00:00Well, winter is approaching on the Shonan coast of Japan.
00:07Not exactly beach weather, we're about 20 minutes away from the beach here in Fujisawa.
00:13But the action here in World Tag League is heating up already.
00:17Night one of B-Block right here.
00:20Live English coverage on NJPW World as we await the arrival
00:29of a surprise pop this far.
00:32Certainly this week, Yuujo Takahashi may see Yoshinobu Kanemaru in front.
00:38And bringing up the rear is the Lone Star Outlaw, Chase Owens.
00:43Owens won in World Tag League competition for the A-Block.
00:48We're going to see some A-Block previews before four B-Block tag team matches here tonight.
00:54Headlined Hiromu Takahashi, David Finlay taking on the Belkow Brothers.
00:59And, well, it was a hounds and torture derby two nights ago in Korokorn Hall.
01:11And the things didn't exactly start with shenanigans.
01:14They certainly ended that way.
01:16There was an evil spraying of whiskey mist into the eyes of Chase Owens,
01:22who was blinded, inadvertently DDT'd his own tag team partner.
01:25And, well, it was Kanemaru that engineered that situation.
01:31Now that's the team with Yuujo and Chase Owens here tonight.
01:35A lot to answer for.
01:39On the other side of the fence here, Bishamon Hiroki Goto Yoshihashi will be teaming with the, well, the honorary member, I would say, of the Goto Revolutionary Army.
01:51Tetsu Matsumoto.
02:01This year, eight teams each in two blocks, 16 in all.
02:05And it will be the top two point scorers in each block heading towards the semi-finals.
02:12And I would say going in that Bishamon hot favorites to come out top of that World Tag League block, if not the top two,
02:21They've got new gowns to market.
02:25But did not go off to a successful start.
02:29A couple of nights ago, a huge, huge upset as Taichi and Sushiko Jima were able to put away Yoshihashi and Hiroki Goto.
02:38It's still a long way to go, but right now Goto and Yoshihashi
02:43sat sharing the bottom of the table on zero points.
02:48Along with Chase Owens and Yujo Takash.
02:51So Monzo has to go in terms of the winning sense of the word.
02:56And, well, for one of these teams, they're going to be on two points.
03:01The other team will be still at the bottom of the league with zero.
03:04That's coming up in two days' time in Machida.
03:07So our first four matches here tonight will be a little bit of a preview of what we've got coming down the pipe in 48 hours' time over in Machida.
03:17Hi, everybody. Welcome again to the broadcast here in World Tag League and JPW World.
03:22I'm Chris Charlton.
03:24He'll be joined later on in the evening by Drilla Maloney.
03:27You want to get his thoughts.
03:28A very, very successful start to World Tag League for Drilla Maloney and Shingo Tsukagi.
03:34Big win over Gabe Kidd and Yoda Tsukagi.
03:37The use of that War Dragon finisher.
03:40The same name as their team name now, War Dragons.
03:43Seems to be the big key.
03:44You want to have a good tag team name and that at least gets you closer to World Tag League victory.
03:50That's your head in gear, I think, at least.
03:52It was a chaotic start to World Tag League two nights ago in Corcoran Hall.
04:02Jam-packed sold out we were.
04:04And casting an eye out into the Tijibunomiya Memorial Gymnasium here in Fujisawa.
04:12I'm not seeing many, if any, empty seats.
04:15So I think we're down close to a sellout here tonight as well.
04:20And it was, as that packed crowd was preparing to head home for the evening,
04:26that, well, Yoh jumped into the ring and resumed a sit-in protest.
04:30It was very, very unsuccessful at the start of the evening.
04:33He was carted away.
04:34And while Yoh resuming that protest, after the matches had ended,
04:39Yoh was insistent that the Nebo Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships
04:44have a match at the Tokyo Dome at WrestleKingdom 20, January the 4th.
04:48Oh, listen to this.
04:50The War Dragons ringing out here in Fujisawa.
04:54On the back of Kanemara.
04:56Look at that.
04:57Matsumoto is a Kanagawa boy.
05:00Home prefecture here tonight, Matsumoto.
05:04As he gets the tag into this six-man affair.
05:07Well, yeah, I mean, speaking of six-man affairs, Yoh wanted a Nebo Openweight
05:12Six-Man Tag Team Championship match at WrestleKingdom 21.
05:16Yoh, one-third of the champions, alongside Master Wighto and Toriyano.
05:19And after much cajoling, Chairman Tsukubayashi gave the okay.
05:23It will be the first time ever Tornado Rambo match coming up on January the 4th
05:30in the Tokyo Dome.
05:32So, like your usual New Japan Rambo, timed entries of one minute apiece.
05:36Someone new is going to come to the ring, but it's going to be teams of three making their entrance.
05:41And when one member of a team is pinned, submitted, or thrown over the top rope,
05:45then that entire team will be eliminated.
05:47We'll keep on going until there is a set of Nebo Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
05:51And Yano is an interesting note. We'll talk about Yano later on.
05:55I mean, Yano one-third of the original never six-man champions.
06:00Yano and the Brisco brothers run those, they were the first champions to be crowned at WrestleKingdom 10.
06:06So, here we are ten years later with a very unique defense coming up at WrestleKingdom.
06:12We'll talk more about WrestleKingdom 20 throughout the broadcast here tonight,
06:15but it's World Tag League that is the focus, of course.
06:18My goodness, Vatsimato gets planted, and I mean planted hard.
06:23I'm a little bit away from the ring here this evening.
06:25I still felt that all the way through, my bones and my feet.
06:33I was going to see here tonight, Hiroshi Tanahashi, El Phantasma,
06:36taking on Soto Umura and Yuya Umura in the semi-main event.
06:41It will be Tanahashi's final match in Kanagawa Prefecture,
06:45Tanahashi's final match in Fujisawa.
06:47I've got a connection to this building, to Tanahashi.
06:51The very first time I ever saw one Hiroshi Tanahashi live and in person,
06:55was right here.
06:56I had a ticket on the north side, on the second floor.
07:00Really close getting on for 20 years ago.
07:03This used to be my home here in Fujisawa in Japan.
07:08It's great to be back here in Fujisawa tonight.
07:13And Zomato not having a great time underneath Yamanashi native Kanemara
07:18as Hiroki Gotoha breaks up the floor here.
07:29Also had the announcement just a couple of nights ago about extra seating,
07:33emergency seating being put in place.
07:35The outfield seats behind the staging area.
07:39Extra seating in the floor to accommodate all of the fans in the Tokyo Dome.
07:44Generally the 4th at Wrestle Kingdom, 20.
07:46They're going to have well in excess of 40,000 people.
07:50Oh, my goodness.
07:51Hardly.
07:52It doesn't matter where he is, whether he's in Texas or Fujisawa,
07:55Chase Owens hardly wants to have manners.
07:58It is flu season.
08:03And the apron being cleared here by the Lone Star Outlaw.
08:06Chase Owens and Kenta.
08:10About a year and a half ago.
08:13Had some exchanges with Bishmona over the IWGP Tag Team Championships.
08:17Gotoha and Yashashi still very sore.
08:20Oh, my goodness.
08:21Chase Owens very sore.
08:22Sore neck there.
08:23As Matsumana pulls him off the top rope.
08:25And we'll try and make a tag to Yashashi.
08:28Who was, yeah, mentally very sore when Chase Owens and Kenta stole one.
08:33Stole the IWGP Tag Titles.
08:35Away from Bishmona and Dontaku 2024.
08:38And here we are.
08:40A year and a half later on.
08:41While Tag League 2025.
08:43It'll be Monday a match.
08:44But Bishmona will be looking to get on the board.
08:48So.
08:49Typical.
08:50Fantastic tag team.
08:52Offense there by Bishmona.
08:54Gotoha and Hunter.
08:56Owens charges in but hoisted up.
09:00Violent Flash denied.
09:02And...
09:03Down goes Gotoha.
09:06Down goes Chase.
09:07Or maybe up goes Chase.
09:09Well, he's with the Lariat there.
09:13Natsumoto has been making ceaseless appeals to Hiroki Gotoha to be formally enlisted as part of Gotoha's quote-unquote revolutionary army.
09:30Still a young lion.
09:31Still a young lion.
09:32But...
09:33Consentually a...
09:34Daikinagai who's also been making waves even as a young lion in the ranks of the unaffiliated.
09:40Matsumoto wants to have his affiliation to Hiroki Gotoha, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
09:47Not a bad affiliation to have.
09:49But Matsumoto has to prove himself as a young lion.
09:52Gonna try and scoop in a slam if Kanemaru widens his base, says no thank you, not tonight.
09:58And instead it's Matsumoto up and down.
10:01Textbook body slam there.
10:03Matsumoto attending heavyweight.
10:05Meanwhile Matsumoto a lot of appeals being made by him to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
10:13He included...
10:14Whoa!
10:15Look at this!
10:16Nice rolling takedown by someone with a grappling submission wrestling background in Matsumoto.
10:22And it drives Kanemaru to the worst.
10:25Matsumoto also making direct appeals to Tanahashi to be part of our annual concurso bodybuilding contest
10:32that typically ends up the year.
10:35And we usually have voting take place over the Christmas season here in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
10:40Matsumoto, a former personal trainer before he got into the wrestling business.
10:45And, well, usually doesn't skip leg days.
10:47But I think that legwork then to be put into good use here as Kanemaru targets the left knee
10:53and you always know where that's gonna go.
10:55He has in mind...
10:56Well, typically he would have in mind a figure four
10:59but deciding instead to send a message to the Young Lion here.
11:02A half crab.
11:03Matsumoto a long way from the ropes.
11:05Yoshi Ashi being kept at bay by Yuujo Takahashi.
11:09He chased Owens keeping Goto away.
11:11And it's gonna be all on Matsumoto to dig down deep and crawl.
11:15And there he does make the bottom rope here and through the south.
11:20Solace and not for long.
11:28A quantum of solace perhaps you could say.
11:30And now Kanemaru will go into the figure four.
11:35Give up, give up!
11:39It's a quantum of solace before Matsumoto taps out and he has to there.
11:43No doubt.
11:45No doubt.
11:46No doubt.
11:47No doubt.
11:48That's what I tried to do.
11:49No doubt.
11:50It's a man.
11:51Well, Matsumoto showed his best efforts but ultimately unable to escape the clutches of the veteran Yoshinobe Kanemaru.
12:03Meanwhile, Chase Owens and Yuujo Takahashi did a hell of a job of keeping Goto and Yoshi Ashi at bay here tonight.
12:10at bay here tonight it's the sort of solid tag team work that's going to be needed in 48 hours
12:19in match it up goto and yoshiyashi bishman have an eye on the record fourth world tag league
12:27trophies already record holders in this tournament but goto and yoshiyashi won it three years in a
12:33row from 2021 to 2023 hiroki goto the winningest world tag league wrestler of all time has won this
12:42coaching five times with different partners carl anson katsuyo shibata and three times with yoshiyashi
12:49so that is a hell of a team to meet even if they drop that first but huge attack nashi and chase
12:54owens well they always have that house of torture x-factor and we'll see whether panamao comes into
13:00play on monday
13:15now we'll talk about alexine
13:20really sad country song playing the chase on monday
13:24well he and you joe get their first points on the board we'll find out where we're up to running
13:30here and fix our world tag lead on ajpw world
Be the first to comment