It was the team of The Guerrillas of Destiny versus IWGP Tag Team Champions, Bishamon, to decide the winners of the month-long NJPW World Tag League Tournament today.
El Phantasmo started off the match playing some mind games. He spent time encouraging the crowd to chant his name while Hashi stood across the ring with his hands on his hips. ELP then asked for some “Yoshi-Hashi” chants and the crowd obliged…somewhat.
Hashi and ELP went back and forth trading holds and counters with neither really gaining a clear advantage. ELP started messing around with the crowd again. ELP rattled Hashi with a flying drop kick then posed doing a pirouette.
“Come on, Goto. You little bitch!” shouted ELP.
Goto tagged in daring ELP to shoulder block him off the ropes. ELP gave it a good college try but just couldn’t knock the big man down. Hikuleo tagged in. Goto tried the same thing with Hikuleo. Hikuleo shoulder tackled him to the mat. ELP and Hikuleo punished Goto in a corner. Hikuleo gave Goto a spinning Bossman Slam. ELP dropped a Bret Hart-like flying elbow from the second rope for a two count.
Bishamon took over keeping ELP in their corner often double-teaming him and knocking Hikuleo off the apron just as ELP was about to make the hot tag. ELP finally pushes Bishamon into each other. He tags in Hikuleo. Hikuleo takes out both Hashi and Goto by himself but is stopped from giving them a double chokeslam. He roars off the ropes and double-clotheslines them though.
ELP splashes Bishamon on the floor after jumping on the top rope with an assist by Hikuleo. ELP pulls a steel chair from under the ring. Hikuleo waves the chair off. He won’t have any of it in this match. ELP puts it down and rummages some more. He pulls out another chair. Hikuleo waves that one off too. Hikuleo reaches under the ring pulling out a table. ELP is all smiles.
Hikuleo climbs to the high rent district. Courtesy: NJPW.
Hikuleo lays Hashi on the table. Goto knocks ELP off the top rope. He lands throat-first on the top rope. Hashi fights off the table throwing Hikuleo into the steel barricade.
Goto and Hikuleo take each other out with clotheslines in the middle of the ring. ELP dives on Hashi sending him flying into the barricade. ELP picks up Hashi for an airplane spin slamming him on top of a fallen Goto. ELP picks up Hashi for another. Hikuleo runs off the ropes kicking Hashi in the head starting the spin. ELP leaps onto Goto on the floor taking him out. In the ring, Hikuleo chokeslams Hashi. Hikuleo and ELP execute the Super Thunder Kiss but Hashi puts up his knees catching ELP in the chest. Goto grabs Hikuleo from behind. Hashi rolls up ELP for a two count.
Hikuleo picks up Goto to powerbomb him over the top rope and through the table below on the floor. Goto fights his way out. Hikuleo punches Goto in the face. ELP stunners Goto. Gedo enters the ring and starts directing traffic. They send Goto crashing to the mat with an assisted Super Powerbomb from the second rope. Goto breaks up the pin at the very last second.
Hikuleo climbs to the top rope but he misses and assisted Thunder Kiss from the top rope. Minutes later, Hikuleo stops a Shoto attempt by Bishamon. Hikuleo gets stuck on the apron fighting off both Goto and Hashi. They give him a Shoto through the table on the floor. ELP fights on alone but eventually the numbers game catches up with him. Goto pins him after a Shoto.
In the past when the IWGP Tag Team Champions win World Tag League that means they decide who they will face at Wrestle Kingdom. We will see what happens in this case.
Here are your World Tag League Champions. Courtesy: NJPW.
Final Standings
Block A
Block B
Night 16 Results
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls) versus Master Wato, Soberano Jr. and Atlantis Jr.
Wato scores the win for his team with a bridging German Suplex on Fujita. Incredibly, TMDK shakes hands with the luchadores after the match.
Winners: Master Wato, Soberano Jr. and Atlantis Jr.
Alex Zayn, Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki and Yuji Nagata versus Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Jack Bonza and Bad Luck Fale
Suzuki doesn’t return Nagata’s love. Courtesy: NJPW.
Bonza gets utterly destroyed. He is first set-up on the top rope. Archer nails him with a running knee smash. Zayn flips him off the top rope. Suzuki gives Bonza a Gotch-Style Piledriver. Archer puts Zayn on his shoulders for an assisted senton splash. You could have counted to 300. Bonza ain’t getting up. Archer’s run with Zayn during the tournament has been better than anything he has done in AEW lately. Hopefully, he goes back to NJPW where he is appreciated. Nagata reaches his hand out to fist-bump Suzuki. Suzuki walks away leaving him hanging.
Winners: Alex Zayn, Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki and Yuji Nagata
Oskar Leube, Yuto Nakashima, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii versus The United Empire (Callum Newman, Henare, The Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb)
Cobb pins Leube with a Tour of the Islands. Henare and Khan beat the crap out of Ishii on the floor double-teaming him. Henare continues the beating inside of the ring. Cobb steps in to stop the attack. Ishii clobbers both Cobb and Henare. Cobb slams Ishii to the mat pounding on him. With no Chaos help in sight, The Empire continues to batter Ishii until they grow tired of him and roll him out of the ring.
Winners: The United Empire (Callum Newman, Henare, The Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb)
Tiger Mask and Shota Umino versus Sho and Ren Narita
Umino and Narita brawl on the floor. Narita boots him over the barricade. As the official stops Sho from using his wrench on Tiger Mask, Dick Togo chokes Mask with his garotte. Narita gives Mask a facebuster. Sho pins him. An enraged Umino gets to his feet chasing Sho and Narita out of the ring.
Winners: Sho and Ren Narita
Tomoaki Honma, Ryohei Oiwa and Kaito Kiyomiya versus House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi and Evil)
As Honma sits on the top rope Kanemaru spits whiskey into his eyes. Evil pins Honma with Everything is Evil. The entire House of Torture beats on Oiwa and Kiyomiya. Umino hits the ring attacking Narita. Narita and The House of Torture escape before Umino can give Narita a Death Rider.
Winners: House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi and Evil)
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada vcrsus Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona)
Okada pins Liona with a Rainmaker Clothesline.
Winners: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada
Just Five Guys (Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yuya Uemura, Taichi and Sanada) versus Bushi, Zandokan Jr., Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito
Naito cannot take his eyes off his Wrestle Kingdom opponent, Sanada. Courtesy: NJPW.
Bushi pins Michinoku with an MX. Naito stares down Sanada on the floor.
Winners: Bushi, Zandokan Jr., Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito
Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto versus El Phantasmo and Hikuleo – World Tag League 2023 Finals
Winners: Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto