The 2020 World Tag League and Best of the Super Jr. 27 will run in tandem with the first matches of both tournaments taking place altogether from 15th November running through to the finals on 11th December.
What is the World Tag League?
The World Tag League is a yearly round-robin tag team tournament and was created in 1991 as a spin-off from the popular G1 Climax. Originally known as Super Grade Tag League, which is a continuation of an earlier tournament called MSG Tag League. It was renamed the G1 Tag League in 1999. When Bushiroad took over New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2012 they renamed the tournament as World Tag League, the winning team earns a right to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom, unless the team that wins are already title holders, meaning they get to pick their opponent.
When can you see World Tag League?
- Day One: Sunday 15th November 2020 – Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Aichi – 6pm JST, 9am GMT, 1am PST, 4am EST.
- Day Two: Monday 16th November 2020 – Komatsu City Suehiro Gymnasium, Ishikawa – 7pm JST, 10am GMT, 2am PST, 5am EST.
- Day Three: Thursday 19th November 2020 – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo – 6.30pm JST, 9.30am GMT, 1.30am PST, 4.30am EST.
- Day Four: Sunday 22nd November 2020 – Saku City General Gymnasium, Nagano – 5pm JST, 8am GMT, 12am PST, 3am EST.
- Day Five: Tuesday 24th November 2020 – Big Palette Fukushima, Fukushima – 6.30pm JST, 9.30am GMT, 1.30am PST, 4.30am EST.
- Day Six: Saturday 28th November 2020 – Fujisawa City Akibadai Cultural Gymnasium, Kanagawa – 6pm JST, 9am GMT, 1am PST, 4am EST.
- Day Seven: Monday 30th November 2020 – Korakuen Hall, Tokyo – 6.30pm JST, 9.30am GMT, 1.30am PST, 4.30am EST.
- Day Eight: Friday 4th December 2020 – Beppu B-Con Plaza, Oita – 6.30pm JST, 9.30am GMT, 1.30am PST, 4.30am EST.
- Day Nine: Sunday 6th December 2020 – Fukuoka Convention Centre, Fukuoka – 6pm JST, 9am GMT, 1am PST, 4am EST.
- Day Ten: World Tag League & the Best of the Super Jr.27 Final – Friday 11th December 2020 – Nippon Budokan, Tokyo – 6pm JST, 9am GMT, 1am PST, 4am EST.
Who’s, who at this year’s World Tag League?
Juice Robinson and David Finlay
Juice Robinson and David Finlay, also known as FinJuice, are the defending champions of World Tag League winning at the end of 2019 and going on to face and win the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
Juice Robinson was born 10th April 1989 and is a two-time IWGP United States Champion and one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. Before working for New Japan Pro-wrestling, Robinson worked for WWE, 2011 – 2015, in their developmental territory FCW and later on in NXT as CJ Parker. He has also previously worked for ROH in 2019.
David Finlay was born 16th May 1993 and is a one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a former NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima. Finlay is a fourth-generation professional wrestler and the son of Dave Finlay, who would train him before entering the New Japan Dojo and by Satoshi Kojima.
EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
EVIL was born 26th January 1987 and is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, and a four-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He is also the winner of the 2020 New Japan Cup. He has worked in GWF and ROH and competed in World Tag League, winning back to back in 2017 and 2018 with SANADA, as part of Los Ingobernables de Japon, this will be his first appearance in the tournament representing Bullet Club teaming with Yujiro Takahashi.
Yujiro Takahashi was born 13th January 1981 and is a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, a one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a One-Time Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Tetsuya Naito. Takahashi is the first non-gaijin member to ever join Bullet Club and as the Tokyo Pimp is accompanied to the ring by the ‘Tokyo Latina’ Pieter.
The Guerrillas of Destiny – Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are known as The Guerrillas of Destiny or G.O.D., they are a Tongan-American tag team, who started wrestling together as the Sons of Tonga in 2008 till 2009 and would reunite as a tag team in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in March 2016. They are the sons of Tonga Fifita also known as Haku, and have a younger brother who is also a wrestler named Hikuleo, they are all part of Bullet Club. As a tag team they are a six-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion and a one-time ROH World Tag Team Champion. Overall they have held seven World Tag Team Championships in two different promotions.
Tama Tonga was born 15th October 1982 and is a founding member of the Bullet Club. As well as holding the previously mentioned championships as a part of Guerrillas of Destiny, he has also held the CMLL World Tag Team Championship, making him the third along with Rocky Romero and Matt Taven to hold titles in NJPW, CMLL and ROH.
Tanga Loa was born 7th May 1983 and is a member of the Bullet Club. As well as holding the New Japan Championships as a part of Guerrillas of Destiny, he has won the 2015 Gut Check as Micah in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Loa began his wrestling career in WWE at FCW in 2009 and then would transition to the main roster in 2011 and later return to NXT, under the name Camacho working in a tag team with Hunico.
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
Tomohiro Ishii was born 10th December 1975 and has a cult following amongst more hardcore wrestling fans who believe he is one of the most underrated wrestlers of the modern period. He is currently the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, with Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI, in his second reign. He is a five-time NEVER Openweight Championship, a one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with Toru Yano, a one-time ROH World Television Champion and a two-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.
Toru Yano was born 18th May 1978 and is the current provisional KOPW 2020. He is a four-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time GHC Tag Team Champion from his time working with NOAH in NJPW. Toru Yano is known as a comic relief character that cheats to secure quick wins, often best seen during tournament situations against the bigger stars in the company.
Zack Sabre Jr & Taichi
Dangerous Tekkers is a tag team consisting of Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi and was formed in 2018. The two of them are in the faction Suzuki-Gun in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and are the current IWGP Tag Team Champions in their first reign, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi for the belts.
Zack Sabre Jr was born 24th July 1987 and began training at the NWA-UK Hammerlock school at age 14 and has won the NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship. Outside of his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling ZSJ has worked with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Ring of Honor (ROH), Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW/RevPro), Pro-Wrestling NOAH, and Progress Wrestling. ZSJ won the New Japan Cup in 2018, is a four-time British Heavyweight Champion and a three-time Undisputed British Tag Team Champion in RevPro, he is a two-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion in Pro-Wrestling NOAH and a one-time wXw World Tag Team Champion. On top of that, he has held the PWG World Championship, is the winner of the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles, and was voted as the Best Technical Wrestler of the year for six consecutive years (2014-2019) by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Taichi was born 19th March 1980 and has worked at promotions as varied as All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Hustle, Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion and a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Taichi has held the CMLL World Trios Championship and the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship in NOAH.
YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto
YOSHI-HASHI was born 25th May 1982 and is the current NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii. This is his first reign and title in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Hirooki Goto was born 25th June 1979 and is one of the most accomplished competitors, along with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shingo Takagi in the tournament this year. He is the current NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii. Goto is a two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and a five-time NEVER Openweight Champion. Hirooki Goto is also a one-time G1 Climax winner in 2008, a two-time World Tag League winner in 2012 and 2014, and he has won the New Japan Cup a record number of times, first back to back in 2009 and 2010 and then again in 2012.
Shingo Takagi & SANADA
Both Shingo Takagi and SANADA are part of Los Ingobernables de Japon , which translated means The Ungovernables of Japan, along with Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI and its leader Tetsuya Naito. The group are outstanding in tag team matches with any combination of the five working well together. The group are some of the most highly decorated wrestlers in all of New Japan.
Shingo Takagi was born 21st November 1982, is the current NEVER Openweight Champion in his second reign and is one of the most accomplished competitors, along with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto in the tournament this year. Takagi would become well known during his time in Dragon Gate where he worked from 2004 till 2018, while there he would become the Open the Dream Gate Champion four times. Along with this accomplishment, he is a one-time Open the Owarai Gate Champion, a six-time Open the Triangle Gate Champion and a five-time Open the Twin Gate Champion. He would also hold the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in NOAH and the ROH World Tag Team Championship. He made his debut in NJPW on 8th October 2018 and would go un-pinned and un-submitted until June 2019. He has won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with BUSHI and the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship which he had to relinquish due to EVIL’s betrayal of Naito and L.I.J.
SANADA was born 28th January 1988 and has worked for Total Nonstop Action (TNA), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He made a name for himself in AJPW being a two-time All Asia Tag Team Champion, a one-time Gaora TV Champion, being the inaugural champion, a one-time World Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 2011 World’s Strongest Tag Determination League tournament. While in TNA he would win the X Division Championship. Since joining New Japan Pro-Wrestling SANADA has been a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with EVIL, a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with BUSHI and EVIL, and has won World Tag League twice, back to back in 2017 and 2018. In 2019 Tokyo Sport named his match on 14th October at King of Pro-Wrestling against Kazuchika Okada as the best bout of the year.
Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Bad Luck Fale was born 8th January 1982 and is a founding member of the Bullet Club. He is a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion and a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Chase Owens was born 7th March 1990 and has held championships in promotions such as Battle on the Border Wrestling, Canadian Wrestling’s Elite, Carolina Wrestling Showcase, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Freedom, Pro Wrestling Xperience and Southern Wrestling Federation. The most successful place he has worked has been with the NWA and its affiliate promotions having been a one-time CWA Television Champion, a one-time NWA Mountain State Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Champion, a three-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion, a two-time NWA Mountain Empire Champion. He has also won the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship, NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship, and the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.
Great-O-Khan & ???
It is currently unknown who the Great-O-Khan will be tagging with this year but we can anticipate it will be a big surprise.
The Great-O-Khan was born 12th June 1991 and has been a one-time RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Champion at RevPro and a one-time SWE Tag Team Champion at Southside Wrestling Entertainment both with Rampage Brown.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare
Toa Henare was born 5th August 1992 and has won the IPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship at Impact Pro Wrestling.
Hiroshi Tanahashi was born 13th November 1976 and is one of the most accomplished competitors in the tournament this year. Tanahashi is the ACE of New Japan and helped them through some of the rockiest periods for the company in attendance, financial uncertainty, and Inoki-ism.
Tanahashi is a record-setting eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, holding the record for the most successful title defences during his fifth reign, along with being a two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He has also received a whole list of awards from New Japan, won the IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship twice and has competed in the G2 U-30 Climax, IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament and the IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship League.
He is a three-time G1 Climax winner, in 2007, 2015 and 2018, and has won the New Japan Cup twice, in 2005 and 2008. As well as New Japan, Tanahashi has held titles in both Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW/RevPro) and Pro Wrestling Noah. In these companies Tanahashi has been a one-time CMLL World Tag Team Champion, CMLL World Trios Champion, CMLL Universal Champion, GHC Tag Team Champion, and the British Heavyweight Champion.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has awarded Hiroshi Tanahashi the Feud if the Year with Kazuchika Okada back to back in 2012 and 2013 and their match on 7th April 2013 would win Match of the Year, the two of them would also win that same award in 2016. He has been Wrestler of the Year three times in 2011, 2012, and 2013, Most Outstanding Wrestler twice, Most Charismatic in 2013, and Wrestler of the Decade and Most Charismatic of the Decade for the 2010s. His match with Minoru Suzuki won the match of the year in 2012 and in 2013 Hiroshi Tanahashi would be inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Nikkan Sport has awarded Tanahashi with match of the year twice, in 2009 against Shinsuke Nakamura and in 2012 against Kazuchika Okada. He has been their MVP three times, in 2011, 2014, and 2018 and won their Fighting Spirit award once in 2003.
Tokyo Sport has awarded him the MVP award four times (2009, 2011, 2014, 2018), the Fighting Spirit Award in 2003 and 2006. They have also awarded him the Outstanding Performance Award, 2007, and the Best Bout Award for his June 16th, 2012 bout with Kazuchika Okada.
Find World Tag League & the Best of the Super Jr.27 over at New Japan World from 15th November 2020.
