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AUG.16.2021

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Noppongi 3K: Super Jr. Tag League Update (night 5)

Top three teams still in the hunt as Roppongi 3K is torn apart

The Super Jr. Tag League continued on August 16 in Korakuen Hall, as the teams vied for crucial extra points with remaining matches low. 

As they missed the night’s action due to a precautionary measure, Dick Togo and Gedo officially went 0-4 via forfeit as the Six or Nine team of Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato went to four points, but both teams were already mathematically eliminated, putting eyes on the semi main event of the evening. 

The Flying Tiger side of Tiger mask and Robbie Eagles stood to wrap the league up altogether if they stayed undefeated against ‘BULLET CLUB’s Cutest Tag team’ of El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori, and it was with a desire to wrap the standings up early as well as embarrass long held rival Phantasmo that IWGP Junior heavyweight Champion Eagles tied up with ELP and snatched head lock takeovers in the early moments. 

Eagles gained the first sustained offense of the match with an armdrag and wheel kick, and Tiger Mask assisted to send the IWGP Junior Tag champions bailing for a timeout. The plan to bait their opponents to the floor worked perfectly though, and ELP and Ishimori took over to deliver signature punishing and humiliating offense to Tiger Mask. 

A kangaroo kick and tilt-a-whirl backbreaker would give Tiger enough time to tag in Eagles, who set to work on ELP with blistering strikes. With thinking as fast as his feet, the Sniper of the Skies had both champions flustered before heading upstairs for a 450 on Phantasmo, but when his target escaped, the two exchanged strikes center ring, Eagles eventually coming up with a springboard dropkick to the knee and Asai DDT, only to be caught with a UFO neckbreaker. 

With both men tagged in, Ishimori caught Tiger Mask with a handspring overhead and the Yes Lock, driving the masked man to the ropes. Ishimori climbed to the top, but was met by Tiger, and as Eagles landed a tope suicida to the ringside ELP, Ishimori was sent flying with a devastating top rope butterfly suplex. A Tiger Driver followed for two, but Ishimori escaped the follow up inverted butterfly and landed Cipher Utaki. 

Tiger Mask rallied with a Tombstone and looked to connect with a an assisted Tiger Suplex, but Phantasmo hit the ring with a Sudden Death. Eagles broke up a following pin attempt, but when Ishimori put the unconscious Tiger into the Yes Lock, the referee was forced to stop the match and hand Flying Tiger their first loss. 

Looking for their first win were the embattled duo of Roppongi 3K in the main event, who showed their frustration and determination to turn things around by jumping the gun and attacking El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru before the bell. yet early offense was quickly turned around, Desperado landed a slam that had SHO smack into the ringside mats and put him under Suzuki-Gun control back inside.

SHO endured a punishing Boston Crab through the ropes from Kanemaru and further emotional damage from Desperado, who jeered that the crowd didn’t want to support RPG3K. SHO responded with a kitchen sink, and tagged in a fired up YOH, but soon he too was trapped in a bad position in more ways than one, crotched mercilessly over the ring post. 

As SHO and YOH were completely dominated by the Suzuki-Gun duo, both Roppongi 3K members found their knees  under vicious attack. YOH would muster a Drgaon Screw to Kanemaru and dropkick to Desperado though, and willed himself to tag in SHO, who powered through pain to deliver blows to both his opponents. With a swinging DDT, Kanemaru put SHO to the mat and looked for Deep Impact, stopped with a kick and repeated arm breakers from SHO, but an attempt at a spear was met with a basement dropkick and Kanemaru Figure Four. 

SHO managed to endure long enough to find his feet and suplex Kanemaru before landing a spear that brought time to tag in YOH. On adrenaline and the will of the fans, YOH connected with a Falcon Arrow to Desperado and looked to follow in the corner but was again slowed long enough for the assault on his surgically repaired knee to continue. SHO tried to support his partner, but YOH’s knee was too badly hurt to connect with a double team, and Desperado locked in Numero Dos. 

SHO went to break up the hold, but decided instead to leave the ring, and watched as YOH was left alone. SHO watched as his partner was driven with Guitarra Del Angel and then Pinche Loco. Post match, SHO waved the winners away, mockingly congratulating them on the two points, before shockingly hitting his now former partner with Shock Arrow. Declaring backstage that ‘(YOH) is of no use to me anymore’, it seems a nine year brotherhood has been put to an end. 

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