My NJPW World Tag League 2017 Day 16 Overview

NJPW World Tag League - Day 16

Yamaguchi, Japan

Refresh Park General Gymnasium

Attendance: 928

NJPW World Tag League 2017 Day 16 Pre-Show Standings
A Block	Points
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)	8
Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi)	8
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)	8
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka)	6
Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan)	6
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens)	6
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima)	4
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi	2
B Block	Points
CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)	8
Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb	8
Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T)	8
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)	8
Killer Elite Squad (Vance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)	6
War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)	6
Togi Makabe & Henare	0
Muscle Candy (David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura)	0

Day 16 will feature two matches from the B Block. As far a who is in the lead, I'm not exactly sure. I do know that there is a log jam for first place as four teams all have eight points. Those teams are Ishii & Yano, Elgin & Cobb, Best Friends and G.o.D.. I predict that tonight The KES and War Machine will join that log jam.

World Tag League 2017 Block B Match

Tag Team Match

War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson)(6 points) vs David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura (0 points)

• Both teams shake hands. However, when War Machine turn their backs towards their corner, David Finlay launches an attack on them. They no-sell it as Finlay remarks that he was only pranking them. Kitamura is called in and and Finlay's team starts to mount some offense with forearms.
• Kitamura really shows off his power by clotheslining both members of War Machine and delivering a gutwrench suplex on Hanson.
• War Machine win shortly after with the Fallout backdrop/leg drop combo.
• Good match.

Winners: War Machine (Fallout)(8 points)

War Machine now officially make it a five way tie at 1st place with eight points.

World Tag League 2017 Block B Match

Non-Title

Tag Team Match

Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)(6 points) vs Togi Makabe & Henare (0 points)

• Henare backs Makabe into the corner and convinces him that he's got this before lunging at KES with his attack. Ballsy Henare. 
  
• Makabe disregards Henare's request and moves in to back him up and attack KES to make it a two on two brawl.
• I really enjoy Henare's overzealousness. He knows that he's teaming up with a raging bad ass and he wants to prove that he's just as tough despite still being a young lion but his zeal is what has been ultimately costing Makabe and Henare any success in this tournament. Despite Makabe's frustration with constantly losing, you can tell by his body language that he might have a modicum of respect for this kid. Gedo rocks.
• KES have the heat on Henare for a lot of this match.
• Henare finally makes the hot tag and this is where this match really gets great. Makabe tries and fails to deliver a Spider Suplex on Archer. After that, I bit on nearly every near-fall and almost thought that Henare would get the pin with a diving cross body. 
• KES hit several double team maneuvers but Henare either won't stay down or Makabe would make the save. Like I said, I'm biting on almost every near-fall.
• KES eventually win with the Killer Bomb.
• Good match with a really fun finishing sequence.

Winners: Killer Elite Squad (Killer Bomb)(8 points)

Log jam is putting it mildly. Now we have a 5PM traffic jam inside of a tunnel with only one lane. Every team except for Makebe/Henare and Finlay/Kitamura are tied for 1st.

Closing Promos

• I can listen to Bad Luck Fale talk all day long. He once again tells Chase "Stick with me, kid. We'll go places." like Hiroshima. Owens is about to reveal the move that he's learning (Tongan Death Grip) but Fale tells him not to reveal it. Fale then goes to 'too-sweet' the same Japanese gentleman that is always back there and tells him to "Fuck off, you fucking nerrrrrd". We're on day 16 and this fella still had trust in Fale for a proper 'too-sweet'. Sweet, innocent man.
• Hangman Page and Yujiro talk about having the biggest dick and the biggest balls. Nope. Can't let the kids watch New Japan!
• Yikes, time for Team Awkward.
• Cobb is singing "Midnight Train to Wrestle Kingdom"
• Cobb: "If we win we're in! If we lose......we drink some booze!". Words to live by, good friends.
• Cobb pictures them eating Pepper Lunch after the Tokyo Dome show with their newly won IWGP Tag Team Championships. 
• You can tell by Elgin's face that he is aaaaaaaall set with that.
• Man, War Machine are awesome. They're The Ascension done right. Imagine if Paul Ellering would have brought in War Machine to NXT to manage. 
• Finlay and Kitamura are eliminated from the tournament but Finlay still gives a spirited promo about how they're going to defeat Makabe and Henare at the next show. 
• Christ, so you're telling me that Finlay and Kitamura are Muscle Candy and not Makabe and Henare? I've been calling Makabe/Henare Muscle Candy nearly all tournament ever since I heard Henare mention the name in one of his fiery promos. 
  
• You can tell that Kitamura is a really nice dude. He's got such a bright future.
• Henare cuts a fiery 1980s white-meat babyface promo. Kitamura's going down.
• KES let Best Friends that they're next on the KES Everybody Dies Tour. 
• Beretta agrees with KES. It is a scientific fact that everybody WILL die. But before that, Best Friends are going to beat KES.
• Apparently Will Ospreay pulled an R-Truth and said the wrong town name? Blames Gedo.
• Thanks to Ospreay it hits me. WK12 is right around the corner. EVOLVE 97 in my town, Star Wars, WK12, 205 Live in Lowell (lol jk....maybe) and Royal Rumble. Much fun coming UP!
• My boy EVIL cutting his promo EVIL style. I've been reciting the same line all week line as my friends give me funny looks. "No problum, no...surprisah... * Deep inhale * ... DIS...IS EEEEVIL. EVERETHENG....is eeeeeevil. * sideways peace out sign *

Closing Thoughts

I really enjoyed the finishing moments of the KES/Makabe & Henare match. Not much else to say except fine wrestling all around. I appreciate the format. There's been a lot of these shows but at least there's not too much to watch if you're just watching the tournament matches like I am.

NJPW World Tag League 2017 Day 16 Post-Show Standings
A Block	Points
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)	8
Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi)	8
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)	8
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka)	6
Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan)	6
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens)	6
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima)	4
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi	2
B Block	Points
CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)	8
Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb	8
Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T)	8
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)	8
Killer Elite Squad (Vance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)	8
War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)	8
Muscle Candy (Togi Makabe & Henare)	0
David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura	0