Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano broke the record for most defenses of the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Championship on Monday. In defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomoaki Honma, the trio made their fourth defense of the title.
The relatively new belts have been something of a hot potato in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, since debuting in 2016. Yano, Taguchi & Makabe are only the 19th champions in the championship’s history. The previous record was shared between Los Ingobernables de Japon’s EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI, and Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Bad Luck Fale, both teams had three defenses.
The match was also notable as it was the third match in a series of matches celebrating Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 20th year as a wrestler. Tanahashi is currently 1-2 in the series.
