Hello r/njpw!

Okay, I'm usually a lot wordier with these, but I'm gonna try to do this one quickly. The turn-arounds on this tournament are rough, and between other commitments and the general priority of World Tag League, I don't feel like putting too much effort into this one will not provide a good return on investment, so to speak.

If you know me, you know what this is about. Catch my World Tag League results page if you want updated results, schedules, and match recommendations.

———-

Alright. Let's hop right into A Block

A Block

With only one qualifier per block, a lot of these are gonna be very easy to round up. Let's go down the line

1. Bishamon

Bishamon have the best chance here and the most control. They beat Takagi & Tsuji and their remaining matches are against fellow 6-pointers. If they win both of their remaining matches, they are guaranteed to make the finals. However, because A Block is so tight at the moment, no one can really afford to drop a match, and while Bishamon can win at 8 points, it'll involve a lot of messy tie-breaking, so the simplest and cleanest way for them to make the playoffs is by winning their two remaining matches.

2. War Dogs

The impromptu pairing of Kidd & SANADA has proven to be successful here in World Tag League, though not all is well in the dog house. They've got a loss to Takagi & Tsuji, but they have a win over Cobb & Newman and a match to give with Bishamon. If Takagi & Tsuji keep pace with the dogs, then things'll be bad, but otherwise, they've got a pretty good line to the finals.

3. Takagi & Tsuji

Takagi & Tsuji find themselves only slightly behind the War Dogs, despite having already beaten them. this is mostly because their matches against current 6-pointers, which includes a critical loss to Bishamon, the current block leaders. With no way to change that result, they must hope that Bishamon drops a match in this final stretch, or else their hopes are all for naught. However, Bishamon is currently the only major roadblock for the LIJ team.

4. Cobb & Newman

Cobb & Newman started this tournament off pretty hot, but critical losses to War Dogs & Takagi & Tsuji have cost them precious momentum. They have one more chance at recovery with their next match against Bishamon, but losing that will spell the end of the road for the United Empire in A Block.

5. ZSJ & Oiwa

Holding onto contention are ZSJ & Oiwa. With how tight things are in A Block, the 4-pointers don't have a lot of room to grow. They gotta hope for some epic crashouts from everyone in the leading pack to have any hope for the WTL finals. ZSJ & Oiwa are the best off among the 4-pointers, thanks to their win over the War Dogs, and their other upcoming matches against Cobb & Newman and Takagi & Tsuji, but the loss to Bishamon weighs heavy on their heads. the IWGP champ will need some serious support if he wants to get a second major NJPW tournament win for the year in his belt.

6. Funky Sauce

Funky Sauce is in dire straits. While they do have a nice win over Bishamon in their pockets, losses to Takagi & Tsuji and Cobb & Newman hurt their chances. Again, they're gonna need some serious external support for any hope at the finals

7. Umino & Honma

It's not much better for Umino & Honma. They too have a win over Bishamon, but they also have losses to Cobb & Newman and the War Dogs. The problem is that Bishamon will be facing both those teams in the coming shows, so if neither ends up as a draw, either at least one of their two losses makes 8 points, or Bishamon makes 10, and both results would eliminate Umino & Honma.

8. KENTA & Owens

Lastly for A Block is the Bullet Club team of KENTA & Owens. The former IWGP Tag champs have beaten Takagi & Tsuji, but they lost to all the other current 6-pointers. It's like the Umino & Honma situation, but without the benefit of the Bishamon win.

So to sum it all up for A Block, our 4-pointers are in deep, deep water right now, but really, anyone who loses on this next show is unlikely to make the finals. While everyone is technically still in the running, we should see a lot of contention eliminations after this next show, even potentially for some those who do manage to win.

———-

Now, let's go over B Block

B Block

B Block is a lot smaller compared to A Block, and so will be even easier to go over. Let's start with the champs.

1. O-Khan & HENARE

The newly crowned IWGP Tag Team Champions are doing well in their first WTL as champions. They've got the point lead, as well as a win over the other team at 8, so as long as they stay ahead of the pack, they should be fine. However, the upcoming match against Naito & Hiromu could make things difficult for them in the final decisions.

2. HOUSE OF TORTURE

Coming up in 2nd are EVIL & Narita. They too have the point lead, but the loss to O-Khan & HENARE might be all that keeps them out of the finals. With only one spot for B Block, they'll need to clear the United Empire team in order to make the finals.

3. Naito & Hiromu

The weirdo duo of Naito & Hiromu find themselves still in the running for the WTL Finals. Though they are 2 points behind the two block leaders, they also have open matches with the both of them. Should they win both of those matches, they are almost guaranteed the finals spot. There's just one little wrinkle to that equation …

4. Yano & Boltin

2/3 of our NEVER 6-Man Champions have the trickiest way into the finals. Losses to both O-Khan & HENARE and HOT should've eliminated them from contention. However, with their win over Naito & Hiromu and with the way the remaining matches are laid out, they have a slim shot at the finals.

Should Naito & Hiromu beat both O-Khan & HENARE and HOT, and should both O-Khan & HENARE & HOT lose their other match, and should Yano & Boltin win both of their remaining matches, we will have Yano & Boltin and Naito & Hiromu as the leaders of B Block with 10 points each, and with the tie-break favoring Yano & Boltin, they would go to the finals.

5. Eliminated Teams

Everyone else in B Block is out of contention for the finals. It's unfortunate, but that's how it is. Might they play spoiler? We'll see.

So that's it for B Block. The two 8-point teams have some wiggle room, while the two 6-point teams need some very specific outcomes to make the finals.

———-

That'll do it for me for now. I should make one more post after the next B Block show. It should be another abridged one like this one was. I skipped over a lot of details and nuances, but in the next post, a lot of things should be simplified.

Until next time, thanks for reading! See you next post.