NJPW is back in the swing of things as we had another Super Junior Tag League 2023 show this morning. The makeshift team of El Desperado and Master Wato were in the main event today, taking on BUSHI and Titán of Los Ingobernables de Japon.
Desperado and Titán began the match with some chain wrestling, but it was Titán landing an arm drag to really get the match going. Wato and BUSHI were then tagged in and they wasted no time trading slaps across the chest of one another. Before we knew it all four men were in the ring trading chops, then the four of them decided to take the action outside the ring.
All of them voluntarily walked into the crowd, Desperado and Titán began trading chops, as did BUSHI and Wato. Desperado tried to work with Wato to land a double team, but LIJ reversed and both BUSHI and Titán climbed to the second level of the arena. Both men leaped from the top of the stairs with a crossbody onto their opponents.
LIJ takes to the air. Credit: NJPW
The match was now brought back to the ring, where LIJ was double-teaming Wato with some stiff kicks. Desperado now tried to interfere to help his partner, but he was quickly taken out again and BUSHI hit Wato with a neckbreaker. BUSHI held Wato’s arm so Titán could dive from the top rope with a double foot stomp to the arm. Titán continued the attack hitting a seated dropkick, but Wato came right back with a kick and tagged in Desperado.
Desperado came in hot, taking out both of his opponents and hitting Titán with a side suplex. However, Titán then ducked a clothesline and hit Desperado with a kick to the skull, he attempted to follow that with a tornado DDT, but Desperado blocked and hit a brainbuster. That could not keep Titán down and he was right back hitting Desperado with a brutal tornado DDT.
Wato and BUSHI both were tagged in and they began trading forearms, but it was Wato getting the advantage and hitting a springboard European uppercut. BUSHI did not stay down, he hit Wato with a dropkick to the knee and then locked in an Indian deathlock. Wato made it to the ropes to break the hold and hit BUSHI with a roundhouse kick followed by Recientemente. Titán broke up the pin and used Wato’s arm to walk across the ropes and springboard off hitting Desperado with a missile dropkick. He then ran off the ropes and past Wato to dive to the outside with a tope onto Desperado.
Recientemente II. Credit: NJPW
In the ring BUSHI hit Wato with a DDT and then hung Wato over the top rope, Titán then leaped with a knee to the back of Wato’s head. LIJ was now working together in full swing, Titán landed the running clothesline through the ropes, BUSHI hit a Codebreaker and held Wato over his knees and Titán then springboarded with a double foot stomp onto the back of Wato. The match seemed to be over, but Desperado broke up the count at two.
Desperado kicked Titán to the outside, but BUSHI then hit him with a dropkick to the face. BUSHI now turned his attention back to Wato, but Wato threw BUSHI into a spine buster from Desperado and Wato then hit him with the Tsutenkaku German. Now this time it was Titán breaking up the count at two, but Desperado quickly threw him to the outside and dove onto him with a flipping suicide dive.
Wato was now all alone with BUSHI and he connected with a Recientemente II to get the win for his team. They have knocked off LIJ for their second win of the tournament.
NJPW Super Jr. Tag League Standings
NJPW Super Jr. Tag League Night Three Results
Oleg Boltin, Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE)
Shota Umino sent a message to Will Ospreay today, as he won the match by hitting Newman with a Hidden Blade.
Winners: Oleg Boltin, Ren Narita & Shota Umino
Bullet Club (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji)
Tsuji got the victory for LIJ after hitting Gedo with a Spear.
Winners: LIJ (Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji)
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oskar Leube & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)
Just 5 Guys isolated Leube, they all took turns striking him off his feet and then Uemura hit him with a Kanukki Suplex for the win.
Winners: Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)
Ryusuke Taguchi & DKC vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) — Super Jr. Tag League 2023 Tournament Match
Fujita and Taguchi ended this match by being in a battle of roll-ups and pin combinations. The much more experienced Taguchi would be the one to find the perfect pin and get the victory, this is Taguchi and DKC’s second win in a row.
Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi & DKC
MUSASHI & YOH vs. Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira & TJP) — Super Jr. Tag League 2023 Tournament Match
YOH and MUSASHI with a great win. Credit: NJPW
Catch 2/2 competed in a fantastic main event less than 24 hours ago, where they came up short. I think that fatigue may have worked against the former champs today, YOH hit TJP with a riptide knee and a Direct Drive to get another win.
Winners: MUSASHI & YOH
House of Torture (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku) — Super Jr. Tag League 2023 Tournament Match
Shock Arrow. Credit: NJPW
Michinoku had SHO in a crossface and he did tap out, but the referee randomly collapsed and never saw him submit. SHO then hit Michinoku with a low blow, his wrench and finally a Shock Arrow to steal a win.
Winners: House of Torture (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) — Super Jr. Tag League 2023 Tournament Match
KUSHIDA steals a win. Credit: NJPW
The current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champs have won their first two matches of the tournament and were hoping to remain undefeated today. Unfortunately for them, the Jet Setters had some luck on their side today. Moloney went for the Drilla Killa, but KUSHIDA flipped out landing on his feet and then rolled up Moloney for the upset victory. The Jet Setters have defeated the tag champs, and that was the first time Connors and Moloney have ever lost as a team.
