NJPW STRONG, IWGP Tag Team Champions both advance from the block
December 7 saw the last night of league action for B Block in World Tag League, as the opponents for BULLET CLUB War Dogs and TMDK were set for Friday’s semifinals.
The first block deciding matchup of the night saw Hikuleo and El Phantasmo of Guerrillas of Destiny facing Lance archer and Alex Zayne, Monstersauce. Alex Zayne and El Phantasmo exchanged holds to start, with Zayne grounding ELP with a shooting senton, but Hikuleo clobbered the Sauce with a brutal chop. Staying on offence, Hikuleo landed a lariat on fellow giant Archer; though the Murderhawk Monster scored with one in return, Hikuleo still bowled Archer to the floor, leaving Zayne in dangerous clutches, before a giant Archer shaped cannonball made the save.
Now it was Phantasmo in the wrong corner, but on working his way free, Hikuleo’s power once again came to the fore. A brutal snap powerslam on Zayne set up the UFO. GoD set up to finish Zayne, but the Sauce directed a Sudden Death from ELP into Hikuleo and followed with the Baja Blast. Archer came back in to swing the momentum in Monsterasuce’s favour; ELP resisted the Blackout but fell to a top floor Hurricanrana, Chokeslam and Chokesault. Hikuleo needed to make the save and did, all four men going to the canvas, and after Hikuleo and Archer were first up, the veteran Monstersauce giant dumped Hikuleo over the top before setting Phantasmo for disaster.
A Samoan Blockbuster seemed to set Monstersauce up for he Blackout Sauce; when that didn’t work, Archer instead hurled Zayne out to his opponents on the floor. Hikuleo wouldn’t be denied, and still made it back inside to deliver a suplex to Archer, and ELP came in for the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 to put the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Champions in the final four.
The other half of the ‘win and in formula’ saw IWGP tag team Champions Bishamon up against Yuya Uemura and Taichi. Hirooki Goto was dealing with neck issues that persisted through the tour, and felt the brunt of Taichi’s attacks early; as he tagged out to YOSHI-HASHI, Uemura’s classical style did its own damage on the Headhunter. The champions together though would have the edge, and double team offense saw the control of the match go to Bishamon. The two time WTL winners cut the ring in half and kept Uemura in the bad half, but he was able to effort a tag to Taichi, and the Holy Emperor was able to go right for the neck of Goto.
The crowd exploded for an Ax Bomber to the weakened neck of Goto, and a plancha from Uemura to YOSHI-HASHI as a Dangerous Backdrop almost decided the match. Goto kicked out at the last second, but was feeling the effects on his neck, having to grit his teeth to absorb a kick and turn it into Ushigoroshi. Goto needed a tag, but YOSHI-HASHI was out on the floor; instead a clash of wills center ring saw massive lariats and a head kick from Taichi that left both men on the mat at the ten minute mark