NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

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NOV.19.2020

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World Tag League Update: Night 3

  Seven teams top the table after three nights. 

After Best of the Super Jr. hit Korakuen hall last night, it was World tag League 2020’s turn on November 19 with the third set of tag team matches seeing a crowded top of the table, with seven teams at the top of the chart at four points while HenarACE and the Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens combination remain at zero.

Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale brought the fight to Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb right away in the night’s league opener, attacking The Empire side on their entrance and brawling around ringside. O-Khan was put in the unfamiliar position of fighting up from under Fale, which he did with a stiff front facing Mongolian Chop. 

Cobb and O-Khan exchanged gutwrench suplexes on Owens, and tackled Fale; Owens fired back with impressive knees, but was left open for a Tour of the Islands and a second win in the league for The Empire.   

HenarACE attempted to rally from a 0-2 position against FinJuice, and operated well against both men in the early going until a blind tag from Finlay brought him inside and allowed for a crushing Juice senton and double face crusher to Henare. The Kiwi fought out of the FinJuice corner, and brought in the Ace, who connected with Dragon Screws to his opponents, allowing a recovered Henare to land a Maori Drop and some stiff head kicks to Finlay. 

A Rampage Tackle connected for Henare, but Juice broke up the ensuing pin. As the match broke down, HenarACE landed a combo Slingblade, but Henare was victim to a Hart Attack and Doomsday Device for the loss. 

The BULLET CLUB derby was next on the docket, as EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi looked to extend their unbeaten record against the Guerrillas of Destiny.  After an initial show of sportsmanship proved nothing more than performative, G.o.D countered an assault from their opponents, taking control on Yujiro. 

When Yujiro was able to hang Tama over the top rope, EVIL took control outside, Dick Togo trying to get hs licks in until Jado chased him off. An exposed steel turnbuckle did further damage to Tonga though, and G.o.D were in trouble until Tonga was able to roll free of Yujiro and bring in brother Loa. As the match broke down, Jado defused Togo’s interference and Tonga blocked an EVIL low blow to allow Magic Killer, but legal man Yujiro remained in the fight. 

Yujiro flew with a tope to Tonga and dumped Loa over the top rope, but Jado’s stick and Loa’s power was too much, a lariat and the OJK leading to a G.o.D victory. 

After the all BULLET CLUB affair, it was all CHAOS, with Toru Yano and Tomohiro ishii taking on Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. Despite YOSHI-HASHI trying to convince Yano to the contrary, Yano was intent on removing the turnbuckle pad, exposing steel that led to the Headhunter being kept under the thumb of his opponents for a protracted period. 

When Goto came back inside, he took over on Yano, and there was none of the early antics when Ishii came inside on the opposite side. Brutal shots from Ishii were met with stinging chops from YOSHI-HASHI, but the headhunter misdirected Ishii into the exposed steel and a combo Ushigoroshi and Double Knee scored two. Yano barely made the save for Ishii after a GYR from Goto and YOSHI-HASHI, and on defusing a follow up, looked to send the Heahunter into the steel. YOSHI-HASHI avoided the buckle, but not a belly to belly suplex and sliding lariat for two. 

As Goto took Yano to the floor, YOSHI-HASHI hit Kumagoroshi for a nearfall on Ishii and fired up from a Dragon Suplex by the Stone Pitbull, staying in the hunt after a follow-up lariat. He couldn’t respond to the count after a Vertical Drop Brainbuster though, as Ishii and Yano moved to four points. 

Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi went straight to work on Shingo Takagi and SANADA as the match got underway, creating an advantage, but only a brief one as the LIJ pair took over and Sabre.  After a low bridge took ZSJ to the floor though, Taichi took over, choking at Cold Skull on the floor. 

After lengthy control from the Suzuki-Gun side, a basement dropkick from SANADA to Taichi brought Shingo in and a ball of energy sent tag champion oppoenents flying. In an instant though, ZSJ was able to snap off an arm wringer, creating a significant opening for trademark submissions. Nonetheless, Sabre had his own target, in the form of a taped left knee that SANADA was able to score a Dragon Screw on before taking to the sky with a plancha. 

With Taichi back inside, LIJ pressed the advantage with a Noshigami from Shingo into a SANADA cutter, but Taichi prevented the Pumping Bomber, leading to a chain of reversals that saw a SANADA Skull End and Shingo Dragon Sleeper , countered into stereo submissions of a Suzuki-Gun brand instead. 

Taichi tried to push the advantage, but SANADA was quick to prevent a Zack Mephisto, Taichi showing speed of his own to deliver a Dangerous Backdrop to SANADA and a jumping high kick to Shingo. Both Shingo and Taichi attempted their own version of one another’s finishers, before a more simple but brutally effective penalty kick from ZSJ almost led to the three with a Taichi styled Gedo Clutch. Moments later though, SANADA cut off Sabre and a Last of the Dragon connected to give the win to LIJ. 

 

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