Nagata & Iizuka win G1 Tag Tourney

By JOHN F. MOLINARO -- SLAM! Wrestling

 Takashi Iizuka teamed with former WCW star Yuji Nagata to defeat IWGP World Tag Team champions Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima today in Hiroshima, Japan in the finals of New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual G-1 Tag Team Tournament.

The two-week round-robin tournament saw four teams logjammed at the top of standings with identical 4-2 records. Semi-final matches were held earlier in the evening to determine the tournament finalists. Nagata and Iizuka defeated Scott Norton and Masahiro Chono in one semi-final while Tenzan and Kojima defeated Yutaka Yoshie and Manabu Nakanishi (formerly Kurosawa in WCW) in the other.

As a result of their win, Iizuka and Nagata will face an as-of-yet undetermined team from All Japan Pro Wrestling on December 14 in Osaka at New Japan's second-ever pay-per-view event.

The win marks the first time either Nagata or Iizuka have won the G-1 tag tournament. Last year's winners were Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta and Scott Norton). The tournament was renamed in 1999 after being called the Super Grade Tag League tournament from 1991 to 1998.

Muto has won the tournament the five times, the most of any wrestler, teaming with Hiro Hase ('93 and '94), Masa Chono ('97), Satoshi Kojima ('98) and Norton ('99).

All Japan's annual Real World Tag League Tournament, the most prestigious and historical tag team tournament in Japan, is going on right now and will conclude in December.