Hyogo sees three teams still alive
Hyogo prefecture saw night 11 of World Tag League on December 3, with the penultimate matches for A Block pitting Ren Narita and Shota Umino opposite TMDK’s Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls in the main event.
Umino and Haste had a spirited, high paced and technical exchange early on before Narita and Nicholls were more interested in throwing stiff strikes. Unmino and Narita showed their double team ability on Nicholls, but Haste would re-enteer the fray, and TMDK were much more effective with tandem offense. Narita would be cornered, but a spark was lit for Umino on receiving a tag, and the pace quickened. A pop up knee and exploder to Nicholls, and Umino tagged back out to Narita just past the ten minute mark, who closed in with a big back elbow and half hatch for a near two.
Narita kept up the pressure, getting a Cobra Twist on Nicholls that Haste just barely broke up. After a Death Valley Bomb, Nicholls was able to bring Haste back in, but he would fall victim to a sickening apron DDT from Umino and a slingshot cutter for a near two; Shooter followed up with an STF, but Nicholls bodily hurled Narita to break the hold. On the second try, the submission was in, and though Haste escaped, a Hart Attack with Narita scored a near two.
Umino and Narita had Haste under their thumb as they drove for victory, but Haste kept refusing to lose. Ducking out the way of Blaze Blade, Haste rocked Umino with a lariat and a Dynamic Bomb for a near two as Nicholls scored a Mikey Bomb on Narita. That set Umino for Highway To Hell and a nearfall; TMDK wanted the Tankbuster and scored, Umino and Narita crashing out of the tournament in the process.
The semi main event pitting War Dogs Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin against HOUSE OF TORTURE’s Yujiro Takahashi and EVIL started chaotic with a brawl on the entrance, and went on to break every rule in the book as Kidd tried to get a tag from Coughlin. That done, Kidd didn’t let up, biting at the King of Darkness, but getting dropped on the exposed concrete floor by an intervening Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Dick Togo.
A chaotic match only escalated when referee Marty Asami was the unwitting recipient of a clubbing Kidd lariat and the match spilled into the crowd. Kidd would be locked out of the arena, only to re-emerge with a dive off the balcony. The War Dogs seemed set to score a win with the Hijack Piledriver but the lights were turned out thanks to SHO. A five on two mugging saw Kidd struck with Pimp Juice, but as the finishing blow was about to be hit, Gedo hit the ring with a sledgehammer; a low blow and cane shot to Yujiro set up the Hijack Piledriver and the three.
Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa needed a win to stay in against CHAOS’ Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano on the night. Kiyomiya was highly aggressive against Ishii early, before he and Oiwa cleared the ring