World Tag League makes annual stop in Fujisawa
After a rare two day break in the ongoing touring action, World Tag League hits Fujisawa on Saturday, the middle phase of the tournament giving way to what will be an intense final stretch.
Main event: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (2-3) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (3-2)
The top match on the billing in Fujisawa sees Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI in the main event for the second card in a row, going from facing Shingo Takagi and SANADA’s combination of power and athleticism to a similar picture in G.o.D. Tuesday night saw Shingo Takagi and YOSHI-HASHI just barely fall short after a thriller against now sole lead team Shingo Takagi and SANADA, while G.o.D are also having to rally from a loss, having fallen prey to Toru Yano’s roll-up mastery. Both teams will want to catch up to the league leaders tonight, and will do everything in their power to do so.
5th Match: FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (2-3) vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) (4-1)
The semi main event sees FinJuice go up against the top team on the WTL table, SANADA and Shingo Takagi. Last year’s winners are having to bounce back from a pair of consecutive losses, with the most recent coming against a BULLET CLUB side in Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens that were winless heading into their Niigata bout.
An intensely competitive and evenly matches pack means that three losses for the reigning champs is far from a death sentence in this league, but it does mean that even if they are victorious, teams will be lining up around the block for a shot against them. Loving a good fight, FinJuice would have it no other way, but they still adly need two more points against the top ranked team tonight in Fujisawa.
4th Match: Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (3-2) vs BULLET CLUB (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) (3-2)
The fourth match of the evening sees Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. go up against EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi. Dangerous Tekkers came out on top of a thrilling battle against THE EMPIRE’s combination of Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb on Tuesday, not only showing their considerable might, but also finding themselves in the rare position of being supported like fan favourites.
That will likely also be the case opposite the despised BULLET CLUB team, not to mention their third man in the form of Dick Togo. EVIL and Yujiro are smarting off a loss to the formerly winless HenarACE earlier in the week and will certainly be looking to go all out in their bid to say on ourse for the tag trophies. Can the tactical masterminds that make up the IWGP Tag Team Championship team find a way to win the numbers game tonight?
3rd Match: HenarACE (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare) (1-4) vs BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) (1-4)
WTL record: 1-0 Fale/Owens
The second league match of the evening sees a must win scenario for HenarACE and the BULLET CLUB side of Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens. Four losses in a row was the result for both teams heading into Tuesday’s event, but a revelation occurred for both teams in Niigata. Tanahashi supported Henare to a huge pinfall win over Yujiro Takahashi and EVIL, while an impressive straightjacket German/Grenade double team saw Fale and Owens to victory over last year’s WTL winners FinJuice. Already with a very unlikely path to the Budokan final, a fifth loss would be devastating to both teams’ hopes tonight, yet that will be the unfortunate reality for one pairing. Who surivives, and who crashes out?
2nd Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) (3-2) vs THE EMPIRE (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) (3-2)
Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano face THE EMPIRE in the first league match of the evening. Yano heads to Fujisawa with mixed emotions; Tuesday night saw him pick up the win for his team over G.o.D, but joy turned to despair when Tanga Loa destroyed his prized KOPW 2020 trophy. Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb had more anger for the direct result of their clash with Dangerous Tekkers earlier in the week, and now both teams will need to stay on the winning pace as we enter the final week of the league.
1st Match: Tomoaki Honma & Satoshi Kojima vs Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji
The night’s action will kick off with Satoshi Kojima teaming with Tomoaki Honma against Yuji Nagata and Yota Tsuji once again. Tsuji seems to be learning with every defeat on this tour, but still hasn’t found a way to escape Kojima’s famous lariat just yet. Can he do so tonight?
