New Japan kicked off the 2022 World Tag League today, the promotion’s traditional year-end tag team tournament. This event is for Heavyweight Tag Teams and likely will award a title shot at Tokyo Dome to the winners, assuming they can get All Elite Wrestling to allow FTR to go to Japan that day.
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.
The announced paid attendance was 700, a legit advance sellout. Vocal cheering was allowed again.
Match 1: Ryohei Oiwa beat Yuto Nakashima.
Match 2: Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe beat Oskar Leube & Kosei Fujita. Makabe pinned Leube after a King Kong kneedrop.
Match 3: BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi vs. DOUKI, El Desperado & Taichi went to a double countout.
World Tag League:
Match 4: Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls beat Gabriel Kidd & Alex Coughlin. Nicholls pinned Kidd after Thunder Valley.
Match 5: Lance Archer (All Elite Wrestling) & Minoru Suzuki beat Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale. Archer pinned Owens after Blackout.
Match 6: YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Goto pinned Takahashi.
Match 7: Aussie Open beat Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Kyle Fletcher pinned Yano after Corealis.
Main Event: SANADA & Tetsuya Naito beat Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan. Naito pinned Henare after Destino.
Day 2 is Friday. The next event is Super Jr. Tag League Day 2 tomorrow at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET.
