NJPW World Tag League 2016 Day 1 Results: The Tournament Begins, Billy Gunn Debuts & Tetsuya Naito’s Mystery Partner Revealed
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You can see the full results below.
World Tag League Block A: Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Rush) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson
World Tag League Block A: TenCozy (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) def. Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Roa)
World Tag League Block A: Brian Breaker & Leiland Race def. Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi)
World Tag League Block A: War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe) def. Manabu Nakanishi & Henare
Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi) def. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Bone Soldier)
Los Ingobernables (Bushi, Evil & Sanada) def. Tiger Mask IV, Yuji Nagata & Katsuyori Shibata
Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida & Hunter Club (Billy Gunn & Yoshi Tatsu) def. David Finlay, Jushin “Thunder” Liger & Global Bash Heel (Tomoaki Homna & Togi Makabe)
Teruaki Kanemitsu def. Hirai Kawato
Match By Match Recap
Teruaki Kanemitsu vs. Hirai Kawato
The match begins with Kawato overpowering Kanemitsu before hitting him with forearm strikes, Kawato drops Kanemitsu with a drop kick for a near fall. The two wrestlers have a chopping exchange in the middle of the ring, Kanemitsu wins the battle and he holds Kawato in a headlock. Kawato tries fighting back and Kanemitsu drops him with a shoulder tackle, Kanemitsu goes for a pin before holding Kawato in a chin lock. Kanemitsu transitions from the chin lock into a camel clutch on Kawato, Kanemitsu releases the hold to catch Kawato with a hip toss for a near fall. Kawato recovers and he drops a charging Kanemitsu with a drop kick, Kawato attacks Kanemitsu with a few forearm strikes and a running European uppercut.
Kawato then hits Kanemitsu with a couple of slams and a couple of pin attempts, Kawato then locks Kanemitsu in the Bostn crab. Kanemitsu eventually gets o the ropes to break the hold, Kawato attacks Kanemitsu with a few more strikes in the corner. Kanemitsu recovers though and he crushes Kawato with a running drop kick in the corner, the wrestlers have another striking exchange in the middle of the ring. Kanemitsu drops a charging Kawato with a drop kick for a near fall, Kanemitsu slams Kawato and locks him in a Boston crab to force a submission.
Winner: Teruaki Kanemitsu
David Finlay, Jushin “Thunder” Liger & Global Bash Heel (Tomoaki Homna & Togi Makabe) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida & Hunter Club (Billy Gunn & Yoshi Tatsu)
The match begins with Taguchi threatening to attack Liger with hip attacks, Liger responds by kicking him in the behind and nailing him with a few atomic drops. Kushida and Homna get the tags from their respective partners, Homna starts working over the arm of Kushida. Kushida trips up Homna and he shows his amateur wrestling skills against him, Kushida works a headlock on Homna. Homna eventually drops Kushida with a shoulder tackle before attacking him with chops, Kushida recovers to drop Homna with a hip toss before landing a drop kick. Homna quickly rrecovers as well and he misses a headbutt against Kushida, Gunn tags in and he attacks Homna with strikes in the corner.
Tatsu tags in and he attacks a downed Homna with some stomps, Gunn and Makabe battle each other on the arena floor. Tatsu kicks a downed Homna in the back to score a near fall, Tatsu attacks a dazed Hmna with a series of kicks. Homna recovers and drops Tatsu before landing a headbutt on him, Makabe tags in and he cleans house on the opposition. Makabe then hits Tatsu with a northern lights suplex for a near fall, Makabe follows that up by catching Tatsu with a clothesline and a power slam for another two count. Finlay and Gunn get the tags from their respective partners, Finlay eats a few shots before nailing Gunn with a European uppercut. Gunn hits Finlay with the Fame Asser from out of nowhere to score a three count.
Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida & Hunter Club (Billy Gunn & Yoshi Tatsu)
Tiger Mask IV, Yuji Nagata & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Los Ingobernables (Bushi, Evil & Sanada)
The match begins with a brawl between all six competitors in the match, Nagata quickly catches Sanada in the Nagata Lock. Bushi breaks the hold and Nagata quickly sends him out of the ring, Nagata then attacks Sanada with a series of kicks to the body. Bushi again attacks Nagata as Sanada goes down with an apparent knee injury, Evil tags in and he attacks Nagata with strikes in the corner. Bushi tags in and he catches Nagata with a missile drop kick before choking him with his shirt, Evil tags back in before catching Nagata with a slam followed by a senton bomb for a near fall. Evil continues working over Nagata until Nagata nails him with a low drop kick, Nagata gets attacked by Sanada and he takes him out before tagging Shibata in.
Shibata takes out both Evil and Sanada with a series of drop kicks, Evil recovers and he nails Shibata with a clothesline before choking him in the corner. Evil catches Shibata with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall, Shibata and Evil then exchange a few kicks before Shibata takes him out. Mask IV tags in and Bushi does as well for his team, Bushi climbs to the top rope and Mask Iv catches him with a top ropee arm drag for a near fall. Mask IV follows that up by crushing Bushi with a tombstone pile driver, Mask IV sets Bushi up for a hold until Evil interferes. Sanada tags back in and Mask IV catches him with a Tiger Driver for a near fall, a brawl breaks out on the arena floor between members of this match. Sanada catches Mask IV with a TKO for the near fall, Sanada locks Mask IV in the Sanada Lock to get the submission.
Winners: Los Ingobernables (Bushi, Evil & Sanada)
Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi) vs. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Bone Soldier)
The match kicks off with Ishii attacking Fale with a plethora of strikes, Fale responds by dropping Ishii with a shoulder tackle. Got briefly interferes to attack Fale, but Fale quickly recovers and he slams Ishii on the ground below to avoid a suplex. Chaos hits the ring and attacks Fale before Ishii finally catches him with a suplex, Goto tags in and Fale quickly traps him in the corner of Bullet Club. Bone tags in and he attacks Goto with strikes in the corner, Goto quickly regains control and he hits Bone with a spin kick in the corner. Bullet Club attacks Chaos and an all out brawl erupts on the arena floor, Bone regains control on Goto and he attacks him with strikes in the corner. Omega tags in and he continues assaulting Goto with strikes in the corner, Omega and Owens work together to double team Goto for a near fall.
Owens stays in the ring and he chokes Goto before tagging Fale back into the match, Fale simply sits on Goto to get a near fall. Ishii tries interfering and he is taken out by Bullet Club, Bone tags in and he goes to the top rope before Goto knocks him off with a spinning kick. Goto then attacks a dazed Bone with a plethora of forearm strikes and a modified back breaker, Okada gets the tags and he immediately attacks Bullet Club. Okada goes after Omega and he catches him with a flying elbow strike followed by a DDT, Okada then hits Omega with another hold for a near fall. Bullet Club gains control in the ring and all four of them get taken out by Okada, Okada eventually launches Omega into all three of his teammates. Okada goes to the top rope and Owens interferes so Omega can hit Okada with a bulldog, Owens gets the legal tag and he hits Okada with a few strikes.
Okada recovers by nailing Owens with an Emerald Fusion back breaker, Yoshi-Hashi tags in and he is immediately attacked by all four members of Bullet Club. Omega then hits Yoshi-Hashi with a dragon suplex, Omega and Owens nail Yoshi-Hashi with a double running knee strike for a near fall. Owens follows up by catching Yoshi-Hashi with a gut buster for another near fall, Owens looks for a package pile driver and Goto interferes to break that up. Goto and Ishii then work together to take out all the members of Bullet Club, Okada then catches a charging Omega with a drop kick. Yoshi-Hashi tries hitting Owens with a pump handle slam and Owens escapes, Yoshi-Hashi catches Owens with his finisher to get the three count.
Winners: Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi)
2016 World Tag League action is taking place on Page Two…
World Tag League Block A: Manabu Nakanishi & Henare vs. War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)
The match begins with War Machine immediately attacking their opponents as the bell rings, Nakanishi and Henare fight back until Rowe knocks Nakanishi out of the ring. Hanson picks up Henare and he tosses him out of the ring onto Nakanishi, Hanson then hits both opponents with a suicide dive. Rowe puts Henare into the corner before tagging Hanson in. Hanson then attacks Henare with a plethora of strikes in the corner, Rowe tags back in and he clobbers Henare with a knee strike to the face. Rowe slams Henare before he tags Hanson back into the match, Hanson holds Henare in a chin lock while punching him in the face. Rowe tags in and he slams Hanson on top of a downed Henare for a near fall, Rowe looks for a power bomb and Henare escapes to tag Nakanishi in. Rowe just picks up both members of the opposing team for a double slam, but they escape and Nakanishi hits Rowe with a few strikes.
Nakanishi then drops Rowe with a short arm clothesline that is followed by a lariat for a near fall, Nakanishi goes for the torture rack and Hanson interferes to stop it. Nakanishi then puts Hanson in the torture rack until Rowe breaks it up, Nakanishi then hits Rowe with another clothesline for a near fall. Henare tags back in and he works with Nakanishi to attack War Machine with double team moves, Henare nails Rowe with a senton bomb for a near fall. Henare goes to the top rope and Nakanishi throws him into Rowe for another near fall, Henare then locks Rowe in the Boston crab until hanson breaks it up. War Machine nail Henare with an elevated power slam for the near fall, War Machine then hit Henare with a German suplex/springboard lariat for another near fall. War Machine follow that up with a side supex/guillotine leg drop on Henare for the three count.
Winners: War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)
World Tag League Block A: Brian Breaker & Leiland Race vs. Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi)
The match begins with Breaker overpowering Takahashi and sending him flying across the ring, Takahashi looks for a takedown and the much larger Breaker does not allow it. Takahashi starts biting the hand of Breaker to gain the advantage, Breaker eats a boot as he charges at Takahashi. Breaker quickly drops a charging Takahashi with a chop and then he lands an elbow drop on him, Page and Race get the tags from their respective partners. Race scores a takedown on Page and he starts working over his arm, Page trips up Race and he goes to work on his arm as well. Race then attacks Page with some chops after they go through a few reversals, Race trips up a charging Page before nailing him with a missile drop kick. Page recovers and catches a charging Race with a boot to the face, Takahashi interferes and he knocks Race out of the ring.
Takahashi takes his pimp cane and he nails Race with it a few times, Takahashi throws race into the ring and Page gets a near fall on him. Takahashi tags in and he works with Page to hit race with a double back elbow strike followed by a senton bomb/leg drop attack for a near fall, Page tags back in and he attacks Race with stomps in the corner. Takahashi tags back in and he attacks Race with a few kicks and other strikes, Page tags back in and he rakes the face of Race against the ring ropes. Page slows things down even more by locking race in a chin lock, Race is able to avoid a clothesline from page to tag Breaker in. Breaker quickly cleans house on both of his opponents, Breaker then crushes Page with a shoulder breaker followed by an avalanche in the corner. Breaker then hits Page with a power slam for the near fall, Breaker brings Takahashi into the ring and he tosses him into Page.
Breaker then hits both Bullet Club members with an avalanche in the corner, Breaker follows that up by hitting Takahashi with the Oklahoma stampede. Page is finally able to drop a charging Breaker with a clothesline, Takahashi and Race are tagged in by their partners. Race hits Takahashi with a series of forearm strikes in the corner, Takahashi eventually drops a charging Race with a clothesline and a running boot to the face for a near fall. Race recovers and he drops Takahashi with a clothesline of his own, Page distracts Race and that allows Takahashi to hit him with a fisherman buster suplex. Page goes to the top rope to double team Race with Takahashi and Breaker knocks him off to the arena floor. Race hits Takahashi with sliced bread from out of nowhere to get the three count.
Winners: Brian Breaker & Leland Race
World Tag League Block A: TenCozy (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Roa)
The match kicks off with Kojima working over Roa with a headlock, Kojima tries knocking Roa down with shoulder tackles until he is brought down by one from Roa. Tenzan gets the tag and Tama gets one from his partner as well, Tama goes low on Tenzan before nailing him with shots to the throat. Tenzan gets angry and he nails Tama with a series of Mongolian chops, Roa comes in and he gets nailed with Mongolian chops as well. Kojima and Tenzan work together to hit Roa with a double suplex, Tama avoids a double team move from his opponents and the action spills to the arena floor. Tama takes the ring bell hammer and he nails Kojima with it, Tama then brings Kojima in the ring to punish him some more. Tama then hits a seated Kojima with a few headbutts, Roa tags in and he catches Kojima with a running power slam for the near fall.
Tama tags back in and he works over Kojima with a series of strikes, Kojima tries backing away and Tama nails him with a drop kick. Tama then decides to assault Kojima with more strikes in the corner before getting a two count with a pin attempt, Kojima fights back by catching Tama with a DDT. Tenzan gets the tag and he starts cleaning house on both of his opponents, Tenzan catches Tama with a bunch of Mongolian chops and headbutts. Tenzan then hits Tama with a running clothesline and a suplex to get a near fall, Tama stats fighting back and he finally drops Tenzan with a spear. Roa tags back in and he nails Tenzan with some forearm strikes followed by a clothesline for a near fall, Tenzan then hits a charging Roa with a spin kick before tagging Kojima in.
Kojima corners Roa and attacks him with a plethora of chops, Kojima then hits Roa with a flying forearm strike. Tama interferes and he works with Roa to hit Kojima with a bunch of double team maneuvers, Roa and Tama hit Kojima with a power bomb into a neck breaker for a near fall. Tenzan interferes as his partner was about to get hit with another double team move, Tama is taken out by a 3-D from Kojima and Tenzan. Kojima catches Roa with an ace crusher from out of nowhere, Kojima then hits Roa with a lariat for the three count.
Winners: TenCozy (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan)
World Tag League Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson vs. Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Rush) w/Bushi, Evil & Sanada
The main event begins with Naito playing some mind games with Tanahashi before tagging Rush into the match, Rush does the same to Tanahashi before tagging Naito back in. Rush jumps Tanahashi from behind and a brief brawl breaks out between all four competitors, Naito and Rush double team Tanahashi in the corner. Tanahashi fights back against both of his opponents, Robinson tags in and he cracks Naito with a headbutt and a flying clothesline. Robinson then hits Naito with a senton bomb for a two count, Tanahashi tags back in and he starts working on the arm of Naito, Tanahashi locks Naito in an abdominal stretch and Robinson does the same to an interfering Rush. Tanahashi slams Naito after releasing the hold and he misses the follow up swanton bomb, Rush tags in and he attacks Tanahashi with a bunch of strikes in the corner.
Rush drops Tanahashi with something before tagging Naito back into the match, Naito briefly works over Tanahashi before tagging Rush back into the match. Rush then decides to simply choke Tanahashi on the bottom rope, Tanahashi tries fighting back and Naito quickly interferes. Naito gets the legal tag and he rocks Tanahashi with a forearm strike, Tanahashi finally drops Naito with a springboard cross body block. Robinson tags in and he catches Naito with a series of strikes before dropping Rush with a spine buster, Robinson then takes out both opponents with cannonball splashes in the corners. Robinson then hits Naito with a jackhammer for a near fall, Robinson looks for a power bomb and Naito counters with a tornado DDT. Rush tags back in and he crushes Robinson with a running drop kick followed by a bunch of strikes in the corner, Rush then hits Robinson with a running drop kick in the corner for a near fall.
Rush also catches Tanahashi with a cheap shot after a pin attempt on Robinson, Rush then attacks Robinson with a series of kicks. Robinson recovers and drops a charging Rush with a leg lariat, Tanahashi tags in and he attacks Rush with strikes in the corner. Tanahashi drops Rush a few times with some running forearm strikes, Naito interferes and Rush accidentally hits him. Tanahashi and Robinson then take out Naito with a double drop kick, Tanahashi and Robinson then hit Rush with a double Russian leg sweep for the near fall. Tanahashi misses a running drop kick on Rush as Naito fights Robinson on the arena floor, Naito comes in and he nails a downed Tanahashi with a rope assisted drop kick for a near fall. Naito and Tanahashi have a striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Naito eventually drops Tanahashi with a low drop kick.
Tanahashi recovers by catching a kicking Naito with a dragon screw leg whip, Robinson tags in and he catches Naito with a high cross body for a near fall. Robinson follows up with a power bomb on Naito for a near fall again, Rush interferes and he nails Robinson with a spin kick. Rush and Naito then connect with some double team moves on Robinson to get a near fall, Naito locks Juice in the Muta Lock until Tanahashi breaks it all up. Rush comes in and he crushes Tanahashi with a double under hook pile driver, Robinson tries fighting back and Naito hits him with Destino for a three count.
Winners: Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Rush) w/Bushi, Evil & Sanada
