The start of the World Tag League Tournament for the IWGP Tag Team Champions has been a total disaster. In their first match, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI were defeated by the relatively new team of former Bullet Club members and Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, Hikuleo and El Phantasmo.
Hikuleo and Phantasmo offered to shake the hands of Goto and Hashi before the bell. They did so but with a bit of trepidation, as one would expect.
Goto tried to take the big man off his feet but Hikuleo just wouldn’t budge. Eventually, Goto and Hashi as well as Hikuleo and Phantasmo tagged out. The crowd was cheering for both ELP and Yoshi-Hashi unable to make up their minds which of the two men they supported. Hashi himself began to lead an ELP chant banging on a turnbuckle…for some reason. They shook hands in the middle of the ring. Hashi kicked ELP in the stomach. ELP and Hashi traded drop kicks. Hashi downed ELP with a spinning neckbreaker. A running chop from halfway across the ring knocked ELP to the canvass.
ELP regained the momentum with two consecutive moonsaults off the second rope for a two count. Goto blind-tagged in. A double shoulder block had ELP down on the mat again. Hashi and Goto turned to Hikuleo knocking him off the apron. With Phantasmo in the middle of the ring Hashi and Goto beat on him like a drum. Goto really took it to Phantasmo scoring a two count with a backdrop suplex.
ELP gets an assist from Hikeleo. Courtesy: NJPW.
Goto and Hashi continued to keep ELP away from Hikuleo so as not to have to deal with the big man. By flipping out of an attempted double hip toss and diving up and over Goto and Hashi, Phantasmo made the tag. Hikuleo clotheslined, punched and kicked his way through the champs. Hikeleo drilled Goto with Snake-Eyes and a running clothesline. He also broke through their double chop to clothesline them both. A powerbomb from Hikuleo and a swanton bomb from Phantasmo had Goto barely kicking out.
Phantasmo kicked his way out of Shoto. He pushed the champs into each other. He used a fallen Goto as a launch pad for his Tornado DDT on Hashi. A super kick from Phantasmo knocked Goto out of the ring. Phantasmo started tuning up the band in a corner while Hikeleo slid back into the ring. Phantasmo hit Hashi with a Sudden Death kick and then leapt outside onto Goto. Hikeleo chokeslammed Hashi. As Phantasm climbed on the top rope Hikeleo helped hurl him up for massive Thunder Kiss 1986. Hikeleo pinned Hashi for the win.
Standings
Block A
Block B
Night Two Results
Yuto Nakashima versus Katsuya Murashima
Yuto makes Katsuya submit to a Boston Crab.
Winner: Yuto Nakashima
Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona versus Tomoaki Honma & Oskar Leube
Liona drops Honma throat-first on the ringside barricade. The Gates of Agony pin Leube.
Winners: Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona
The Great-O-Khan, Henare and Callum Newman versus Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa and Bolten Oleg
Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa execute a Doomday Device, Flying Crossbody on Newman. Kaito pins him with a Shining Wizard.
Winners: Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa and Bolten Oleg
Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo versus Shota Umino, Ren Narita, Master Wato & Tiger Mask
Wato makes Gedo submit. Kidd and Coughlin attack Umino and Narita after the match. They brawl in the ring and in the back. Kidd clobbers Umino with a steel chair and knocks him out.
Winners: Shota Umino, Ren Narita, Master Wato & Tiger Mask
EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo versus Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita
As the official stops Dick Togo from introducing his garrote Yujiro attacks TMDK with his cane from behind. Fujita fights off Yujiro. Fujita kicks out of Darkness Falls but not Everything is Evil.
Winners: EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. versus Yuji Nagata & Minoru Suzuki – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 B BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Suzuki goes for the Gotch Style Piledriver. Soberano wiggles out of it, drop kicks Suzuki taking his feet out from under him and pins him with a fancy roll-up.
Winners: Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr.
Lance Archer & Alex Zayne versus Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 B BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Archer hits Blackout on Bonza. That opens the door for Zayne’s Cinnamon Twist and the 1-2-3.
Winners: Lance Archer & Alex Zayne
Taichi & Yuya Uemura versus Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr. – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 B BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Taichi kicks Zandokan’s head off with a super kick and pins him with Black Mephisto.
Winners: Taichi & Yuya Uemura
Hikuleo & El Phantasmo versus Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 B BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Winners: Hikuleo & El Phantasmo
Night One Results
Atlantis Jr. and Soberano Jr. versus Douki and Taka Michinoku
Atlantis makes Taka submit.
Winners: Atlantis Jr. and Soberano Jr.
Yuji Nagata, Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Alex Zayne vs Bad Luck Fale, Jack Bonza, Taiji Ishimori and Gedo
Nagata makes Gedo tap out to the Nagata Lock 2.
Winners: Yuji Nagata, Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Alex Zayne
SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura vs Yota Tsuji, Zandokan Jr., BUSHI
Uemura pins Zandokan with his DeadBolt Suplex.
Winners: SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, YOH vs Hikuleo, EL Phantasmo, Jado
Phantsmo pins Yoh with a CR2.
Winners: Hikuleo, EL Phantasmo, Jado
Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste vs Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 A BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Kaun and Liona are also known as Gates of Agony in AEW. TMDK have issue dealing with the size and strength of Kaun and Liona. They even the playing field by double-teaming as often as they can. Haste gets crotched on the top rope and gets Supersplexed but kicks out at two. Haste knocks Liona out of the ring so TMDK can double-team Kaun with the Tank Buster.
Winners: Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste
Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano vs “King of Darkness” EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 A BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
Yano turns the tables on Yujiro. Courtesy: NJPW.
Before the bell can ring the House of Torture attacks. Yano and Ishii turn things around throwing Evil and Yujiro into the steel barricade. Ishii and Evil engage in their own grudge match on the floor. Dick Togo interferes. He and Evil smash Ishii into the barricade. Evil gets slingshot into an exposed turnbuckle. Yujiro whips Yano into the same buckle though. Yano shove Evil into Togo knocking him off the apron. Yano low-blows Evil. Yano is about to pin Evil but Yujiro pulls the official out of the ring. Dick Togo runs into the ring attacking Yano.
Yujiro retrieves his cane. He swings at Yano as Togo holds him. Yano ducks. Yujiro nails Togo instead. Yano chokes out Yujiro with his own cane. Yoshinobu Kanemaru clobbers Yano with his whiskey bottle in the back of the head. Sho introduces his wrench into the mix but Ishii and Yano take him out. Evil punches Yano in the “lower abdomen”. Kanemaru spits whiskey into his face. Evil pins Yano with Everything is Evil.
Winners: “King of Darkness” EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi
Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa versus Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 A BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
This turns into a wild brawl on the floor with Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd getting counted out.
Winners: Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa
Shota Umino and Ren Narita versus The Great-O-Khan and Henare – WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 A BLOCK TOURNAMENT MATCH
In a really stunning win Umino pins Khan with a Death Rider.
Winners: Shota Umino and Ren Narita