Four at the top with two matches left

World Tag league hit Okayama on December 7, with six teams ending the night in contention as two matches are left on the schedule. 

The main event of the evening saw Guerrillas of Destiny placed in a must win position against Los Ingobernables De Japon’s Tetsuya Naito and SANADA. The ever confident LIJ used some click tag work to take over on Tanga Loa in the early going, but it would be a tackle from Loa that brought in a fired up Tama Tonga, and put SANADA in jeopardy. Cold Skull would be worked over by the seven time tag champions, until a pair of basement dropkicks would bring Naito in for some high speed offense, but with Loa’s help, the match turned again on a dime, and spilled to the floor where Naito was badly worked over. 

The punishment continued for Naito with a stalling Loa suplex and the OJK dead center. it would be a single legged dropkick to Tonga though that saw an energised SANADA in, and a pair of planchas struck both G.o.D members hard. A Complete Shot would slow SANADA’s forward momentum, and Loa would strike in combination, but a powerbomb attempt would see a SANADA Frankensteiner, and with Naito back legal, fast paced double teams would almost see a jackknife pin for three. 

Loa would counter a Destino attempt, and as SANADA came to make the save, he was met with a Tongan twist. The match breaking down with all four men in, Naito was planted with a double neckbreaker for two, and a headbutt/Supreme Flow would get another nearfall. SANADA would stop a Magic Killer attempt though, and landed a one man version of the double team he knew all too well. Cold Skull weakened Loa with Skull End, and Naito followed with a running Destino; Loa kicked out, but not from the full version as the Guerrillas crashed out of mathematical contention. 

CHAOS’ Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI would Face Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens in a race to 14 points in the semi-main event. Goto and YOSHO-HASHI would try and get their usual tag team combinations in on their BULLET CLUB foes at the start of the match, but the huge Fale proved too big and too angry to provide a drum for CHAOS. Fale and Owens would take thorough control outside, and Goto would be in trouble until he finally rolled out the way of a heavy Fale elbow drop. 

YOSHI-HASHI would try and chop away at Fale’s base once tagged in, and the recovered Goto would throw some heavy forearms with Owens. The Crown Jewel’s ring awareness would see Goto buried in the corner with a Complete Shot though, and slick combo work with Fale earned a nearfall. YOSHI-HASHI broke up a Grenade launcher attempt, but Owens stopped a pair of CHAOS double teams in return and honed in on Goto. 

Owens hoisted goto for the Package Piledriver, but Goto was just able to fight out of the move. Owens looked for a C-Trigger, but YOSHI-HASHI was there just in time for a thrust kick, and the Violent Flash and Shoto would follow for three. 

Aaron Henare and Great-O-Khan looked to join the competition at 14 as they faced TenCozy. Well aware of his past over the early part of the year with Great-O-Khan, Hiroyoshi Tenzan would unleash ‘Okayama Jammers’ in the face of O-Khan’s Mongolian Chops, and depite Henare’s stiff shots, a wheel kick would bring Satoshi Kojima in for machine gun chops and a diving elbow. Kojima would connect with Tenzan for a TenCozy Cutter just shy of the ten minute mark, and warmed up for a lariat, but Henare would intercept with a Rampage Tackle, as the veteran’s momentum faltered. 

The Subara Oozora Sheep Killer would be broken up by Tenzan, who landed more Okayama Jammers, but he would be stopped with a Henare boot and the Sheep Killer Marine. Kojima wriggled off the hook of the Imperial Drop, and landed a pair of DDTs, but O-Khan was there to provide ample back up to the Ultimate Weapon, and the Imperial Drop saw the United Empire victorious. 

HOUSE OF TORTURE came into Okayama needing to continue their ill-gotten winning streak, and took action to suit, with a brawling start to their bout with great Bash Heel. As Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma were gaining the upper hand in a fair streetfight, it was only a matter of time before everything got lopsided; with a Dick Togo distraction and an exposed corner, Honma would be in trouble until a big suplex to EVIL brought in a furious Makabe.

Makabe would deal heavy blows even as Togo yanked at his heels, bringing the recovered Honma back in; Yujiro Takahashi would deliver a Fisherman’s Buster, but Makabe would give ample backup for a sandwich lariat and Kokeshi. Honma would escape a Pimp Juice attempt, and clear the ring of EVIL and Togo to land a Rocket Kokeshi for two, but was too late in coming off the second rope. As Yujiro drew the referee, Togo brought his steel wire, only for Makabe to respond with his chain, but a low blow, stick off the skull and Big Juice ended the match. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano’s hopes of World Tag League finals placement were slim to nil when they took on Minoru Suzuki and TAKA Michinoku, but the duo were confident in their favourite status against Suzuki-Gun in Okayama. Somewhat overconfident as it happened; TAKA and Suzuki would assault their opponents at the bell, and both Tanahashi and Yano were tortured in the ring and out as Suzuki-Gun kept the Ace in the blue corner. A Dragon Screw would reunite Yano with Suzuki, but he and Michinoku retained control of the match until Tanahashi drew the referee, leading to a low blow from Yano and a Texas Cloverleaf to tap out Michinoku. 

Tiger Mask and Yuji Nagata started the night’s league action against IWGP Tag Team Champions Dangerous Tekkers. Nagata would go hold for hold with Zack Sabre Jr. in the early stages of the match, before Taichi grabbed a hold right around the throat of Tiger Mask to take over. The junior heavyweight landed a tilt-a-whirl to bring Nagata back inside and Blue Justice was able to briefly put ZSJ in the Nagata Lock II, while Tiger Mask brought fire to the champions. A Tiger Driver would score a two count for the masked man, but the Ore to Zack put Tiger to the mat, and Sabre held Nagata at bay while the Seitei Jujiro secured the submission win.