Tag: best of the super juniors 32

First wrestler qualifies for NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 finals

Posted on by Ian Carey

The A Block winner of the Best of the Super Juniors 32 has been determined.

Kosei Fujita advanced on a tie-breaker from a five way logjam at 10 points atop A Block. His wins over Hiromu Takahashi, Master Wato, and Clark Connors, all of whom had 5-4 records as well, put him at a 3-1 record against the other tied competitors.

The final night of A Block took place on Tuesday in Shizuoka.

A Block Matches

Ninja Mack vs. Dragon Dia kicked off the tournament portion of today’s show. Dia came into this one with a 4-4 record after having only won one match in last year’s tournament. The finish saw Mack miss a Ninja Bomb, and Dia attempt a top rope move only for Mack to counter with a 540 kick for the win. They both finish with 4-5 records.

Heading into the second tournament match, both Francesco Akira and KUSHIDA were still technically alive with 4-4 records. The finish saw Akira reverse KUSHIDA’s Hoverboard Lock into a Ground Tarantula to get the submission victory.

Shockingly, House of Torture got involved in Yoshinobu Kanemaru’s match against Master Wato. With SHO distracting the ref, Kanemaru used a whisky bottle to bash Wato’s knee while he had him in a figure four, eventually leading to the submission. House of Torture continued the assault after the match until YOH came out to make the save.

Heading into the semi-main event of the evening, Clark Connors needed a win over Kosei Fujita and a Hiromu Takahashi loss to Robbie X in the main event to advance. Fujita would advance on tie-breakers with a win and a Takahashi loss due to his record against the other wrestlers tied with 10 points. Connors brought out Mr. Wheel, or Wheel-san, the spare tire he has been using throughout the tournament, and worked over Fujita’s back. However, finish of the match saw Fujita reverse a No Chaser attempt into a Nemos Special to get the submission victory.

Heading into the main event, Hiromu Takahashi controlled his own fate. A win over Robbie X and he would advance to the finals with a chance to win his fifth Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He looked to have things won after hitting a Time Bomb, but another attempt was countered when X bent back his fingers and then hit a springboard cutter followed by his X Express finisher from the top for the win.

After his win, Robbie X told Fujita that if he wins the Junior Heavyweight title, he wants the first shot.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors night 11 results:

  • A Block: Robbie X defeated Hiromu Takahashi
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita defeated Clark Connors
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Master Wato
  • A Block: Francesco Akira defeated KUSHIDA
  • A Block: Ninja Mack defeated Dragon Dia

A Block —

  • Master Wato (5-4): 10 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (5-4): 10 points
  • Clark Connors (5-4): 10 points
  • Francesco Akira (5-4): 10 points
  • Kosei Fujita (5-4): 10 points
  • Robbie X (4-5): 8 points
  • Dragon Dia (4-5): 8 points
  • KUSHIDA (4-5): 8 points
  • Ninja Mack (4-5): 8 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4-5): 8 points

B Block —

  • El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
  • YOH (5-3): 10 points
  • MAO (5-3): 10 points
  • Robbie Eagles (4-4): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (4-4): 8 points
  • Nick Wayne (4-4): 8 points
  • SHO (4-4): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-5): 6 points
  • Titan (3-5): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-5): 6 points

Upcoming Schedule

The final night of B Block takes place Thursday in Niigata.

  • B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kevin Knight
  • B Block: El Desperado vs. Robbie Eagles
  • B Block: YOH vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • B Block: Titan vs. Nick Wayne
  • B Block: MAO vs. SHO

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

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 continued in Nagoya on Sunday.

10 round-robin matches took place on the show. Both A and B Block are down to their final night of round-robin action.

A Block Matches

At the end of night 10, Master Wato, Hiromu Takahashi, and Clark Connors are tied atop A Block with 10 points, with KUSHIDA, Dragon Dia, Kosei Fujita, and Francesco Akira still mathematically alive at 8.

Wato came into today’s show alone atop the group with 10 points. However, he was defeated by Takahashi in the night’s main event after several versions of Takahashi’s Time Bomb finisher.

Connors has not shied away from using weapons this tournament. After a ref bump in his match against Akira on Saturday, he brought out Mr. Wheel and a table. Akira answered back, however, and hit Connors with a chair. Unfortunately for Akira, a second referee had run in by this point and called for the rare disqualification.

Ninja Mack had already been mathematically eliminated coming into his match against Kosei Fujita. I think most who have followed this tournament will say he’s been one of the most entertaining parts of it, however. There were no ninja stars or nunchuks in this match but he picked up the win with a Ninja Bomb from the top rope.

Dragon Dia defeated Robbie X with a Reptilian Rana to keep his hopes of advancing alive.

KUSHIDA avoided an attempted Whisky spray from Yoshinobu Kanemaru, punched him in the face, and rolled him up for a 3-count in the first A Block match of the night. The loss eliminates Kanemaru from contention and keeps KUSHIDA alive.

B Block Matches

At the end of the second final night of B Block, only YOH controls his destiny. He is tied with MAO and El Desperado with 10 points but has the tie-breaker over both of them. He’ll wrestle Taiji Ishimori on Thursday and if he wins, he advances to the finals. Desperado and MAO need to win or draw and YOH to lose to keep their hopes alive on Thursday. Robbie Eagles, Taiji Ishimori, and Nick Wayne are still technically mathematically alive but will need a win on Thursday and a lot of help

El Desperado defated Kevin Knight with a Pinche Loco in the final B Block match of the night. Knight went into the bout already mathematically eliminated due to tie-breaker rules.

Taiji Ishimori could not overcome repeated interference from House of Torture in his match against SHO. SANADA interfered and gave Ishimori a Deadfall leading to a win for SHO.

MAO defeated Nick Wayne to improve to 10 points after MAO hit his own version of Wayne’s World followed by his crossface submission for the win. The two friends showed shook hands and MAO raised Wayne’s arm after the bout.

YOH became the first person in the group to reach 10 points when he defeated Titan with a Direct Drive in the second B Block match of the evening.

Robbie Eagles defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in the opening contest. Taguchi targeted Eagles’ ankle for much of the bout, while Taguchi was favoring his knee. Both wrestlers went down selling their injuries near the end of the bout, but Eagles recovered and hit Hyperion for the win.

Best of the Super Juniors 32 night 10 results:

  • A Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Master Wato
  • B Block: El Desperado defeated Kevin Knight
  • A Block: Clark Connors defeated Francesco Akira via DQ
  • B Block: SHO defeated Taiji Ishimroi
  • A Block: Ninja Mack defeated Kosei Fujita
  • B Block: MAO defeated Nick Wayne
  • A Block: Dragon Dia defeated Robbie X
  • B Block: YOH defeated Titan
  • A Block: KUSHIDA defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles defeated Ryusuke Taguchi

A Block —

  • Master Wato (5-3): 10 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (5-3): 10 points
  • Clark Connors (5-3): 10 points
  • Kosei Fujita (4-4): 8 points
  • Francesco Akira (4-4): 8 points
  • Dragon Dia (4-4): 8 points
  • KUSHIDA (4-4): 8 points
  • Robbie X (3-5): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points
  • Ninja Mack (3-5): 6 points

B Block —

  • El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
  • YOH (5-3): 10 points
  • MAO (5-3): 10 points
  • Robbie Eagles (4-4): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (4-4): 8 points
  • Nick Wayne (4-4): 8 points
  • SHO (4-4): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-5): 6 points
  • Titan (3-5): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-5): 6 points

Upcoming Schedule

The tournament continues in Shizuoka on Tuesday with the final night of A Block.

  • A Block: Ninja Mack vs. Dragon Dia
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita vs. Clark Connors
  • A Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie X
  • A Block: KUSHIDA vs. Francesco Akira
  • A Block: Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

The final night of B Block takes place Thursday in Niigata.

  • B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kevin Knight
  • B Block: El Desperado vs. Robbie Eagles
  • B Block: YOH vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • B Block: Titan vs. Nick Wayne
  • B Block: MAO vs. SHO

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

Posted on by Ian Carey

Best of the Super Juniors 32 continued on Saturday in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.

Each wrestler had their seventh round-robin bout on the show. With two matches remaining, both blocks are still tight, but B Block is especially crowded with all 10 competitors still in contention.

A Block Matches

Master Wato moved to 10 points and now sits alone atop A Block after defeating KUSHIDA in the semi-main event. KUSHIDA focused on Wato’s arm throughout the match, but Wato came back and got the win with Recientemente followed by a Tsutenkaku German.

Hiromu Takahashi needed a win to stay alive in the tournament and got it against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. House of Torture attacked Takahashi before the bell and Kanemaru controlled much of the match, repeatedly targeting the knee with figure fours. Takahashi finally reversed a third figure four attempt into a cradle for the pin.

Kosei Fujita snapped a three-match losing streak with a win over Dragon Dia with a Thrill Ride.

In a battle between wrestlers tied at six points, Francesco Akira forced Robbie X to tap out to the Ground Tarantula.

The show opened with a battle of ninja weapons and spare tires as Clark Connors faced Ninja Mack. The match spilled outside, where Mack threw ninja stars at Connors. Connors responded by bringing out “Mr. Wheel,” a spare tire he’s used in recent matches. Mack then pulled out a pair of nunchucks and the two had at it with their chosen weapons. No disqualifications or even warnings were issued by the referee for any of this. As typically happens in such situations, the nunchucks turned out to be too much weapon for the spare tire and Mack gained control. However, shortly after the match got back in the ring, Connors hit a gore followed by No Chaser for the win.

B Block Matches

Five wrestlers are now tied at the top of B Block with eight points, and all ten competitors still have a chance to advance.

El Desperado submitted Ryusuke Taguchi in the main event to join the logjam atop the group. The match featured Desperado targeting Taguchi’s knee while Taguchi worked his opponent’s ankle. Desperado eventually earned the submission win with Numero Dos.

YOH submitted Nick Wayne with the Anaconda Vice, moving both to 4-3.

Taiji Ishimori reversed a UFO Splash by Kevin Knight into the Bone Lock to get the win. He had targeted Knight’s shoulder during the bout. Ishimori improves to 4-3, Knight falls to 3-4.

MAO picked up a win over Robbie Eagles with a unique move. He had Eagles in a Dragon Sleeper position on the second turnbuckle, jumped off, and slammed him onto his stomach. Walker Stewart didn’t know what to call the move. NJPW’s website later referred to it as “Ultra Big Tone.”

SHO defeated Titan in the B Block opener following repeated interference by House of Torture members.

A Block —

  • Master Wato (5-2): 10 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (4-3): 8 points
  • Kosei Fujita (4-3): 8 points
  • Francesco Akira (4-3): 8 points
  • Clark Connors (4-3): 8 points
  • Dragon Dia (3-4): 6 points
  • Robbie X (3-4): 6 points
  • KUSHIDA (3-4): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-4): 6 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-5): 4 points

B Block —

  • Nick Wayne (4-2): 8 points
  • El Desperado (4-3): 8 points
  • YOH (4-3): 8 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (4-3): 8 points
  • MAO (4-3): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-4): 6 points
  • Titan (3-4): 6 points
  • Robbie Eagles (3-3): 6 points
  • Kevin Knight (3-4): 6 points
  • SHO (3-4): 6 points

Upcoming Schedule

The tournament continues in Nagoya on Sunday.

  • A Block: Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi
  • B Block: El Desperado vs. Kevin Knight
  • A Block: Francesco Akira vs. Clark Connors
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimroi vs. SHO
  • A Block: Ninja Mack vs. Kosei Fujita
  • B Block: MAO vs. Nick Wayne
  • A Block: Dragon Dia vs. Robbie X
  • B Block: YOH vs. Titan
  • A Block: KUSHIDA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie Eagles

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

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 continued in Gunma on Tuesday with five A Block matches.

Heading into the show, five wrestlers in the group sat at six points with 3-2 records, while the other five had four points with 2-3 records. After Tuesday’s results, eight of the ten wrestlers in the group now have 3-3 records.

Master Wato now stands alone atop the group with eight points after defeating Robbie X with the Recientemente II in the main event.

Following his win, Wato said, “Robbie, wait a second, stay until the end here. OK, I get it. Thank you for coming today, everyone. I couldn’t go back to back last year, but after one year off, I’ll win this year. Along with this tag belt there’s another thing I need. The IWGP Junior title that El Desperado has. I will win this tournament, use that as my chance and come for you. I will come here as champion, sellout this and every building on to the Tokyo Dome. It’s us, the junior heavyweights that will make NJPW the best it’s ever been, and it’ll be me in the center of it all. I will be the Grand master!”

In the semi-main, Francesco Akira made Dragon Dia submit to a Ground Tarantula to improve his record to 3-3.

Clark Connors was still feeling the effects of taking a sunset flip powerbomb onto a spare tire from Hiromu Takahashi in his last match. He brought out the tire, now named “Mr. Wheel,” again on Tuesday and used it against his opponent. He picked up the win over KUSHIDA with No Chaser, improving his record to 3-3.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru targeted Kosei Fujita’s injured shoulder throughout their match. Ultimately, it was interference from House of Torture that allowed him to pick up the win.

Hiromu Takahashi made Ninja Mack submit to Hiromu’s D in the first tournament match on the show. Takahashi managed to avoid Mack’s Ninja Special throughout much of the match, but Mack did manage to land a variation of the move, which is show in the clip below.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 night seven results:

  • A Block: Master Wato defeated Robbie X
  • A Block: Francesco Akira defeated Dragon Dia
  • A Block: Clark Connors defeated KUSHIDA
  • A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Kosei Fujita
  • A Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ninja Mack
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kevin Knight & SANADA defeated Toru Yano, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO via DQ
  • Yota Tsuji & Titan defeated Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles
  • Masatora Yasuda, Shoma Kato, MAO & El Desperado defeated Katsuya Murashima, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOH
  • Daiki Nagai & Nick Wayne defeated Gedo & Taiji Ishimori

A Block —

  • Master Wato (4-2): 8 points
  • Kosei Fujita (3-2): 6 points
  • Dragon Dia (3-3): 6 points
  • Robbie X (3-3): 6 points
  • Francesco Akira (3-3): 6 points
  • KUSHIDA (3-3): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-3): 4 points
  • Clark Connors (3-3): 6 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (3-3): 6 points
  • Ninja Mack (2-4): 4 points

B Block —

  • Nick Wayne (4-1): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-2): 6 points
  • Titan (3-2): 6 points
  • El Desperado (3-2): 6 points
  • Robbie Eagles (2-3): 4 points
  • MAO (2-3): 4 points
  • SHO (2-3): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (2-3): 4 points
  • YOH (2-3): 4 points
  • Kevin Knight (2-3): 4 points

Upcoming Schedule

The tournament continues on Thursday in Osaka with five matches in B Block.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors night eight lineup:

  • B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. MAO
  • B Block: Kevin Knight vs. SHO
  • B Block: Titan vs. Robbie Eagles
  • B Block: Nick Wayne vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • B Block: El Desperado vs. YOH

NJPW reveals Best of the Super Juniors 32 competitors

Posted on by Ian Carey

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the blocks for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors 32.

The tournament is set to kick off on May 10 and will take place across 13 shows, with the finals scheduled for June 1. It will feature 20 wrestlers split into two blocks. The blocks have not been announced yet.

AEW’s Nick Wayne is set to make his debut in the tournament this year. He joins fellow AEW roster member Kevin Knight, who will be making his third appearance. Knight will face his Jet Setters tag team partner, KUSHIDA, during the round-robin portion of the tournament.

  • El Desperado – Ninth entry, sixth consecutive. Winner in 2024, current IWGP junior heavyweight champion.
  • Ryusuke Taguchi – 21st entry, first in two years. Winner in 2012.
  • YOH – Seventh entry, first in two years. Career best: finalist in 2021.
  • Master Wato – Fifth entry, first in two years. Winner in 2023.
  • KUSHIDA – 12th entry, third consecutive. Winner in 2015 and 2017.
  • Kevin Knight – Third entry, third consecutive. Career best: 4-5 record in 2024.
  • Ninja Mack – Second entry, second consecutive. Career best: 4-5 record in 2024.
  • Kosei Fujita – Second entry, second consecutive. Career best: 3-6 record in 2024. Current IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champion.
  • Robbie Eagles – Seventh entry, seventh consecutive. Career best: 5-4 record in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Current IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champion.
  • Hiromu Takahashi – 10th entry, sixth consecutive. Winner in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  • BUSHI – 13th entry, 10th consecutive. Career best: 6-3 record in 2019.
  • Francesco Akira – Fourth entry, fourth consecutive. Career best: 4-5 record in 2022 and 2023.
  • Taiji Ishimori – Ninth entry, eighth consecutive. Career best: finalist in 2018 and 2024.
  • Clark Connors – Fourth entry, fourth consecutive. Career best: 4-5 record in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Current DEFY world champion.
  • SHO – Eighth entry, eighth consecutive. Career best: 6-3 record in 2020.
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Eighth entry, fifth consecutive. Career best: 4-3 record in 2017.
  • Dragon Dia – Second entry, second consecutive. Career best: 1-8 record in 2024.
  • MAO – Debut entry.
  • Nick Wayne – Debut entry.
  • CMLL representative – A wrestler from CMLL will be announced at a later date.

NJPW reveals show schedule for Best of the Super Juniors 2025

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With the tournament just a couple of months away, NJPW has revealed the full show schedule for Best of the Super Juniors 2025.

The tournament features 13 events in total, beginning in Chiba on May 10 and ending in Tokyo on June 1. NJPW has not announced the participants yet. It will include “the world’s best junior heavyweights” battling it out over the three-week tournament.

Here is the full list of dates:

  • Saturday, May 10 at YohaS Arena in Chiba
  • Sunday, May 11 at Iwanuma Municipal Gymnasium in Miyagi (venue debut)
  • Wednesday, May 14 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • Thursday, May 15 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • Saturday, May 17 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2 in Tokyo
  • Sunday, May 18 at EsForte Arena in Hachioji
  • Tuesday, May 20 at G Messe in Gunma
  • Thursday, May 22 at EDION Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka
  • Saturday, May 24 at Acrie Himeji in Hyogo
  • Sunday, May 25 at Port Messe Nagoya in Aichi (venue debut)
  • Tuesday, May 27 at Kira Messe Numazu in Shizuoka
  • Thursday, May 29 at Region Plaza Joetsu in Niigata
  • Sunday, June 1 at Ota-ku Gymnasium, Tokyo

El Desperado — the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion — was the winner of Best of the Super Juniors 2024. He has a title defense against Francesco Akira coming up at NJPW’s 53rd Anniversary show on March 6.

The BOSJ winner will be in line for a future title shot if the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion does not win the tournament.