NJPW doing World Tag League and Best of Super Junior at the same time this year! I’m not really anticipating this working well. It feels like a possibly bloated card with two tournaments that aren’t exactly stacked to the gills.

Plus I don’t have time in my personal schedule to cover every day of this, but I’ll get to what I can if this ends up being more interesting than what it looks like on paper.

Let’s see how this goes!

Ratings:

• WTL: Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano: Yano wins via…Yano BS  – ** ¼
• BOSJ: Master Wato w/Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Yuya Uemura: Wato wins via Tenzan Tombstone Driver  – ***
• WTL: Great O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Henare: Cobb wins via Tour of the Islands  – **
• BOSJ: DOUKI vs Robbie Eagles: Eagles wins via Ron Miller Special  – *** ¼
• WTL: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs Dangerous Tekkers (ZSJ & Taichi): ZSL wins via Cradle – ***
• BOSJ: BUSHI vs SHO: SHO wins via Shock Arrow  – ** ¾
• WTL: Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL w/Dick Togo vs SANADA & Shingo Takagi: EVIL wins via Everything is Evil  – ***
• BOSJ: Ryusuke Taguchi vs El Desperado: Taguchi wins via Cradle Reversal  – *** ¼
• WTL: Guerrillas of Destiny  w/Master Heater vs Juice Robinson & David Finlay: FinJuice wins via Doomsday Device  – *** ¾
• BOSJ: Taiji Ishimori vs Hiromu Takahashi: Hiromu wins via Time Bomb  – ****

Results:

WTL: Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano

Ishii did most of the heavy lifting in this match, while Yano tried to counter the Bullet Club cheating with his own playful style. It looked to be going well for Bullet Club, especially when Yano gets tagged in against Fale, but as Yano has proven, he is like life in Jurassic Park and he will find a way.

Fale stacks Yano and Ishii in the corner, flings Chase in, that connects, when Fale charges, Yano and Ishii move grabbing Chase so Fale Splashes Chase. Then they both kick Fale back into him, and Yano tries to Scoop Slam Fale to no avail. Ishii helps Yano counter a Slam from Fale, then when Chase tries to do a Splash to break the pin, Yano moves so Chase Splashes Fale and then sandwich stacks both Bullet Club members and pins Fale for the shenanigans victory.

BOSJ: Master Wato w/Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Yuya Uemura

Uemura came out quick locking in the Boston Crab early for a decent time on Wato, but Wato gets to the ropes. After that we get a decently paced match that resembles more of a good Young Lion match than the typical BOSJ match. Uemura proves he’s got the second best Dropkick in New Japan, but Wato doesn’t allow the match to slip too much and pulls out the TTD! The Tenzan Tombstone Driver, as an homage to his second and senpai. Nice to see him break out a new move.

WTL: Great O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Henare

Well now Jeff Cobb was most people’s assumption at the surprise tag partner, but this match was handled like a tornado tag. O-Khan and Cobb attacked Tana and Henare as soon as they got in and no one went to corners, it was just a brawl and then a finish.

Henare and Tana had a tandem Boston Crab on Jeff Cobb, but O-Khan put a stop to that. O-Khan takes out Tanahashi with the Eliminator and they double team Henare, who put up a good fight and he gets tossed into taking a Tour of the Islands.

.@Great_O_Khan "Eliminator"

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After the match Cobb and O-Khan go after Tanahashi’s left leg with a Knee Bar and a chair. So the destruction of the former Ace continues.

BOSJ: DOUKI vs Robbie Eagles

This match is a clash of theories. Robbie has a very polished high flying style, where it looks very polished and not too “flips for the sake of flips” and DOUKI, he don’t give an eff. Robbie gets momentum early, but DOUKI uses the referee as a weapon to knock Robbie off the ropes and then work on cheating on the outside. He grabs a chair, the referee comes to and stops that, but DOUKI shoves the ref and uses his pole he came to the ring with.

Once back in Robbie shows why he’s known as the Sniper, as he goes after DOUKI’s legs with strikes, a perfect short Springboard Dropkick and even a low tripping Tiger Feint in the corner. Then DOUKI tries to wrestle a little as he counters the Pulse Drop, hits Daybreak and they go into a locomotion Cradle variation war.

Coming out of the cradles, Robbie hits the Turbo Backpack, the 450 on the leg he’s been working over and then wins the match with the Ron Miller Special!

WTL: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs Dangerous Tekkers (ZSJ & Taichi)

Taichi and Goto were the team workhorses here and it was definitely a Suzuki-Gun style match. A good bit of the early goings were short cuts, outside weapons and cheating, and general carrying on that makes it easy to zone out from a match. When Goto finally managed a big Double Lariat to tag in HASHI; HASHI needs to learn what a hot tag is. While his moves weren’t bad, his energy was and it took him too long to fire up for the altercation.

Taichi gives himself a breather with an Axe Bomber and then brings in ZSJ. What HASHI lacks in doing a hot tag, he at least understands stifling one. ZSJ came in fast; hit the running Uppercut, and then HASHI turned into a brick wall absorbing lariats and strikes. Things start to break down a little with all competitors in the ring. Zack Mephisto is teased, but HASHI and Goto counter it, then they look to execute GYR, but Taichi wipes out Goto into the corner and ZSJ locks in a Cradle with the monkey grip and picks up the win!

BOSJ: BUSHI vs SHO

SHO started off on the back foot where BUSHI was tapping into more heel tactics and just trying to steal the breath from SHO. Multiple choke variations and then ramming him into the guardrails early and often gave us an early count out tease, but SHO gets in by 18.

BUSHI had a bit of an advantage for a while, but it was slipping away the longer BUSHI had an actual wrestling match. A big Lariat from SHO starts to equalize things and Powerbreaker leads us down the path we all expect. One Shock Arrow later and SHO is victorious.

Not a bad match, just a bit paint by numbers and easy to lose interest in.

WTL: Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL w/Dick Togo vs SANADA & Shingo Takagi

We all know the history between EVIL’s crew and LIJ, and in usual Bullet Club fashion, they attack before the bell and keep the cheating up. Thankfully the cheating was primarily front loaded and we got an alright match in the middle.

SANADA is made to look like a doofus though, that’s probably my biggest takeaway. SANADA got worked over early, finally brings in Shingo, who is a one man wrecking crew and things start looking good for LIJ. Shingo even outsmarts EVIL when EVIL does his usual pass the leg to the referee spot, Shingo catches EVIL’s kick, asks Marty to put his foot down and literally just giggles in EVIL’s face like “got ya bitch” and Dragon Screws him.

However, when Shingo tags SANADA back in, the cheating picks up almost immediately and SANADA has a valiant enough effort, but between Yujiro, Togo and EVIL hitting a Low Blow, SANADA can’t get the job done while Shingo got wiped out on the outside.

🏆WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2020🏆
＼🕊BEST OF THE SUPER Jr.27🕊／

互いの手の内を知る両者‼️
一体どんな闘いを見せるのか…⁉️

🆚 LIJ👁‍🗨 × BULLET CLUB💀
📲 #njpwworld で配信中✨
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— njpwworld (@njpwworld) November 15, 2020

BOSJ: Ryusuke Taguchi vs El Desperado

Now Taguchi must be delirious from the lack of wrestling he’s been doing. He starts off the first few minutes doing calisthenics, then just doing really derpy and insulting strikes. Thankfully Despy won’t play this game long and starts beating on Taguchi. Using the ring post for extra damage and holding the Indian Deathlock  a little on the long side are how he tries to send a point, and it seems to remind Taguchi of how to wrestle.

Rolling Butt Thunder gives Taguchi an opening to start a comeback, and we see him put in some solid work. Nice strikes, trying to work over Despy’s left leg and solid work…until he gets carried away channeling the Bum-a-Ye and Despy does a low split to send the Funky Weapon flying over top. Despy  takes advantage of that with a nice Stretch Muffler spot that almost gets the victory.

A hip attack starts a back and forth between both to finish the match. Dodon attempt one is countered into a Pinche Loco attempt, but Taguchi gets away from that and goes for Dodon again, Wheelbarrow Roll Cradle, but Taguchi reveres into a Double Leg at 2, and Taguchi gets the cradle victory!

WTL: Guerrillas of Destiny  w/Master Heater vs Juice Robinson & David Finlay

Tama comes out looking CLEAN. Short cut hair and still going for no beard, he looks 10 years younger.

Both teams utilize tandem attacks, just in a much different way early on. FinJuice is very flashy and loud with some jawing and top rope Double Axehandles with flair, and G.o.D. is just doing the dirty tough work. Tama seems to have taken a liking to some haymakers/Vader Hammers and the Shinjiro Otani style Facewash, while Loa is expanding his repertoire but still being the crazy power guy. A big Avalanche Butterfly Suplex gives the Guerrillas the advantage, and they just lean on it for a while.

Eventually, Loa’s cockiness gets the best of him and he starts playing with Finlay, which allows Finlay to hit enough to bring Juice in to start bringing the match back to parity. Guerrillas Warfare on both members of FinJuice starts looking like G.o.D. are mere seconds away from a good start to aiming for a 6^th title reign.

Juice keeps him team in it by dropping Loa out and then working with Finlay to get a near fall on Tama. FinJuice look for the Hart Attack, Loa cuts off Finlay, Magic Killer on Juice for 2! Jado calls for Super Powerbomb, and they almost get there before Finlay shows up to break it up. Superplex/Splash combo from FinJuice on Loa, Tama tries to fight back with the Gun Stun, but gets caught with a Backbreaker. Then FinJuice hit the Doomsday Device, and G.o.D. lose their first match back!

BOSJ: Taiji Ishimori vs Hiromu Takahashi

As to expect nothing less from these two, the match starts quick. Shoulder tackles, running back and forth, drop downs, knock downs, apron spots and spots outside all within the first few minutes. Slightly scary spot when Hiromu cuts off Taiji during a Springboard and you can see Taiji doesn’t get his heel all the way down, so he falls weird, but seems fine. He counters the Outside Sunset Bomb, then counters a Frankensteiner into an Apron Powerbomb, so the ref counts, small respite, and then back to full throttle.

Casadora Flatliner from Hiromu starts some crazy back and forth. Hiromu launches Taiji to the corner, Taiji catches himself on the ropes, but Hiromu lost his footing a little so the spot was delayed. But we pick up, Springboard Back Elbow from Taiji is turned into a German Suplex that he fires through to hit a Poison Rana on Hiromu, Hiromu then lunches Taiji into the corner and they take a tiny break.

Both men seem to be trying to break each other’s necks, which is punctuated from Taiji hitting an Apron Piledriver and looking sadistically pleased with himself. Not content with a count out, Taiji goes for the Triangle Moonsault, hits some of it, but Hiromu returns the effort with a Michinoku Driver and both are now subject to the 20 count.  It’s close, but they both beat the count.

Two Shotgun Dropkicks and a Dynamite Plunger later, Hiromu picks up…only a 2 count! Okay, the punishment continues! A lot of quick attacks and crazy moves continue. Ishimori looks for his arm trap Crossface, Red Shoes almost goes to the bell when Hiromu sort taps, but slams his hand more to help repositioning, so that was close. Hiromu twists away from the Bloody Cross, counters a Frankensteiner into a Sitout Powerbomb. Hiromu goes for Time Bomb #2, but Taiji counters, then Bloody Cross attempt again, Hiromu twists into a Mexican arm drag, holds on, Death Valley Driver into the corner, and then Time Bomb give Hiromu the win!

Overall Score: 6.75/10

Well this definitely explains why I have no interest in covering the entire tournament. Ten matches, most of average or slightly worse quality and a lot of predictability. The last two matches at least ended on a high note, but this was a bit of a struggle to get through.

Aside from personally feeling like this show was on the struggle bus, at least the quality of most of the matches wasn’t too bad. I do fear that too much repetition in the heel teams doing basically the same stuff will get really old really fast. Given that fact, I do appreciate Cobb/O-Khan for taking a unique approach to their match, though it wasn’t much of a match and more of a mugging with a start bell.

Maybe some of you enjoyed the show more than I did, so make your opinion known. Because if this is supposed to the be the first show to draw people in…this did an awful job at trying to hype up the tournaments.