Category: New Japan News

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night 10 results, updated standings

Posted on by Ian Carey

The NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 continued in Numazu on Tuesday

Four matches in B Block took place on the show. With just one match remaining in the round-robin portion of the tournament, Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori sit atop the group with 12 points. They both picked up victories on Tuesday and will wrestle each other on Friday.

Robbie Eagles was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira on today’s show. As a result of Akira withdrawing from the tournament with a knee injury, Eagles was awarded a default victory and an automatic two points to bring his record to 5-3 and 10 points. He’ll face DOUKI on the final night of the tournament, who also has 10 points. However, Eagles lost to both Ishimori and Takahashi, so he has been eliminated from advancing to the semifinals. DOUKI beat Takahashi but lost to Ishimori, so he needs a win and an Ishimori loss on Friday to advance.

Here are the quick results from today’s show:

  • B Block: Ninja Mack defeated Dragon Dia
  • B Block: DOUKI defeated KUSHIDA
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated SHO
  • B Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Drilla Moloney

Non-tournament matches:

  • Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Clark Connors & Gedo
  • Blake Christian & HAYATA defeat El Desperado & Tiger Mask
  • Titan & Yota Tsuji defeated Callum Newman & TJP
  • BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito defeated Kevin Knight & Tomoaki Honma

Other notes from the show —

  • Dragon Dia remains winless after eight matches. He lost to Ninja Mack in the opening tournament match.
  • In the second tournament match, DOUKI made KUSHIDA submit to the Italian Stretch #32 (AKA DOUKI Choky).
  • Taiji Ishimori had to overcome Yujiro Takahashi’s interference to defeat SHO in the semi-main event on Tuesday, eliminating the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion from advancing to the semifinals.
  • Moloney appeared to have Takahashi beat in the main event after a Drilla Killa but Takahashi got his foot on the rope on the pin. Moments later, Takahashi countered another pin attempt into his own pinning combination and got the win.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
  • Titan (5-3): 10 points
  • Blake Christian (5-3): 10 points
  • HAYATA (5-3): 10 points
  • Kevin Knight (4-4): 8 points
  • Clark Connors (4-4): 8 points
  • TJP (4-4): 8 points
  • BUSHI (3-5): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-6): 4 points

B Block:

  • Taiji Ishimori (6-2): 12 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (6-2): 12 points
  • Robbie Eagles (5-3): 10 points
  • DOUKI (5-3): 10 points
  • SHO (5-4): 10 points **
  • Drilla Moloney (4-4): 8 points
  • KUSHIDA (4-4): 8 points 
  • Ninja Mack (4-4): 8 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
  • Dragon Dia (0-8): 0 points

** Was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira in his final round-robin match. 

Upcoming Best of the Super Juniors schedule —

Thursday, May 30, 2024 —

  • A Block: Blake Christian vs. Kosei Fujita
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Clark Connors
  • A Block: El Desperado vs. HAYATA
  • A Block: TJP vs. Titan
  • A Block: BUSHI vs. Kevin Knight

Friday, May 31, 2024 —

  • B Block: KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Dia
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi
  • B Block: Drilla Moloney vs. Ninja Mack

Monday, June 3, 2024 —

  • Semifinal #1
  • Semifinal #2

NJPW Dominion on Sunday, June 9, 2024 —

  • Finals (will headline the show)

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night nine results, updated standings

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Best of the Super Juniors continued in Yoyogi on Sunday.

Things are wide open in both blocks after nine events. A Block is down to their final night of the tournament. B Block still has two remaining.

TJP picked up a win over El Desperado in the main event, improving his record to 4-4 and keeping himself in the running to make the semifinals. He also cut a three-language promo after the match using Japanese, English, and addressing his next opponent, Titan, in Spanish. Desperado, Titan, Blake Christian, and HAYATA sit atop the ground with 10 points. Kevin Knight and Clark Connors are still alive with eight points as well.

Taiji Ishimori and Hiromu Takahashi sit atop B Block with 10 points. However, Robbie Eagles and SHO are at eight points and still have scheduled matches with Francesco Akira remaining. Since Akira withdrew due to injury, it’s an automatic two points for Eagles and SHO, technically putting both at 10 points as well. KUSHIDA, Drilla Moloney, and DOUKI are all still in the running to make the semifinals with eight points.

Here are the quick results from today’s show:

  • B Block: Ninja Mack defeated KUSHIDA
  • A Block: HAYATA defeated Kosei Fujita
  • B Block: SHO defeated Dragon Dia
  • A Block: Blake Christian defeated BUSHI
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Drilla Moloney
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Titan
  • A Block: Kevin Knight defeated Clark Connors
  • B Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Robbie Eagles
  • A Block: TJP defeated El Desperado

Other notes from the show —

  • Yujiro Takahashi hit Dragon Dia with a skateboard moments before SHO defeated Dia. SHO’s record improved to 4-3 and Dia dropped to 0-7.
  • The commentary team brought up how Blake Christian has been stripped of the GCW Championship by Matt Cardona. He beat BUSHI and kept himself in the running to advance to the semifinals leading into the final night for A Block.
  • DOUKI was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira on the show. With Akira having withdrawn from the tournament due to injury, DOUKI was awarded two points and a default victory.
  • Kanemaru defeated Titan after ripping his opponent’s mask off and giving him a low blow.
  • Kevin Knight kept himself in the running with a win over Clark Connors. Both he and Connors need a win and some help on the final night of A Block.
  • After Robbie Eagles targeted Hiromu Takahashi’s leg for the entirety of their match, Takahashi needed help to the back and wasn’t putting any weight on his leg. That will likely be the story for his remaining match against Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
  • Titan (5-3): 10 points
  • Blake Christian (5-3): 10 points
  • HAYATA (5-3): 10 points
  • Kevin Knight (4-4): 8 points
  • Clark Connors (4-4): 8 points
  • TJP (4-4): 8 points
  • BUSHI (3-5): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-6): 4 points

B Block:

  • Taiji Ishimori (5-2): 10 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (5-2): 10 points
  • KUSHIDA (4-3): 8 points
  • Robbie Eagles (4-2): 8 points **
  • Drilla Moloney (4-2): 8 points
  • DOUKI (4-3): 8 points
  • SHO (4-3): 8 points **
  • Ninja Mack (3-4): 6 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
  • Dragon Dia (0-7): 0 points

** Wrestler still has a match vs. Francesco Akira remaining (automatic default victory/two points).

Upcoming Best of the Super Juniors schedule —

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 —

  • B Block: Ninja Mack vs. Dragon Dia
  • B Block: KUSHIDA vs. DOUKI
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. Francesco Akira (default victory for Eagles)
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori vs. SHO
  • B Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Drilla Moloney

Thursday, May 30, 2024 —

  • A Block: Blake Christian vs. Kosei Fujita
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Clark Connors
  • A Block: El Desperado vs. HAYATA
  • A Block: TJP vs. Titan
  • A Block: BUSHI vs. Kevin Knight

Friday, May 31, 2024 —

  • B Block: KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Dia
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI
  • B Block: SHO vs. Francesco Akira (default victory for SHO)
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi
  • B Block: Drilla Moloney vs. Ninja Mack

Monday, June 3, 2024 —

  • Semifinal #1
  • Semifinal #2

NJPW Dominion on Sunday, June 9, 2024 —

  • Finals (will headline the show)

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night eight results, updated standings

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Best of the Super Juniors continued on Wednesday with a show in Osaka.

Today’s event began with an announcement that Francesco Akira will miss the remainder of the tournament. His scheduled opponent for Wednesday, Hiromu Takahashi, came out to address the fans and said he’d open the show since his match was canceled. He then joined the Japanese commentary team. Takahashi receives an automatic two points as a result of the default victory.

Just two tournament matches remain for the wrestlers in A Block. Three matches remain for each member of B Block.

Titan and El Desperado are now tied atop A Block, but a post-match attack on today’s show by Clark Connors will seemingly put Desperado at a disadvantage going into his final round-robin matches. In B Block, things are wide open with five wrestlers tied with eight points. However, SHO, DOUKI, and Robbie Eagles will receive an automatic two points due to Akira’s withdrawal, since they’d yet to face him in the tournament. Adding those points in, Eagles sits atop the group with 10 points.

Here are the quick results from today’s show:

  • A Block match: Titan defeated Kosei Fujita
  • B Block match: Robbie Eagles defeated Dragon Dia
  • A Block match: BUSHI defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • B Block match: Drilla Moloney defeated KUSHIDA
  • A Block match: HAYATA defeated Kevin Knight
  • B Block match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Willie Mack
  • A Block match: El Desperado defeated Clark Connors via DQ
  • A Block match: TJP defeated Blake Christian
  • B Block match: SHO defeated DOUKI

Other notes from the show:

  • Drilla Moloney handed KUSHIDA just his second loss of the tournament, which has led to a five-way tie atop B Block. KUSHIDA focused on Moloney’s biceps for much of the match and it was implied on commentary that the injury could impact the rest of Moloney’s tournament.
  • A rare disqualification victory was awarded to El Desperado on the show when Clark Connors shoved a referee and refused to stop punching his opponent. Connors then attacked several young boys after the match and unmasked Desperado.
  • SHO used a loaded boot and frequent interference to defeat DOUKI in the main event.

After the show, Desperado challenged Connors to a hardcore match after the BOSJ ends.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • El Desperado (5-2): 10 points
  • Titan (5-2): 10 points
  • Blake Christian (4-3): 8 points
  • Clark Connors (4-3): 8 points
  • HAYATA (4-3): 8 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-4): 6 points
  • BUSHI (3-4): 6 points
  • TJP (3-4): 6 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-5): 4 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-5): 4 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (4-2): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (4-2): 8 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (4-2): 8 points
  • Robbie Eagles (4-2): 8 points
  • Drilla Moloney (4-2): 8 points
  • DOUKI (3-3): 6 points
  • SHO (3-3): 6 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-4): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
  • Dragon Dia (0-6): 0 points

Francesco Akira to miss remainder of NJPW BOSJ tournament due to injury

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Francesco Akira is out of the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament.

NJPW announced late Tuesday that Akira will miss the remainder of this year’s BOSJ due to a left knee injury suffered on Sunday’s show.

Akira suffered the knee injury in a B Block bout on Sunday against Drilla Moloney.

With Akira unable to continue in B Block, his opponents will be awarded forfeit victories for their scheduled bouts. The current BOSJ standings are here.

The promotion first announced that Akira was pulled from Tuesday’s show where he was scheduled for a tag bout, with his status for the remainder of the tournament up in the air pending medical evaluation. After being evaluated, NJPW made the announcement:

Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

After missing his match in Himeji May 21 due to a left knee injury, medical evaluation has determined that Francesco Akira should miss the remainder of the Best of the Super Jr. 31 series.

We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Akira wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.

Akira’s forthcoming league matches will be cancelled, and points awarded to his opponents via forfeit.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night seven results, updated standings

Posted on by F4W Staff

There is now a four-way tie at the top of A Block following NJPW Best of the Super Juniors night seven.

El Desperado, Blake Christian, Titan, and Clark Connors all have 4-2 records and eight points. Tuesday’s event featured Desperado, Titan, and Connors picking up victories. Christian lost his second straight tournament match.

Here are the quick results from today’s show:

– A Block match: El Desperado defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

– A Block match: Titan defeated Kevin Knight

– A Block match: HAYATA defeated Blake Christian

– A Block match: Clark Connors defeated BUSHI

– A Block match: TJP defeated Kosei Fujita

– KUSHIDA, Ninja Mack & Dragon Dia defeated Drilla Moloney, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo

– SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku

– Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji defeated Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima

Six Best of the Super Juniors events are left before the finals are held at NJPW Dominion on June 9. The next show is on Wednesday (May 22) with both the A Block and B Block in action.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • El Desperado (4-2): 8 points
  • Blake Christian (4-2): 8 points
  • Titan (4-2): 8 points
  • Clark Connors (4-2): 8 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-3): 6 points
  • HAYATA (3-3): 6 points
  • BUSHI (2-4): 4 points
  • TJP (2-4): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-4): 4 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-4): 4 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (4-1): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (3-2): 6 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (3-2): 6 points
  • Robbie Eagles (3-2): 6 points
  • Drilla Moloney (3-2): 6 points
  • DOUKI (3-2): 6 points
  • SHO (2-3): 4 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-3): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-5): 0 points

NJPW announces SANADA is medically cleared to return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After an illness forced him out of action, SANADA is preparing for his in-ring return.

The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion hasn’t wrestled for nearly a month. It was announced on April 30 that he had been pulled from a slate of NJPW events and would be undergoing a medical appraisal.

SANADA has now been medically cleared to return. He’ll be back in the ring “in the near future.”

“SANADA, who has been absent from matches since April 27 in Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall due to a health concern, has undergone evaluation at a Tokyo hospital and deemed medically cleared. SANADA will be working toward a return to the ring in the near future,” NJPW announced. “SANADA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling appreciate fans’ support and understanding.”

During his time out of action, SANADA missed the remainder of NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku tour, both nights of Wrestling Dontaku, United Japan Pro-Wrestling’s All Together event, and the Best of the Super Juniors tour.

SANADA is a one-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, holding the title from April 2023 to January 2024.

Challenging for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship looks to be the direction upon SANADA’s return. David Finlay mentioned SANADA in his post-match comments after winning the title at Wrestling Dontaku. SANADA defeated Finlay when they faced off in the finals of the 2023 New Japan Cup.

AEW’s Eddie Kingston suffered torn ACL & meniscus in addition to broken leg

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Eddie Kingston isn’t returning to the ring anytime soon.

The AEW star told PWInsider that he suffered a tibular fracture and a torn ACL and meniscus during the end of his match against Gabe Kidd at NJPW Resurgence earlier this month. He will undergo surgery for the tears.

“This is part of the game,” Kingston told PWInsider. “Injuries happen. I will be back.”

During the match for the Strong Openweight title, Kidd gave Kingston a suplex on a table outside of the ring. Upon landing, Kingston smacked both legs on top of the barricade, causing the injury. He ultimately lost the title to Kidd and was attacked after the match by Jack Perry and The Young Bucks, who took credit for taking out Kingston.

Kingston was originally set to be part of a team with FTR and Bryan Danielson at AEW Double or Nothing in an Anarchy in the Arena match against The Elite. On last Wednesday’s Dynamite, he was replaced by the returning Darby Allin.

PWInsider’s report said that Kingston had hoped to be back for All In: London, but will likely be out nine months to recover from the surgery, putting him out for the rest of 2024.

Francesco Akira to miss NJPW Best of the Super Juniors show

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW has announced a change to the Best of the Super Juniors 31 night seven lineup.

United Empire’s Francesco Akira will miss tomorrow’s show due to a knee injury. He was scheduled for a tag match with Callum Newman against Hiromu Takahashi and Yota Tsuji. His status for the remainder of the tournament will be determined after medical evaluation.

Tsuji and Takahashi will now wrestle Shoma Kato and Katsuya Murashima on Tuesday’s show.

“Akira’s status for May 22’s group match, and subsequent dates on the Best of the Super Jr. 31 tour will be determined after medical evaluation,” NJPW wrote.

“We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Akira wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.”

An injury angle took place on Sunday’s show in Hachioji when Akira faced Drilla Moloney in B Block action. Akira came into the match already selling his injured leg and Moloney focused on it for much of their match. Moloney eventually made Akira tap out to a leglock and then continued to attack Akira’s leg afterward. Akira had to be helped to the back and wasn’t putting weight on his leg.

Akira’s BOSJ record currently sits at 2-3. His next tournament match is scheduled for Wednesday against Takahashi.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night six results, updated standings

Posted on by Ian Carey

Night six of NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament took place on Sunday in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.

Five matches in the A Block and five matches in B Block took place on the show. The quick results are available below.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night six quick results —

  • B Block: Drilla Moloney defeated Francesco Akira
  • A Block: BUSHI defeated Kosei Fujita
  • B Block: DOUKI defeated Dragon Dia
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Kevin Knight
  • B Block: KUSHIDA defeated Taiji Ishimori
  • A Block: Clark Connors defeated Titan
  • B Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ninja Mack
  • A Block: TJP defeated HAYATA
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles defeated SHO
  • A Block: El Desperado defeated Blake Christian

El Desperado became the first wrestler in A Block to hand Blake Christian a loss. He defeated Christian in the main event of Sunday’s show to improve his record to 3-2 and drop Christian to 4-1. However, Christian still sits alone atop the group.

After a big win on Sunday, KUSHIDA is all alone atop B Block. He defeated Taiji Ishimori to move to 4-1 and drop Ishmori down to 3-2.

Robbie Eagles defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO on Sunday after his TMDK teammate Fujita helped him fend off interference from House of Torture’s Yujiro Takahashi.

Drilla Moloney kept up the attack on Francesco Akria after the opening match on the show. He made Akira submit to a leglock and continued attacking his opponent’s leg afterward. Akira had to be tended to outside of the ring after the match and could not put weight on his leg as he walked to the back.

TJP finally got into the win column with a victory over HAYATA. This leaves Dragon Dia as the only competitor without a win thus far in the tournament.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • Blake Christian (4-1): 8 points
  • Titan (3-2): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-2): 6 points
  • El Desperado (3-2): 6 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-3): 4 points
  • Clark Connors (3-2): 4 points
  • HAYATA (2-3): 4 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-3): 4 points
  • BUSHI (2-3): 4 points
  • TJP (1-4): 2 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (4-1): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (3-2): 6 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (3-2): 6 points
  • Robbie Eagles (3-2): 6 points
  • Drilla Moloney (3-2): 6 points
  • DOUKI (3-2): 6 points
  • SHO (2-3): 4 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-3): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-5): 0 points

Best of the Super Juniors finals to main event NJPW Dominion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The Best of the Super Juniors finals are set to headline one of NJPW’s biggest events of the year.

It was confirmed today that the finals of Best of the Super Juniors 31 will be the main event of NJPW Dominion on Sunday, June 9. The show is taking place from Osaka-jo Hall and will air live on NJPW World.

The announcement means that the Best of the Super Juniors finals are going on last instead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Jon Moxley and EVIL.

We don’t know who will be competing in the Best of the Super Juniors finals yet. There are still eight tournament shows left before Dominion. At the moment, Blake Christian has a 4-0 record and leads the A Block. KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori are tied for the B Block lead with 3-1 records.

Here’s everything that’s been confirmed for Dominion so far:

NJPW Dominion 2024 (Sunday, June 9) —

  • Best of the Super Juniors finals
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Henare
  • KOPW 2024 title holder Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan
  • NJPW World Television Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • Four-way tornado elimination match for both the IWGP Tag Team titles and NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles: KENTA & Chase Owens (IWGP Tag Team Champions) vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo (Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night five results, updated standings

Posted on by F4W Staff

Night five of NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament consisted of 10 matches with A Block and B Block both in action.

After a pre-show angle where he was attacked by SHO, Hiromu Takahashi got his revenge by defeating SHO in the main event. There were also victories for Kevin Knight, Francesco Akira, Blake Christian, Robbie Eagles, BUSHI, DOUKI, HAYATA, Drilla Moloney, and Kosei Fujita.

Here are the quick results:

– B Block match: Hiromu Takahashi defeated SHO

– A Block match: Kevin Knight defeated El Desperado

– B Block match: Francesco Akira defeated Taiji Ishimori

– A Block match: Blake Christian defeated Titan

– B Block match: Robbie Eagles defeated KUSHIDA

– A Block match: BUSHI defeated TJP

– B Block match: DOUKI defeated Ninja Mack

– A Block match: HAYATA defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

– B Block match: Drilla Moloney defeated Dragon Dia

– A Block match: Kosei Fujita defeated Clark Connors

Blake Christian, first place in A Block, is the only wrestler who still has a perfect record in the tournament. KUSHIDA and Ishimori took their first losses today but are still tied for the B Block lead.

The tournament is back in action on Sunday (May 19) with another show featuring both blocks.

It was announced today that the Best of the Super Juniors finals will be the main event of NJPW Dominion on June 9. There are eight tournament shows left before that.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • Blake Christian (4-0): 8 points
  • Titan (3-1): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-1): 6 points
  • El Desperado (2-2): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-2): 4 points
  • Clark Connors (2-2): 4 points
  • HAYATA (2-2): 4 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-3): 2 points
  • BUSHI (1-3): 2 points
  • TJP (0-4): 0 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (3-1): 6 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (3-1): 6 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (2-2): 4 points
  • SHO (2-2): 4 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-2): 4 points
  • Robbie Eagles (2-2): 4 points
  • Drilla Moloney (2-2): 4 points
  • DOUKI (2-2): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-2): 4 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-4): 0 points

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night four results, updated standings

Posted on by F4W Staff

Taiji Ishimori and KUSHIDA maintained their perfect B Block records as night four of NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 took place on Thursday.

In the main event of the show, Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles. KUSHIDA was victorious earlier in the night against Francesco Akira. Ishimori and KUSHIDA are tied for the early B Block lead with 3-0 records and six points.

Hiromu Takahashi, SHO, and Drilla Moloney also got wins on Thursday. This was Takahashi’s first victory of the tournament.

Here are the quick results:

– B Block match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles

– B Block match: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Dragon Dia

– B Block match: SHO defeated Ninja Mack

– B Block match: Drilla Moloney defeated DOUKI

– B Block match: KUSHIDA defeated Francesco Akira

– BUSHI, Titan & Tetsuya Naito defeated TJP, Blake Christian & Callum Newman

– Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi defeated HAYATA & Tomoaki Honma

– El Desperado, Boltin Oleg & Katsuya Murashima defeated Kevin Knight, Tiger Mask & Shoma Kato

There are Best of the Super Juniors shows on Saturday (May 18) and Sunday (May 19) this weekend. Each of those nights will feature a full slate of tournament action with both A Block and B Block matches.

Best of the Super Juniors runs through June 9 when the finals will be held at NJPW Dominion. The winner of the tournament will likely be in line for a shot at SHO’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • Blake Christian (3-0): 6 points
  • Titan (3-0): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (2-1): 4 points
  • El Desperado (2-1): 4 points
  • Clark Connors (2-1): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (1-2): 2 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-2): 2 points
  • HAYATA (1-2): 2 points
  • TJP (0-3): 0 points
  • BUSHI (0-3): 0 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (3-0): 6 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (3-0): 6 points
  • SHO (2-1): 4 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-1): 4 points
  • Robbie Eagles (1-2): 2 points
  • Drilla Moloney (1-2): 2 points
  • DOUKI (1-2): 2 points
  • Francesco Akira (1-2): 2 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (1-2): 2 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-3): 0 points

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night three results, updated standings

Posted on by F4W Staff

Five A Block matches took place as Niigata hosted NJPW Best of the Super Juniors action on Wednesday.

El Desperado, Clark Connors, Titan, Blake Christian, and Kevin Knight all picked up victories on night three of the tournament. Here are the quick results:

– A Block match: El Desperado defeated BUSHI

– A Block match: Clark Connors defeated TJP

– A Block match: Titan defeated HAYATA

– A Block match: Blake Christian defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

– A Block match: Kevin Knight defeated Kosei Fujita

– Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Tomoaki Honma & Dragon Dia-

– Francesco Akira & Callum Newman defeated KUSHIDA & Tiger Mask

– DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku defeated Drilla Moloney & Gedo

– SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Ninja Mack & Katsuya Murashima

With that, Blake Christian and Titan are leading the pack early tied with six points. Knight, Desperado, and Connors are next with four points. Fujita, Kanemaru, and HAYATA have two points. In last place, TJP and BUSHI are both still winless.

Best of the Super Juniors continues on Thursday with the B Block in action. The tournament runs through June 9, when the finals will be held at NJPW Dominion.

The winner of the tournament will likely be in line for a shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO.

Here are the updated standings:

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • Blake Christian (3-0): 6 points
  • Titan (3-0): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (2-1): 4 points
  • El Desperado (2-1): 4 points
  • Clark Connors (2-1): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (1-2): 2 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-2): 2 points
  • HAYATA (1-2): 2 points
  • TJP (0-3): 0 points
  • BUSHI (0-3): 0 points

B Block:

  • KUSHIDA (2-0): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (2-0): 4 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-0): 4 points
  • SHO (1-1): 2 points
  • Francesco Akira (1-1): 2 points
  • Robbie Eagles (1-1): 2 points
  • DOUKI (1-1): 2 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (0-2): 0 points
  • Drilla Moloney (0-2): 0 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-2): 0 points

Jon Moxley: You have no idea where to classify me, but can’t ignore me

Posted on by Ian Carey

During a recent interview, Jon Moxley opened up about how his career will be remembered.

The IWGP World Heavyweight Champion told Sports Illustrated that he likes the idea of being so unique that fans won’t know where to put him on “your lists or your rankings or whatever the f—.”

Moxley is in a book club with other members of the Blackpool Combat Club and he uses a quote from Awaken Your Genius by Ozan Varol to describe his career.

“The line is like, ‘A genius, in the words of Thelonious Monk, is the one most like himself. Genius, in its Latin origin, refers to the attendant spirit present at birth in every person. Each of us is like Aladdin, and our genie–or our genius–is bottled up inside of us waiting to be awakened.’ It’s kind of what I think of when I say there’s only one me,” Moxley said.

The book’s tagline is “Escape conformity, ignite creativity, and become extraordinary.” The author’s other works include “Think like a Rocket Scientist” and “The Democratic Coup d’État.”

“That’s why I try to focus on what I’m doing. What’s the saying? Comparison is the death of happiness? I’m the only one of me. Forgive me for speaking in the third person, but I’m the only Jon Moxley there is. I don’t see another one walking in any f—— time soon,” Moxley continued.

Moxley successfully defended his IWGP World title against Shota Umino on Saturday at NJPW Resurgence. He’ll next defend the belt against EVIL at NJPW Dominion on June 9 in Osaka.

“When it’s all said and done, and I’ve been eaten by a cougar or something and people look back on everything, I like the idea that you won’t know where to classify me in history,” Moxley continued. “You don’t know where to put me on your lists or your rankings or whatever the f—.

“You have no idea where to classify me, but you can’t ignore me, so you’re going to have to give me my own space. I like that.”

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night two results, standings

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Best of the Super Juniors continued on Monday at Korakuen Hall.

Following night two of the tournament, only Blake Christian and Titan are sporting 2-0 records in A Block. TJP and BUSHI are the only two wrestlers in the block yet to get in the win column and six wrestlers are tied with 1-1 records.

In B Block, KUSHIDA improved his record to 2-0 with a win over SHO on tonight’s show. Ninja Mack and Blake Christian are also undefeated after two matches. DOUKI picked up a win over Hiromu Takahashi with a DOUKI-chokey in the main event on Monday, improving his record to 1-1 and dropping Takahashi to 0-2. Dragon Dia and Drilla Maloney are also at 0-2 and the other four wrestlers in B Block sit tied with 1-1 records.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night two quick results —

  • Blake Christian defeated Kevin Knight (A Block)
  • Ninja Mack defeated Francesco Akira (B Block)
  • Clark Connors defeated HAYATA (A Block)
  • Robbie Eagles defeated Drilla Maloney (B Block)
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated TJP (A Block)
  • Taiji Ishimori defeated Dragon Dia (B Block)
  • Titan defeated BUSHI (A Block)
  • KUSHIDA defeated SHO (B Block)
  • El Desperado defeated Kosei Fujita (A Block)
  • DOUKI defeated Hiromu Takahashi (B Block)

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

  • Blake Christian (2-0): 4 points
  • Titan (2-0): 4 points
  • Kevin Knight (1-1): 2 points
  • El Desperado (1-1): 2 points
  • Kosei Fujita (1-1): 2 points
  • Clark Connors (1-1): 2 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-1): 2 points
  • HAYATA (1-1): 2 points
  • TJP (0-2): 0 points
  • BUSHI (0-2): 0 points

B Block:

  • Ninja Mack (2-0): 4 points
  • KUSHIDA (2-0): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (2-0): 4 points
  • SHO (1-1): 2 points
  • Francesco Akira (1-1): 2 points
  • Robbie Eagles (1-1): 2 points
  • DOUKI (1-1): 2 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (0-2): 0 points
  • Drilla Moloney (0-2): 0 points
  • Dragon Dia (0-2): 0 points