victorious to close second night of tag league.

EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi, and Dangerous Tekkers topped the World Tag League standings with four points after the second night of action, while Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens and HenarACE sit at zero points with seven matches still to wrestle. 

The night’s league proceedings began with the Guerrillas of Destiny and Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale both looking to for their first points. Tama Tonga was not letting BULLET CLUB comradeship get in the way of a win, as he went after Chase before the bell, drawing Owens’ ire and closed fists. G.o.D controlled Owens until a Complete Shot into the corner brought in Bad Luck Fale. 

Fale’s power saw him run through both Guerrillas, and Chase brought a stick and run approach back inside. Owens nearly got three from a rope assisted schoolboy, and blocked the Gunstun, but Jado’s kendo stick led to a Tonga scorpion for the win. 

Jeff Cobb started the next match out for the Empire opposite YOSHI-HASHI, and delivered intense power off the bat to take control. The Headhunter evaded an Empire double team to briefly bring Goto in for an offensive flurry, but O-Khan used his grappling sense to take down the resurgent YOSHI-HASHI and regain control.  

Goto finally got his break and roared in with shots to Cobb, but he too found himself overpowered by the Olympian, who brought in O-Khan for Mongolian Chops. He and YOSHI-HASHI had the edge in double teams however, and an assisted Headhunter found the mark, before Cobb enetered unbidden to slam both men at once. Goto escaped an Eliminator however, and a superkick from YOSHI-HASHI led to the Goto Shiki for three. 

Back from break, FinJuice and EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi presented the only battle of undefeated teams on the card. FinJuice showed their tag prowess to Yujiro early with effortless tandem offense and quick tags, but the BULLET CLUB side showed their own prowess outside, sending Finlay into the guardrail and taking control, until Juice made his own explosive mark back inside with trademark energy. 

2019’s World Tag League winners had EVIL and Yujiro on the back foot, and fought Dick Togo off as they pushed the advantage on both BULLET CLUB members, but EVIL once again plumbed the well of dirty tactics, misdirecting the referee long enough to connect with a low blow and the EVIL to Finlay. 

Toru Yano was impatient to get he and Tomohiro Ishii’s match with SANADA and Shingo Takagi going early, and he paid the price with Cold Skull thwarting his attempts at turnbuckle removal and a recreation of the Paradise Lock; Toru Yano responded by being trapped in the real deal by attempting coutnout victory by wrapping SANADA in the ringside apron. 

The pace and intensity picked up with Shingo Takagi and Ishii at the wheel, as ferocious strikes and suplexes took over, but with SANADA and Yano inside, the match could end on a three count at any time. SANADA was almost caught with an assisted schoolboy from Yano and Ishii but an O’Connor bridge was what led to the three count for the LIJ duo. 

After a crushing defeat at the start of their campaign Sunday, HenarACE had much to prove against Dangerous Tekkers in the main event, and immediately set to work with double teams to Zack Sabre Jr. Tanahashi seemed in control of ZSJ, but a moment’s distraction was enough for the champions to take control, the Unione Dragon Screws working over Tanahashi’s knee, and Taichi compounding the damage by wrapping the Ace’s left leg around the guardrail. 

Dangerous Tekkers kept the pressure on the Ace until a pair of Dragon Screws brought Toa Henare in. Firing up the crowd, Henare scored with heavy hits to both his opponents, but a Rampage tackle was stopped and met with a Gamengiri. Muay Thai training in isolation paid off as Henare could check Taichi’s leg kicks, but it was Tanahashi that was able to counter the champions’ double teams, making the save from Zack Mephisto for his partner. 

As the match reached the 15 minute mark, Henare would be caught in Seitei Jujiro from Taichi, barely making the ropes, but able to dig deep to avoid the Last Ride, and firing up from a jumping high kick with a huge tackle. Dangerous Tekkers prevented HenarACE from hitting a double team of their own though, Tanahashi falling to a Holy Zack Driver and Taichi landing a Dangerous Backdrop for a near two. 

Left alone to take down Taichi, Henare landed the Rampage tackle and went for the Toa Bottom, but a Zack Mephisto was waiting, and the champions were victorious, declaring post match that there was nobody that could stand in their way of winning World Tag League, and taking the night off at the Tokyo Dome. At current form, they may be right.