Day four of the NJPW World Tag League took place this morning and it was the second showcasing B Block tournament matches. The main event was a tournament match with the NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions, El Phantasmo and Hikuleo against Just 5 Guys’ Taichi and Yuya Uemura.
The match began with some chain wrestling between ELP and Uemura, they were trading shots. This was until Hikuleo and Taichi were tagged in, Hikuelo wanted to square off, but Taichi came at him with some strikes. This angered the big man, he tackled Taichi and knocked Uemura to the floor. He then threw Taichi to the floor where ELP dove off the second rope with a moonsault onto him.
Once back in the ring, Hikuleo dropped an elbow on Taichi and he then threw Taichi’s face into ELP’s boots. ELP then dropkicked Taichi in the face and started laying into him with some shoulder blocks. Hikuleo was tagged back in and it was against him Taichi began his comeback, he landed some shops and kicked Hikuleo’s head. Uemura then got the tag and he was taking on both of his opponents, he dove from the second rope with a crossbody onto Hikuleo.
Uemura followed that with a splash in the corner and then a diving bulldog, but Hikuelo then caught him with a big boot. Hikuleo now launched ELP into Uemura and ELP then threw Uemura into a side slam from Hikuelo. ELP now went for his springboard moonsault, but Uemura got his knees up and tagged in Taichi.
Yuya with a bulldog. Credit: NJPW
Taichi hit ELP with a flurry of kicks to the face before hitting a perfect superkick and a big clothesline. The momentum was building for Taichi as he tore his pants off and his an enzigiri to ELP’s head. Uemura was now tagged in to hit ELP with a corner splash and a bulldog, but he then went for a double-back suplex with Taichi and ELP flipped out of it. ELP then tagged in Hikuleo and the big man came in hot, he had both of his opponents down and out following a double clothesline.
Hikuleo now hit a running power slam to Uemura and then went for a chokeslam, but Uemura rolled through it and locked in an armbar. At the same time, Taichi locked ELP into Seitei Jujiro, but when Hikuelo got to the ropes both holds were released. Hikuleo now began to battle back and he went for the chokeslam again, but this time Uemura reversed it into a spike DDT. Taichi now came in and hit Hikuleo with a number of kicks to the chest, but he then bounced off the ropes and Hikuelo caught him with a slam.
ELP then got the tag and he dove into the ring with Thunder Kiss ’86, but Taichi kicked out at two. He then lifted Taichi up so Hikuelo could boot him and he then dropped Taichi with a burning hammer, but Uemura broke up the pin. Hikuleo now chopped through the chest of Uemura sending him to the floor and he then tried to throw Taichi into a Sudden Death, but he turned it around and ELP hit his own partner with a Sudden Death.
Uemura was now back in the ring to hit ELP with a running dropkick and he then dove into Hikuleo on the floor. Taichi now super kicked ELP in the face and then hit Black Mephisto to get the victory!
NJPW World Tag League 2023 Standings
A Block
B Block
NJPW WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2023 NIGHT 4 RESULTS
Master Wato, Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Yuto Nakashima & Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun)
Narita forced Nakashima to submit with the Cobra Twist.
Winners: Master Wato, Ren Narita & Shota Umino
Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bullet Club (Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin)
Taguchi defeated Gedo with the Sliding B. Despite the loss, following the match, Kidd and Coughlin beat down all four of their opponents.
Winners: Rysuke Taguchi, YOH, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) vs. House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL)
Dick Togo distracted the referee so Kanemaru could spit whiskey into BUSHI’s eyes and then roll him up to steal a win.
Winners: House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL)
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, HENARE & Great-O-Khan)
Haste hit Newman with a side suplex and followed that with the Dynamic Bomb to get the victory.
Winners: TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls)
World Tag League 2023 B Block Match: Soberano Jr. & Atlantis Jr. vs. Bullet Club (Jack Bonza & Bad Luck Fale)
Frog Splash. Credit: NJPW
Soberano Jr. dove onto Fale on the outside and Atlantis Jr. dove from the top rope with a frog splash onto Bonza for the win.
Winners: Soberano Jr. & Atlantis Jr.
World Tag League 2023 B Block Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Zandokan Jr. & Yota Tsuji)
Vamos Amigo. Credit: NJPW
Zandokan and Tsuji worked together as Tsuji leaped off Zandokan’s shoulders with Vamos Amigo to get a victory.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Zandokan Jr. & Yota Tsuji)
World Tag League 2023 B Block Match: Bishamon (YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto) vs. Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer)
Archer placed Goto on the top rope, kneed him in the face and then finished him off with a Blackout. Bishamon, the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, have lost two consecutive matches to begin this tournament.