Tag: Best Of The Super Juniors 31

NJPW crowns Best of the Super Juniors 31 winner

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament has concluded.

El Desperado defeated Taiji Ishimori in the main event of Sunday’s Dominion event in Osaka-jo Hall. The finish of the match, which went over twenty minutes, saw Desperado pin Ishimori with the pinche loco to win the BOSJ tournament for the first time.

After the match, he was handed the tournament trophy and posed with the ceremonial flag. In his post-match promo, he put over Ishimori’s performance as Ishimori stormed backstage.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO then came out and taunted Desperado. The two had a back and forth until Desperado challenged SHO to a steel cage match for SHO’s title, saying it would be the best way to make sure that no one can interfere. SHO left angrily as Desperado called himself the strongest.

Desperado defeated Douki to advance to the finals, while Ishimori defeated TJP.

A vote held before Dominion asked fans if they wanted the Best of the Super Junior finals or the lumberjack match between EVIL and Jon Moxley to headline the show. The finals ended up winning the vote, putting it in the main event slot.

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)

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 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

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night one results, initial standings

Posted on by F4W Staff

On Saturday, this year’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors kicked off with a full slate of matches.

This is the 31st edition of the junior heavyweight tournament. Both A Block and B Block were in action with night one being held in Chiba. The card included KUSHIDA and Hiromu Takahashi renewing their rivalry as KUSHIDA began the tournament with a victory.

Here are the quick results:

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

Twelve more shows on the Best of the Super Juniors tour will happen from now through June 3. The finals of the tournament will then take place at Dominion on June 9, which is a change from NJPW’s traditional schedule for the tournament.

If IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO doesn’t win the tournament, the winner will receive a shot at his title. A trophy is also awarded to the BOSJ winner.

The next show is on Monday (May 13), again with both blocks in action.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —

A Block:

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

B Block:

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

NJPW reveals Best of the Super Juniors 31 block assignments

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the block assignments for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament. 

The 20-man field will be broken into two blocks, A Block and B Block. Participants are awarded 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The competitor with the top points total in their block will advance to the finals. 

After suffering injuries in a bicycle accident, Ryusuke Taguchi has also been pulled from the tournament and will be replaced by Dragon Gate’s Dragon Dia. 

Best of the Super Juniors 31 kicks off on Saturday, May 11, with the tournament finals set for Dominion on Sunday, June 9. 

The matchups for each night of tournament action have also been revealed. Details are here, and in the embedded video below.

The block assignments: 

A Block —

  • El Desperado
  • Kevin Knight
  • BUSHI
  • Titan
  • TJP
  • Kosei Fujita
  • Blake Christian
  • Clark Connors
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • HAYATA

B Block —

  • KUSHIDA
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • DOUKI
  • Francesco Akira
  • Robbie Eagles
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Drilla Moloney
  • SHO
  • Dragon Dia
  • Ninja Mack

NJPW reveals YOH’s Best of the Super Juniors 31 injury replacement

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed YOH’s injury replacement for the Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament. 

In a social media post early Friday, two-time BOSJ winner KUSHIDA was revealed as the substitute for the injured YOH. 

KUSHIDA notes in his video promo that he originally did not make the cut for this year’s BOSJ, but now he is stepping up and will go right for the trophy, and has cleared his schedule for May to take part in the tournament:

KUSHIDA won the BOSJ tournament in 2015 and 2017, and was the runner-up in 2014.

YOH is out of action after suffering a dislocated shoulder at Sakura Genesis earlier this month. NJPW announced Thursday that YOH also suffered damage to the labrum in the left shoulder as a result of the injury and would need to be replaced.

Block assignments have yet to be revealed for this year’s tournament which begins on May 11. The finals will take place at Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall on June 9. 

The updated field: 

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • Ryusuke Taguchi
  • El Desperado
  • Kevin Knight
  • KUSHIDA
  • BUSHI
  • Titan
  • TJP
  • Francesco Akira
  • DOUKI
  • Robbie Eagles
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Clark Connors
  • Drilla Moloney
  • Kosei Fujita
  • Blake Christian
  • Ninja Mack
  • HAYATA

YOH pulled from NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

YOH is out of the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

NJPW announced early Thursday morning that YOH would be out of action due to a dislocated left shoulder that he suffered in a match against SHO at Sakura Genesis last weekend. A replacement will be announced at a later time.

NJPW’s website wrote the following:

During a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis, YOH sustained an injury that necessitated the match being stopped. YOH went on to have a full medical assessment, and it has been determined that YOH sustained a dislocated left shoulder as well as damage to the shoulder labrum.

As a result of his injury, YOH will not compete in Best of the Super Jr. 31, beginning May 11 in Chiba. We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing YOH wrestle, and appreciate your understanding. A replacement for YOH in the tournament will be announced at a later date.

Last week’s match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship only lasted 96 seconds when YOH injured his shoulder, causing the referee to stop the match. YOH was tended to by medical officials as he was helped to the back. 

This year’s Best of the Super Junior tournament begins May 11, with the finals taking place at Dominion on June 9.

NJPW reveals Best of the Super Juniors 31 lineup

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the lineup for the Best of the Super Juniors 31 tournament. 

This year’s BOSJ kicks off on May 11, with the tournament finals set for Dominion on June 9 in Osaka-Jo Hall. 

20 competitors have been announced for the tournament. Block assignments have yet to be unveiled. 

The tournament field includes four first-time entrants –Kosei Fujita, Blake Christian, Ninja Mack, & HAYATA. The current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO, plus two former tournament winners in Ryusuke Taguchi (2012) and Hiromu Takahashi (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) will also enter the tournament.

16 of the 20 competitors from last year’s tournament will return this year, with the exceptions being KUSHIDA, Lio Rush, Mike Bailey, and Master Wato.

The announced Best of the Super Juniors 31 lineup: 

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO
  • Hiromu Takahashi 
  • Ryusuke Taguchi
  • El Desperado
  • Kevin Knight
  • YOH
  • BUSHI
  • Titan
  • TJP 
  • Francesco Akira
  • DOUKI
  • Robbie Eagles
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Clark Connors
  • Drilla Moloney
  • Kosei Fujita
  • Blake Christian
  • Ninja Mack
  • HAYATA

YOH suffered an apparent separated shoulder in his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match against SHO at Saturday’s Sakura Genesis event, which could necessitate a replacement.