It’s time for Night Three of NJPW World Tag League, and this tournament is getting interesting now. Tonight is when a team can truly break off and take a lead, and a loss might make the finals unreachable. Which teams will fall into which category? Let’s find out!
World Tag League 2020 Match: BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) vs. The Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)
Just three days after losing to Hirooki Goto who pulled out a flash pinfall, The Empire will look for revenge on Bullet Club stalwarts, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens. Great O-Khan will finally meet someone he can’t overpower in Fale. It could go either way, but Chase Owens might be the target.
As expected, The Empire quickly recognized Fale as a threat, and did their best to isolate Chase Owens instead. Once they were able to do this, it just took one Tour of The Islands from Jeff Cobb to net The Empire two more points, putting them up to four points. The Empire will only get better with their game plan as time goes on, and very well could make the finals.
Match Rating: 2.5/5 (** ½)
World Tag League 2020 Match: FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) vs. HenarACE (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare)
HenarACE has had a rough draw thus far in the 2020 World Tag League. They started with Henare returning to the ring after months of inaction, dealt with the shock of Jeff Cobb joining The Empire, and then met the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Now they have to face the previous years World Tag League winners, making an 0-3 record very possible.
FinJuice kept this one simple, targeting the injury of Tanahashi and isolating the less experienced Henare. It was tag team wrestling 101, but it would take a bit more than that.
Tanahashi would make a comeback, and Kevin Kelly’s dog loved this on english commentary, Robinson potentially suffering a broken nose along the way. This evened the odds, Henare being able to overpower Finlay and this was becoming a singles match briefly. A slingblade/leg sweep combo almost ended it, but Juice Robinson saved the match, FinJuice made the comeback and hit the Doomsday Device for the win.
This one was excellent, and HenarAce is becoming one of the best stories in this tournament.
Match Rating: 4/5 (****)
World Tag League 2020 Match: Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. BULLET CLUB (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)
It’s time for more faction in-fighting on this card, starting with Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club. However, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa aren’t in EVIL’s circle of Bullet Club, his presence not really being welcomed by the best tag team in the faction’s history. Tama even stole EVIL’s Scorpion Deathlock finisher during the match with Fale & Owens, some blatant disrespect. Will EVIL be able to earn some respect from his peers in this match?
In theory, Jado & Dick Togo will cancel each other out, letting this match stay in the ring. If it stayed this way, it favours G.O.D, but when it goes outside, EVIL has the advantage. Takahashi will just do whatever he can, which won’t be much. He did pull a corner pad off at the perfect time, his best contribution to this match.
Togo would get involved, Jado would slowly make the save, and G.O.D would hit Magic Killer on EVIL, Jado hit Takahashi with the kendo stick, and Loa put him in the crossface to end this one. This puts G.O.D to four points.
Match Rating: 3/5 (***)
World Tag League 2020 Match: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)
Unlike the Bullet Club mess that came before, this match between CHAOS members will have more respect. Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto are the reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, and who can hate Toru Yano? CHAOS like to bring out the best in each other, so this might be a hard hitting war from all sides.
Toru Yano would swing for the fences with a corner pad early, and while YOSHI-HASHI hit the exposed corner? That probably wasn’t what hurt the most. He also took a bunch of chops from Ishii, a headbutt, but those corner pad shots were dangerous.
It would fall to Goto to make the save, and he’d end up in a hard hitting slugfest with Ishii to the delight of the crowd. YOSHI-HASHI would throw strikes with Ishii again soon after, and lose, but dodge as Ishii ran into exposed steel. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI would hit the GYR, but Yano saved it.
It was just a back and forth war, another great showing from YOSHI-HASHI, who went toe to toe with Ishii in the final stretch, before falling to the Vertical Drop Brainbuster. This was easily Match of the Night, and moved Ishii & Yano to four points.
4.5/5 (**** ½)
World Tag League 2020 Match: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japón (SANADA & Shingo Takagi)
In our main event of the evening, we have the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Dangerous Tekkers, taking on the new team of SANADA & Shingo Takagi. They’re all looking even coming into this match, Taichi having beaten Shingo in the G1, while SANADA beat ZSJ. However, singles are one thing, and Dangerous Tekkers are harder to beat when united.
SANADA & ZSJ always makes for a great matchup, with some great technical wrestling, but it wouldn’t last as Taichi came in and started blatantly cheating and choking SANADA. Shingo & ZSJ brought this match back to an expected level, before ZSJ got outpowered. A big singles match from these two needs to happen in 2021, their chemistry instant and incredible.
The champions were being outgunned at every turn in this match, advantages often short-lived. Taichi & ZSJ went for Zack Mephisto, before this broke down into a massive brawl. When the dust settled, Taichi & Shingo ran into each other with lariats, Axe Bomber vs. Pumping Bomber, with Taichi managing to win out then pulling his pants off in celebration and then Tekkers looked for Holy Zack Driver.
SANADA saved it, and sent Taichi right into Last Of The Dragon from Shingo. This win puts SANADA & Shingo up to four points, and has handed Dangerous Tekkers their first loss of the tournament, so maybe they won’t retire the titles and have to defend them again.
Match Rating: 4.25/5 (**** ¼)
What was your favorite match of Night Three of World Tag League? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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