We have reached the third day of NJPW World Tag League 2023, today’s show was headlined by Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls of TMDK up against House of Torture’s Yujiro Takahashi and EVIL in a Block A tournament match.
House of Torture got things started before the bell even sounded and they were beating TMDK down on the outside the ring. They continuasly threw both Haste and Nicholls into the barricades before Takahashi brought Haste into the ring to offically start the match. Haste began to gain some momentum in the ring as he hit Takahashi with an uppercut, dropkick and a stiff kick to the chest.
However, Dick Togo then grabbed Haste’s ankles from the outside and Takahashi was back in control. He dropped a leg drop on Haste and tagged in EVIL who came in to hit a number of chops. EVIL then worked with Takahashi to crack Haste’s legs and EVIL then held his legs open so Takahashi could deliver a headbutt below the belt. They tried to continue the double-teams, but Haste kicked Takahashi in the back of the head sending him crashing into EVIL.
Nicholls was tagged in and he came in hot, he hit a double clothesline and two corner splashes. He now looked for a suplex, but Takahashi bit his hand and then threw him into a corner. Just before he hit the corner, EVIL pulled away the turnbuckle pad, so Nicholls went spine first into the steel. House of Torture now took both members of TMDK back to the outside of the ring to work on their backs more.
Takahashi threw Nicholls into the steel barricade and then into the exposed turnbuckle once again. Even when Nicholls tried to battle back, House of Torture would cheat to subdue him. EVIL raked his eyes and then distracted the referee so Togo could superkick him on the jaw. Takahashi then kicked him in the spine and delivered a neck breaker, but Nicholls then began to comeback once EVIL was tagged in.
He was able to catch EVIL with a DDT and tag in Haste who delivered a dropkick to EVIL’s face. Haste then landed a cannonball to EVIL, a side-suplex to Takahashi and punched Togo off the apron. He followed all that with a reverse powerslam to EVIL, and then challenged EVIL to exchange some chops. However, that was a mistake as EVIL raked his eyes instead of chopping him and then hit fisherman buster.
Super Tank Buster. Credit: NJPW
Takahashi was now brought back in to hit Haste with a big boot and he then went for Pimp Juice, but was caught with an uppercut instead. Nicholls then came back in to hit a sliding lariat to Takahashi, and TMDK now wanted the finisher. So, in order to distract TMDK, Togo threw Kosei Fujita into the ring and EVIL threw Nicholls into Fujita who then collided with the referee.
With the referee down, Togo got into the ring to help EVIL and Takahashi beat down Nicholls. EVIL and Takahashi held Nicholls on his head with his legs open so Togo could leap from the second rope with a chop to the groin. Takahashi followed that with Pimp Juice and the referee was back up, but Haste broke up the count at two. Haste then connected with a PK to Takahashi, but EVIL then threw Haste into the exposed turnbuckle.
EVIL tried to turn his attention to Nicholls, but he ran into a spinebuster and Nicholls then drilled Takahashi with some forearms. Haste then got into the ring to help Nicholls hit Highway to Hell, but it was now EVIL breaking up the count. Nicholls and Haste then hit EVIL with some striked and an assisted neckbreaker. While all that was going on Fujita took Togo out on the outside.
TMDK set Takahashi up for a Tank Buster and were closing in on victory, but the bell sounded and it was not the timekeeper, it was SHO! By sounding the bell TMDK got distracted and Takahashi then hit Nicholls with a low blow and threw him into the referee. With the referee down again now SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru got into the ring to beat down Nicholls. SHO held Nicholls up so Kanemaru could spit his whiskey, but Nicholls ducked and he got SHO in the eyes. Fujita then jumped in the ring and took out SHO, Kanemaru and Togo, he finished them off with a tope to the outside.
Nicholls now threw EVIL into the exposed turnbuckle and then with Haste they hit him with a Tank Buster. TMDK now turned their attention to Takahashi, Nicholls poked him in the eye, Haste hit a low blow and together they connected for a Super Tank Buster to get the victory! TMDK sit alone at the top of A Block.
NJPW World Tag League 2023 Standings
Block A
Block B
NJPW World Tag League 2023 Night 3 Results
Tiger Mask, Soberano Jr. & Atlantis Jr. vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Jack Bonza & Bad Luck Fale)
Ishimori got the victory for Bullet Club by catching Tiger Mask in a roll-up with his feet on the ropes.
Winners: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Jack Bonza & Bad Luck Fale)
Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Zandokan Jr. & Yota Tsuji)
Zandokan Jr. and Tsuji worked together to hit Honma with a Vamos Amigo to get the win.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Zandokan Jr. & Yota Tsuji)
Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs. Oskare Leube, Alex Zayne & Lance Archer
Bishamon came together to hit Leube with Shoto to end this match.
Winners: Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Yuya Uemura & Taichi) vs. Jado, El Phantasmo & Hikuelo
Taichi locked Jado in Seitei Jujiro and he was forced to submit.
Winners: Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Yuya Uemure & Taichi)
World Tag League 2023 Block A Match: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
Typical Yano victory. Credit: NJPW
In typical Yano fashion, he hit Liona with a low blow from behind and rolled him up to steal a victory.
Winners: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)
World Tag League 2023 Block A Match: United Empire (Great-O-Khan & HENARE) vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa
Eliminator. Credit: NJPW
Oiwa was trying to take on both Great-O-Khan and HENARE, but he ended up getting caught with a Pop-up Eliminator by Great-O-Khan.
Winners: United Empire (Great-O-Khan & HENARE)
World Tag League 2023 Block A Match: Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd)
Crazy War Dogs. Credit: NJPW
Coughlin distracted the referee while Kidd hit Umino with a chair to the head and he followed that with a leg trap piledriver to steal a victory.