Night three and I don’t have much to say. It’s a single cam show which would generally lead to a drop in the effort levels. However, no-one tries in this tournament anyway, so I doubt it’s going to make a difference. Let’s get it over and done with.
Togi Makabe and Toa Henare (1-1) defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi (1-1)
There was some mild enjoyment to be had from the story they established early on as Nagata and Nakanishi isolated Henare in the ring while taking regular timeouts to knock Makabe off the apron. That caused old Togi’s temper to rise as he started throwing barricades around at ringside.
The problem is that when the hot tag came, it fizzled out like a damp squib. Makabe charged the ring, hit a few lariats, did the punches in the corner before eating a solitary Nagata Suplex and tagging back out. It wasn’t leaving anyone feeling like they got their money’s worth.
Makabe would tag back in later, eventually hitting the King Kong Knee Drop on Nakanishi, but by that point, I imagine most viewers had zoned out. This was horrifically mediocre, and you’d have to be really desperate for wrestling to give it the ten minutes it needs.
Verdict: Two Stars
Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr) (2-0) defeated Jeff Cobb and a piece of shit (0-2)
I don’t review Michael Elgin’s matches.
If you want to understand why give this a read.
Verdict: Fuck Michael Elgin
CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) (1-1) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka) (0-2)
Yano and Suzuki have been feuding for years while Ishii and Suzuki aren’t exactly best buds either. This had the potential to find the spark the tournament has been missing.
Unfortunately, any chance of that was quickly drowned in a sea of Iizuka’s spittle. Does anyone enjoy watching him gnaw on wrestlers? That’s a sincere question, if you’re a fan, please get in touch.
There were brief moments of sanity among the toothy madness. I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy Suzuki and Ishii smacking each other in the face, so I’m always happy to be fed up a slice of that. The thud of elbows making up for Iizuka’s grunting on the outside.
Sadly, it wasn’t to last. The ending sequence revolved around Yano ducking it out with Suzuki-gun, and while it wasn’t awful, it wasn’t great either. Ishii would then come in to provide the Lariat assist for a low blow and a roll-up on Iizuka, leaving the Young Lions to face Suzuki’s wrath.
Verdict: Two And A Half Stars
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa) (2-0) defeated Juice Robinson and David Finlay (1-1)
Has anyone pointed out that Jado’s new look is awful? The man is 50 and looks like he’s been cast in a low budget film about gang culture. Someone needs to have a word.
On top of that, Jado’s presence at ringside is yet another hindrance towards me ever appreciating GOD. Proceedings haven’t gone full G1, but he’s a niggly little pest, getting involved in matches, and pissing me off. They could at least keep this tournament clean.
Outside of that, this wasn’t that bad. Juice and Finlay are a constant source of delight as they elevate each other and keep the energy level up even in front of a crowd that until this point had been relatively uninspired. I don’t expect classics in this environment, but FinnJuice at least makes me believe they care.
Not that caring was enough as our ever so boring tag champs picked up the win. NJPW has kept GOD strong all year which looks likely to continue through the tournament. I guess we’ll see how far that goes in the coming days.
Verdict: Three Stars
Overall Show
Another fine World Tag League show. These matches are all short and zip by when you’re watching them. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good. There is better wrestling out there for you to be watching.
Watch World Tag League: https://njpwworld.com/
Ramblings About Wrestling 
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