NJPW World Tag League 2022 Results: Be-Bop Tag Team [8] Defeats TMDK [10] (12/05)

Hiroshi Tanahashi is betting on World Tag League to find a featured role at Wrestle Kingdom 17, and tonight – him and Toru Yano must get back in the winning column. Facing down TMDK members Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste makes this a daunting task, with TMDK a top running team in the field with a 5-1 record, and having a tiebreaker over Tetsuya Naito & SANADA? Tonight is an important match for both teams. There’s a strong chance of an all Australian World Tag League finals with Aussie Open & TMDK if Tanahashi & Yano fall here – which would be a first for NJPW.

Mikey Nicholls & Toru Yano Were Faction-Mates In 2020

Tanahashi would opt to start the match for his team, with Haste starting for TMDK. They’d lock up in the middle of the ring, with Tanahashi able to shove Haste to the ropes before allowing for a clean break. Haste tried to get a kick in on Tanahashi, but nearly took an early Dragon Screw.

Tanahashi would instead go for the headlock, leading to a sprawl for control on the mat. Nicholls & Yano would get the tag following this, with some history here as Nicholls was briefly a full fledged member of CHAOS in 2020. Yano would take his former faction-mate down to the mat, before Haste got a cheap shot in on Yano.

Nicholls would take Yano to the floor and drive him into the barricade, before beating him down in the ring. Haste would send Yano in the barricade a second time, before hitting a dropkick right to the ear of Yano. A backdrop/neckbreaker combo would follow, with Tanahashi saving the match as Yano was pinned.

Yano would get the opening for a tag by yanking the hair of Nicholls – and Tanahashi hit the ring with a Dragon Screw for each member of TMDK. Nicholls was put in place for the Sommersault Senton, before Tanahashi signalled for the Slingblade. Instead, Nicholls was able to duck, and hit the Death Valley Driver on Tanahashi.

Hiroshi Tanahashi Nails The High Fly Flow

Yano & Haste would get tags, with Haste run into an exposed corner of the ring and rolled up for a two count. Manhattan Drop would be blocked, before the referee was dropped. Haste would come off the top rope, but landed on the knee of Yano – an uncomfortable landing for anyone.

Tanahashi got the tag, but as he went for the Slingblade – Haste would nail a dropkick. Nicholls got the tag, and would catch Tanahashi with a spinebuster for a two count. Blue Thunder Bomb would follow, but Tanahashi still hung on. The referee was shoved into the corner, and Yano hit a double low blow on TMDK before a slingblade to Nicholls.

Yano would hit the powerbomb as Tanahashi took out Haste, before the High Fly Flow would end this match – getting Yano & Tanahashi a crucial victory in this tournament. Tanahashi is not giving up on Wrestle Kingdom just yet, as Be-Bop Tag Team inch closer to the potential of the finals.

Can Yano & Tanahashi win this tournament? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.

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