Predicting all the 16 teams for NJPW: World Tag League 2018

The annual New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League is largely popular due to the fact that it helps in bringing together some of the best tag teams from around the globe and present them with an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the entire world.

Last year, NJPW fans had the chance of witnessing the debut of the very talented Sami Callihan, who teamed up with Juice Robinson throughout the tournament. Whereas, the duo of Chuckie T and Trent- together known as Best Friends- also made their debut for the promotion and had an outstanding showing in their first ever G1 Climax Tournament.

Following the conclusion of the G1 Climax 28, it is now time for us to look forward to the NJPW's last annual tournament of the year, that is, the World Tag League and much like every other year, this year's tourney also promises to be another solid block competition if booked properly.

With that being kept in mind, NJPW now has the chance of booking yet another spectacular World Tag League featuring 16 of the best tag teams around the globe and it'll be really interesting to note what the company has in store for this year's edition.

Therefore, with that being said, we have now decided to put together a list of 16 of the best tag teams which could potentially take part in this year's NJPW: World Tag League and eventually make it one of the best World Tag League Tournaments' of all time.

#16 Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Hikuleo)

Okay, so it'll be only fair enough for us to start with the least favorite team to win, as NJPW veteran Bad Luck Fale prepares himself to enter yet another World Tag League, this time with his very own Tongan brother Hikuleo.

In the past, Fale has featured in the World Tag League with several other notable Bullet Club members in the form of Chase Owens, Tama Tonga, Bone Soldier, and has even teamed up with former BC Leader Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) way back in 2013.

Fale entering the WTL alongside Hikuleo is definitely going to be a lot helpful for the NJPW Young Boy, who is currently sidelined with an ACL injury but could very well make his return on time for the World Tag League.

Hikuleo's participation in the tournament will not only help him get rid of all the ring rust but will also help him in developing his in-ring style and character work as well.

#15 Los Ingobernables (El Terrible and Rush)

Usually for Rush, the NJPW: World Tag League means a small excursion trip to Japan where the Los Ingobernables originator teams up with fellow stablemate and LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito and the two men are mainly known for their shenanigans throughout the entirety of the tournament.

However, this year things should be a lot different now that former Bullet Club member El Terrible has decided to join Los Ingobernables and has formed an alliance with Rush in CMLL. Having Rush and El Terrible enter the World Tag League this year is definitely going to be a major booster for both NJPW and CMLL and will help the promotions strengthen their bond.

And expect a lot of hilarious exchanges when the entire Los Ingobernables faction eventually reunites during the World Tag League Tour, as we can get set to once again witness the likes of Bushi, Naito, Evil, and Rush share the same screen.

#14 Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin

Jeff Cobb was first introduced to the NJPW audience back in 2017 as part of the World Tag League and in his very first year with the promotion, the former Lucha Underground Champion was super impressive.

Cobb's massive strength and power and his abilities to throw around his opponents in the ring like ragdolls helped him win over the Japanese audience and at the 2017 World Tag League, the duo of Cobb and Elgin were ridiculously impressive as well.

Despite finishing their block with 8 points on board, Cobb and Elgin will look forward to yet another opportunity to impress at this year's World Tag League and now that Cobb has finally signed a deal with ROH, expect him to work on a much more regular basis for NJPW.

#13 Best Friends

Following his recent return from injury, Trent Berretta is now determined to make an everlasting impression in NJPW and could very well do so alongside his long-term partner Chuckie T at the upcoming World Tag League.

After another impressive outing at last year's WTL, Chuckie T and Berretta will once again look to put together another solid tournament this year and as far as Chuckie T is concerned, the former PWG Champion by this point has pretty much adapted to the NJPW surroundings after having recently competed at the New Japan Cup, replacing the injured Berretta in the tournament.

This year's World Tag League should once again prove to be another fun outing for The Best Friends.

#12 Tencozy

The duo of Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan are quite possibly the most experienced tag team in the present day NJPW roster and following Kojima's recent return from injury, Tencozy will now look forward to once again dominating the NJPW Tag Team Division and what better way to start other than winning the 2018 World Tag League.

Being former six-time IWGP Tag Team Champions and two-time G1 Tag League winners, Tencozy has pretty shared the ring with every single NJPW Tag Team that has come through within these years.

Having finished last year's tournament with just six points on board, Tencozy will look to make a huge impact during this year's competition and for Satoshi Kojima in particular, watch out for the leader of 'Bread Club' as he'll look forward to chopping his opponents left and right throughout the tournament.

#11 Great Bash Heel

Speaking of experienced tag teams, how could one miss out on the veteran duo of Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma? Having won the World Tag League on two back-to-back occasions in 2015 and 2016, The Great Bash Heel pretty much knows all about the 'getting the job done when it matters the most'.

Much like fellow veterans Tencozy, GBH is currently also going through a similar path after the recent return of Honma, who came back from injury just a several weeks ago. And after having missed out on last year's World Tag League, the duo of Honma and Makabe will look forward to adding another major accomplishment to their list of achievements and eventually win the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 13.

#10 Juice Robinson and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Now this one will be an explosive duo, to say the least! A tag team featuring the current IWGP US Heavyweight Champion and the seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the G1 28 winner, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

In the past, both Tanahashi and Juice have teamed up with each other on several occasions, but as of right now, it is safe to say that both men are currently at the very top of their game, with Tanahashi conquering every single challenger in his path to G1 Climax glory. Whereas, a much more improved and developed Juice Robinson will be full of confidence after having captured the IWGP US Title from Jay White at the G1 Specials in San Francisco.

Both Juice and Tanahashi, in my opinion, are among two of the hardest workers in the NJPW roster today and their performances at the recent G1 Climax also speaks for itself. Therefore, expect the two men to put together a very strong and determined performance at the upcoming World Tag League.

#9 Bullet Club (Hangman Page and Chase Owens)

During the recent G1 Climax 28 Tournament, both Hangman Page and Chase Owens teamed up a lot with each other and as per the latter's recent claims, The Crown Jewel is apparently also pretty interested in teaming up with Page at this year's World Tag League.

Therefore, witnessing these two being put together in a tag team at this year's World Tag League is certainly a possible outcome and we could also expect some absolutely amazing matches with these two on display.

Owens is no stranger to the World Tag League after teaming up with Bad Luck Fale and Kenny Omega in the past and as far as Adam Page is concerned, The Hangman is currently fresh off his first ever G1 Climax so adjusting to the World Tag League shouldn't be a problem.

#8 CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto)

Now if you're a regular follower of NJPW, you'd probably expect Ishii to team up with Toru Yano at the World Tag League, whereas, Goto probably goes off to team up with someone like Yoshi-Hashi.

However, we know for the fact that both Ishii and Goto are quite possibly two of New Japan's most underrated performers and deserve a bigger piece of the pie, so what if NJPW instead decides to cut-off all the comedy crap and let these two hard-hitting men team up with each other.

Both Ishii and Goto will surely have some outstanding chemistry with each other and will definitely one of the favorites to win this year's World Tag League and eventually challenge for the tag titles at the Tokyo Dome. Regardless of everything else in issue, one thing is for sure that fans will definitely be a lot more invested in this tag team, instead of a team featuring Yano and Ishii.

#7 Killer Elite Squad

Since Suzuki Gun's return to NJPW in 2017, the team of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer have been at the very top of their game, challenging for the IWGP Tag Titles and also winning it for the first time in almost three years after their massive win over War Machine and The Guerillas of Destiny last year.

Following their tag title win, K.E.S would go on to take part in the 2017 World Tag League and despite an outstanding performance throughout the tourney, Archer and Smith failed to win their block and progress to the final thanks to their head-to-head record against G.O.D.

Having lost the IWGP Tag Titles to Evil and Sanada at WK 12, the Killer Elite Squad is now determined to once again win back the IWGP Tag Team Titles and the Suzuki Gun representatives are almost a guaranteed entry in this year's World Tag League.

#6 Los Ingobernables de Japon (Evil and Sanada)

Having lost the IWGP Tag Titles to The Young Bucks at Dominion 6.9, both Evil and Sanada are currently lacking a proper sort of storyline, despite the indications that Evil might eventually step up to challenge for Chris Jericho's IWGP Intercontinental Championship later this year.

However, getting back to the tag title scene, it'll only be fair if both Evil and Sanada once again throw in their names to the list of coveted tag teams who are currently in the hunt to capture the IWGP Tag Team Championships at some point in the future.

As far as both members of LIJ are concerned, it'll only be fair to give them a spot at this year's World Tag League, considering the fact that the two men are former IWGP Tag Team Champions and held the titles for 156 days.

#5 Guerillas of Destiny

What's a World Tag League without three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, The Guerillas of Destiny? Ever since the team's inception in 2016, the Bullet Club duo of Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa have been pretty much at the top of the tag team division in NJPW and have dominated the division through and through.

However, despite having reached the finals of the tournament on two back-to-back occasions in 2016 and 2017, The Guerillas of Destiny are yet to win the World Tag League crown, so expect the Firing Squad duo to once again destroy every single tag team in their path to glory at this year's WTL.

#4 Suzuki Gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.)

Ever since Zack Sabre Jr. joined Suzuki Gun, he has become a sadistic maniac who likes to bend and twist other people's bodies for fun and his relationship with the much scarier Minoru Suzuki has also been intense thus far.

Both Suzuki and Sabre Jr. have gone on a rampage every time they teamed up with each other and the two men very recently also captured the RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Titles by defeating the Moustache Moutain a few months ago.

Despite only having teamed up with each other one just a few solitary occasions in an NJPW ring in the past, I think that this will be the perfect opportunity for the menacing duo of ZSJ and Suzuki to brutalize the entire NJPW tag team division by hurting them in the meanest way possible.

Imagine the two men destroying every single tag team in their path to IWGP Tag Title glory!

#3 CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Jay White)

Over the years, Kazuchika Okada has mostly been tagging alongside CHAOS mid-carders in the World Tag League. However, this year is poised to be different and it is finally time for the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion to be paired up with an equally promising and fast-rising superstar in the form of 'Switchblade' Jay White.

Fresh off his first ever G1 Climax Tournament, Jay White has been on an absolute roll ever since he came back to New Japan Pro Wrestling from his excursion at Ring of Honor. White, who in his first ever Wrestle Kingdom event challenged for the IWGP Intercontinental Title, successfully managed to wrap championship gold around his waist by winning the IWGP US Title earlier in the year.

Now, by this point it is pretty much clear that Jay White is currently a part of CHAOS only for his own benefits, but how awesome would it be to witness him and Okada defy all the odds and finally start working like a team and ultimately win the 2018 World Tag League?

Surely this could very well benefit both Okada and White, as fans are currently in a very confused state of mind regarding what directions NJPW is currently headed towards with both the CHAOS frontrunners.

#2 The Young Bucks

After having conquered the NJPW Jr. Heavyweight Tag Division, it is time for both Matt and Nick Jackson to conquer the NJPW Heavyweight Tag Team Division and it is safe to say that the two men have gotten off to a brilliant start in their heavyweight tenure, having already captured the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Dominion 6.9 earlier this year.

The Bucks are also no strangers to tag team tournaments, having won the NJPW Super Jr. Tag Tournament in their very first year and also having won the IWGP Jr. Tag Titles for a record seven times throughout their illustrated career.

With the IWGP Tag Team Championships around their waist, The Young Bucks are now all set to make their World Tag League debut later this year and as usual, both Matt and Nick Jackson will lay it out all on the line in order to create further history.

#1 The Golden Lovers

Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega- The Golden Lovers — Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega - The Golden Lovers

The Golden Lovers comprises two of the world's very best singles Pro Wrestlers in the form of current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and world-renowned performer Kota Ibushi.

Despite not tagging with each other on a regular basis since their recent reunion, Ibushi and Omega have had quite the impact on the entire NJPW scenario, with the latter also winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.9.

Having achieved almost everything in NJPW, Omega and Ibushi are still yet to enter the World Tag League alongside each other as part of The Golden Lovers duo and now that NJPW has the opportunity of booking the two men in the 2018 WTL, then the promotion shouldn't waste any further time and immediately insert both men into their debut WTL Tournament.

Expect some absolute classic tag team bouts featuring The Golden Lovers.

Below is how I would book the final Block entries for the NJPW: World Tag League, 2018:

Block A:

Golden Lovers

Guerillas of Destiny

CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto)

Killer Elite Squad

Juice Robinson and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Bullet Club (Hangman Page and Chase Owens)

Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin

Tencozy

Block B:

The Young Bucks

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Jay White)

Suzuki Gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Evil and Sanada)

Best Friends

Los Ingobernables (El Terrible and Rush)

Great Bash Heel

Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Hikuleo)