NJPW World Tag League 2019: Ranking the top 5 matches

After a long NJPW World Tag League 2019, the road to Wrestle Kingdom is set. With 119 matches during 16 shows over three weeks, here’s a look back at the final tournament of the year.

This year’s NJPW World Tag League featured 16 teams in one tournament, winner takes all.

With teams from across the factions and even a few appearances from Ring of Honor and CMLL wrestlers, there was a team for everyone whether you wanted a sneaky Bullet Club combo or the heart of Taguchi Japan and even a handsome team with a Young Lion.

Although all amazing matches, with so many matches to watch, there were bound to be some that stood out.

So, here’s a look at the best matches from this year’s tournament.

Note: there will be spoilers in case you haven’t watched the tournament.

1. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer v Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr and Taichi)

For me, the best thing about tournaments like this is when we get the chance to see inter-faction matches and how different factions react to these sort of matches. Some teams might take it easy, but not Suzuki Gun. From the second both teams entered the ring, we had a traditional Suzuki Gun quick start and, from them, factions meant nothing.

All four men have such different styles. You’ve got Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr who are not only sadistic but also probably the best technicians in the entire game. You’ve then got Lance Archer who has this size and strength combined with an agility that you shouldn’t see a man of his size have. (I mean seeing Archer walk the ropes and moonsault is quite a sight.)

Then there’s the “black sheep” Taichi who is known for his strikes and kicks. All of these work perfectly together, but also aggressively against each other. It was great to see all four men interact with each other at different times and you could see how their experience together meant they were formidable opponents for each other.

The highlight of the match had to be the final sequences between Zack Sabre Jr and Minoru Suzuki. Both men are so similar from their outlook on wrestling to their style of wrestling, that it’s almost like you’re watching two different generations of the same person. There were counters, roll ups, submissions galore and you could lose track of who had the upper hand if you blinked. In the end, Zack Sabre Jr beat the King with an inside cradle. It made sense because I couldn’t see Zack beating his mentor with a submission, but a win is a win.

When the match finished, all four men stood together and all was well. However, with the future of Suzuki’s New Japan career more uncertain, was this a passing of the baton? Whatever happened, it was an amazing match and showcased the best of all four men; there was no weak link!