CHAOS Set To Clash With Bullet Club In NJPW Super Jr. Tag League Finals
The joint NJPW World Tag League/Super Junior Tag League Tour will come to an end this week as the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling head to Sendai to determine the best tag team in both the heavyweight and junior-heavyweight divisions. For the juniors, the final night of block action took place on December 10 in Ehime and determined the two finalist tag teams who will face off in Sendai on the 14th.
With five teams still in contention heading into the penultimate night of the Super Jr. Tag League, the field slimmed down to just four after SAUCEHEARTS lost their pivotal match against DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru of Suzuki-Gun. Then, it was down to the two main event matches, as Lio Rush and YOH represented CHAOS to face off against BUSHI and newly-minted LIJ member Titán.
A frequent feature of America's "NJPW Strong," Lio Rush has enjoyed a successful first tour with New Japan proper, taking only two indirect losses alongside YOH as a part of their newly formed tag team throughout the tournament. That's why it came as little surprise that "The Man of the Hour" and YOH walked out victorious against their masked adversaries and looked on to the main event to see who would join them in the finals.
Bullet Club USA advances to the finals
Then, the main event saw the Bullet Club duo of Ace Austin and Chris Bey face off against the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, United Empire's TJP and Francesco Akira. The champs, known together as Catch 22, proudly represented their faction on the way to the top of the league table. Their crucial losses to both LIJ and Suzuki-Gun made this a must-win for them, but the Bullet Club was too much for the champs to handle, with Akira taking the fall to Chris Bey to end their tournament.
Bey and Austin had a remarkable first-time tag league appearance this year, going 6-0 in their first six matches. While they did eventually lose to YOH and Rush on November 28 and SAUCEHEARTS on December 7, their victory over the junior champs got them back on track heading into the finals.
The nine-year feud between CHAOS and Bullet Club will be the focal point yet again on December 14 in Sendai. Beyond just victory in one of NJPW's premier tournaments, the opportunity to face Catch 22 for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17 is also at stake when Lio Rush and YOH battle Chris Bey and Ace Austin in the Super Junior Tag League Finals.