EVIL & SANADA @ 13:20 via pin [**] This was another really bland and flat match. I don’t expect a windfall of 4 star matches like the G1, but this year’s world tag league has been more bland than usual, there’s just no life to these matches and the layout here was extremely poor, as SANADA was barely utilized.

Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan vs. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI: Juice and HASHI start us off. They push and shove, with HASHI of all people talking trash. It breaks down, with Death Juice taking out Goto and taking control as Juice works over HASHI. Everyone spills to the floor, as CHAOS takes control, slamming both Juice and Sami to the barricades. Back in the ring, HASHI lays the boots to Juice and then tags Goto in. The suplex connects, with Goto covering for 2. Goto and HASHI now work double teams on Juice, and send Sami to the floor. Juice finally is able to fire up, laying in strikes and jabs before hitting a spinebuster for 2. Wholesale changes to Goto and Sami, with Sami hitting an XPLODER to the buckles on HASHI, He sends Goto to the floor and connects with the suicide dive. Back in, Goto and Sami trade rights and Sami follows with a DVD for 2 as HASHI made the save. Juice tags back in, but Goto fights back, hitting him with a lariat and the ushigoroshi on Sami. HASHI tags in and lays in chops on Juice, and follows with the running blockbuster for 2. HASHI follows with a dropkick and a cover for 2. The enziguri connects, but Juice cuts him off with a toss up gut buster. Death Juice takes control, working double teams on HASHI and Juice finishes with a cannonball, and that gets a near fall. Goto rushes in and takes out Sami as HASHI counters pulp friction into a backstabber. Goto hits the top rope elbow and HASHI follows with a knee strike, covering for 2. HASHI locks in the butterfly lock, but Sami makes the save. Goto tosses him and lays the boots to Juice. HASHI then accidentally clotheslines Goto as Juice moved, Sami lights up HASHI with forearms and tries to bite his nose off. The shoulder breaker/pulp friction combo finishes things off. Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan defeated Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI @ 12:10 via pin [***¼] This was a good match, easily the best thing on the show, with a more invested crowd than most matches and really, the only match that felt like good tag team wrestling. Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan are highly motivated, and the boys from CHAOS can work with anyone.

A Block:
* Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan: (2-0) 4pts.
* Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale: (2-0) 4pts.
* Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI: (1-1) 2pts.
* Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page: (1-1) 2pts.
* Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka: (1-1) 2pts.
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima: (1-1) 2pts.
* Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi: (0-2) 0pts.
* SANADA and EVIL: (0-2) 0pts.

B Block:
* Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin: (1-0) 2pts.
* Best Friends: (1-0) 2pts.
* Killer Elite Squad: (1-0) 2pts.
* War Machine: (1-0) 2pts.
* Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii: (0-1) 0pts.
* Guerrillas of Destiny: (0-1) 0pts.
* Henare and Togi Makabe: (0-1) 0pts.
* Katsuya Kitamura and David Finlay: (0-1) 0pts.

-Thanks for reading.

– End scene.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

4.0

The final score: review Poor

The 411

Day five expanded to a four-match format, but it didn’t make things any better. The first three matches aren’t good and drag horribly as the world tag league continues to defend its title of NJPW black hole of quality each and every year. The only thing to even consider spending time on is Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan vs. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI, but it’s far from must see.