Shingo Takagi & SANADA top table as World Tag League passes midway point. 

World Tag League passed half distance on November 24 in Fukushima, with SANADA & Shingo Takagi at the top of the table at eight points while HenarACE and Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens remained last at two, but still just barely in the running. 

Needing a win to stay in contention in the league, Bad Luck Fale tried to get the jump on FinJuice, attacking his high energy opposition before the bell, only for he and Chase Owens to eat a double dropkick for his troubles. FinJuice piled on offense to Owens, but an assault from Fale from the apron gave control to the BULLET CLUB side. Fale’s power and Owens’ strikes took over from there out, and an impressive BULLET CLUB side was able to score the win on FinJuice, a combination Straightjacket German Suplex and Grenade getting Fale and Owens’ first points on the board.

Entering their match the only team left on zero points, HenarACE were fired up to take on EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi, and as Tanahashi took down both BULLET CLUB members, he and Henare connected well for double team offense. In typical BULLET CLUB form however, an exposed turnbuckle and the presence of Dick Togo put HenarACE’s momentum to a halt. A three on one assault on Henare continued until a big suplex to EVIL brought Tanahashi in the other side. 

Togo again got involved to land a dragon screw to Tanahashi from the floor, but Henare responded y tripping EVIL from outside, and tearing into Yujiro when legal again. As BULLET CLUB were threatened, the numbers game again came to their advantage, EVIL and Togo creating space for Yujiro to hit an Intercollegiate Slam and ring his pimp stick off Henare’s skull. Tanahashi made the save however, landing repeat Dragon Screws and allowing Henare to hit a Toa Bottom for his team’s first win. 

Toru Yano started for he and Tomohiro Ishii back from break, looking to improve on their even record against the Guerrillas of Destiny. After trying to match power with Tanga Loa at the outset, Yano switched gears and tried to win the battle of wits, with a tried and trusted cornerpad attack lasting until a Jado distraction turned the match over to G.o.D. 

With a handful of hair, Yano brought Ishii back inside, but powerful offense was stopped by the exposed turnbuckle and a Tongan Twist. With Yano back inside, G.o.D looked for Magic Killer, but Ishii prevented the move. The Stone Pitbull fell victim to Guerrilla Warfare, but after a double low blow and a roll-up, Yano pulled off the three count, leaving a furious Tongan pair to destroy his KOPW 2020 trophy. 

Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan headed with confidence into their semi main bout with Dangerous Tekkers, and Cobb showed his immense power early in the face of Zack Sabre Junior’s maneuverability, suplexing out of a front chancerie, and bringing Great-O-Khan inside with gut wrench suplexes and brutal strikes.

A triangle DDT from Sabre brought Taichi in to combat rival Cobb. A Dangerous Backdrop found the mark, but Cobb responded with a mighty Spin Cycle, forcing Taichi to fight from underneath, O-Khan forcing the Holy Emperor to kiss his boot before being levelled with a lariat. Taichi helped Sabre to a double team penalty kick on O-Khan, but as Dangerous Tekkers seemed to close in on victory, Cobb’s weight was too much for them to land a Holy Zack Driver. 

O-Khan would enter the ring and attempt the Iron Claw Eliminator on Sabre, countered into a triangle; each tag champion would save the other from THE EMPIRE’s clutches, until a Zack Driver found the mark and got another two points on the board for the champions.  

Hirooki Goto and Shingo Takagi started the main event for their respective CHAOS and LIJ teams, muscle colliding with muscle until an upper hand off a tackle brought YOSHI-HASHI in for double team offense. The Dragon had the wherewithal to counter more combined offense though, hip tossing Goto onto YOSHI-HASHI and taking control on the floor. 

The LIJ duo honed in on YOSHI-HASHI’s long troubled left shoulder, which troubled the headhunter too much to make the tag even after a suplex to SANADA. The Headhunter neckbreaker to Shingo though finally brought in Goto, who unloaded on his NEVER Openweight Championship opponent from back in February. Unlike early in the match though, it was Shingo with the upper hand on Goto, as tandem offense did its damage, but Goto was able to evade a SANADA backflip Skull End attempt to snap Cold Skull’s head across his knee, bringing YOSHI-HASHI back in. 

Flowing from one move to the next, the CHAOS team connected with an assisted Ushigoroshi to SANADA, and a double neckbreaker on Shingo. The GYR landed on SANADA to get a two count, and the match broke down as Takagi interrupted the GYW, bodies flying until all four men were down on the mat. 

Shingo and SANADA were first on their feet, and took over on YOSHI-HASHI. A Magic Screw led to the Headhunter put in position for a SANADA Moonsault; YOSHI-HASHI escaped however, and Goto made the save from Skull End, but Takagi again prevented the finishing GYR. As the match grew ever more chaotic, a series of roll-ups almost put CHAOS on top, until Skull End was applied in the middle of the ring by SANADA for the victory.