Junior heavyweight league approaches the wire in Nagasaki
After battles across the country, the Super Junior Tag League hits its penultimate night of regular block action on Wednesday December 7 in Nagasaki. With five teams still in the running, this could be make or break for some when it comes to the finals in Sendai on December 14.
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Main event: SAUCEHEARTS (Alex Zayne & El Lindaman) (5-2) vs BULLET CLUB (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (6-1)
The main event in Nagasaki will see two leading teams collide, BULLET CLUB’s Ace Austin and Chris Bey facing Alex Zayne and El Lindman. Two points ahead of the pack, Austin and Bey are in control of their own destiny. The duo have the security of being immune from mathematical elimination tonight; in fact, depending on how the other matches play out tonight, a win could see their spot in the December 14 guaranteed. Yet that requires defeating a very difficult and dynamic team indeed in Alex Zayne and El Lindaman. The SAUCEHEARTS pair have been electric through the tour, and now are fighting for survival, and a crucial tiebreaker over the top point scorers.
7th Match: Flying Tiger (Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask) (2-5) vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Titan & BUSHI) (5-2)
Eagles and Tiger Mask are mathematically eliminated
The semi main event will see Titan and BUSHI, needing a win to help secure their future in the final league night, against the already eliminated Flying Tiger duo of Tiger Mask and Robbie Eagles. While Eagles and Tiger Mask are nursing the disappointment of an early mathematical exit, the two will be motivated to finish strong, and after Eagles suffered a pair of losses to both his masked opponents during Best of the Super Jr. this year, this match is a chance for revenge.
6th Match: Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (2-5) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO & Dick Togo) (1-6)
Both teams are mathematically eliminated
DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru might have suffered the same fast elimination from contention in Super Junior Tag League that HOUSE OF TORTURE had, but the difference has been in how both teams reacted. While SHO and Dick Togo’s mugging of Lio Rush and YOH may well result in the CHAOS side having been spoiled at the end of the day, they quickly went back to their losing ways in Yamaguchi this weekend, while in contrast DOUKI and Kanemaru put on the performance of a lifetime to defeat Catch 2/2 in the main event that night. Fans in Nagasaki would certainly be delighted if that pattern continued, and if Kanemaru can remind SHO of his two minute victory during BOSJ earlier this year.
5th Match: Wild Hips (Clark Connors & Ryusuke Taguchi) (3-4) vs CHAOS (Lio Rush & YOH) (5-2)
Connors and Taguchi are mathematically eliminated
Clark Connors and Ryusuke Taguchi’s journey in ‘nommunication’ (communication through alcohol) has been a rocky one to 3-4 and six points, but at their peak they have been a dangerous team, and one that Lio Rush and YOH can not afford to look past. Other results can put teams on ten points on the brink here tonight, and Rush and YOH want to ensure they’re in the mix come the last night of league action on December 11.
4th Match: Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA (1-6) vs Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira & TJP) (5-2)
Knight and KUSHIDA are mathematically eliminated
Before heading into this year’s Super Junior Tag League, KUSHIDA recruited Kevin Knight likely in full knowledge that the road to the trophies would be a very hard one, and that wins would be hard to find. Instead, the Timesplitter was devoted to ensuring his hugely talented partner Kevin Knight got reps under his belt and progressed through the series, something that ‘The Jet’ has achieved with aplomb. As Knight improves with every match, it isn’t long before that work the team has put in pays off; should it pay off tonight with an upset on the IWGP Junior Tag Champions, it would be a huge result, and one that could entirely transform the league.
3rd Match: Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) 
As Master Wato and Hiromu Takahashi’s long pre- Wrestle Kingdom campaign continues, Nagasaki will also see Be-Bop Tag Team looking to get a measure of revenge on Tetsuya Naito and SANADA for their defeat last week in our third match of the night.
2nd Match: Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado, Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki) vs BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) 
Six man action will see Taiji Ishimori and El Desperado continue their preview series of the Tokyo Dome. Meanwhile Fale and Gedo colliding with Archer and Suzuki will be quite the spectacle to greet the fans in Nagasaki.
1st Match: Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima vs Oskar Leube & Kosei Fujita
Young Lion action will kick off the evening. Who gets to set the pace in this collision of four bright future prospects?
