World Tag League night 9 (November 29) Preview

Pre-penultimate clashes for A Block

November is at an end, and World Tag League is turning the corner into its third week of competition. The fifth match of seven for A Block will see four more crucial matchups in Shizuoka.

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Main event: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Yota Tsuji & Shingo Takagi) (2–2) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman (3–1)

Our main event tonight sees the 2–2 LIJ side of Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi facing the 3–1 Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb. Both teams would rather forget what happened earlier this week in Miyagi, as Gabe Kidd and SANADA got the win over Newman and Cobb, and Tsuji and Shingo fell to Chase Owens and KENTA. Tonight, both teams feel the need to get back on the winning track, but for Shingo and Tsuji, two points of the pace, that need may be felt more keenly. Who will come away with the win when all is said and done?

7th Match: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa) (2–2) vs BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) (1–3)

KENTA & Owens must win

With backs against the wall in Miyagi Wednesday, Chase Owens and KENTA needed to win by any means necessary. A distracted referee, a low blow and a Pakcage Piledriver were the means to keep the BULLET CLUB side alive; now they face the 2–2 ZSJ and Ryohei Oiwa with the same mindset.

Wednesday night saw the TMDK side come up short in a match that was certainly a contender for best of the tournament, and may be a contender for the very best of the entire year when all is said and done. Not in WTL for the best performances, but to win the trophies come December 8, will they be the ones to end Chase and KENTA’s hopes?

6th Match: Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma (2–2) vs War Dogs (Gabe Kidd & SANADA (2–2)

Gabe Kidd and SANADA continue to have a rocky relationship heading into their fifth matchup. After Kidd was furious at what he thought was a lack of aggression from SANADA, the two nearly came to blows several times in Miyagi Wednesday. The result was, nevertheless a victory for the War Dogs, and one that was thanks to very effective support work from the Cold Blooded SANADA. Still the new War Dogs member was hardly in the mood to celebrate with Kidd, storming off alone. The duo don’t necessarily need to like one another to work well together it seems, but will they work well enough together to get to six points ahead of Umino and Honma?

5th Match: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (3–1) vs Funky Sauce (Ryusuke Taguchi & Alex Zayne) (1–3)

Taguchi and Zayne must win

Wednesday in Miyagi, Funky Sauce did what they badly needed to do to stay in World Tag League contention. Their win over Shota Umino and Tomoaki Honma meant they haven’t been mathematically eliminated just yet, but need to still win out in their next three matchups as well. Against threepeat WTL winners in Bishamon, that’s a very hard ask, but can they pull off a saucy victory?

4th Match: Katsuya Murashima, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI)

Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito tie up with Jado and Naito’s old enemy Hiroshi Tanahashi Sunday in Osaka. This preview will see Tanahashi’s attendant Katsuya Murashima looking to make his own mark on an all star LIJ side to boot.

3rd Match: TMDK (Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita) vs United Empire (Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jakob Austin Young)

Sunday in Osaka, Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls will want revenge on HENARE and Great-O-Khan at the scene where they lost the IWGP Tag belts at Power Struggle. Our third match tonight will see a vital preview; what will happen?

2nd Match: BULLET CLUB (Tome Filip, Stevie Filip & Gedo) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Ren Narita & Dick Togo)

It’s a BULLET CLUB derby of sorts as HOUSE OF TORTURE’s arm of the faction take on Gedo, joining the Rogue Army’s Natural Classics for the night. As we’ve seen on this tour so far, there is no honour among the thieves in BULLET CLUB, and this should be a hard fought preview of Sunday in Osaka.

1st match: Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg & Tiger Mask vs Just Four Guys (TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & DOUKI)

Six man action sees Hontai face off with the three of Just Four Guys tonight. Two years ago, it was Taichi who ended a previously dominant stretch for Toru Yano as KOPW title holder. Meanwhile, Boltin was the one to kill off Taichi’s hopes of G1 entry this summer. Ill feelings all round need to be settled in the next two nights.

Kickoff Match: Shoma Kato (4–0 this tour) vs Daiki Nagai (0–2–3 this tour)

Singles record: 2–0 Kato

Young Lion competition continues to kick off the cards on World Tag League as Daiki Nagai gets his third shot at Shoma Kato this tour. Kato’s second win over Nagai in Korakuen Hall came with more difficulty than the first; could the brash Nagai push Kato harder still tonight?