A Look at the 2020 NOAH Global Tag League Tournament and the Participants

A Look at the 2020 NOAH Global Tag League Tournament and the Participants
March 21, 2020 
By Ryan Porzl

Well, it's that time again as Pro Wrestling NOAH runs their yearly Global Tag League. The tournament, held for heavyweights, will feature eight teams in blocks of two in a round robin tournament. The teams with the highest points in their blocks will go to finals and face off to determine the winner of the league. Here now, we'll take a look at the participants and my thoughts on each teams chances for success.



Block A

Naomichi Marufuji and Masaaki Mochizuki 
Pluses: Current tag team champions
Minuses: Winners can be set up to challenge for the champions

Thoughts: Marufuji and Mochizuki are the current tag team champions which in these tournaments can be a blessing and a curse as the champions usually do very well and in some cases can be strong favorites. On the other hand, tournaments are a great way to build new challengers. It is possible Marufuji and Mochizuki can still win as they can go on a tear and lose to one team with that team being the next challengers. Still, I feel the winners of this tournament will be the next challengers so I don't think Marufuji and Mochizuki will win. They should do great, maybe even make it to the finals.

Chances of Winning: Not good but possible

Kaito Kiyomiya and Shuhei Taniguchi
Pluses: Former tag team champions with other partners, former Global League winners with other partners, former title contenders as a team, and both could benefit from a boost
Minuses: Not much

Thoughts: Kiyomiya and Taniguchi are one of the favorites in this tournament as they got a lot going for them and really nothing against them. Both are former tag team champions and Global Tag League winners with other partners. Kiyomiya is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion while Taniguchi is a former challenger and both are coming off challenges to the newly created National Openweight Championship. Kiyomiya and Taniguchi are also no strangers as they've teamed in the past and even challenged for the GHC Tag Team Championship as a team. Along with all this, I could see NOAH giving them the tournament because both could also use a boost as both came off failing to win the National Championship and Kiyomiya is also coming off losing the GHC Heavyweight Championship so I could see NOAH feeling after coming up short in recent months, they could use a boost. As for negatives, I don't see any unless they're both scheduled for singles pushes that I don't know of. If they don't win, I see them placing high.

Chances of Winning: One of the favorites

Kenoh and Masa Kitamiya
Pluses: Former tag team champion, fresh challengers, both could benefit from a boost
Minuses: Not much

Thoughts: We go from one favorite to another  Some of the pluses for Kiyomiya and Taniguchi are here and then some. Kenoh and Kitamiya are no strangers to each other as they are former GHC Tag Team Champions together and both are part of the same stable: Kongoh (Diamond) so them winning would make sense. As a team, they would be fresh challengers as they haven't challenged for the titles as a team since they broke up while as reigning champions in February 2017. The win and potential title win would also benefit the Kongoh stable who have yet to win a championship and their only honor to date was the N-1 Victory tournament that Kenoh won last fall. Also, like Kiyomiya and Taniguchi, both could use a boost. Though he won the N-1 Victory tournament, Kenoh came up short in his bid for the GHC Heavyweight Championship in November while Kitamiya came up short in his attempt at both the GHC National Openweight Championship and the GHC Tag Team Championship so NOAH may think these two could use a boost after failing to win gold in recent times. Overall, I can see this team going all the way but I could also see them get as low as third place as it also depends on what NOAH will go with Marufuji/Mochizuki and Kiyomiya/Taniguchi.

Chances of Winning: Another favorite

Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Rene Dupree
Pluses: Fresh challengers
Minuses: Not a regular tag team, not regulars in NOAH, and Dupree is debuting in NOAH

Thoughts: Wagner and Dupree are one of the least likely teams to win this tournament. The only good thing they got going is the fact they would be fresh challengers but the problem with that is so many other teams would be fresh challengers and they're much higher up the totem pole. As for bad, well, there's plenty. For one, they aren't a regular team and I don't think they've ever teamed before. If they were main eventers forming a dream team then this wouldn't be an issue but that's not the case. Neither are regulars in NOAH, though that can always change, so I doubt NOAH will give a tag tournament to two guys who don't regularly compete there. Dupree is also debuting in NOAH and he's not a big enough name to the point where he'll get the red carpet treatment. At best, I see them getting an upset win somewhere but they'll likely place last.

Chances of Winning: No Chance

Block B

Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
Pluses: Former tag team champions and Shiozaki is a former winner of the Global Tag League
Minuses: Shiozaki is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion and they're not fresh challengers

Thoughts: Shiozaki and Nakajima are not strangers as they've been teaming for over a year as AXIZ and have held the GHC Tag Team Championship twice. Meanwhile, Shiozaki is former Global League winner with Mitsuharu Misawa and Kaito Kiyomiya so maybe in many ways, these guys should be a favorite. However, Shiozaki is the GHC Heavyweight Champion which can be good and bad. Good because the team should go far but bad in that NOAH probably wants Shiozaki to focus on the Heavyweight Championship for now. Another issue is they are fresh champions nor challengers as they held the titles for most of last year and they lost the belts to Marufuji and Mochizuki back on January 5th so I don't think NOAH will have them win just to go back to this match. Now, if Shiozaki loses the Heavyweight Championship to Kazuyuki Fujita on March 29th, I'd say their chances would improve but for now, I think they have a decent shot at best since NOAH probably doesn't want to go back to the well so soon and Shiozaki has other fish to fry. Overall, they should place first and go to the finals or second in the Block.

Chances of Winning: Decent

Takashi Suguira and Hideki "Shrek" Sekine
Pluses: Suguira is a multiple time Global Tag League winner and they're fresh challengers
Minuses: Suguira and Sekine are not a full time team and Sekine is an MMA Fighter

Thoughts: Suguira and Sekine are an interesting team as Sekine is an MMA fighter that has competed in ONE Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation so he's not a wrestler. Because of this and the fact Sekine is not a full time wrestler makes me think this team doesn't have much of a chance. Suguira is one of the biggest names in NOAH but I don't think it'll be enough for NOAH to book them the tournament. If Sekine sticks around, I can see them as challengers one day but not tournament winners. Not to mention that Suguira is the current GHC National Openweight Champion so NOAH may want him to focus on that for now. I see them placing second in Block B but there is a chance they could find their way to the finals but I still don't see them winning.

Chances of Winning: Slim to none

Akitoshi Saito and Masao Inoue
Pluses: Fresh challengers, Saito is a former tag team champion, and they're former challengers as a team
Minuses: Both are well past their prime and Inoue is a comedy wrestler these days 

Thoughts: Probably the team with the least chance of winning. Yes, they are former challengers. Yes, Saito is a five time GHC Tag Team Champion and a two time Global Tag League winner. Yes, they could be fresh challengers. However, both men are also past their primes and both are over 50, and Inoue has sort of become a comedy wrestler in recent times. They may be fresh challengers but there's other teams who would be better challenger that are fresh. Saito has been successful with other partners but they were usually main event talent like Marufuji, Jun Akiyama, and Go Shiozaki or top foreigner Bison Smith. This team seems to be here to be the team that loses to everyone else as somebody's got to do it. It's possible they get an upset somewhere but I think they place last.

Chances of Winning: No Chance

Daisuke Sekimoto and Yoshiki Inamura
Pluses: Sekimoto is a top star in Japanese wrestling, Inamura is a promising prospect, Fresh challengers
Minuses: Not a full time team and Inamura is still a young lion

Thoughts: This team is interesting as they're on opposite sides of the totem pole with Sekimoto a top star in Big Japan and someone who's been successful in many promotions including All Japan and ZERO1 while Inamura is a young lion looking to climb the ladder. If Sekimoto had a stronger partner like his usual one Yuji Okabayashi then I would give him a good chance but not sure with a young lion like Inamura. Meanwhile, Inamura has been slowly moving up the ladder as he challenged for the GHC Tag Team Championship in November and is currently competing in Big Japan's Ikki Tousen Strong Climb tournament but I still don't think this will be his coming out party. At best, I see Inamura scoring a big win as a way for him to climb the ladder but that's it. Overall, I see this team placing third in the block but they could surprise me and place second.

Chances of Winning: Slim