Tag: best of the super juniors 2017

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals fan feedback

Posted on by F4W Staff

Thumbs Up

  • Best Match: Ospreay vs KUSHIDA
  • Worst Match: None, nothing I didn’t like

I thought the tournament was great overall. I’ve only followed NJPW closely for a few years, but it was the best BOSJ in that time. I couldn’t agree more with what you have continually said regarding Liger’s usage in the tournament. The first tapes I traded for back in college were of Liger, and I think there are a lot of people in similar situations. Given Liger’s popularity in the few American dates that he’s worked over the last 18 months, him doing well in the tournament might have given a small bump to the streaming service. Though maybe all of us hardcores have already subscribed.

– Brian Reznick

**********

Thumbs way up. Incredible main event. The LIJ match was also very good and the Tanahashi angle was really fun.

Other than that it was a bunch of good matches, enjoyable as NJPW matches always are but nothing special. Expected more from Kenny and Okada but I don’t really have a worst match since everything was good.

KUSHIDA’s post match celebration was awesome.

– Petter Olsson

**********

Thumbs Up

  • Best match: Ospreay/KUSHIDA
  • Worst: None.

Thought Ospreay/KUSHIDA was the best match of the tournament, and third best match I’ve seen this year (only Okada Omega and Okada Shibata were better, in my opinion.) It’s funny because Ospreay has been the focus of a lot of discussion, criticism and praise (deservedly so in the last category I think) recently but I thought KUSHIDA was a little more impressive and honestly he’s probably the big standout of the stacked tournament.

It’s funny because this really combined every aspect of the Jrs. division, with the flips and the technical wrestling, etc. and when compared to the Cruiserweights, it’s like clear what the distinction is, outside of Neville. Personally, I think this was a better Super Jrs. final than the past few years, and outside of doing something more with Liger and maybe not doing the same shtick with Suzuki Gun all the time, I have no complaints about the tournament.

I do think it’s too soon to take the belt off of Takahashi, but I’m not sure how you keep the feud going if KUSHIDA doesn’t win this time, though I’m really excited to see what these two guys come up with this time around, especially since I think KUSHIDA started using the Small Package Driver to win his matches in the tournament, so the counters and set ups for that will be really interesting.

Everyone will probably remember the spots on the apron (rightfully so, because both guys were amazing today) but I think the thing I’m going to remember the most is probably the point where KUSHIDA is going to the top rope and Ospreay grabs his leg, and then KUSHIDA just destroys his elbow. That, along with the Danielson kicks told so much of the story of these two guys who had gotten past the respect stage and were now in the STAY DOWN part of the match, it was incredible.

I’ll stop ranting now, sorry. Great great show, great great match. Can’t wait for next Sunday.

– Jonathan Beckner

**********

Thumbs up

Best match: Ospreay/KUSHIDA

Thought this was a really good show with the LIJ Taguchi Japan 10 man tag match being really fun and exciting to watch. An excellent mix of humor and fast paced high impact action that I believe is becoming a staple match of NJPW. I understand and get the criticism some fans have of the humor spots but I really do enjoy these matches.

– Erik Yonker

**********

Thumbs in middle

All the mix tags were fine. Built towards June 11th show. Makes sense but the show dragged something fierce. For me seeing so much of Okada-Omega in ring has lessened seeing the rematch. 

  • Worst match: opener. It was what it was but was boring. 
  • Best match: Ospreay-KUSHIDA. I didn’t think this was as great as many. I thought 2/3 of match was real sloppy at times. They missed a lot of moves. The entire finishing sequence made 0 sense. Ospreay beat the hell out of KUSHIDA then he hits the finisher from top rope and finisher for pin. Thought it was real non-sensical. Some of the match was spectacular when timing was on. Could really do without Ospreay swearing so much. Dropping F bombs, B and C word just really lessens his appeal to me. He should be above all that by now. 

One match show really. The wow factor was there for main event but again the finish and missed timing I wouldn’t call it anything but very good and entertaining. 

– Mike Flynn

**********

Thumbs down.

I’m sure I will be in the minority, but I hated the main event. Both wrestlers are among the best in the world and KUSHIDA may be my personal favorite in New Japan but that was just a series of well executed moves. Instead of doing a 30 minute match they did a six minute match five times.

Did we really need a reverse Frankensteiner on the apron and and detroyer on KUSHIDA’s head? These moves looked really dangerous and meant nothing in the match. I think the time is over for praising wrestlers for dropping people on their head. The new style of match where people kick out of 15 finishing moves is going to have bad long term consequences.  **1/2

– Russell Griffith

**********

This Ospreay vs KUSHIDA match was so amazing. It’s 5 stars no doubt. The little things in the match make it for me. Ospreay had me when he did the space flying tiger drop with no cartwheel cause his arm was too hurt. When he dug his elbow into KUSHIDA’s rib cage for the abdominal stretch was so great too. Then when they did the did the closed fist punch spot that took it over the top for me, the intensity was amazing. The reverse hurricanrana on the apron was insane too.

The crowd was so into this as well and how could they not be. Tournament finals in Japan have the best atmosphere. It’s like a NCAA tournament championship or Super Bowl. You can feel the intensity in the air and it’s so much better than a best of 7. Unless it’s a game 7. WWE should take note.

I was also so impressed by the show on the 31st. That Ricochet vs. Scurll match was just awesome and Hiromu vs. Ospreay too was so great. These bigger “PPV” shows on NJPW seem to always deliver unlike WWE with Backlash or inevitably with Extreme Rules, when they end I feel so empty like I wasted hours and got no bang for my buck. 

– Kyle Jaworski

**********

I thought the show was great overall. The first few matches were really very good. The first match had big men being big men but it was fairly forgettable.

The next match I think was the Ishii 6 man. Kawato really worked and got a lot out of little and Jado sucked. He looks to me like someone who’s playing at wrestling and isn’t believable or sufficiently surreal to be funny. I thought Kawato came across as well really. He got a lot out of a moveset that is very standard and it definitely helped that he was interacting with Ishii.

The next match got off to a great start with Desperado and Volador working very smoothly together the match was very good and Tiger had a cool sequence with a few of the Gun guys.

War machine were great and Hansen damn near killed some folks. The Fale spot with ACH where he stomped on him was very brutal looking. ACH’s gimmick is something I go back and forth on. His DB fusion jacket is a nice nostalgic callback to me for my childhood but at the same time sometimes he can be too goofy. Here he came across as so nuts I couldn’t not find it funny. Tanga Roa sold a rana were he knocked into his brother… It sucked. Tama I actually like. He’s my mini Roman.

I despise Taichi and he was in the match for too long. He actively makes me less interested in a match or feud. Suzuki is great as is Goto and Yoshi.

I fell asleep in the Naito match… not the matches fault I was tired after work but that’s what happened. Naito is my favorite NJPW guy so lets just say i thought it was good.

Okada has amazing chemistry with Omega and the spot with the umbrella was great. Okada looked great. Omega looked great.

The main event is one of my favorite matches of the year. The selling was magnificent. My favorite thing in this was when Ospreay had KUSHIDA in the octopus. He pulled his injured leg to tighten it and winced cause it was injured and Ospreay is amazing. KUSHIDA was fantastic in this match too his kicks looked brutal and he worked very well. Me and the guy I watched it with were looking for the selling and I thought it was great.

The shooting star onto a KUSHIDA hung on the ropes was a great spot done safely as KUSHIDA took very little of Ospreay’s weight HOWEVER KUSHIDA didn’t land on the ropes and had to jump back on them. I don’t really like numerating matches cause I like different matches for different reasons. Ospreay has improved so well. I watched his flippy match with ricochet (first one) and he was using the same insults and reactions a lot relying on a certain pattern to sell he’s hurt or angry. Now he’s loud and expressive. He reacts in different ways and really gets the match over. Just that is an amazing improvement.

– Faisal Yaquib

**********

Thumbs Up

  • Best match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
  • Worst match: Bad Luck Fale/Yujiro Takahashi/Guerrillas of Destiny vs. War Machine/ACH/David Finlay

Automatic thumbs up because the main event was that great. The rest of card was fine basically. Scurll managed to come off as a big time star in a match involving Omega and Okada. Goto and Suzuki interaction was good in amongst all the Suzuki-gun nonsense. The Ishii and Kawato stuff in their 6 man was really good.

– Jan Buxton

**********

Thumbs up

  • Best: Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA
  • Worst: Yano/Ishii/Jado vs. Makabe/Tenzan/Kawato

A surprisingly great show. Even though it was mostly multi-man matches everyone turned it on tonight. The main event was epic & a fitting way to end the most consistently action packed BOSJ tournament I’ve ever seen. Will Ospreay stole the show both tonight & throughout the entire tournament. He’s cemented himself alongside Okada, AJ Styles & a motivated Kenny Omega as one of the best in the business right now.

Random tech note: I watched the show in Japanese instead of English because on the English feed everything was blocky & choppy while the Japanese feed was HD & smooth. Don’t know if it was just me but it was weird.

– Nick Randall

**********

Thumbs Up

  • Best Match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
  • Worst Match: Volador Jr. & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taka Michinoku & Desperado

For as great as the main event match was, and I loved it, what I’ll remember from this show ten years from now is the post-match celebration with a jubilant KUSHIDA hoisting his BOTSJ trophy and ROH World TV Title belt high in the air. He was surrounded by fans who were genuinely happy that he won. It was a special moment that made for a fantastic visual.

New Japan embraces the kind of organic fan reaction that WWE seems to avoid at nearly all costs. It’s quite the contrast. Ditto for WWE robot-style interviews versus the genuine emotion from KUSHIDA, both when he won Block B and then again tonight/this morning.

Don Callis continues to impress me on English color commentary. I really liked Steve Corino in the role and figured he would be hard to replace, but Callis is outstanding. Corino did a better job of saying move names that Kevin Kelly couldn’t be bothered to call, but Callis makes me legit laugh out loud frequently. His comic timing and delivery are impressive. And, more importantly, Callis treats the product seriously and puts over positive aspects about the wrestlers.

Though, despite Callis being great, I simply can’t watch the big matches live without Shinpei on the Japanese feed. Shinpei legit calls more English language moves than Kelly, and it’s remarkable how his emotion can add to a match. Even something as simple as Shinpei freaking out over Minoru Suzuki teasing the Gotch piledriver on Hirooki Goto adds to the drama of the match — and the perception of the danger of the move.

– Lou Pickney

NJPW reveals full Best of the Super Juniors finals card

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Though the main event for the show was already known, New Japan Pro Wrestling has revealed the full card for the Best of the Super Juniors finals.

That main event will have Block A winner Will Ospreay taking on Block B winner KUSHIDA in the tournament finals. The two have faced each other before, with KUSHIDA winning both times. As defending Best of the Super Juniors winner, Ospreay looks to both repeat as tournament champion and get his first win against KUSHIDA.

The winner of that match will likely get an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship shot against Hiromu Takahashi at Dominion on June 11th.

Tag matches fill up the rest of the BOSJ finals card, including a semi-main event that will also build to Dominion. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo will face Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll ahead of Okada and Omega’s much-anticipated rematch in Osaka.

All of Los Ingobernables de Japon will face off against Dragon Lee, Ricochet, Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & Satoshi Kojima in a big ten-man tag bout. And the rivalry between Hirooki Goto and Minoru Suzuki over the NEVER title will continue as they square off in tag action, teaming with YOSHI-HASHI and Taichi respectively.

The show will take place on June 3rd and will air live at 4 a.m. ET on New Japan World, complete with English commentary. The full card is:

  • Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA to determine this year’s Best of the Super Juniors winner
  • Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll
  • Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet & Dragon Lee
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
  • War Machine, David Finlay & ACH vs. Guerrillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Volador Jr., Tiger Mask IV & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Taka Michinoku, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Hirai Kawato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
  • Syota Umino, Tomoyuki Oka & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi, Katsuya Kitamura & Manabu Nakanishi

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: The finals are set

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Aichi was home to the B Block finals of the 24th Best of the Super Juniors tournament this morning.

Will Ospreay has made it to the finals for the second year in a row from the A Block — with everyone in the opposite block at six points going into the last night of competition, anyone can wind up facing him in the finals on June 3rd.

Prelim matches —

– Taka Michinoku & Taichi defeated Hirai Kawato & Jushin Thunder Liger when Michinoku submitted Kawato with a crossface.

– SANADA, EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ricochet, Dragon Lee & Juice Robinson when SANADA submitted Dragon Lee with the Skull End.

– Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny defeated David Finlay & War Machine after Fale hit Finlay with the Grenade.

– Yujiro Takahashi, Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll defeated Gedo, Will Ospreay & Kazuchika Okada following Takahashi hitting Gedo with the Pimp Juice DDT.

Tournament matches —

Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated El Desperado by countout

This was fine. It was full of the stuff you normally see in Suzuki-gun’s matches on this tour, but it was never bad.

Taka Michinoku cornered Desperado for this match, while Taichi decided to corner Kanemaru. They started off slow, but it soon became a brawl with Desperado attempting to use a chair on the outside. Kanemaru threw him into the crowd and body-slammed him on the floor.

Taichi teased the whiskey spot, but after some counters accidentally sprayed Kanemaru. Desperado built his momentum with a big suicide dive. He tried for a brainbuster on the concrete floor, but instead Kanemaru countered with a reverse DDT on the mat.

The referee started counting. Desperado tried to climb in to beat the count, but Taichi pushed Michinoku into Desperado, sending him to the floor. Kanemaru beat the count and won the match.

Desperado wasn’t too happy about the result, even though everyone wanted to make up after the match. Desperado eventually obliged.

This eliminated ACH, Volador Jr., and El Desperado from contention based on tiebreakers.

Ryusuke Taguchi defeated ACH

Taguchi worked on ACH’s behind early. ACH countered that with two atomic drops and a cheap shot to the nether regions.

Taguchi came back and kept it on the ground, now working on ACH’s legs. He mounted a comeback until Taguchi connected with a knee. ACH tried to low blow him, but Taguchi used his thighs to block it. Taguchi continued to work him over, using a lot of butt-based offense.

ACH finally connected with a superplex. More back and forth and reversal after pin reversal followed until Taguchi countered one more roll-up with one of his own for the win. It was a solid match, but it wasn’t anything special.

Taguchi, BUSHI, and KUSHIDA remained as viable block winners.

BUSHI defeated Tiger Mask IV

This was okay. There were a few good spots, but otherwise it was just kind of average.

Early in the match, BUSHI took a chair and tried to use it, but the ref stopped him. Undaunted, he continued to work over Tiger Mask, leveling him with a missile dropkick. Tiger Mask tried to mount a comeback, and despite BUSHI going after his mask, managed to take him to the floor with an arm drag.

Tiger Mask caught BUSHI in a waistlock sleeper-type move until he was able to get to the ropes. BUSHI managed to knock the ref down and dropkicked Tiger Mask in the leg. He got a chair, threw it at Tiger Mask, and landed a Codebreaker, but it didn’t work. The MX, however, did.

That left it between BUSHI and KUSHIDA, which led us to the main event.

KUSHIDA defeated Volador Jr.

Great main event. These two worked really well together and it led to a great back-and-forth match with some great spots. At times it felt like a contest to see who could match who and that added to the excitement.

Some mat wrestling early led to some quick back and forth. KUSHIDA bailed to go to the outside — wrong move as Volador met him there with a giant tope con hilo. Not too long after that, however, the tides were turned and KUSHIDA came back with one of his own.

KUSHIDA went for a charge, but Volador jumped over him, landed his knees on KUSHIDA’s back, and utilized a reverse monkey flip. Volador went for a dive, but KUSHIDA caught him with an armbar in mid-air. KUSHIDA went to attack Volador on the apron, but Volador instead hopped over him and met him on the floor with an Asai moonsault.

Volador looked to build momentum, but KUSHIDA caught him, sending him to the floor. KUSHIDA went for something off the top rope, but Volador met him there — which gave KUSHIDA the opportunity to take him to the floor with a super rana. KUSHIDA went up, though again Volador Jr. met him there and landed a super rana of his own for a near fall.

Volador spiked KUSHIDA with a reverse rana, but KUSHIDA trapped him in an armbar — only for Volador to counter. He went for a la magistral cradle, though KUSHIDA countered with a roll-up for another near fall. KUSHIDA landed the La Mistica and sunk in the hoverboard lock, then while still in the move hit Back to the Future for the win.

That makes it Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA in the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 3rd.

Ospreay came to the ring to cut a promo. He said he’s out here to congratulate KUSHIDA. He knows that he can beat him and needs to prove it. As much as he respects him, he will not let him stand in his way. Please bring your best, because it won’t be enough and I will be back-to-back Best of the Super Junior.

KUSHIDA’s response was simple: Let’s go crazy. The two had a staredown as Ospreay left. KUSHIDA said a few more words then left as the show went off the air.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: The A Block winner is decided

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Today’s Best of the Super Juniors show in Osaka determined the winner of the A Block as the tournament begins to wind down. The results were:

Prelim matches —

– Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado defeated ACH & Volador Jr. when Kanemaru caught ACH with a flash pin. Desperado teased hitting Kanemaru with a chair, adding some tension to their match tomorrow.

– Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA defeated EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA when Taguchi pinned BUSHI with a la magistral cradle.

– Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny defeated War Machine & David Finlay after Fale hit the Grenade on Finlay.

– Yujiro Takahashi & Kenny Omega defeated Gedo & Kazuchika Okada when Takahashi pinned Gedo after hitting the Pimp Juice DDT.

Tournament results —

Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Taichi

This was more of a story-driven match than a match telling a story. The work itself was fine, but the storyline was dramatic enough to make things pretty interesting.

Taka Michinoku and El Desperado were out there to interfere early, and did so often in the first part of the match. They all beat up on Liger, with Taichi using the camera cord to choke him. Taichi continued to dominate the match, landing a superkick, but somehow Liger found a way to kick out.

Liger mounted a comeback, laying out Taichi with the shotei. Taichi threw the ref in Liger’s way, allowing all of Suzuki-gun to come in for a beatdown. The ref at this point was about to finally throw out the two instigators when, once again, Taichi threw Liger into the ref.

Using a pair of scissors, Taichi cut Liger’s mask and bodysuit, ripping it apart. Ryusuke Taguchi and KUSHIDA finally came in to even up the odds. Taichi went to use a steel chair, but Liger responded with the koppo kick, the shotei, and a brainbuster to pick up his first and only win in the tournament.

Liger cut a promo after the match, saying thanks to Taguchi and KUSHIDA he finally picked up a win. Next year without him, the junior heavyweight scene in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament will be even better. 

Taka Michinoku defeated Dragon Lee

This was pretty short. There wasn’t much to it, though what did go down was pretty good. Michinoku focused on the mask early, but Dragon Lee made a quick comeback. A lot of good back and forth and near falls took place towards the end. Michinoku landed the Michinoku Driver and pinned him, eliminating Lee from the tournament.

Marty Scurll defeated Ricochet

This was great, as the two meshed really well with one another and had a great back-and-forth match. The drama behind Scurll being Ricochet’s possible spoiler added to the match as well. It was probably the best match of the night.

Scurll jumped Ricochet at the bell, but Ricochet quickly came back and took him out with a Fosbury flop to the floor. He went to the top rope, but Scurll caught him with the chickenwing, only for Ricochet to escape.

Scurll worked over Ricochet with a couple of surfboards, but Ricochet bounced back with a 619 and a flying uppercut. Scurll landed a version of Adam Cole’s Last Shot, though Ricochet was able to kick out.

Ricochet fired back with some great kicks that took out Scurll. He went for a shooting star press, but Scurll got his knees up and landed a piledriver, then another one. He tried for a superkick, then Ricochet tagged him with one of his own.

He went for a reverse suplex, but Scurll transitioned around. Ricochet tried to roll him up into a bridge, but Scurll trapped him in the chickenwing and despite putting up a fight, Ricochet tapped out. That puts him out of the tournament, with the winner of the main event advancing to the finals.

Will Ospreay defeated Hiromu Takahashi

I don’t think this was a complete blow-away match, but this was still great with some crazy spots.

Ospreay started off hot, hitting a huge suicide dive and dropkicking Takahashi into a bunch of empty chairs in the crowd. Takahashi soon fired back with a sunset flip bomb to the floor.

Takahashi worked over Ospreay’s leg, but Ospreay fired back with a shooting star press and a corkscrew press for a near fall. They both countered their opponent’s finishing attempts, with Takahashi landing two German suplexes after Ospreay attempted the OsCutter.

Ospreay hit a shooting star press to the floor, then tried to follow with a Phoenix splash in the ring, but Takahashi got his knees up. Ospreay hit a Canadian Destroyer DDT and the imploding 450 splash — but Takahashi kicked out. The OsCutter then sent him to the tournament finals.

Ospreay cut a promo. He said two weeks ago when he beat Ricochet he said he would make it to the finals. The butterflies and nerves are gone, and while the Best of the Super Juniors is prestigious, he wants to make it even more so.

He is the champion of his block and he will challenge all comers. It doesn’t matter who the B Block champion is, he will become a back-to-back Best of the Super Juniors winner.

Tournament standings —

Block A ends with Will Ospreay earning ten points. Dragon Lee, Ricochet, Taichi, Hiromu Takahashi, and Marty Scurll finished with eight points. Taka Michinoku jumped up to four points, and Jushin Thunder Liger scored two points in his final Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

Everyone in Block B has six points heading into tomorrow. Whoever loses their matches on tomorrow’s show will be eliminated, and whoever wins will probably rely on tiebreakers to win their block.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: Taguchi vs. KUSHIDA

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW was back at Korakuen Hall this morning as we head through the last few shows before the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 3rd. Here are the results:

– Taka Michinoku & Taichi defeated Syota Umino & Dragon Lee when Michinoku submitted Umino with a crossface.

– EVIL & SANADA defeated Hirai Kawato & Ricochet when EVIL submitted Kawato.

– War Machine & David Finlay defeated Guerrillas of Destiny & Yujiro Takahashi when Raymond Rowe pinned Tama Tonga after an assisted powerslam by Hanson.

– Marty Scurll, Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale defeated Gedo, Will Ospreay & Kazuchika Okada when Scurll submitted Gedo with the chickenwing.

Tiger Mask defeated El Desperado

Desperado controlled a lot of the match, attacking Tiger Mask’s left leg and working on it extensively. Tiger Mask tried to muster a comeback but was limited on what he could do. Out of nowhere, he hit a Tiger suplex and bridged it for the win. This was a good little match that told a nice story.

Tiger Mask wasn’t done, motioning that he wanted to remove Desperado’s mask as he threw him back in the ring. But being a good guy, he decided not to go down that road and left him laying instead.

BUSHI defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Kanemaru jumped BUSHI before he even entered the ring. They brawled into the crowd where BUSHI stunned Kanemaru, giving him enough time to climb onto an arena entryway and launch with a big crossbody, wiping out both Kanemaru and Taka Michinoku.

A good back and forth match followed. Kanemaru has like zero charisma to speak of, but he’s good at being intense.

BUSHI took out Michinoku with a suicide dive. Kanemaru used the opportunity to grab the whiskey bottle Suzuki-gun has been using on this tour to blind BUSHI, but instead BUSHI low blowed him (the ref, of course, was distracted) allowing him to soon follow with the MX for the win.

Volador Jr. defeated ACH

This was a very good, fast-paced match. Both guys looked great and worked well with one another, leading to a great match that met my expectations going in.

Volador outed himself as the heel early, taking a cheap shot after shaking hands with ACH. High-paced action followed. Volador unleashed a giant tope con hilo that looked like it connected more with the young lions protecting the crowd than ACH himself.

ACH soon followed with five suicide dives that sent Volador further into the crowd each time he did it. ACH hit a giant superplex to the floor and tried to go to the top rope once more, but Volador cut him off and instead hit the super rana off the top rope for the win.

KUSHIDA defeated Ryusuke Taguchi

This was such a great match. It was two guys going out there and giving it their all. The work early was good and pretty fast paced; a lot of cool dives and submission work as well. Taguchi has rapidly evolved into one of the more reliable great workers in this division over the last year and KUSHIDA is clearly one of the best workers in the world right now.

After starting slow with some chain wrestling, KUSHIDA started to work on Taguchi’s arm. They got up and fast-paced action followed. Taguchi went to the apron and flew off with a hip attack, but KUSHIDA grabbed him in mid-air, grabbing the bum arm and applying an armbar.

Taguchi started working on KUSHIDA’s right leg as the action continued. KUSHIDA cut him off after a hip attack attempt, rolled over, and actually landed the Dodon. When Taguchi tried to mount a comeback again, KUSHIDA caught him with an armbar. They countered each other with many submission attempts until KUSHIDA finally grounded Taguchi with a figure four leglock.

They continued fighting until Taguchi landed a straight punch to the gut, sending KUSHIDA reeling. KUSHIDA tried to go for his new finish — the move previously known as God’s Last Gift (which is now called Back to the Future) — but Taguchi took him down with the Kimura and focused on KUSHIDA’s arm. Taguchi nailed the Dodon, but KUSHIDA kicked out.

He followed with a running hip toss, but KUSHIDA kicked out of that as well. Taguchi sunk in the ankle lock. KUSHIDA struggled to escape, then managed to do so, and after some wrangling sunk in the hoverboard lock. Taguchi kept trying to escape, but KUSHIDA got up and landed the Back to the Future for the win.

KUSHIDA cut a promo after the match, giving props to Taguchi as he raised his hand in a sign of respect.

Standings —

Block A has Will Ospreay, Dragon Lee, Ricochet, Taichi, and Hiromu Takahashi all tied with eight points. Marty Scurll (six points), Taka Michinoku (two points), and Jushin Thunder Liger (zero) are out of contention.

Everyone in the B Block has six points, meaning anyone can walk out of the June 1st show as the winner of the block. A lot of variables are in play, to say the least.

NJPW World adds two more live BOSJ shows to schedule

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

New Japan World announced today that it is adding two live events to the service over the upcoming days.

Both the May 31st show in Osaka and the June 1st show in Nagoya, which will be the last day of competition in the A block and B block respectively, will now have the entire shows streamed live. Previously only the tournament matches were to air on a several hour delay.

Tomorrow’s show in Takasaki will be the last tape delayed show.

NJPW World was already broadcasting Monday’s show from Korakuen Hall live. So this means the live schedule will be:

  • Monday at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time from Korakuen Hall
  • Wednesday at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time from Osaka Edion Arena #2
  • Thursday at 5 a.m. Eastern time from Nagoya International Conference Hall
  • Saturday at 4 a.m. Eastern time from Tokyo Yoyogi Gym (A block champion vs. B block champion — This show will broadcast in English)
  • June 9th at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time from Korakuen Hall (This show will broadcast in English and be a loaded show shooting angles for Dominion)
  • June 11th at 3 a.m. Eastern from Osaka Jo Hall (Dominion headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi)

The lineup for Wednesday’s show from Osaka is:

  • ACH & Volador Jr. vs. Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA vs. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
  • Ray Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Roa & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale
  • Jushin Liger vs. Taichi
  • Ricochet vs. Marty Scurll
  • Dragon Lee vs. Taka Michinoku
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay

The card for Thursday’s show from Nagoya is:

  • Jushin Liger & Hirai Kawato vs. Taka Michinoku & Taichi
  • Ricochet, Dragon Lee & Juice Robinson vs. SANADA, EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Ray Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Roa & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Tiger Mask vs. BUSHI
  • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. ACH
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Desperado
  • KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & Gedo vs. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Marty Scurll

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Here are notes from the fifth day of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, which was held live at Korakuen Hall today. All of today’s BOSJ matches are from the B Block.

Interestingly, it was shown on Twitter that WWE’s William Regal and Canyon Ceman were at the show. They’ve been to AJPW and Zero-One events as well over the weekend.

– Tomoyuki Oka & Hirai Kawato defeated Syota Umino & Katsuya Kitamura when Kawato submitted Umino with the Boston crab.

– Taichi & Taka Michinoku defeated Will Ospreay & Gedo after Taichi hit Gedo with a superkick.

– Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Marty Scurll & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Ricochet, David Finlay & War Machine when Tonga pinned Raymond Rowe with a Gun Stun. This was a pretty good match that people got into. War Machine never seem to have an off day.

– Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoshi Kojima & Dragon Lee defeated SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi when Robinson pinned EVIL after hitting the Pulp Friction.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Volador Jr.

This wasn’t much of a match at all, and it had a dumb finish to boot. 

Kanemaru gained the advantage early in the match, laying out Volador with a DDT on the outside. Volador got some offense in, but when he went for a cover Kanemaru grabbed the referee’s hand in the only cool spot of the match.

Taka Michinoku distracted the ref, allowing Kanemaru to strike Volador with some sort of alcohol bottle, which let him finish Volador off with the top rope DDT for the win.

Tiger Mask defeated ACH

Pretty good match. ACH is really good and looked great when he was on offense.

Tiger Mask had control early. ACH made a really great comeback, hitting three suicide dives in succession. Tiger Mask met him on the top rope and unleashed a butterfly suplex, then hit a Tiger Driver. They traded some great back and forth until Tiger Mask caught him with a crucifix for the win.

El Desperado defeated Ryusuke Taguchi

They had a pretty good match. Taguchi has been really reliable as a great worker in the last year and with the connection he has with the crowd always brings some pretty heated matches. Desperado hasn’t had the opportunity to shine, but he can have good matches with the right opponent.

Desperado low blowed Taguchi when he was coming off a springboard for heat. He followed that up by drowning him in chairs, then threw one right on the square of his back. He continued the assault, grabbing a pen and…well, sticking it where the sun doesn’t shine.

Despite the heinous attack, Taguchi managed to make a comeback, hitting a tope con hilo on the outside, then landed a springboard hip toss. Taguchi went for the Dodon, but Desperado transitioned that into a stretch muffler. Taguchi managed to lock in the ankle lock, but Desperado managed to make it to the ropes.

Taguchi hit a running hip attack, then a modified version of the Dodon where his shins strike Desperado, but it didn’t get the job done. Desperado suddenly took off his mask and threw it at Taguchi. The ref argued with him long enough for Desperado to put on a second mask, jump Taguchi, then nail him with the Angel’s Wings for the win.

KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI

This was a really good match — the crowd was into it and the action was really good. The story of whether or not KUSHIDA could pick up a win added to the drama too.

They brawled around the ring to start. KUSHIDA hit a drop toe hold on BUSHI into a chair, kicked him, wrapped his shirt on top of his head, and hit a running dropkick. BUSHI gained revenge by grabbing KUSHIDA and slamming him down on the apron head first.

KUSHIDA caught BUSHI on the top rope with a springboard and tried for an armbar, ultimately succeeding. A hot back and forth ensued, with BUSHI getting the better after a Canadian Destroyer. He landed the MX, but KUSHIDA kicked out. He went for another, but KUSHIDA came back and nailed a Codebreaker of his own.

KUSHIDA grabbed him and sunk in the hoverlock. BUSHI tried to escape, but KUSHIDA kept him in the middle. BUSHI tried to escape again, but KUSHIDA rolled over, got to his feet, and landed a brainbuster for the win.

The show ended with a KUSHIDA promo.

Current B Block Standings —

  • El Desperado — 6
  • Ryusuke Taguchi — 4
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru — 4
  • Tiger Mask — 4
  • ACH — 2
  • Volador Jr. — 2
  • KUSHIDA — 2
  • BUSHI — 0

Current A Block Standings —

  • Dragon Lee — 4
  • Marty Scurll — 4
  • Ricochet — 4
  • Taichi — 4
  • Will Ospreay — 4
  • Taka Michinoku — 2
  • Hiromu Takahashi — 2
  • Jushin Thunder Liger — 0

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: Ricochet & Ospreay steal the show again

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Here are results from this morning’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament show. The second day aired live from Korakuen Hall on New Japan World, featuring Block A matches in the tournament.

Preliminary Matches —

– Tomoyuki Oka, Hirai Kawato & Tiger Mask defeated Tetsuhiro Yagi, Syota Umino & Katsuya Kitamura when Kawato submitted Yagi with a Boston crab.

– El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated ACH & Volador Jr. when Desperado pinned ACH with a crucifix.

– Guerrillas of Destiny & Yujiro Takahashi defeated David Finlay & War Machine when Tama Tonga pinned Finlay with the Gun Stun.

– BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, KUSHIDA & Juice Robinson when BUSHI pinned KUSHIDA with a backslide into a bridge.

A Block Results —

Taichi defeated Taka Michinoku

Save for some cute storytelling moments, this was bad. It had lots of stalling and goofiness and it felt like a million years until they finally did anything. Taichi is the worst kind of wrestler to have around here. He’s the kind who goes out of his way to have the lamest matches possible and this was the best example of that thus far since his return.

The two, of course, were tentative to start things off. After a while of just standing around and doing nothing, they did a quick flurry that sent Taichi reeling to the outside. He thought about using the ring hammer but put it down instead. 

Taichi continued to stall, then when making his way back into the ring, Michinoku kicked the ring ropes, effectively crotching Taichi. The latter soon returned the favor and undid a turnbuckle. Taichi sold his leg giving out forever until he low blowed Michinoku and rolled him into the Gedo clutch for the win.

Dragon Lee defeated Marty Scurll

I liked this match. I was wondering if there would be a styles clash, but they worked well together and worked in some pretty cool spots to tell a good story.

They chain wrestled to start things off, with Lee getting the better of it. Scurll worked him over until Lee hit a snap German suplex and followed that with a big tope con hilo to the floor.

Lee went for a foot stomp, but Scurll grabbed him and gave him a belly-to-belly suplex to the floor. Lee tried a suplex until Scurll grabbed his wrist and “broke” Lee’s finger. Scurll actually busted out Adam Cole’s Last Shot finish but Lee kicked out.

Lee and Scurll made their way to the top rope, where they battled it out until Lee lashed out with a headbutt, allowing him to hit the foot stomp off the top rope for the win.

Hiromu Takahashi defeated Jushin Thunder Liger

This was really great. Liger is still one of the best workers around, even in his fifties. Takahashi is one of the best junior heavyweights in the world right now. Combine this with a great match layout and you have a pretty damn good bout with some great heat.

Liger immediately hit the shotei, a rolling senton to the outside, and finished off his flurry with a brainbuster on the floor. Takahashi finally managed to gain some momentum by holding onto Liger on the outside. He blocked a sunset flip bomb, but he couldn’t block Takahashi grabbing him and laying him out with a powerbomb on the apron.

Takahashi had the advantage until Liger cut him off with another shotei and a Liger bomb for another close count. Takahashi drilled him with a German suplex, but Liger got right back up, no sold Takahashi’s offense, and landed another brainbuster. Again, a close pinfall.

Liger went for another shot, but Takahashi hit the superkick and the Time Bomb to pick up the win.

Will Ospreay defeated Ricochet

I think this may have been better than their match from last year, which is kind of amazing considering the buzz that it got. This felt like a state of the art match where just all sorts of amazing spots and stunts went down.

Both Will Ospreay and Ricochet are some of the most fluid wrestlers I’ve ever seen, and together created a match that’s up there with some of this year’s best.

They chain wrestled to start things off. They took it slow, then sped up very quickly to head to a standstill. They followed that with a great series of exchanges, finishing it off with the springboard into a kneeling position spot as a callback to last year’s match. They followed quickly with forearm shots that sent both of them down.

Ricochet soon gained the upper hand, working Ospreay over with submissions and big chops to the corner. Ospreay started to fight back, drilling Ricochet with a springboard kick to the temple. Ricochet fought back with a 619, flying forearm, and a standing shooting star press for a near fall. 

Ospreay landed a tornado DDT and went for the OsCutter, but Ricochet threw him over the top rope. Ospreay returned the favor, waist locking him and sending him down to the floor with a hurricanrana and landing the Sasuke special.

He hit his own standing shooting star press and followed with a springboard corkscrew moonsault for another good near fall.

Ospreay and Ricochet fought on the top rope, leading to a reverse rana by Ospreay, though Ricochet landed on his feet. Ospreay was cut off on the top rope as Ricochet attempted a reverse rana. He got it on his second try, but Ospreay landed on his feet as well. A sick series of crazy moves followed. So quick that it’s hard to recap it all, honestly!

The two fought to the apron, where Ricochet landed two floating suplexes in a row. Ricochet hit Ospreay’s own corkscrew punch and OsCutter, but Ospreay kicked out. More back and forth followed, which ended with Ospreay hitting the Benadryller. 

He went to the top rope, but Ricochet cut him off. Ospreay fought back and sent him to the mat with a Cheeky Nandos kick. He followed with a dragon rana, but Ricochet kicked out! Ospreay then hit the corkscrew kick and landed the OsCutter for the win. 

Ospreay first addressed Ricochet after the match, saying he loves him. He then addressed the crowd, saying he does this for everyone watching, and while Ricochet is his worst enemy, he is his best friend.

He said professional wrestling is an artform. Last year was his first Super Juniors and he won. He had a rocky start by losing to Marty Scurll, but he will get better and better, facing everyone against him, even a House of Horrors match with Randy Orton.

Ospreay promised that he will make the finals and he’ll make it a back-to-back Best of the Super Juniors victory.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors live results: The tournament begins

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tonight kicks off the 24th Best of the Super Juniors tournament, which will run through June 3rd. It will feature some of the best junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world.

Headlining tonight’s show will be current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi taking on Dragon Lee. The two have been known to tear it up each and every time they step into the ring, both in Mexico and in Japan. With the spotlight on them, they may actually try and outdo themselves tonight, which will be tough as the two have had some of the most dangerous, but awe-inspiring matches in recent memory.

Both the A block and B block will be represented tonight. A block matches feature Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Taka Michinoku, Ricochet vs. Taichi, Will Ospreay vs. the debuting Marty Scurll, and the main event.

B block matches include Tiger Mask vs. Volador Jr., ACH vs. BUSHI, KUSHIDA vs. El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi against Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

Join us for live coverage this morning at 5:30 a.m. ET/2:30 a.m. PT.

**********

A Block: Taka Michinoku defeated Jushin Thunder Liger

Good opener. More about the hot crowd than anything, though it was clear both had their working boots on. Taka came out in his Kaientai Dojo gear. 

As this was the opener, it had a pretty hot start, with both brawling around the ring. Liger used a chair on the back of Michinoku to gain heat. Taka took him down with a crossface and teased a submission forever but finally but a foot on the bottom rope. 

Liger hit the Liger Bomb but Taka kicked out at 2.99. Liger went to pick up Taka, but it was a trap as he raked his eyes, grabbed his arms and took him to the ground, rolling him up for the sneaky win. 

B Block: Volador Jr. defeated Tiger Mask

This was pretty solid while it lasted, the two worked well together. After some back and forth wrestling, Volador springboarded off the ropes which is where Tiger Mask dropkicked him in the back, taking him down. Tiger Mask pelts him with kick and relatively keeps him grounded until Volador unleashes a big tope con hilo to the outside.

Tiger Mask came back with a back suplex that took down Volador, but he bounced back and hit a spanish fly off the top rope for the win.

Block A: Ricochet defeated Taichi

Before the match, Taichi appeared in the crowd lip syncing to his song. I will admit, his entrance isn’t bad. The rest of the act, however, isn’t very good. As far as the match goes, this was okay once the stalling ending.

Taichi started the match by bailing and stalling for a long while. Finally, after what felt like forever, Ricochet wiped him out with a suicide dive…..but Taichi continued to stall, calmly exiting the ring. Then threw in his lady of the day. This distracted Ricochet long enough for Taichi to jump him with his microphone stand, then started choking him with it.

Ricochet made his comeback, looking very good. Taichi came back with some strikes. Ricochet grabbed him but Taichi grabbed the ref, and in the confusion Taichi wiped him out with a superkick for a nearfall. Taichi’s lady handed him the microphone stand, but Ricochet grabbed him and laid him out the the Bendryller. He followed that with a shooting star press for the win. 

B Block: ACH defeated BUSHI

This match was a excellent highlight reel for ACH, who looked great out there, and BUSHI held his own to make it a pretty damn good early bout.

BUSHI started the match by wanting to shake ACH’s hand. Like a dope, ACH obliges and his quickly taken down with a dropkick. He quickly makes a hot comeback, but BUSHI takes him to the outside, then flies out of the ring, landing a hurricanrana and follows that with a DDT on the apron.

ACH soon starts mounting a comeback, jumping on the inside of the middle rope then launching himself the other way onto an unsuspecting BUSHI with an awesome looking crossbody. BUSHI mounts a comeback, going for the MX, but ACH fires back with a dropkick and soon lands with the Michinoku Driver for the win. 

B Block: El Desperado defeated KUSHIDA

Good match with a hot crowd.. I know a lot of people will be surprised at the result, but I’m guessing we’re doing a slow build to where KUSHIDA doesn’t pick up the wins he needs until later on in the tournament.

Desperado goes for something off the top rope, but KUSHIDA springboard kicks him in the face, climbs to the top rope and in mid air grabs Desperado’s arm. He sinks in the kimura, but Desperado quickly manages to get to the ropes. 

KUSHIDA sinks in the kimura lock again, but a ref bump means KUSHIDA doesn’t pick up the submission win when Desperado taps. KUSHIDA goes to wake up the ref, but Desperado on the outside grabs KUSHIDA’s ROH Television title. 

KUSHIDA knows what is going on and fights back, but Desperado grabs him and plants him with a underhook facebuster. KUSHIDA kicks out, but soon falls to the Guitarra de Angel in an upset.

Block A: Marty Scurll defeated Will Ospreay

Really great match, especially the last few minutes as they were just doing one insane move after another. Eye popping would be the best way to describe some of this stuff, just amazing moves from Ospreay. The crowd being hot for everything helped a lot, too. 

They taunted one another early in the bout. Very close back and forth match. Scurll finally caught him, putting the knees up on a shooting star attempt, then nailed him with a superkick as he recovered on the outside.

More hot back and forth action. Scurll wipes out Ospreay with a superkick as Ospreay was standing on the middle rope. Ospreay derails Scurll with a stunner as Scurll was lifting him, then hits the Sasuke special to the floor. Ospreay does the Rainmaker pose as he looks to go for the rainmaker, but Scurll grabs Ospreay’s hand and “breaks” one of his fingers. 

Scurll looks to go for a finish but Ospreay wipes him out with a pele kick, lands on his feet after a clothesline attempt and hits the Robinson special. He looks to go for the Ozcutter but Scurll latches on to him in midair and applies the crossface chickenwing. With nowhere to go, Ospreay quickly taps out.

Block B: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

I liked this. The work overall was solid, but I kind of enjoyed the finish and the story of the match overall.

Kanemaru quickly gains the upper advantage and works on…Taguchi’s butt. Well, sure, I guess that works. He continually has the upper hand, hitting multiple DDTs, then hits his usual finish, the DDT off the top rope but Taguchi kicks out in a surprise.

Taguchi manages to fire back with the ankle lock, but Taka Michinoku climbs to the top rope to distract the ref. Kanemaru manages to low blow Taguchi and pokes him in the eyes, but as he falls Taguchi’s legs fly up right into Kanemaru netheregions. 

Taguchi takes the opportunity to shove Kanemaru into Taka, then rolls him up as he recoils for the win. 

Block A: Dragon Lee defeated Hiromu Takahashi

Great match. The February match was definitely better as I think they were a bit safer in spots (which really shouldn’t be a negative, considering how dangerous their last match was), and there was some sloppiness towards the end of the match. With that said, they still did plenty of crazy stuff and turned out to be a pretty heated match.

A fierce chop battle starts between the two. Dragon Lee soon starts flying, hitting a hurricanrana to the floor then following with a big tope con hilo. 

Takahashi gets the advantage and slows things down a bit, but Dragon Lee fires back with a sunset flip bomb to the floor. Lee hit a cool looking suplex into a powerbomb for a near fall. He went to do a double foot stomp off the top rope, but Takahashi dodged it. He goes to do the move Lee couldn’t do…but Lee avoids it himself as they start trading some scary looking German suplexes.

Takahashi went to do the reverse sunset flip bomb off the top rope, but Lee countered with a foot stomp that sent Takahashi face first on the floor. Takahashi brushes it off and hits the time bomb a running death valley driver into the corner and starts ripping on Lee’s mask.

After hitting another death valley driver into the ring post, Takahashi goes for another time bomb but Dragon Lee awkwardly counters it, only for Takahashi to counter with a wheelbarrow suplex. Lee quickly counters, grabbing Takahashi and hitting Takahashi’s running death valley driver into the corner, then finishes off Takahashi with the phoenix plex for the win.

Dragon Lee cut a promo after the match to end the show, saying he’s thrilled to be here and will win the tournament.