Will NXT succumb to the Beautiful Madness?

The Iron Survivor Challenges have been won, and it is Giulia and Oba Femi aiming for the top of NXT! What will the current champions have to say about that?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Je’Von Evans VS Wes Lee; Je’Von wins.
• Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe; Hank ‘n’ Tank win.
• Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley VS Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx w/ Fallon Henley; Jacy & Jazmyn win.
• NXT North American Championship: Tony D’Angelo w/ The D’Angelo Family VS Ethan Page; Tony wins and retains the title.
• Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade VS Giulia & Kelani Jordan; Roxie & Cora win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Giulia is here!

The Beautiful Madness, the 2024 Miss Iron Survivor, returns to Orlando and the fans cheer her on. Giulia grabs the mic to say, “I am the IRON SURVIVOR!” The fans cheer more, and Giulia says that all means she will do what she came here to do. Roxanne Perez, New Year’s Evil in LA, the Beautiful Madness will become NXT Women’s Champion! But speaking of, Roxie interrupts! She congratulates Giulia and says she’s lucky for surviving Deadline. But in Roxie’s opinion. Sol Ruca was the MVP. And Wren Sinclair spent a lot of time in the penalty box, yet she still got a score. Zaria and Stephanie didn’t lose, they just ran out of time.

Roxie says Giulia won, but unfortunately, she’s just not on Roxie’s level. But Roxie will give it to them all. Those five proved why NXT has the best women’s division in ALL of wrestling. But like Roxie said, none of them are on her level! And none of that changes, even at New Year’s Evil. Because in case Giulia forgot, they’ve been here before. Roxie VS Giulia happened! And it was the same result then as it has this past year: Roxie holding her title over her head, reigning over her division. And at New Year’s Evil, new town, same result: Giulia falling short to The Prodigy. That is, if she makes it there.

Oh? Then how about they just do it right now? Giulia steps up, but here comes Cora Jade with a kendo stick. Cora agrees with Roxie, Giulia isn’t making it to New Year’s Evil. And Giulia may think her bestie, Stephanie, will come and save her, but she can’t, and she won’t. There is no question about who did it this time! Cora cues the tron and Vaquer is down in the back! Cora & Roxie grin as they surround Giulia, but Giulia DECKS Roxie! But then the kendo stick SMACKS Giulia in the side! The fans boo but wait! Here comes Kelani Jordan! The Standout slides in and TACKLES Cora! The fans fire up as Kelani dribbles Cora!

Cora & Roxie get away from Giulia & Kelani! Will Kelani make sure it’s Cora & Roxie who don’t make it to LA?

Other NXT superstars react to Ethan Page’s Deadline reaction.

All Ego said that after losing the Iron Survivor, he had no path back to the top. Tony D’Angelo & the family walk in and find Ethan himself. Ethan, c’mon, you’re killing the vibe of the room! So you lost, get over it! Get over it? Tony, Ethan doesn’t know how to get back into the NXT Championship picture. Sure, yeah, he blew it. Tony can’t even believe he’s saying this, but he has a soft spot for Ethan. How about an NXT North American Championship match? Ethan says he’s a former NXT Champion. When he was, he carried this brand on its back and turned it into NX-ME. So no offense, but Ethan’s above the North American title.

Wow, okay. Tony tries to be a nice guy, extend an olive branch, because he sees Ethan sulking in the corner. If he doesn’t want it, then he’ll open it up to the roster. Everyone else rushes over but Ethan says hold on, hold on! Ethan is reconsidering. No, no, Ethan, Tony gets it, he doesn’t want Ethan to be “stepping down” a level. It’s not, it’s not! If Ethan can’t beat the North American Champion, then his career… His career really is over. Oh, right, okay. NO, HE NEEDS THIS! Ethan calms down, and says he needs this. Well, that’s all he had to say! Tony will see Ethan out there.

The Don and his boys head out, the rest of the room is bummed. But will Ethan be able to take that title and revitalize his NXT career?

Lexis King talks with Charlie Dempsey.

The King speaks on his “soul searching” in Minneapolis, and he found he is a man of integrity, and that his wrestling has been top notch. So to cut to the point, Lexis wants one more shot at the Heritage Cup. Well of course he does. But Dempsey’s already given him a shot. So he’ll think on it. That’s all The King is asking for. Dempsey and King head out, and the No Quarter Catch Crew walks in. Dempsey tells Wren, Myles & Tavion that he is proud of them and that is an understatement. Myles & Tavion were this close to taking the NXT Tag Team Championships off the best team in this place.

And Wren showed the world she belongs at the top. Wren says he has no idea how much that means to her. But in steps OTM, and Bronco Nima says they told the NQCC they weren’t getting those belts. Price says they can’t hang with the big dogs. Wren says they were rally close! Jaida Parker says the only words that should be coming out of Wren’s mouth are, “Thank you, Miss Parker.” Because if Jaida hadn’t ducked that backhand during the Fatal 4, then Wren would never have fallen into the win. Oh, but then if Jaida hadn’t ducked, she would’ve gotten knocked out and lost. Jaida says she’ll knock Wren out here now!

NQCC and OTM argue as NXT is getting heated for the holidays. Will Jaida and her boys prove they’re worthy? Or will they get no quarter from the crew?

Je’Von Evans VS Wes Lee!

Two other men who lost in the Iron Survivor Challenge had their own disagreement about how to feel. The Young OG stayed positive, but the cutthroat Cardiac Kid is trying to bring him down. Will things stay bouncy~ in NXT? Or will Wes’s bitterness get to Je’Von?

The bell rings and Je’Von runs up on Wes! They fire hands fast and furious and the fans fire up! Je’Von gets the edge, and he fires shots over and over at the ropes! The ref counts, Je’Von lets off, but then Wes turns thing around to fire hands in return! The fans boo, the ref counts, but Wes argues with the ref. Je’Von TOSSES Wes out, builds speed and DIVES! Down goes Wes and the fans fire up! Je’Von rains down more fists while fans cheer “NXT! NXT!” Wes pushes free but Je’Von ROCKS him! Wes goes to the ring, Je’Von pursues, but Wes hits low! Wes dumps Je’Von in, then jumps up, but Je’Von avoids the stomp!

Je’Von ROCKS Wes again, springboards, but into a DROPKICK! Wes takes Je’Von outta the air and fans boo, but Wes hurries to cover, ONE, and Wes is annoyed. Wes stalks Je’Von to a corner and he fires hands! Je’Von goes to another corner, Wes storms up, but Je’Von fires a shot! Wes RAMS into Je’Von! And RAMS him again! The ref counts, Wes lets off, but Wes ELBOWS Je’Von! Je’Von DUMPS Wes out of the ring! Je’Von then aims, but Wes trips him up! Wes drags Je’Von out to throw him hard into barriers! Wes soaks up the heat and then THROWS Je’Von into barriers! The fans boo but Wes drags Je’Von up again.

Wes puts Je’Von in, but Je’Von ROCKS Wes again! Then PLANCHAS! Down goes Wes and the fans fire up! Je’Von stands Wes up to THROW him into barriers! The fans fire up, Je’Von puts Wes in the ring, and then Je’Von uses the ropes to BOUNCY RANA! The fans fire up again as Je’Von DROPKICKS Wes out! Wes staggers up, Je’Von builds speed, but Wes runs in to dropkick the legs out! Je’Von tumbles, Wes FLIES! Direct hit and Wes even lands on his feet! The fans boo but Wes soaks it all up as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Wes fights Je’Von up top! Wes ROCKS Je’Von, Je’Von steps back, and Wes FLYING 450, but Je’Von gets clear! Je’Von then SUPERKICKS Wes down! The fans are thunderous and Je’Von rises back up. Je’Von storms up on Wes to ROCK him, then he bobs ‘n’ weaves to fire more shots! Je’Von whips, LARIATS, and then LARIATS again! Je’Von whips, Wes reverses but Je’Von rebounds to NEURALIZER KICK! Je’Von then goes to the apron, springboards back in, FLYING LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Wes survives and Je’Von is stunned! The fans know “This is Awesome!” as Je’Von reels Wes in.

Wes fights the lift, backdrops Je’Von, but Je’Von sunset flips! Wes grabs the ref to stay up! Wes ROCKS Je’Von, then drops an elbow, only for Je’Von to dodge! JUMPING PUNCH! Wes ROCKS Je’Von in return! Je’Von ROLLING ELBOWS! Wes blocks the next shot to fire a strike fest! SUPERKICK! Je’Von rebounds to BOOT Wes! Wes slaps himself, fires up, but Je’Von ROUNDHOUSES! And then underhook for a TIGER- RANA from Wes!! Je’Von flounders and the fans rally up as Wes builds speed! But Je’Von is back! SPANISH FLY! Je’Von hurries to underhook, TIGER DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!?!

Wes survives and Je’Von is stunned. The fans are thunderous, Je’Von builds speed to go up ropes, but Wes trips him up! High stack, feet on the ropes! But the ref sees it in time!! The fans cheer but Wes is furious! Wes argues with the ref, but then Je’Von goes up and up and- NO, Wes gets under the leap! Wes tilt-o-whirls to DDT Je’Von! Wes builds speed, handsprings, CARDIAC KICK!! cover, TWO?!?! Je’Von survives and Wes is shocked! Fans are thunderous for “YOUNG OG! YOUNG OG!” but Wes snarls. Wes rises, runs in, but Je’Von SUPERKICKS again! Wes falls, Je’Von goes to the corner, but Wes anchors Je’Von.

Je’Von ROCKS Wes, then SUPERKICKS! Je’Von goes up and up and SKY TWISTERS! Cover, Je’Von wins!!

Winner: Je’Von Evans, by pinfall

Another win over Wes and the Young OG is looking to leave Wes behind. Will Wes’s bitterness only grow stronger from here?

BREAKING NEWS!

Given the confrontation that happened earlier tonight, we are getting a BIG main event tag match! Cora & Roxie VS Kelani & Giulia! Will the mean girls of NXT pay for what they did?

Nathan Frazer & Axiom meet up backstage.

Frazer is still banged up, using some coffee to wake up. Axiom says Frazer was so close. He could’ve gotten just one more pin and become Iron Survivor. Frazer says look on the bright side: They still have the tag titles, don’t they? That they do. Frazer coughs a bit from sore ribs, but Axiom wants to apologize. Axiom was worried about Frazer competing twice in one night, but somehow, he did it. Frazer got his nose smashed to pieces, but it didn’t matter, he still walked out there with Axiom and defended the titles. Frazer admits, Axiom carried them. Frazer could barely breathe, but without Axiom, they wouldn’t be champions. Frazer owes him.

Axiom’s performance? No, Frazer was amazing! Frazer really deserves to be both tag champion and Iron Survivor. Yeah, well, Oba Femi kinda screwed that up. Man, he wasn’t even originally in that match! Wow, Axiom’s really mad at Oba, huh? Well of course! Axiom wanted Frazer to succeed. They’re tag team partners. Axiom would do anything for him. Frazer says no, he has to make this right. They each want to make up for something, and they both head out. Just what will each half of Fraxiom do in the wake of Deadline?

Josh Briggs speaks.

“This past summer, I fought in the Pro-Wrestling Noah N1 Victory tournament in Japan. The Japanese wrestling style is different. It’s tough, it’s gritty, it feels like it was made for me. And in the two months I was there, one wrestler impressed me. It was Inamura.” Inamura himself says his first impression was that Briggs fit Japanese Strong Style. He has a fighting spirit like WWE Hall of Famer, Stan Hansen. In the ring, when Brigs gets in the zone, he has that crazy side, which Inamura likes. These two clicked because they’re “grown ass men.” Inamura was raised in a different culture, so there isn’t the immaturity Briggs dealt with before.

Briggs & Inamura may have a language barrier in the way, but with this opportunity, Inamura knew he and Briggs could do damage in the NXT Tag Team Division. Briggs didn’t want to be back in a tag team, but he saw how Inamura trained. Ava Raine wants more out of this division, but there won’t be a division after Briggs & Inamura get through with it. Inamura loves competition, the fight, the struggle. He and “Josh-san” are ready to create chaos in NXT!

Sarah Schreiber is stationed outside NXT Medical.

She’s hoping for some updates on Stephanie Vaquer, and out walk Kelani & Giulia. Giulia rants in Japanese, clearly mad with Cora & Roxie. Kelani gets the gist and says what goes around comes around. Stephanie is banged up, but she’ll be okay. And honestly, Kelani is just sick and tired of Cora & Roxie walking around like they run NXT. Because let’s be real, Cora & Roxie couldn’t run a lemonade stand in a desert! And Cora thinks Kelani is the one that left Michigan State a few years ago? Newsflash: this Kelani would eat that Kelani alive, so what does Cora think is gonna happen to her?

Kelani will put her résumé up against Cora’s any day of the week. Now, time to get ready for their main event tag match. Kelani & Giulia head out, will they avenge Stephanie here tonight?

Zaria and Sol Ruca are watching from the locker room.

Sol says that Iron Survivor match was the most fun she’s had in a long time. Zaria says she’s never felt anything like that before. The heat of the battle made her feel alive. Sol kind of felt the opposite of that stuck in the penalty box watching the clock run out. Freakin’- SKIRRRR~! Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson pull up, and Lash says she could’ve told them both that neither one of them was winning that match. And newsflash, if the Meta Girls were in there, one of them would be the Iron Survivor. But Zaria, they heard about you. The mystique, the power. Zaria may have all these other girls shook, but Lash knows like Zaria knows, that she ain’t Lash Legend and that she can’t hang.

Sol says Lash may be bougie, but if she was in that match with Zaria, she’d learn that she can’t bully Zaria. Jakara asks why Sol is sticking up for someone who wanted to rip her head off 48 hours ago? EW~. It’s giving delusional. The Meta Girls head out, but will they be the ones getting their heads ripped off by the Aussie powerhouse?

Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe!

The Tag Team Battle Royal was wild, but while Walker & Ledger had a respectful handshake with Tyson, Tyriek wasn’t about that, and he cost Hank ‘n’ Tank in that match! Will settling this 2v2 be enough to make one of these teams the next #1 contenders?

NXT returns as Ty & Ty make their entrance. The teams sort out and Tank starts with Tyson. They tie up, Tank headlocks but Tyson powers up and out. They RAM shoulders, and then things keep moving! Tyson CLOBBERS Tank! The fans are torn but Tyson whips Tank. Tank reverses to reel Tyson in for a BIG atomic drop! Tyson hobbles, Tank goes up and up, Hank tags in before the CROSSBODY! Hank drops a leg, brother! Cover, ONE!! Hank clamps onto Tyson, whips him to a corner, but Tyson dodges the splash! Tag to Tyriek and they double whip Hank to DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! Tyriek drops a knee!

The fans rally, Tyriek stalks Hank to a corner and headlocks. Hank powers up and out but Tyriek reverses. Hank whips Tyriek on the return, but Tyrike hurdles then DROPKICKS! The fans rally and Tyriek goes corner to corner. Hank BOOTS Tyriek, puts him in the corner, and he fires body shots and a HAYMAKER! Hank goes side to side, Tank tags in before the SPLASH! Tank adds a RAM, then Hank SPLASHES for a BULLDOG! The fans fire up, “HONK! HONK!” BELLY SANDWICH! The fans fire up as Tyriek flounders. Tank storms up but Tyriek fires shots! Tank ROCKS Tyriek, whips, but Tyriek reverses and ELBOWS Tank down!

Tyriek bumps Tank off the buckles a few times, then he whips corner to corner hard! Tank sputters, Tyriek SPLASHES, then he wrenches for a BIG back suplex! Tag to Tyson and Tyson runs to BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Tank stays in this and Hank coaches him, but Tyson drags Tank up. Tyson CLUBS Tank, whips him to a corner, but Tank comes back, only for Tyson to CLOBBER him! Tyson kips up, the fans fire up, and Tyson tags Tyriek. They mug Tank but Tank fights back! Tyriek puts Tank in a corner but Tank ELBOWS back! Tank hurries for his corner, but Tyriek RAMS him into the other!

Tyson runs up to SPLASH! Tank falls, Tyriek covers, TWO! Tank is tougher than that but Tyriek clamps on a chinlock! Tank endures, fights up, but Tyriek whips him to a corner! Tyriek runs in to ELBOW, then he whips corner to corner. Hank takes the bump for Tank, and Tank LARIATS Tyriek! The fans fire up with the blue collar brawls, and Tank crawls his way over! Hot tags to Tyson and Hank! Hank CLOBBERS Tyson again and again, then POLISH HAMMERS him! The fans fire up as Hank whips Tyson to a corner, runs, but Tyson falls under the splash! Hank pulls up, whips Tyson corner to corner and SPLASHES!

Hank keeps going, he whips and LARIATS Tyson down! The fans fire up and Hank even goes out to CLOBBER Tyriek! Hank hurries up top?! FLYING- NO, Tyson dodges, comes back, but into the BIG BOSS MAN SLAM! And off comes the jersey! Tag to Tank and Hank scoops! HIT FIRST, HIT LAST! cover, HANK ‘N’ TANK WIN!

Winners: Hank ‘n’ Tank, by pinfall

Big win for these big boys, but they still wanna show respect to Ty & Ty. And again, Tyson is willing, Tyriek is not. Tyson apologizes for his friend then follows after. What will it take for Ty & Ty to get up the ranks of NXT?

Oba Femi is here!

Orlando fires up for The Ruler, for he is the 2024 Mr. Iron Survivor! Oba goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and says, “Surprise, surprise. The Ruler is back! At Deadline, I stormed into the building, I kicked down the opposition, and destroyed everybody! And now, I am the Iron Survivor.” The fans cheer that. Oba says in four weeks, in Los Angeles, at New Year’s Evil, Oba will reclaim his rightful place on the throne as THE RULER of NXT. The fans also like the sound of that, but Oba says that brings him to Trick Williams. Trick and Oba haven’t officially crossed paths yet. But they have been very dominant in their own runs, haven’t they?

But now, it is time to find out who the real top man is! To Oba’s surprise, here comes Trick! The fans cheer Trick on as he makes his way to the ring. The two eye each other, but wait, EDDY THORPE is here! The Alpha Wolf has his music cut and says this ain’t happening. Eddy tells Oba that he won’t ignore what happened last week! Eddy and his people have been through enough. Eddy storms into the ring and says Oba attacked him, took him out, and the biggest chance of Eddy’s career was just gone. On top of that, Oba took Eddy’s place in The Iron Survivor! Where is the justice? Is it just because Oba’s some big badass that he can do whatever he wants?

Eddy will not stand for this! But then Oba tells him to shut his mouth! The fans are on Oba’s side, and Oba says Eddy is making a bold accusation. Did Eddy see Oba attack him? No, because it was a blindside attack! But Eddy’s never been hit so hard! And there’s only one person who can hit like that, and it’s Oba. Oba says thanks for the compliment, but he is done wasting his time. Now, Trick! Trick interrupts Oba there, because he’s heard Oba talk enough. Time for Oba to listen to Trick. Trick’s been where Oba’s been. The highs and the lows, Trick’s done that. Winning Iron Survivor, Trick’s done that.

And Trick knows everyone has been waiting for Trick and Oba to go 1v1. LA, the City of Angels, the City of Stars, and the two biggest stars NXT has to offer in Trick and Oba, will collide on New Year’s Evil. That sounds good, don’t it? Oba and Trick ain’t really talked, but Trick’s glad Oba’s here. The legacy of a title reign isn’t defined about how long it lasts, but by who you beat while you carry it! Oba says all this noise about being champion, but here’s the truth. No one has hit Trick with truth like this. The only reason Trick was the number one guy is because Oba LET him be! The fans like those fighting words!

Oba says that in fact, the only reason there even was a Whoop Dat Trick Era is because Oba ALLOWED there to be one! Trick feels like he got spat on, and Oba says the truth is also this. Oba has always known that whenever he was ready, he would take that title and easily! And at New Year’s Evil, it seems Oba and Trick have a date with destiny. Oba VS Trick for THE NXT Championship! And Oba promises, he swears, that 2025 begins with the END of Trick’s era. Trick is riled up, Oba ignores Eddy as he leaves, but then Eddy steps to Trick! Eddy asks what the hell. Trick’s the NXT Champion! He’s supposed to be the leader around here, right?

But Trick didn’t press Oba once about what he did to Eddy! And here Eddy thought that maybe, just maybe, Trick would give Eddy a title match for the injustices done to him. Seems Eddy was wrong about that! Just like Eddy was wrong about Trick. Eddy used to see Trick as a man of the people. Everyone follows Trick wherever he goes. But when it’s time to check under the hood of the Lamborghini, all there is to see is a manufactured sports entertainer. And Eddy knows that Trick reached the top here very quickly, but Trick wouldn’t have lasted two WEEKS in the Japanese dojo that Eddy came up in.

so what? This is the real Trick? The guy we’re supposed to be chasing? A guy that came from the Eagles’ training camp and went to a WWE tryout? Unlimited charisma? Eddy doesn’t care about that! Trick tells Eddy to shut his ass up! The fans fire up for Trick and Trick says he is sick of Eddy and all the doubters. Those same doubters who called Trick a sidekick! But look at Trick now. Those same doubters when it was Trick VS Mad Dragon, but look at him now! Those same doubters who think they got to see Trick 1v1 and take his title! You think you can, Eddy? You think you the one? Then believe that, because Trick ain’t got a problem whooping every single ass inside that locker room.

Trick has no problem proving to everyone he is what he says he is, and that is THE NXT Champion. So then, let’s find out, Eddy! Next week! Trick tells Ava, set it up. Then Trick DECKS Eddy! The fans fire up as Trick storms off, but Eddy laughs that off. Will Eddy get exactly what he wants out of this? Or is he only getting what he deserves?

The Fatal Influence talks backstage.

Jacy Jayne is so sick of Gigi, why won’t she just go away? She is obsessed with Jacy! Fallon thinks it’s more Gigi wants Fallon’s title. Jacy frowns and says Gigi’s after her. Jazmyn keeps the peace by saying it doesn’t matter. They just need to get rid of her. Okay? The trio heads out, will they keep their own toxicity down enough to handle business?

Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley talk backstage.

Gigi is glad they have- Friendship? Tatum gives Gigi a big hug! Y-yes, friendship. And as fun as it is pissing off Fatal Influence, it’s still three against two. Tatum says no worries there. Tatum made a brand new- Izzi Dame steps in and tells them that whatever drama they have with Fatal Influence, put it aside. Izzi ain’t done with Gigi, she wants to run it back. Shawn Spears and his crew walk in and says easy now, Miss Dame. He doesn’t want anything happening to Gigi & Tatum. Gigi & Tatum head out and Spears wishes them luck. Now, Izzi, you seem… lost. But he couldn’t overlook how impressive she was in that match last week.

Izzi says what she doesn’t need is someone’s approval. Dame knows how damn impressive she is. Izzi storms off, but could The It Girl be just the thing Spears’ squad needs to take over NXT?

Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley VS Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx w/ Fallon Henley!

Hell’s Favorite Harlot made her return to help out the twisted outcast that is Tatum, and while she already has Jacy and Fallon snipping at each other, who’s to say it isn’t two bird brains with one stone? Will Gigi & Tatum take down common enemies and open a path to the Women’s North American Championship? Or will NXT still be under the Influence?

NXT returns as Gigi & Tatum make their entrance. The teams sort out and Jacy dares Gigi to step up, but gets Tatum instead. Jacy gets around Tatum to CLUB her, then she throws her to the corner. Tag to Jazmyn and she sends Jacy in, but Tatum dodges to then BOOT Jazmyn! Tatum wrenches Jazmyn, YANKS her arm, and tags Gigi. They KICK and SWITCH KICK, then SPLASH! Gigi covers, TWO! Gigi drags Jazmyn up, but Jazmyn kicks low! Jazmyn whips, Gigi goes up and over and keps moving, but Jazmyn drops under. Gigi blocks hip toss to give hip toss, then she SHOTGUNS Jazmyn down

The fans fire up, Gigi keeps moving, and she DROPKICKS Jazmyn agianst ropes! Jazmyn flops out, Gigi goes after her, but Jazmyn POSTS Gigi first! Jazmyn grins and puts Gigi in, and Jacy shouts to be tagged in! Jacy is the one sounding obsessed, but Jazmyn hurries over to tag. Jacy rains down shots and Fallon talks trash. The fans rally but Jacy SUPERKICKS Gigi down! The fans boo but Jacy runs up to RAM Gigi! Tag to Jazmyn and they mug Gigi. The ref counts as Jazmyn digs boots in, and she tags to Jacy. Jazmyn sends Jacy in to ELBOW Gigi, then a snapmare to a BASEMENT KICK! Jazmyn adds another kick, then Jacy adds another!

Jacy runs, but Gigi avoids the senton! Jacy gets up to swing on Tatum but she ducks. Gigi dodges Jacy to hot tag Tatum! The fans fire up as Tatum rallies on Jacy, then she CLOBBERS Jazmyn! Tatum wrenches Jacy, brings her in< BUTTERFLY PLEX! Jacy runs up but is sent into Jacy! Tatum rusn to CROSSBODY them both in the corner! Tatum reels Jacy in for a fireman’s carry, then a SWINGING SLAM! Tatum goes up a corner, Jazmyn distracts the ref, and Fallon SHOVES Tatum down! Jacy hits the ENCORE ELBOW! High stack, Fatal Influence wins!

Winners: Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx, by pinfall

The fans boo but now Fatal Influence mugs Tatum! Gigi gets in to fight back, but that’s still 3v2! Just as Gigi said before the match! The fans boo, but here comes SHOTZI!?! The Ballsy Badass is back in NXT! She TOSSES Jacy, dodges Fallon and BOOTS Jazmyn! The fans are thunderous as Shotzi KICKS Jacy, ROCKS her, then QUESTION MARK KICKS! Gigi & Tatum ENZIGIRI the rest! Then they hold the way open so Shotzi can DIVE onto the Influence! The fans are thunderous, and this is that new friend Tatum was talking about! Will the misfits make the mean girls pay once and for all?

Fraxiom regroups.

They’re both excited and they sit down to talk. Axiom knows has told Frazer to control his emotions, but he went to Ava and made a match for him and Oba Femi. Wait, what? Yeah, he did! When…? It’ll be next week. And yeah, Axiom knows Frazer is concerned, because it is Oba, but they’re tag partners. Axiom is standing up for Frazer! Oba will feel the pain he put Frazer through! Wait, why is he upset? Frazer says first, thanks, but Frazer was about to tell Axiom that he felt bad Axiom had to carry the team. So Frazer went to Ava and made themselves a tag team championship match! For…? Next week…

So now Axiom has a double header? Frazer says hey, if anyone can pull it off, it’s Axiom! How bad can it be? Did Frazer not see his face? Well, Axiom does wear a mask… Fraxiom has gotten themselves in another bind, but will they make it out in one piece?

NXT North American Championship: Tony D’Angelo w/ The D’Angelo Family VS Ethan Page!

The Don was just being a nice guy, but he did get the better of All Ego’s, well, ego to make this match happen. Will Tony beat a former NXT Champion to bolster his own standing? Or will Ethan have new gold to keep him afloat?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who’s really championship material!

The bell rings and the two tie up. Tony headlocks, hits a takeover, but Ethan headscissors. Tony kips free, hits another headlock takeover, but Ethan headscissors again. Another kip free, another takeover, and this time Tony holds off the headscissors. Ethan pulls hair! The ref reprimands but Ethan gets the headscissors, and now Ethan holds tight. Tony still pops fee, but Ethan SMACKS him! Ethan scoops and SLAMS Tony, then storms up on him. Ethan whips corner to corner, but Tony comes back to CLOBBER Ethan! Tony scoops and SLAMS Ethan, then stalks him to a corner. Tony whips corner to corner, Ethan bounces off buckles!

Tony headlocks but Ethan powers up and out. Tony dodges Ethan then comes back to LARIAT Ethan and himself up and out! The fans fire up while both men are down, and NXT goes picture in picture.

Tony and Ethan slowly rise, and The D’Angelo Family coaches up The Don. Tony CLUBS Ethan, puts him in the ring, then storms in after him. Tony stomps Ethan around, drags him up, and whips him hard into buckles! Ethan falls and Tony paces. Tony storms up, stands Ethan up, and whips, only for Ethan to reverse. Tony BOOTS back and Ethan falls right over! Tony drags Ethan to a high stack, TWO! Ethan stays in this but Tony stays on him with a chinlock. Ethan endures, even as Tony squeezes tight. Tony grinds Ethan down, but Ethan flails and fights around. Ethan fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free!

Ethan runs and he CLOBBERS Tony! Cover, TWO! Ethan stays on Tony with a rain of fists! Ethan lets off, and he stalks Tony to a corner. Ethan stomps away on a leg, then drags Tony up. Ethan bumps Tony off his boot, then ROCKS him again! Ethan stalks Tony, but Tony ROCKS Ethan in return! Tony fires shots, then has Ethan in a corner. Tony climbs up to rain down fists! Tony goes all the way to nine, winds up, then hits TEN! Ethan sputters and Tony follows him from the corner. Tony drags Ethan up, but Ethan fights the suplex! Ethan fires body shots, and he GOURD BUSTERS! Tony flounders but Ethan is right on him.

Ethan whips Tony while NXT returns yo single picture. Tony hit as KNEE SMASH first! Then a KNEE LIFT! The fans fire up while Ethan flounders. Tony runs up, Ethan dodges, and Tony POSTS himself! Ethan goes up to FLYING SHOULDER TACKLE! Cover, TWO! Ethan hurries to scoop Tony, and SLAM him down! Cover, TWO! Ethan drags Tony up and tells him to stay down. But Tony ducks a punch to hit a BIG back suplex! The fans fire up while both men rise up. Ethan throws body shots first! Tony hits back, they go back and forth! Tony gets the edge, then whips, to LARIAT Ethan! And LARIAT again!

Tony clinches Ethan for a BELLY2BELLY! And then another BELLY2BELLY! The fans fire up with Tony and he whips Ethan for a SPINE- NO, Ethan CLUBS Tony, then ROUNDHOUSES Him! Ethan runs, Tony dodges, and Tony SPEARS! Cover, TWO!! Ethan survives and Tony grows frustrated. Tony drags Ethan up, hooks a leg, but Ethan fights that to a cradle! TWO!! Ethan BOOTS Tony down! Cover, TWO!! Tony survives again but Ethan reels Tony in. Tony fights the lift, then RAMS Ethan into a corner. Tony whips Ethan corner to corner, runs up, and he LARIATS! Tony hoists Ethan up, climbs up, and fires more shots!

Tony brings Ethan to the top but Ethan fires body shots! Tony hops down, but he comes back, into a BOOT! Ethan then FLYING ENZIGIRIS! Ethan reels Tony in, TWIST OF FATE! Cover, TWO!! Ethan is furious that his shoutout to the Hardy Boys was not enough! Ethan snarls as he drags Tony back up, hoists him up, but Tony slips free of the crucifix! SPINEBUSTER!! High stack, Tony wins!!

Winner: Tony D’Angelo, by pinfall (still NXT North American Champion)

The Don adds to All Ego’s woes, clearly Ethan has no idea what is becoming of his NXT career. What path must he take to get his confidence back?

Lexis King talks with someone backstage.

Lexis is honored to be meeting with Ryan Leaf! Second draft pick overall in the NFL back in the day! Granted, it didn’t work out, but just look how Ryan turned his life around! Pac-12 commentator on CW, not to mention all the charity he does for mental health. Ryan says no, Lexis is the inspiration here. They both competed week in and week out, very publicly at that. Lexis is so much more relatable. We all get to see it. You don’t decide what your story is when it starts, but once you figure things out, you know how to finish it. Ryan can’t wait to see that. Lexis appreciates that, and appreciates that advice on going to Minneapolis to close the book on that part of his life.

Dempsey walks over and says he finished thinking it over. Lexis is becoming the best version of himself, so why not? Heritage Cup Championship will happen in two weeks! But first, Lexis needs to make it through a workout with Dempsey. Done! Dempsey says excellent. Ryan asks if Dempsey’s workout regiment is hard. Lexis says he’s about to find out. Lexis and Leaf shake hands, but will The King finally have his crowning moment?

NXT Media catches up with Ethan Page.

Reporters want a word but Ethan is in no mood. He knows what they want to ask, but he just can’t right now. He really can’t. Ethan knows he is better than this, he’s been better than this, but he’s lost his way. He says he’s All Ego, but the reality is… Ethan isn’t. Ethan doesn’t think he’s good enough to get the North American title, has no clue how to get back to THE NXT title, and he’s just… lost. And ashamed. And… Ethan goes to his car to leave for the night, but will he be back next week?

Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade VS Giulia & Kelani Jordan!

The Prodigy and her bad bad best friend made sure Vaquer got the message, and they look to do the same to The Iron Survivor. But will they be able to bully The Beautiful Madness & The Standout so easily? Or are we about to get a preview of New Year’s Evil?

NXT returns as Giulia makes her entrance, and Roxie & Cora rush up the ramp to get her! Kelani hurries out to even things up again, and the fans fire up as these four brawl back to ringside! Giulia & Kelani SMACK Cora & Roxie off the apron, then push them into the ring. The brawling continues as Roxie & Cora turn the tables! They put Kelani & Giulia in corners, then whip them at each other. But Giulia rolls and Kelani hurdles, they trade enemies! Kelani ROCKS Cora, Giulia ROCKS Roxie, and then they send Roxie & Cora into each other! Then they DOUBLE DROPKICK! Roxie & Cora bails out while Kelani kips up.

Giulia rolls out to set Cora & Roxie up, and Kelani PLANCHAS! Down go the mean girls and the fans fire up! Kelani puts Roxie in, now the bell rings, and Kelani hits a SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Kelani brings Roxie up, wrenches, and cranks the wristlock. Tag to Giulia, but Roxie breaks away. Roxie and Giulia get face to face, then Roxie takes a swing. Giulia whips, Roxie rolls and rolls back, but Giulia says no to the rana! Roxie avoids the elbow drop to then ghost pin, TWO! Giulia pulls Roxie’s hair! The fans cheer as Giulia wrenches the hair, but Cora storms in. Giulia runs up on her but Cora runs away! Roxie runs up to CLOBBER Giulia!

Roxie stomps away, then tags Cora. Cora SCRAPES Giulia’s face on the ropes! Cora whips, sends Giulia into the ropes, then runs, only for Giulia to dodge! Giulia rolls Cora up, TWO! Giulia has a facelock and she tags Kelani. They double whip Cora to drop down, and DROPKICK! Kelani covers, TWO! Kelani wrenches Cora’s arm, but Cora pulls hair! Cora puts Kelani on ropes, then ROCKS her! Cora whips, Kelani reverses and slingshot arm-drags! Cora hurries to tag Roxie, but Kelani arm-drags her around! Then DROPKICK! Kelani whips corner to corner hard and Roxie slumps down. Tag to Giulia and she sends Kelani in, handspring ELBOW!

Kelani sits Roxie down, Giulia runs up, but Cora drags Roxie out to safety! Giulia stops short, she and Kelani tell Roxie to get back in, but NXT goes picture in picture.

Roxie & Cora regroup, then complain about Giulia & Kelani. Kelani goes to the corner, Giulia backs up, and Roxie rolls back in. Roxie runs up, but Giulia blocks the kick! Giulia spins around and backslides Roxie, TWO! Giulia keeps on Roxie with a facelock, then a wrench. Giulia YANKS the arm, then tags Kelani. Kelani goes up to AX HANDLE! Kelani drags Roxie up to wrench the arm again, but Roxie rolls, breaks free, and SLAPS Kelani! Kelani just gets mad, and she TACKLES Roxie! Kelani dribbles Roxie off the mat! Roxie fights free, but Kelani swings on Cora for good measure. Cora gets away, Kelani whips Roxie, but Roxie reverses.

Cora trips Kelani up! Kelani KICKS Cora, but Roxie hits a THESZ PRESS! Roxie rains down fists, then steps on Kelani before stomping her. Tag to Cora and they mug Kelani. Cora SMACKS Kelani off the mat, then runs to IMPLODER STOMP! Cover, TWO! Cora drags Kelani over, tags Roxie, and they mug Kelani. Roxie brings Kelani up, talks trash, but Kelani throws hands! Roxie ROCKS Kelani, wrenches and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEPS! Cover, TWO! Kelani stays in this but Roxie stays on her with a chinlock. Kelani endures, even as Roxie leans on her. Roxie thrashes Kelani around, then shifts to a CROSSFACE!

Kelani fights up, fights with body shots, and NXT returns to single picture as she arm-drags free! Roxie runs up, but Kelani ORCKS her first! And ROCKS her again! Kelani whips, Roxie reverses, and Roxie UPPERCUTS! Kelani flops out of the ring, Roxie builds speed, and Roxie DIVES! Down goes Kelani! Roxie hauls Kelani up and into the ring, then tags Cora. Roxie sets Kelani up for Cora to ELBOW her down! Roxie then LIONSAULTS! Cora covers, TWO! Cora is furious but she drags Kelani up. Cora pie faces Kelani, but Kelani fires body shots and forearms! Cora ROCKS Kelani back, then KICKS her!

Cora storms up, tags Roxie, and they mug Kelani more. Roxie & Cora double whip, then Roxie runs in, but Kelani BOOTS Roxie! Kelani stops the shining wizard to DUMP Cora out hard! Kelani hurries, hot tag to Giulia! The fans fire up as Giulia DECKS Roxie! And DECKS her again! And again! The fans fire up and Giulia stomps away on Roxie at the ropes! Giulia sits Roxie up to run and BOOT WASH! Roxie sputters, Giulia drags her up, hammerlock and lift, for a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Cover, TWO! Roxie survives but Giulia drags her up. Giulia hammerlocks and scoops again, spin and- NO, Roxie slips free to kick low!

Roxie hops on, but Giulia pops free! Giulia ROCKS Roxie, Roxie runs up to ROCK Giulia! Giulia ROCKS Roxie, and eggs Roxie on! Roxie ROCKS Giulia, Giulia ROCKS Roxie, repeat! They go back and forth, Roxie gets the edge, then Roxie whips. Giulia reverses to wrench and SAIDO! The fans fire up with Giulia and she brings Roxie up. Another wrench, another hammerlock, and another scoop! Giulia tags Kelani in before she hits the GLORIOUS DRIVER! Kelani hits the FIVE STAR FROG SPLAASH! Cora breaks the cover! The fans boo but Cora TOSES Giulia! Cora backs away, Kelani hauls Roxie up, but Roxie fights the suplex to cradle! TWO!!

Roxie SHOTGUNS Kelani down! Roxie tags Cora and they bring Kelani up. They talk trash, then Roxie runs, but Giulia drags Roxie out! Giulia DECKS Roxie, goes up, but Cora SHINING WIZARDS at the corner! Cora turns around, but Kelani blocks a kick to WHEEL KICK! Cora bails out but Kelani aims again. PLANCHA and down goes Cora! Roxie got herself clear, but then she grabs Kelani! SOBAT! Roxie hops on, POP ROX!! Cora kept the ref distracted from seeing that! But then Giulia FLYING MISSILE DROPKICKS Roxie! Roxie and Giulia brawl up the ramp while Cora and Kelani are in the ring.

Cora kicks Kelani, underhooks, FUTURE SHOCK! Cover, Cora & Roxie win!

Winners: Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade, by pinfall

Cora soaks up the heat as she stands over the former Women’s North American Champion, but wait! Vaquer is making her way out here!? Cora gets her kendo stick, ready to hit Vaquer some more! But Vaquer doesn’t come out from the ramp, she comes out from the crowd side! She turns Cora around to DECK her! And DECK her again! And HEADBUTT! The fans fire up as La Primera stands tall, Cora’s kendo stick in hand. Vaquer BREAKS the stick, then she storms out after Cora! Cora runs away going up the bleachers, but Vaquer pursues! Vaquer broke that kendo stick rather easily, will she do the same to the Generation of Cora Jade?

Eddy Thorpe signs the contract.

Now his NXT Championship match with Trick Williams is official. Eddy can’t believe this is happening. The biggest match of his life is next week. Ava says yep, it is official. She’ll see him in Lowell. Eddy says he deserves this. Ava says they’re still looking into who attacked Eddy, but Eddy says he knows who it was. Wait, what? Eddy says, “You’re looking at him. I got my title match, and I didn’t have to go through 25 minutes of hell to get it. See you in Lowell.” The Alpha Wolf admits to being a snake! He gamed the system, but is he about to be THE champion of NXT?

My Thoughts:

A great NXT here to turn the corner from Deadline to New Year’s Evil, and what a brilliant twist with this newest whodunnit. After Eddy Thorpe inserts himself in the face-to-face of Oba Femi and Trick Williams, after he makes a big stink about Oba being his attacker and Trick not supporting him, and after goading Trick into giving him that title match, Eddy reveals that he somehow faked being attacked backstage, and all this implies he fooled medical into thinking he couldn’t compete. Given how Eddy angered Trick that badly, he was already getting whooped something fierce, but with this reveal, Trick might go the extra mile just to humiliate Eddy.

Great stuff with this Ethan Page crisis of confidence story, and I was just thinking a midcard title could’ve been a way to go. But then they kinda skip a few weeks in build by just giving him a match, and then he loses. Ethan’s promo afterward was good, because I really feel he could be called up to RawDown already. Ethan is probably more a SmackDown guy to add to the US Championship scene, and maybe one day be in the Undisputed WWE Championship scene. Oh, well, maybe after the “Transfer Window” closes, it’ll be the World Heavyweight Championship instead. Ethan VS Gunther wouldn’t be too bad really.

Great tag match from Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Ty & Ty to build a bit of a feud there. Hank ‘n’ Tank win to stay strong, but it also allows Tyriek to show more of his frustration and reluctance to show respect. If other tag team stories are to be believed, Tyriek will get Tyson to see things his way and Tyson will become a very aggressive Heel in the rematch. Good promo from Briggs & Inamura, who I feel will get those tag titles in early 2025. And I say that because Frazer & Axiom are perhaps just a week away from losing the belts. They didn’t communicate with each other, Axiom is now gonna get crushed by Oba, and then he and Frazer are going into a match with Gallus at far less than 100%. Gallus can get those belts to then drop them to Briggs & Inamura at New Year’s Evil.

Awesome match from Je’Von VS Wes, building on how they opened the Iron Survivor on Saturday. Great win for Je’Von, but Wes will surely double down on being bitter and trying to drag Je’Von down to his level, we probably get another match at New Year’s Evil. Good promos from Lexis King with Charlie Dempsey, and some good CW integration with Ryan Leaf showing up to talk with Lexis. Lexis will definitely be put through the wringer by Dempsey next week, and that Heritage Cup match could probably go either way. Lexis can’t keep losing the “big one,” so maybe he pulls this off with a late fall in the final round.

Also, good promo from the full NQCC with OTM to set up both a Mixed Six Tag as well as separate matches of Jaida VS Wren and Nima & Price VS Myles & Heights. Wren’s getting on a roll and the fans love her, but the fans still like Miss Parker, so that match is going to be really good and hard to call. At this point, it feels like Price & Nima missed the boat on becoming a top team, but that isn’t all their fault. I feel like there were bigger plans had Reggie/Scrypts stuck around, but someone somewhere up high in WWE said those plans didn’t matter. Maybe things can change in the event Frazer & Axiom stop being a team after next week.

And a lot of good stuff with tag matches in the women’s division. Good promo from Fatal Influence to show there’s dysfunction between Fallon and Jacy. After all, they were once enemies, so they’re not going to be best of friends here. Good promo from Gigi & Tatum with not just Izzi but with Spears’ team. Just as I was thinking, Spears is shifting gears to possibly recruit Izzi, and she really could use something to do. Very good match of Gigi & Tatum VS Jacy & Jazmyn, but the 3v2 numbers of course favored the Influence. But great return for Shotzi, not just to NXT but in general, and that’ll be a very fun Six Woman Tag that then sets up Fallon VS Gigi. Jacy thinking Gigi’s here for her could in effect cost Fallon, and then we get more Jacy VS Gigi but for a title.

Good promo from Zaria & Sol with Lash & Jakara, and I’m pretty sure Zaria & Sol win that tag match to stay strong overall. Very good opening promo from Giulia with Roxie & Cora confronting her while having “attacked” Vaquer backstage. Kelani making the save was good, as there was still a grudge for her and Cora to work out. Giulia and Roxie taking themselves out of the match by brawling away was good stuff, and Cora winning for her team was fine. Vaquer was of course coming out for revenge, I’m just not sure they’re going to wait until New Year’s Evil to have a match. They could easily have a match next week or for NXT Christmas Eve, and then the winner moves on to do something else. My guess would be Vaquer wins to challenge the winner of Roxie VS Giulia.

My Score: 8.8/10

Will heads for the Tokyo Dome?

Gabe Kidd & Sanada won A Block handedly while Naito & Hiromu came out of B Block’s chaotic finale, but only one team can win World Tag League!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Tiger Mask VS Daiki Nagai; Tiger Mask wins.
• Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls VS Shoma Kato & Katsuya Mursahima; Shane & Mikey win.
• Bishamon VS The Filip Brothers; Bishamon wins.
• Six Man Tag: The United Empire VS Taichi, Taka Michinoku & DOUKI; Taichi, Taka & Douki win.
• Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club; LIJ wins.
• 10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture; The Houes of Torture wins, by disqualification.
• Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi; TMDK wins.
• 2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi; Naito & Hiromu win.

PLAY BY PLAY

10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture!

The Ace, The Joker & The Rook are joined by a couple knights of NJPW to stand against The King of Darkness and his army of scumbags! With WrestleKingdom on the horizon, which side of this war wins this crucial battle?

But as The House makes their entrance, Team Ace turns the tables by going after them first! The fans cheer as Tanahashi goes right after Evil and The House panics! Yano brawls with Narita, Oleg and Jado take care of Kanemaru and Yujiro, and Tanahashi headlocks Evil. Tanahashi brings Evil to ringside to POST him! Evil falls but Tanahashi drags him back up to wrench and whip into railing! The fans cheer more and Tanahashi CLUBS Evil. Tanahashi whips Evil at more railing, and Evil hits so hard that he tumbles up and over! The rest of the team keeps The House down all around ringside while Tanahashi fetches Evil.

Tanahashi brings Evil into the ring, then follows, and finally the bell rings! The fans cheer as Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps Evil, throws forearms, and the ref counts. Tanahashi shoves the ref! The President is getting really rough with his employees, but he stalks Evil. Tanahashi drags Evil up to fire a BODY BLOW! And another! Tanahashi whips, Evil reverses, and then Evil gets in the ref’s face so Dick Togo can trip Tanahashi up! Then the House rushes in and BLASTS Team Ace off the apron! The ref reprimands everyone but Evil CHOKES Tanahashi with the tag rope!

The fans boo but The House beats up on Team Ace, and then Evil throws away the evidence of his crime. Dick passes the mic to Evil, and Evil grabs it so he can shout in Tanahashi’s face about just giving up now and sparing himself the embarrassment at WrestleKingdom! Tanahashi tells Evil he’ll never surrender, and the ref reprimands Evil. Evil stops choking Tanahashi and throws the mic away. Evil tags Narita and the Souled Out Son of Strong Style stomps away on Tanahashi’s legs! Narita then clamps on a KNEEBAR! Evil and Yano shout at each other, but Tanahashi fights his way to the ROPEBREAK!

The ref counts and Narita lets go at 4. Narita stomps Tanahashi more, then he tags Tokyo Pimp. Narita & Yujiro have the legs, and they split the wishbone! Yujiro then drops an elbow on the bad leg! Yujiro taunts Tanahashi, then ROCKS him with a forearm! Tanahashi ends up on ropes, so Yujiro ROCKS him, then CHOPS him! Yujiro stands Tanahashi up, Narita & Sho anchor Tanahashi in place, and Yujiro BOOTS him! The ref reprimands everyone but Yujiro snapmares for a cover! TWO, the fans rally, but Kanemaru tags in. The Heel Master YANKS the leg, then whisp Tanahashi to ropes. Kanemaru dropkicks the leg out!

Kanemaru hurries to step through, FIGURE FOUR! The House BLASTS Team Ace again! The ref reprimands and the fans rally up while Tanahashi endures. Honma clears Evil out, and he runs to FALLING KOKESHI on Kanemaru! The fans cheer as Tanahashi is saved, but Narita goes after Honma! The fans boo as Narita TOSSES Honma, but Kanemaru tags Sho. Sho stomps the leg, then DDTS the foot! The fans rally for Tanahashi but Sho scuffs him around. Tanahashi stands up and he fires forearms! Sho CLAWS Tanahashi’s eyes, but Tanahashi CLAWS Sho’s eyes! The ref reprimands them both, but Tanahashi blocks a kick! DRAGON SCREW!

The fans fire up as Tanahashi crawls over, hot tag to Oleg! The fans fire up as BARS CLOBBERS Sho! Evil gets away before Oleg can get him, and Yujiro attacks from behind! Yujiro & Narita double whip, but Oleg CLOBBERS them both! Kanemaru kicks and whips, but Oleg reverses to scoop Kanemaru! Oleg SMACKS Sho using Kanemaru! Then Oleg SLAMS Kanemaru, and gut wrenches! The fans fire up for the Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! Oleg kips up and the fans fire up! Oleg then deadlifts Sho for the gut wrench. But Sho bends fingers and wrenches free! Sho runs, SPEARS, but he bounces right off of Oleg!

The fans fire up and Oleg deadlifts Sho again! Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! And another kip up! The fans fire up with Oleg and he runs to BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Oleg drags Sho right up into his arms, then pops him to a fireman’s carry! But Sho CLAWS Oleg’s eyes! Sho slips free, but Oleg kicks Sho! Sho runs to dropkick Oleg’s legs! Sho whips, and TADA! Bare buckles! Oleg suffers The House Special, and Evil DROPKICKS Tanahashi! Sho & Evil double whip Oleg into the bare buckles! Oleg hobbles forward, into a DOUBLE- NO! Oleg fights to DOUBLE SUPLEX them first! The fans fire up and Oleg crawls, and Tanahashi is adamant about getting in!

Oleg isn’t sure about it, but he tags Tanahashi back! Tanahashi fires a strike fest on Evil, and goes an extra round before the SHOTEI! Tanahashi runs to SLINGBLADE! The fans fire up while Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps a mudhole into Evil but the ref counts. Tanahashi is not stopping! He SHOVES the ref away! Tanahashi’s rage is getting the better of him as he UPPERCUTS Evil! Tanahashi goes corner to corner, runs back in, but Evil sends him into the ref! And then The House attacks again! Dick stomps away on Tanahashi while Evil recovers! The fans boo and tell Dick to go away!

Narita brings in chairs! Dick stomps Tanahashi more, and the House has all their favorite items! Dick has his Spoiler Choker, Narita with his pushup bar, Sho with the “Torture Tool,” Yujiro with the pimp cane, and Kanemaru with his whiskey bottle. The fans boo as Evil stands on Tanahashi’s face and The House closes in. Evil drags Tanahashi up, and Dick clamps on the SPOILER CHOKER! And then The House CLOBBERS Team Ace with all their weapons! Evil takes aim, but Tanahashi BOOTS him first! Tanahashi THROWS Dick away, but Evil JAMS him up! Tanahashi blocks the chair shot! Tanahashi kicks low, and he SMACKS away on Evil!

The fans fire up as Tanahashi breaks the chair on Evil’s back! Narita runs up, Tanahashi JAMS him first! And then he JAMS Yujiro! And he JAMS Kanemaru! And he JAMS Sho! Then Tanahashi uses the frame to SMACK Evil! The ref is back, he tells Tanahashi to stop, but Tanahashi shoves the ref again! Tanahashi’s rage explodes as he beats Evil down with the chair! Team Ace is DISQUALIFIED!!

Winners: The House of Torture, by disqualification

Tanahashi keeps beating Evil to serve justice, but Young Lions rush in and stop him! Evil writhes, but Tanahashi gets a new chair! Tanahashi SMACKS Evil again and again! His team isn’t even sure what to do, so they let him just BASH away on Evil! Tanahashi tells Evil this is what he gets! One more chair shot! AND THEN ANOTHER! Evil scrambles out of the ring, and Young Lions have to get in Tanahashi’s way to stop the beating! Tanahashi drops the chair to grab the mic, and he shouts, “EVIL, YOU BASTARD! Shut up about my retirement! Oi, oi, you want me to leave so badly? I get it. You want it a year earlier, huh?

“Then in our match on January 4th, I’ll put my career on the line right then!!” The fans are shocked, but Evil says good! And there’s no going back now that he said it! But Tanahashi adds that Evil won’t be able to rely on his goons! It will be a LUMBERJACK MATCH! Now YOU remember that!! Team Ace and The House will wage war once again in the Tokyo Dome! And given Evil only won tonight because Tanahashi lost his cool, will Tanahashi dish out his final justice?

Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi!

Zack Sabre Jr. took the pin when he and Ryohei Oiwa faced Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma in the tournament, so an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match is set for WrestleKingdom! Will the Roughneck burn The Front Man again with the help of Funky Sauce? Or will we see even now that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The teams sort out and after Shota stares at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and his paper replica to compare, he steps up to the champ. The bell rings and the fans cheer as we get this WK19 preview. Shota and ZSJ stare down, the fans rally up, and it sounds pretty even between “SHOTA! SHOTA!” and “ZAKU! ZAKU!” Shota and ZSJ get their fans even more fired up, and then the two circle. They feel things out, knuckle lock, but then ZSJ rolls to wrench. Shota wrenches back and he WRINGS ZSJ out! ZSJ UPKICKS, and the two reset. The fans cheer and the two circle again. Shota avoids a leg pick but ZSJ avoids an enzigiri!

Shota avoids the Penalty Kick, then spins ZSJ to underhook! ZSJ flips that but Shota fights the scoop! ZSJ avoids the uppercut but Shota blocks the uppercut! Shota wants the backslide but ZSJ spins that around, only for Shota to arm-drag! But ZSJ headscissors! Shota kips free and the fans cheer the standoff! Shota dares ZSJ to take the leg, but ZSJ just pushes the foot away. The two reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, go forehead to forehead, but then each man kicks a knuckle lock apart. ZSJ and Shota back off, and ZSJ dares Shota to bring it. Shota steps back up, they go forehead to forehead, and then ZSJ offers a free shot.

Shota says no, the champ should take the free shot. ZSJ decides to tag in Oiwa instead. Shota says fine, and he tags Taguchi. The fans rally as Taguchi and Oiwa circle. They tie up, Oiwa headlocks, but Taguchi pries the hold. Oiwa clamps on tighter but Taguchi fires body shots. Taguchi powers up and out, but Oiwa runs him over! Things speed up, Taguchi hurdles and DROPKICKS Oiwa down! Cover, TWO! Fujita slides in but Zayne intercepts! Zayne kicks the Japanese Young Punk and then throws him out! Funky Sauce double whip Oiwa to then BULLDOG and BASEMENT DROPKICK! The fans cheer and Taguchi stalks Oiwa.

Taguchi HIP DROPS Oiwa again and again, then uses the ropes to go up, out, and slingshot back in, but he hip drops onto Oiwa’s knees! Taguchi hobbles away and Oiwa storms up to whip. Taguchi reverses, runs up, but Oiwa pops him up onto the top rope! Taguchi is stuck right on the Funky Weapon! The ref checks but Oiwa SHAKES the ropes! Taguchi suffer, then he slowly tilts to one side! Oiwa gut wrenches Taguchi off the ropes! Tag to ZSJ and ZSJ UPPERCUTS the butt! Then he UPPERCUTS the butt again! And again! Taguchi falls over and ZSJ tags Fujita. Taguchi backstrokes towards his corner, but Fujita stomps him down!

Fujita drags Taguchi up, CHOPS him, then whips him to a corner. Fujita runs up and CHOPS again! Fujita snapmares Taguchi to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Taguchi stays in this and the fans rally up. Fujita drags Taguchi up, but Taguchi CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Fujita CHOPS back! Fujita runs, Taguchi jumps, but Fujita CHOPS the hip attack! Taguchi hobbles away while Fujita says he’s too smart for that. Fujita runs, but Taguchi somersaults to HIP ATTACK! Hot tag to Zayne and he fires forearms on Fujita! Zayne whips, hip tosses, then STANDING MARIPOSAS! The fans fire up while Zayne brings Fujita up.

Zayne fires more elbows, then a mule kick! Zayne runs to ROLLING AX KICK! Fujita goes to a corner, Zayne runs in, but Fujita BOOTS him away! Fujita hops up but Zayne comes back to JUMPING DRAGON RANA! The fans fire up and Zayne storms over to Fujita. Zayne scoops and B AJA BLASTS! Cover, TWO! Fujita survives but the fans rally behind Zayne. Zayne brings Fujita up, straitjackets, but Fujita fights free to CHOP! Zayne BOOTS! Fujita kicks but Zayne ducks! Fujita rolls off Zayne’s back and runs to GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up while both men are down! Fujita and Zayne crawl, hot tags to ZSJ and Shota!

The fans fire up as ZSJ BOOTS Shota, and Shota ROCKS ZSJ! Shota eggs ZSJ on so ZSJ UPPERCUTS! Shota UPPERCUTS in return! They UPPERCUT back and forth, harder and harder! The fans rally as they now go faster and faster! ZSJ gets the edge with UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT, but Shota roars! Shota UPPERCUTS again and again, ZSJ roars, but Shota UPPERCUTS him down! Shota hurries to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Shota stays fired up! Shota clinches ZSJ but ZSJ fights the lift! ZSJ goes for the arm but Shota waistlocks. ZSJ spins around to FACELOCK GUILLOTINE!

Shota endures and stays on his feet, even as ZSJ has the body scissors! The fans duel as ZSJ thrashes, but Shota powers through to suplex ZSJ up and over! Both men are down and the fans fire up again. Shota rises, then he brings ZSJ up to dragon sleeper. ZSJ spins and PELES the arm! But Shota blocks a roundhouse to PELE! But ZSJ PENALTY KICKS! Both men are down again and the fans rally more! ZSJ and Shota crawl, but ZSJ tags in Oiwa! Oiwa runs in at the corner to DROPKICK! Oiwa has the single leg but Shota fights off the suplex! Oiwa swings but Shota clinches, so now Oiwa fights free!

Shota ROCKS Oiwa, spins, but Oiwa ROCKS Shota! Oiwa runs, into a clinch! EXPLODER! The fans fire up while both men are down! The fans rally, Shota and Oiwa crawl, hot tag to Taguchi! Taguchi calls to Zayne and then BLASTS Fujita! Funky Sauce whips Oiwa to a corner, then Zayne sends Taguchi in. HIP ATTACK! Taguchi goes up, Zayne RANAS Oiwa into the butt! Backslide, roll through, KETSUYE! Cover, TWO! Oiwa survives but Taguchi signals for that. Taguchi and Zayne use the power of Strong Style, and then “ITADAKIMAAAS~!” Oiwa stands, into a DOUBLE HIP ATTACK SANDWICH! Cover, Fujita breaks it!

Zayne ROCKS Fujita, he and Taguchi double whip, but Fujita ducks the lariats to shove Zayne into Taguchi! Zayne blocks a kick but not the DRAGON WHIP! Shota dropkicks Fujita’s legs! ZSJ BOOTS Shota! Shota roars, but ZSJ BOOTS him again! ZSJ whips, Shota reverses and TORNADO DDTS! ZSJ flounders away and the fans fire up with Shota! Shota tells Taguchi to finish it off, and Taguchi runs at Oiwa! And he sliding kicks! Oiwa tumbles, Taguchi grabs the leg to OH MY GAH ANKLE!! Oiwa endures, reaches out, but Taguchi drags him back! Oiwa gets up to LARIAT! Both men are down and the fans fire up!

Oiwa fires up and he brings Taguchi around. Oiwa whips, then clamps on a SLEEPER! But Taguchi slips right out! Taguchi has the headlock, but Oiwa slips out to hit a BIG atomic drop! Taguchi hobbles and Oiwa clamps on the SLEEPER! Taguchi flails but he’s fading already! The fans rally and Oiwa spins Taguchi, for THE GRIP!! Cover, TMDK wins!

Winners: TMDK, by pinfall

The Mullet gets the better of The Funky Weapon, but Shota still dares ZSJ to go for the leg. ZSJ ignores Shota’s bait and just gives him the paper belt. “This is the closest you’ll get to the effin’ title.” ZSJ SLAPS Shota with it! Shota says don’t be rude to the kids! A fan made that for him. Shota dusts off the paper belt, and claims that he’s gonna get the real deal soon enough. ZSJ says yeah, sure. ZSJ will make Shota a real nice toy belt himself so he can keep dreaming. ZSJ mockingly puts something together using his old wrist tape! Shota says wow, thanks. With not even a month left, who will win out when the real belt is on the line?

2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi!

It’s the moment of truth as The Mad Man & Cold Blooded take on The Uncontrollable Charisma & Ticking Timebomb. There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the tag titles given Henare’s knee injury, but for right now, it’s time to answer one question: Who will be the 2024 World Tag League Champions?

As Naito enters the ring, Gabe stays right at the center, but Naito completely ignores him. Then Naito takes his time with his entrance attire, as always, but Gabe and Sanada both stay calm. Gabe paces but Sanada keeps his eyes closed. Hiromu fires up Kumamoto and Naito finally does away with the pants. The teams finally sort out, and Gabe eggs on “the Junior.” Hiromu grins, then he fist bumps Naito, and yes, it seems Hiromu and the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion will start! The bell rings and both men run in! They DOUBLE LARIAT, but it’s Hiromu who falls! Hiromu gets up to CHOP, but Gabe CHOPS!

The fans fire up as the CHOPS go back and forth already! Hiromu backs down, but for only a moment! Hiromu CHOPS again, so Gabe CHOPS again! The CHOPS go back and forth, but Hiromu backs down again. Gabe eggs him on so Hiromu CHOPS! Gabe CHOPS again! Hiromu clutches his chest but he CHOPS again! Gabe CHOPS again, then braces himself. The CHOPS keep going, then they get forehead to forehead. Gabe winds up to CHOP! Hiromu drops back, and Gabe kicks at him. Gabe eggs Hiromu on so Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Gabe spins to CHOP! Hiromu backs down, but runs up to LARIAT!

Gabe stays up, so he and Hiromu both run, but to take out Naito and Sanada! Then Hiromu runs up to kick Gabe low! Hiromu CLUBS Gabe, CHOPS, and Gabe feels that one. Hiromu whips, Gabe reverses, and Sanada gets a cheap shot in! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands, but the War Dogs double whip. Hiromu grabs ropes to stop, and Naito runs in! Naito CLOBBERS Sanada and Hiromu kicks Gabe! LIJ mugs Gabe then double whips, to DOUBLE CHOP! Then they DOUBLE BASEMENT DROPKICK! Gabe flounders away while the fans cheer. Hiromu tags Naito and Naito storms up on Gabe.

Naito CLUBS Gabe again and again, then snapmares for a chinlock. Gabe endures the knee in his back, even as Naito digs it in deeper. Naito then shifts to have a headscissors! Naito pushes up to put on the pressure, but Gabe still endures. Naito lets Gabe go and Hiromu sits in the ropes. Hiromu assures Red Shoes it isn’t what he thinks, but then Naito bumps Gabe off Hiromu’s boots! It WAS what it looked like! The fans cheer but Red Shoes reprimands, and Naito tags in Hiromu. Hiromu CHOPS Gabe to a corner, then CHOPS again! Naito joins in and they double whip Gabe corner to corner. Gabe comes back, Naito drops down and Hiromu CROSBODIES!

Sanada storms in but Hiromu CROSSBODIES! Hiromu goes out and chases down Gabe, CROSSBODY! Hiromu keeps moving, and Naito sets Sanada up for the CROSSBODY! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he goes back to the ring. Gabe storms around in frustration, then pushes his way to No Man’s Land. He eggs Hiromu on, so here he comes! But Sanada was lurking! He attacks first, then sends Hiromu into chairs! Naito and Gabe brawl, and Naito CLUBS Gabe around. Fans are told to move aside, and Naito whips. Gabe reverses and he BOWLS Naito into chairs! Not quite a strike but Gabe just flips off the fans.

Sanada is beating Hiromu down somewhere in the upper deck, and Gabe drags Naito back up. Gabe UPPERCUTS Naito, but Hiromu fights back against Sanada! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s face! Hiromu stops the suplex, then suplexes Sanada! Sanada fights that, and he CLAWS Hiromu’s face again! As for Gabe, he BITES Naito’s forehead, then SMACKS him down! At least they’re at ringside. But then Gabe looks under the ring, and he brings out a table! Gabe sets the table up, but Naito fires forearms on Gabe! Gabe SMACKS Naito again! Gabe hauls Naito up to POWERBOMB through the table!!

The fans go wild as Gabe looms over Naito. Gabe slides in and mocks Naito’s pose! The fans are torn but most boo. Red Shoes reprimands Gabe, and it seems Sanada has retuned to ringside, with Hiromu somewhere in the crowd. A ring count starts, but Gabe SPITS at Naito! The count is 7 of 20 and the spotlight shows Hiromu is still so far away! We pass 10, then 12! Hiromu hobbles at 15 and he’s finally in the aisle! Hiromu runs and slides in safe at 19! The fans cheer but Gabe drags Hiromu up. Gabe CHOPS Hiromu in the corner, then CHOPS again! And then JABS! Tag to Sanada and he CLAWS Hiromu’s back while Gabe talks trash on Naito.

The fans rally for Hiromu but Sanada stomps him in a corner. Sanada digs his boot in, but he stops as Red Shoes counts. Sanada drags Hiromu up, TOSSES him out, and Gabe quickly runs Hiromu back to the back of the crowd and up the bleachers! Gabe ROCKS Hiromu with a straight right hand! Then SMACKS him again! Hiromu flops over and Gabe leaves him behind again. The ring count returns while Hiromu sputters. The fans cheer Hiromu on as he’s up, but he’s still so far away at 10! Then 15! Hiromu returns at 18 to slide in at 19.5!! Sanada is on Hiromu, but Hiromu dropkicks the legs out! But Naito isn’t at the corner!

Sanada tags Gabe and he stomps away on Hiromu in the corner! Red Shoes reprimands but Gabe drags Hiromu up. The fans rally for Hiromu, but Gabe whips him hard into the corner! Gabe eggs Hiromu on, saying he’s not “Despy” or Douki. Hiromu rises up to CHOP! Gabe snarls but Hiromu CHOPS again! Hiromu roars and he CHOPS! Gabe finally wobbles, but he keeps Hiromu from Naito! Gabe throws Hiromu down by his hair, then he WRECKS Naito with a dropkick! Gabe mocks the tranquilo and the fans boo. Gabe tags Sanada and the War Dogs bring Hiromu up. The fans rally but the War Dogs double whip, only for Hiromu to DOUBLE CROSSBODY!

Hiromu crawls, reaches out, but Sanada keeps him from Naito! Hiromu breaks free, blocks a kick, and a punch! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s eyes! Sanada runs but Hiromu bolts for the corner! Hot tag to Naito! Naito kicks and fires off on Sanada, but Gabe CLUBS him! The War Dogs double whip, but Naito reverses to send Sanada away! Then he sends Gabe into Sanada! Gabe falls, Naito dodges Sanada to arm-drag! And ELBOW! Naito keeps moving, basement DROPKICK! Gabe ROCKS Naito! Gabe whips, Naito reverses and runs up to ELBOW him down! Sanada runs up but is sent into the corner! Naito blocks boots to put Sanada in ropes, DRAPING NECKBREAKER!

Naito hurries to stand Sanada up, turn him, and stall for the NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up as Naito does the pose himself. Cover, TWO! Sanada is tougher than that but Naito drags him up. Naito dragon sleepers for another NECKBREAKER, and then it’s the LEG HOOK NELSON! Sanada endures as Naito puts on the pressure, and Sanada kicks around. Naito puts on more pressure, but Sanada has the ROPEBREAK! But of course Naito claims he needs a little help. Red Shoes counts, Naito lets the hold go, and he brings Sanada to a corner. Naito drags Sanada up, reel shim in, but Sanada stops Esperanza! So Naito BOOTS him!

Naito whips corner to corner but Sanada goes up and out, and even to the floor! Naito slides out but Sanada goes to the apron. Naito hurries back up, but Sanada KICKS ropes to jam Naito up! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands but Sanada tags Gabe. Gabe drags Naito up, has him in a corner, and CHOPS! HEADBUTTS! Repeat! Gabe wobbles a bit, but he rolls back and returns to LARIAT! Then SAIDO! Naito gets flung, Gabe hurries to cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Gabe drags Naito right up to suplex and BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Naito survives but Gabe seethes. The fans rally for Naito as hard as they can, which annoys Gabe.

Gabe drags Naito up, reels him in, but Naito fights the lift! Gabe CLUBS Naito but still Naito fights! Gabe DOUBLE CHOPS Naito’s back, then powers through! But Naito powers out and throws those heavy back elbows! Gabe SPITS at Naito! Naito SLAPS Gabe! Gabe rebounds, Naito dodges, tilt-o-whirl CRADLE! TWO!! Gabe SMACKS Naito, reels him in, “I’m a MAD MAN, y’know!” But Hiromu SUPERKICKS him first! Sanada DROPKICKS Hiromu! Naito dropkicks Sanada’s legs! But Gabe KNEES Naito down! Hiromu fireman’s carries Gabe! TIMEBOMB 1.5! Sanada runs up, into a wrench and FACLON ARROW!

Sanada flounders out and Hiromu brings Gabe over to Naito! BOOSTED TORNADO DDT! The fans fire up and Naito brings Gabe back up! Wrench and tilt-o-whirl, DESTINO!! Cover, SANADA YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! The fans boo Sanada but he just soaks up the heat. Hiromu goes to the apron and he CROSSBODIES Sanada down! Hiromu helps Red Shoes up, Naito wrenches Gabe again, DESTIN- NO! TOMBSTONE!! Gabe and Naito are down and the fans rally even harder! There is some dueling in here, but the “GABU! GABU!” is still overwhelmed by the “NA-I-TO! NA-I-TO!” Both men stir while Red Shoes returns.

Gabe clutches his neck while rolling away from Naito. Naito changes course and rolls for his corner, hot tags to Sanada and Hiromu! Hiromu dodges Sanada’s boot but Sanada blocks the lariat! Dragon sleeper, but Hiromu spins that around! Sanada fights the suplex so Hiromu dropkicks a leg out! Hiromu KICKS and fireman’s carries, and flips Sanada into the dragon sleeper! Sanada spins that around, but Hiromu fights a suplex! Hiromu suplexes but Sanada slips free to dragon sleeper! SKULL END! Hiromu endures but Sanada drops back into the body scissors! The fans rally and Hiromu fights around!

Sanada squeezes as tight as he can and Hiromu is fading! Red Shoes checks, Hiromu faintly comes back to life, but Sanada goes to his old ways! Sanada goes up and up to ROUNDING BODY PRESS, but onto knees!! Hiromu saves himself and the fans rally up! Hiromu feeds off the energy to fire back up. Hiromu runs to HIROMU- NO, Sanada dodges the lariat, but the HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER still finds him! Fireman’s carry, TIMEBOMB 1.5!! Cover, TWO!! Sanada survives and Hiromu grows frustrated. The fans rally up behind him and Hiromu drags Sanada up. Hiromu fireman’s carries but Sanada slips free.

Sanada waistlocks but Hiromu switches. Sanada grabs at Red Shoes, Red Shoes gets away, and Hiromu avoids the low blow kick! Hiromu SUPERKICKS Sanada, then runs, but Sanada slips around! Sanada shoves Hiromu at Red Shoes and Red Shoes almost ends up falling out of the ring! Sanada whips Hiromu to POP-UP LOW BLOW! And then O’CONNER BRIDGE!! Cover, NAITO YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! Naito returns the favor and grins at Sanada. Gabe storms in with a chair! Naito runs and shoves Hiromu out of harm’s way! Naito then dodges Gabe to POP-UP LOW BLOW!! Another bit of returning the favor!

The fans are thunderous as Gabe writhes and rolls out of the ring. Naito drags Sanada up, Hiromu helps, BOOSTED TORNADO- NO! Sanada slips free, but Naito sends him into a SUPERKICK! ENZIGIRI! HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER!! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he fireman’s carries Sanada, for the OG TIMEBOMB!! Cover, TWO?!?! Sanada survives and shocks everyone! Hiromu roars and the fans are with him! Hiromu clinches in a dragon sleeper, but Gabe BITES Hiromu’s face! Gabe DECKS Naito, then he drags Hiromu up. Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS , and CHOPS! Gabe just UPPERCUTS!

Gabe scoops and SLAMS Hiromu, then goes up the corner! MAD MAN MOONSAULT! Gabe calls to Sanada to get Hiromu, and Sanada goes up! ROUNDING BODY PRESS!! Cover, TWO!!! Hiromu survives and Sanada is furious!! Red Shoes defends his count and the fans are electric for Hiromu! Gabe reels Hiromu in, PILEDRIVER!! Feed to the DEAD- NO, Naito CLUBS Sanada! Naito dodges Gabe, comes back, DESTINO!!! SHINING WIZARD from Sanada!! Sanada hauls Hiromu up but Hiromu pump-handles! HIROMU-CHAN CRA- NO! SHINING WIZARD!! Sanada roars, fans are torn, but he drags Hiromu up.

Sanada clinches, DEAD- NO, Hiromu slips free, wrenches, pump handle, HIROMU-CHAN CRADLE!!! LIJ WINS!!!!

Winners: Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi, by pinfall (World Tag League 2024 Champions)

Sanada cannot believe it, but Kumamoto absolutely loves it!! The War Dogs tore through A Block, but it was the team that survived the extra Triple Threat match that takes the whole thing! What does this mean for the combination of Gabe and Sanada in the future? Is there a future for them?

As for LIJ, Naito drags himself into the ring, crawls over to Hiromu, and master and student hug it out! Red Shoes brings them the trophies, and LIJ sets them side by side before they stand back up. Naito gets his hat back on while Hiromu rests on the mat again. And after a little water to refresh themselves, Naito gets the mic. “Buenas noches, KUMAMOTOOOO~!” The fans cheer, and Naito says, “The way things work, it should be Hiromu, the main event winner, on the mic right now. But it looks like he took some damage. In that case, I’ll say my part first.” The fans applaud that.

Naito thanks all the fans that came out to the Grand Messe Kumamoto for the WTL Finals. “Gracias, amigos.” The fans cheer that, and Naito adds that he won the main event here back in April of 2018. He sent a message to all the fans here that night. Does anyone remember what he said about “having the courage to take that step?” The fans applaud as it seems they do. Naito says, “Make no mistake, we won the World Tag League thanks to Hiromu.” The fans applaud again, and even chant for “HI-RO-MU! HI-RO-MU!” Naito says that Hiromu’s refusal to give up under any circumstance made Naito feel he had to take that step, too.

“And that step brings me to that singles match we were set to have before the pandemic.” Fans are intrigued hearing that. Naito says how about doing it January 4th in the Tokyo Dome? The fans cheer for Hiromu in support of that idea. Hiromu takes the mic now and asks if it takes Naito that long to take a step. The fans chuckle, and Hiromu stands. Hiromu says thanks to that, they were able to enter WTL and win it all. Hiromu thanks Naito for that, both arigato and gracias. The fans applaud, and Hiromu reviews the idea: January 4th, WrestleKingdom, Naito VS Hiromu. “The answer is, of course…! Let’s do it.”

The fans cheer as the match is now set! Hiromu thanks Naito for letting him know this is how he felt! “It’s important to say what we feel, isn’t it? Everyone, do you have something you want to say as well? It could to a friend, a lover, a parent, a teacher, a senpai, a kouhai! I’m reminded once again how important it is to share what we are feeling. Naito-san, do you mind if I tell you something, too?” The fans are again intrigued. “Naito-san, thank you for teaching me how to be a wrestler!” Hiromu bows and the fans applaud. Hiromu then says January 4th can’t come soon enough! “Everyone, we only live once, so enjoy it to the fullest!”

First, think of the life you wanna live, and then enjoy it to the fullest! And during that time, if pro-wrestling can bring you even a bit of joy, Hiromu will be satisfied! So then, let’s have more… The fans echo back, “Moto!” Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! MOTO fun in life enjoying pro-wrestling together~! The confetti goes off as the WTL winners must take a different route for WrestleKingdom. Will it be teacher or student who proves themselves the better man in the Tokyo Dome?

My Thoughts:

An awesome finale to WTL 2024, even with a lot of the other matches just kind of filler since there weren’t tag titles to be defended here and a lot of WrestleKingdom 19 stuff to be set up. I made sure to do the 10 Man Tag because it of course fed Tanahashi VS Evil, but I certainly didn’t see it happening that way. Tanahashi going wild because of all the frustration he has with Evil was some great stuff, and a Lumberjack match is a great move so that Tanahashi’s allies, aka all of The House of Torture’s enemies, are gonna be ringside with them. But moving up the retirement stipulation is a shock. Was saying 2026 would be when Tanahashi retires just a smokescreen so this would be more shocking? Or is this the smokescreen to put more drama on a match we’re pretty sure Tanahashi still wins?

The Six Man Tag of TMDK VS Shota & Funky Sauce was really good, and a really good win for Oiwa there. This was all still just secondary to building heat on Shota and ZSJ, but it was rather funny for Shota to have that paper (and I think soft foam?) belt and ZSJ mocking him with the wrist tape. If Shota ends up winning, I think NJPW is guilty of making him their “Super Cena,” their “Cena Wins LOL” guy, and that’s a disservice to Shota and especially Zack. Zack needs to make it through a WK with that belt, let Shota fight his way back up through the New Japan Cup or something.

And awesome, incredible main event with the WTL finals. I figured Naito & Hiromu were winning, just because Gabe’s got his NJPW Strong title and the Kenny Omega match for that Tokyo Dome weekend. Not sure what it means for Sanada, but I don’t think he’s leaving War Dogs already (as funny as that would be). And I suppose with Henare’s knee in question, they’re just going to leave the Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match for another time. Naito VS Hiromu, the World Champ VS Junior Heavyweight Champ match we never got four years ago for the anniversary show, is a great move for WK19. There’s no place better than WK for a match like that, and they can’t wait on this match with Naito having said he’s getting closer and closer to retiring.

That said, maybe Hiromu wins to put him over and get him into that next level where he’s going for big titles. Granted, NJPW is literal about the “heavyweight” part of the World Heavyweight Championship, and I don’t know if Hiromu’s going to be able to pull off a 205+ frame. He’s already ~195, he’s already 35, but hey, maybe he can get a short reign in just so he can say he was on top of both weight classes in his career.

My Score: 9/10