NJPW has announced the teams set to compete in this year’s World Tag League on the final tour of 2023.
The annual tournament kicks off next Monday, November 20, and runs until Sunday, December 10.
Sixteen teams will participate with the winners set to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championships – currently held by Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.
Due to the size of the field, this year’s tournament will be broken into an A Block and a B Block.
Among the participants are Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Kaito Kiyoimiya, who will team with Ryohei Oiwa and is Kiyomiya’s return to New Japan after taking part in this year’s G1 Climax.
AEW will be represented by the Gates of Agony in the A Block while Lance Archer will team with Alex Zayne in the B Block.
A mystery member “X” is set to team with Yota Tsuji in the B Block. The mystery member will be revealed on Monday’s show at Korakuen in a Trios match.
The following teams have been confirmed:
A BLOCK
*Shota Umino & Ren Narita
*Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
*Great O-Khan & HENARE
*Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
*Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd
*EVIL & Yujiro
*Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa
*Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona)
B BLOCK
*Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
*Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata
*Hikuleo & El Phantasmo
*Taichi & Yuya Uemura
*Yota Tsuji & X
*Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr.
*Lance Archer & Alex Zayne
*Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza
Below is the lineup for the opening night of the World Tag League next Monday at Korakuen Hall:
*A BLOCK: HENARE & Great O-Khan vs. Shota Umino & Ren Narita
*A BLOCK: Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd
*A BLOCK: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. EVIL & Yujiro
*A BLOCK: Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste vs. Gates of Agony
*El Phantasmo, Hikuelo & Jado vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH
*SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji, BUSHI & X
*Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Nagata, Lance Archer & Alex Zayne vs. Bad Luck Fale, Jack Bonza, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
*Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. vs. DOUKI & Taka Michinoku
*Oskar Leube vs. Shoma Kato
