Five teams still alive with two matches left
Super Junior Tag League came to the new Yamaguchi KDDI Hall facility on December 4, five league matches seeing night seven of a league rapidly approaching its conclusion.
The main event of the evening saw Catch 2/2 face the Suzuki-Gun side of Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI. TJP and Kanemaru would start in a battle of technically gifted veterans before Francesco Akira escalated the pace against DOUKI, and some characteristically innovative double team work from the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions saw them take charge of the match. It took resourcefulness to escape the Catch 2/2 clutches, and a seated low bridge from DOUKI did just that, Kanemaru following up from the floor and putting Akira on the back foot.
After a jumping high kick from Akira, TJP would be back in for the champion side, ringing a facewash on Kanemaru and combining with his Italian partner for a double team facebuster and DOUKI and a tope con giro. The Fireplex followed for Akira on Kanemaru to score two, and the Fireball wanted to hit Speedfire, but was denied and struck with a short range dropkick, DOUKI springboarding in on both his opponents.
As Suzuki-Gun built momentum a British Fall from Kanemaru set up DOUKI for a double stomp and the Italian Stretch #32, Akira barely making the ropes. Daybreak was set to follow but was blocked as the match broke down at the 15 minute mark and all four men hit the canvas. DOUKI and Akira reset with clubbing strikes, but TJP would hit the ring for an Alley-Oop that led to Speedfire for a near two, Kanemaru just making the save and then sending Akira into the referee.
With no official, Kanemaru took a swig of whiskey, using an amber mist to stop Akira on the Leaning Tower and then Gideon Grey as he hopped on the apron. DOUKI landed Daybreak for two, and then Suplex De La Luna for a significant main event upset.
CHAOS’ Lio Rush and YOH headed into Yamaguchi with two losses and could ill afford a third as they took to the SAUCEHEARTS side of El Lindaman and Alex Zayne, but it was Rush on the receiving end until an enzuigiri created an opening for CHAOS on Lindaman. GLEAT’s G-REX Champion would turn the tables on YOH however, and it took a thrust kick and neckbreaker on Zayne to finally end a lengthy period of SAUCEHEARTS control.
Rush would flow like water when in side as he strung offense together on both his opponents, but Lindaman and Zayne could string a combo of their own together as German suplex and Frankensteiners scored big on Rush and YOH. The Bad Child would get free to tag YOH, who countered a Lindaman suplex into a Falcon Arrow and German, but was met with a corner Exploder for his troubles. SAUCEHEARTS set for the Kumagoroshi and Cinammon Twist combination, but Rush made the save, and YOH hit Schwein on Lindaman, and after a series of nail biting nearfalls, the Five Star Clutch secured the victory.
With a potential 14 point floor on the top two for Sendai’s finals, Titan and BUSHI needed a victory to secure their future, and brought an aggressive pace to Dick Togo and SHO. It wasn’t long until HOUSE OF TORTURE tactics took over though, and the fight spilled into the crowd before coming back with SHO in control of Titan. Sustained offense on El Inmortal would be ended with a Gordbuster though, and a headshot from Titan that brought BUSHI in on the hot tag.
BUSHI’s momentum would be slowed by a Togo trip from the floor and a borderline low blow, but Titan would hit the ring to make the difference and land a perfect tope con giro. The LIJ side set for Angel Inmortal but EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi would show up to stop the move, and put a beating to the masked men while the vocal crowd urged them to go home. Titan assisted in the endeavour with a missile dropkick and rope walk quebrada, and the Angel Inmortal followed for three.
With both Wild Hips and Flying Tiger mathematically eliminated, there was a friendly atmosphere in their league match, kicking off with a Sapporo toast before Robbie Eagles went to work with Clark Connors. Flying Tigers would keep Connors in place before a Jeep Flip brought Ryusuke Taguchi in, and while the Buns of Steel of both Taguchi and Connors found their mark, a failed double team would end with Wild Rhino getting the brunt of Taguchi’s dreaded rear admiral. After a series of back and forth pinfall attempts for Taguchi and Tiger Mask, Connors and Eagles traded blows, before a rollup counter and the bared underwear of Taguchi sealed the win.
The first league match of the night saw already eliminated Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA face front runners Ace Austin and Chris Bey. Knight and KUSHIDA carried the early pace before being lured into the stands by the BULLET CLUB side; as Knight tried to springboard back into the ring he was met by a midwair dropkick from Bey who then rained punched from a full mount. After a tag to KUSHIDA, Ace Austin was forced to barely power out of an armbar, and the Timesplitter countered the One Two Sweet to serve up Knight’s incredible offense, but a plancha would be intercepted by the Art of the Finesse, and in the ring, One Two Sweet set up the Fold.
