Pantoja’s NJPW World Tag League & Super Jr. Tag League 11.28.22 Review

NJPW World Tag League & Super Jr. Tag League Night 7

November 28^th, 2022 | Nagano Athletic Park Gym in Yoshida, Nagano | Attendance: 498

We’re back to the junior heavyweights for this show, which should be pretty good.

Clark Connors and Ryusuke Taguchi [2] vs. Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA [2]

Battle of the babyface teams and two duos that really have no shot to win this whole things. For further proof of their friendly bond, the teams shared pre-match beers. That set the tone for a pretty straightforward match that didn’t have any heat but that’s okay because that isn’t what it was meant to have. It was just two good boy teams having a good boy match. Knight and Connors did their thing, while KUSHIDA and Taguchi have always had solid chemistry. IN the end, Connors beat Knight with the Trophy Kill in 9:29. I enjoyed that, especially since you felt like either team could’ve won, so it had some late drama. Just a quality tag outing here. [***]

Dick Togo and SHO [0] vs. Francesco Akira and TJP [6]

SHO’s theme starts like TJP’s WWE one did. It’s the House of Torture and I’ve already pointed out that I don’t have the time or energy for that stable. I hate everything they do. This was more of the same from them with the attack before the bell, using underhanded tactics, and even SHO bringing his wrench into play. I liked TJP doing the Eddie Guerrero spot to turn the tables on SHO, which set up 2×2 for the finish in 12:41. It went too long for House of Torture but I appreciate that the stable is winless across two tournaments. [**]

Alex Zayne and El Lindaman [6] vs. Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask IV [4]

Back to something that should be entertaining. The early exchange between Zayne and Eagles actually kind of missed the mark and wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. Thankfully, things picked up a bit after that, with the teams trading offense and neither side gaining a real upper hand. In fact, even the builds to hot tags were kept relatively short. Things peaked down the stretch with suplexes being thrown by both teams. Lindaman hit two Exploders and a dive outside, leaving Zayne to beat TM with the Cinnamon Twist in 10:21. Another good but not great match. [***]

BUSHI and Titán [6] vs. DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru [0]

One thing I’ve appreciated about both tournaments is that they aren’t (at least not yet) doing the parity thing. You know when the G1 sees all but like two people end with 6-8 points. Here, we’re getting clear cases of who is a contender and who isn’t. That was the case here again as DOUKI and Kanemaru lost once again, while the LIJ duo continues to rise. Here was another good match that did nothing to really stand out. Suzuki-Gun tried to unmask their opponents, BUSHI looked like he had some good energy, and Titán was kind of the best part of this. The closest SG came to winning was after a sweet Kanemaru tornado DDT and the DOUKI CHOUKI but LIJ survived and won with the double stomp/MX combo in 11:47. [***]

Ace Austin and Chris Bey [8] vs. Lio Rush and YOH [6]

This is one of the more anticipated matches of either tournament. A win for the Bullet Club separates them, while a loss would put them in a tie with Lio/YOH, BUSHI/Titán, and Zayne/Lindaman. They didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for but it was still the match of the night. The work was ridiculously quick paced as Lio and YOH move at a wild pace and Austin and Bey can keep up with them. Lio took the heat and made the hot tag to YOH, who flew all over and the place and even busted out a Vader Bomb. I’ll always pop for one of those, even if his was a twisting version. From there, both teams starting throwing out bigger offense and using tandem moves as each came close to winning. Lio came in hot late and took out Ace with a pair of Stunners. That left Bey to eat a neckbreaker and Frog Splash as the final undefeated team fell in 15:01. A very good main event even if it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. [***½]

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Another good outing from the juniors. Only one match I’d say is something I’d recommend but other than the House of Torture outing, everything is at least good.