Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X Win A Block, Advance to NJPW Super Jr Tag League Finals

By: Noah Leatherland

One half of the NJPW Super Jr Tag League finals have been decided as A Block wrapped up in the Nishiyama Park Gymnasium. From A Block, Unbound Co.’s Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X advance with 8 points and a crucial tiebreaker.

Heading into Day 6 of the NJPW Super Jr Tag League, two teams were neck and neck at the top of A Block. Ishimori and X, as well as DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, both came into the event on 6 points.

Ryusuke Taguchi and Kazuma Sumi moved up to 6 points with a win over Mistico and Masatora Yasuda, with Taguchi making Yasuda submit to his ankle lock. Despite their tournament coming to an end, eliminated by the end of the following match, it seems that Taguchi and Sumi may not be done teaming up.

Sumi:

My goal was to win the tournament and make my mark, so it’s frustrating that things didn’t go as I’d hoped—it’s a disappointing result, and I can’t let it end like this.

Taguchi:

Let’s go for the titles. The IWGP, sure, but also the KO-D Tag Team title—and not just New Japan, but DDT and all kinds of promotions…

Coming off the loss, Mistico once again had nothing but good things to say about his rookie partner, Yasuda:

I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude for everyone’s support. Being able to spend time with Yasuda is the greatest joy of all. I’m not concerned with winning or losing. I’m purely dedicated to supporting this young talent, and I want everyone to watch as this future star continues to grow. Taking this opportunity, I’ll become his mentor, and I’ll spare no effort in supporting him from now on.

Despite only enjoying one win in the tournament, Yasuda promised to learn from this experience and improve:

Damn it! Despe-san, thank you so much for giving someone like me this chance! I know better than anyone that I’m not at that level yet, but I won’t let this experience end as just another experience—I’ll make it a part of who I am and become a wrestler worthy of being a mainstay in this league!

Next up, DOUKI and Kanemaru came up against Master Wato and KUUKAI. Once again, the underhanded tactics of House of Torture paid off, as whisky in the eyes from Kanemaru set KUUKAI up for DOUKI’s Suplex de La Luna for the pin. That win pushed DOUKI and Kanemaru up to 8 points, and out in front of A Block, heaping the pressure onto those in the main event.

Similar to Taguchi and Sumi, it appears that the combo of Master Wato and KUUKAI are not over either.

Wato:

This year’s Junior Tag League may be over, but since we’re from the same generation, I’d like to team up with you again.

KUUKAI:

No matter how many times we lose, we’ll always crawl back up from rock bottom—that’s what makes us pro wrestlers. Even though the league is over, our bond won’t end.

Then, the main event saw Ishimori and Robbie X square off against Time Splitters V2. Even though KUSHIDA and Wayne had no chance of advancing, they were still looking to finish strong. Despite their best efforts, Unbound Co. came out on top, with Ishimori countering the Hoverboard Lock into a Bloody Cross. As such, Ishimori and X moved up to 8 points. Thanks to having a tiebreaker win over DOUKI and Kanemaru from earlier in the tournament, Ishimori and X were crowned the winners of A Block, and will move onto the finals at NJPW Power Struggle.

In their post-match comments, Ishimori declared his desire to win the whole thing:

We’ve made it to the finals two years in a row—but I’m not satisfied with that. It’s pointless to lose at the very last moment like we did last year. This tag team league is to celebrate the second anniversary of the tag team partnership between me, Taiji Ishimori, and Robbie “Extreme” X. We’re definitely going to win it in the end.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

The winners of B Block will be decided on November 1st, with the Ichiban Sweet Boys, The Swirl and the pairing of YOH and Hyo all having a chance to advance.

NJPW Power Struggle takes place on November 3rd in the Hiroshima Sun Plaza.

Here are the full results for NJPW Super Jr Tag League, Day 6, courtesy of purolove.com:

• Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay def. Blake Christian , Lee Johnson & Yushin Hatazawa (9:24)
• Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo def. Titan , Gedo & Daiki Nagai (7:54)
• Hartley Jackson, Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita def. YOH, Hyo & Tatsuya Matsumoto (10:59)
• Aaron Wolf, Oleg Boltin, Shota Umino & Toru Yano def. Taichi, Yuya Uemura, Masatora Yasuda & Taisei Nakahara (10:13)
• A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuma Sumi [6] def. Mistico & Masatora Yasuda [2] (11:00)
• A Block: DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [8] def. Master Wato & KUUKAI [2] (14:18)
• A Block: Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X [8] def. KUSHIDA & Nick Wayne [4] (13:40)

Here are the current standings for the NJPW Super Jr Tag League:

A Block

• Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X [8] – BLOCK WINNER
• DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [8]
• Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuma Sumi [6]
• KUSHIDA & Nick Wayne [4]
• Master Wato & KUUKAI [2]
• Mistico & Masatora Yasuda [2]

B Block

• Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita [6]
• Blake Christian & Lee Johnson [6]
• YOH & Hyo [6]
• Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young [4]
• SHO & Dick Togo [2]
• Titan & Daiki Nagai [0]