My NJPW World Tag League 2017 Day 19 (Finals) Overview

NJPW World Tag League Day 19

Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka International Center

Attendance: 3.147

Network: TV Asahi 2

Commentators: Kevin Kelly & Don Callis (English)

NJPW World Tag League 2017 Day 19 Pre-Show Standings
A Block	Points
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)	10
Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi)	8
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)	8
Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan)	8
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka)	6
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens)	6
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima)	6
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi	4
B Block	Points
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)	10
Killer Elite Squad (Vance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)	10
War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)	10
CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)	8
Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb	8
Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T)	8
Muscle Candy (Togi Makabe & Henare)	2
David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura	0

Match #1

Ten-Man Tag Team Match

Togi Makabe, David Finlay, Henare, Katsuya Kitamura & Hirai Kawato vs TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin "Thunder" Liger

• This was a fun opening match. Kojima hits the Cozy Lariat on Kawato for the pinfall.

Winners: TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin "Thunder" Liger

Match #2

Eight-Man Tag Team Match

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga) vs War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson), Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb

• This was the "let's show what Jeff Cobb can do" match as he just about suplexed everyone within sight.
• A bit later on Cobb managed to hit a Spinning Sidewalk Slam on Leo Tonga. Very impressive.
• nearly all tour long, Chase Owens has been teasing that he has learned the Tongan Death Grip. He tries to lock it in on Rowe here to no avail.
• War Machine hit the Fallout on Tonga for the pinfall.
• They did the War Machine forearm bumps to the young lion crew around the ring. They sold it, the cameraman still didn't sell it. WM took it in good stride though.
• No special shout outs from Rowe tonight. There's probably beef all of the time in locker rooms but the fact this is all somewhat public makes it all a bit awkward.

Winners: War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson), Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb

Match #3

BULLET CLUB vs Los Ingobernables de Japon

Normal Match

Bad Luck Fale vs BUSHI

• Considering the depth of NJPW's roster, this seems like an odd match to put on three matches in. Usually it's all tag team matches during the first half of these shows.
• The match doesn't last too long as Fale goes for the Grenade but gets misted in the face by BUSHI who follows up with a low blow that results in a DQ.
• BUSHI puts an exclamation mark on it with the MX that lays out Fale.

Winner by DQ: Bad Luck Fale

Match #4

Tag Team Match

Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T) vs Death Juice (Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan)

• Death Juice has been an unexpected treat in this tournament. You would think that these two characters would be diametrically opposed against each other but they gel so well together. Here's hoping they stay as a tag team after this tournament but if not, I would definitely settle for a singles run for Sami because the version of Sami Callihan that has been competing in NJPW is definitely my favorite.
• This was a great match. Both of these guys were in different blocks in the tournament so we're getting a cool little bonus for the finals tonight.
• Best Friends hit the Strong Zero for the pinfall.

Winners: Best Friends

Match #5

Eight-Man Tag Team Match

CHAOS (Hriooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) vs Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & El Desperado)

• This was a good eight-man tag. They usually are with the right combinations.
• Goto hit the GTR on Desperado for the pinfall.
• After the match, Goto challenged Suzuki for the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12. He offered to put his hair on the line for the match. If he can't defeat Suzuki for the championship then he will shave his head. Big stakes for WK although it's possible that Goto is just sick of hair.

Winners: CHAOS

Match #6

Tag Team Match

BULLET CLUB (Cody & Marty Scurll) vs Kota Ibushi & KUSHIDA

• Another good match here.
• Question: Would you rather see Kota Ibushi mixing it up here with great matches such as this or would you rather see him on 205 Live in its current state.....yeaaah, I think Ibushi knows what's good.
• The end saw Cody and Kota fight their way onto the stage where Cody hits nasty-looking Cross Rhodes on Kota where it looked like he landed on his head.
• Villain would then do villain things as he threw powder into KUSHIDA's eyes for the pin. Classic villain move.

Winners: BULLET CLUB

Match #7

Six-Man Tag Team Match

BULLET CLUB (Kenny Omega, Nick & Matt Jackson) vs CHAOS (Rocky Romero, SHO & YOH)

• Good to see all six of these guys come out here and kill it. They definitely freshen up the show after seeing a tour full of the same competitors.
• I hear Matt Jackson is a hell of a creative mind when it comes to creating innovative spots in matches. There was a spot here where SHO and YOH were trying to German Suplex each Young Buck. However, The Bucks were trying to hold on to each other to prevent this. Kenny Omega runs in and grabs each Buck's arm to further prevent this. It all unraveled when Rocky Romero hit a Sunset Flip on Omega which simultaneously caused the two German Suplexes to execute.
• After a Superkick Party, The Bucks and Roppongi 3K battle up the ramp leaving Omega in the ring with Romero. It isn't long before Omega hits the One-Winged Angel on Rocky for the pinfall.
• Omega's celebration is cut short by another Chris Jericho video. Jericho congratulates Omega on his win but asks him if he's ready for his greatest and hardest match against Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom. They're going to find out who the best really is and Jericho plans to beat the hell out of Omega and asks "The Cleaner" if he understands what he's saying to him right now.
• What would follow would be one of the most craziest and surreal moments I've ever seen. Usually a vignette is enough but no, Chris Jericho is here!
• Jericho lays out Omega with a Codebreaker, picks up the IWGP United States Championship and nails Omega with it. Omega is busted open which means a return of another wrestling-related thing that I haven't seen in a while, blood! And look how effective it was in selling the whole attack.
• Omega tries to fight back but Jericho blast shim in the face and delivers one more Codebreaker. 
• Jericho really looks to be growing back that trademark lion's mane.
• Kevin Kelly is imploring Don Callis not to check on Omega yet and to let a doctor do it.
• Right on cue, Jericho, upon seeing Callis check on Omega, returns to the ring and lays out Callis with a Codebreaker. 
• Jericho takes Omega's blood and wipes it on his face.
• I really enjoyed the subtlety of Omega and Callis both matching in their attires as Omega sported the pink/violet tassels of his house show gear (and his own blood) and Callis was sporting a similarly colored shirt.
• Jericho holds up the IWGP United States Championship and yells "ALPHA!". So it looks like the US Title will be on the line at WK12. That title could certainly benefit from being involved in such a high profile match.
• The Young Bucks run back out (Nick has a baseball bat) and chase off Jericho who walks back up the ramp in full heel mode flipping off fans and calling them "Baka". (A Google Translate search informs me that Baka roughly translates to fool. However, if you guys have seen the promo on DDT that was on Botchamania recently you'd know that these things can't fully be trusted yet.)
• The Bucks help Omega to the back as Jericho yells that he'll see him at the Tokyo Dome. Classic match build up. Awesome stuff. 
• Callis is then stretchered out as Kevin Kelly puts over the severity of it all.
• Even seeing Henare in the same space as Jericho is quite surreal.

Winners: BULLET CLUB

Match #8

Tag Team Match

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi)

• This was a fantastic tag team match and it would be impossible for me detail everything that went down. But then again, that's why this is an overview/review and not a recap.
• Naito hits Ospreay with the Destino which allows Takahashi to hit the Time Bomb for the pinfall.
• I think Naito asks the crowd who they're rooting for at WK12 and Kevin Kelly says that they're split but Naito's fans are shouting down Okada's fans.
• Naito goes to finish his LIJ catchphrase when Okada runs in and attacks Naito. The altercation ends with Okada slapping on his new Cobra Clutch with Scissors on Naito and Takahashi. (I referred to it as the Deep in Debt in earlier posts but I was mistaken.)
• Okada looks like he's about to go back in for seconds but Gedo and the young lions change his mind in favor of waiting for WK.

Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon

Match #9

World Tag League 2017 Finals Match

Tag Team Match

The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)

• This was a great tag team match to end the show. The position of the match, the length of it and the great content of the match itself really did well to elevate all involved.
• At one point EVIL and SANADA hit a Magic Killer on Tanga Loa off the apron and through one of those NJPW tables.
• They hit two Magic Killers on Tama Tonga who kicked out of each of them in a set of near falls that i definitely bit on.
• EVIL drops Tonga with the Everything is Evil STO for the pinfall and the tournament victory.
• EVIL and SANADA will face the Killer Elite Squad for the IWGP Tag Team Championships at WK12.
• EVIL and SANADA call out KES who oblige. Archer kicks EVIL's trophy as Archer tells them that on January 4th they will die. 
• KES leave and EVIL finishes off his catchphrase of "DISS...IS...EEEEVIL! EVERREHTHENG IS EVIL!"
• On paper that catchprase looks lame as hell but much credit to Gedo and EVIL for making it catchy.

World Tag League 2017 Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)

Overall Thoughts

Considering that the space between the G1 and WK is usually a recuperation period, this was a tremendous show with really great matches and one really awesome angle. On a side note: Hiroshi Tanahashi has suffered an injury and from what I hear, it will be touch and go for him as we get closer and closer to WK. It sucks because that's not really enough time to build up a meaningful program with someone. However, as I type that I realize that we're dealing with Gedo here and if anyone can turn chicken crap into chicken salad it's him.

Also, shout out to EVIL who's already come a long way in his career from when I first saw him in 2013 in Toronto for ROH/NJPW Global Wars.