Tag: BoSJ

New Japan releases full card for Best of Super Juniors finals

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

We have known for a while now what the finals of New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors would be. Now we know the full card for that night’s show. 

New Japan released the card and hyped up the main event in a press release on their website. 

“For the second consecutive year, the final of Best of the Super Jr. has come down to YOH and Kosei Fujita,” the release states. “While rivals have crossed paths across multiple finals in the past, this is the first time in Best of the Super Jr. history that the same final has taken place in consecutive years, and the first time in an NJPW tournament such an event has taken place since EVIL and SANADA took on the Guerrillas of Destiny in 2017 and 2018 World Tag League finals.”

Fujita went 6-3 in the A Block of the tournament to finish with 12 points, with losses to Master Wato, Robbie X, and Jun Kasai. The 12 points left him tied with Wato and Francesco Akira at the top of the standings; with tiebreakers, Wato won the block, but Fujita still advanced to the knockout stage, where he defeated Robbie Eagles in the first round.

YOH also finished 6-3 with 12 points, with losses to KUSHIDA, Robbie Eagles, and Hyo. Eagles and YOH finished in a five-way tie atop the B Block, along with El Desperado, Taiji Ishimori, and SHO. Eagles finished atop the tiebreakers but lost to Fujita in the knockout stage. YOH also advanced and defeated Wato to reach the finals. 

The full card: 

  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI & Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Tiger Mask IV & Masatora Yasuda & Taisei Nakahara
  • Shota Umino & El Phantasmo & Jado vs. United Empire (Jake Lee & Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young)
  • Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi & Daisuke Sasaki & Nick Wayne & Valiente Jr. vs. Unbound Company (Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X & Titán & Gedo & Daiki Nagai)
  • El Desperado & Hyo vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
  • Yuya Uemura & Taichi & KUSHIDA vs. T.M.D.K. (Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles)
  • Aaron Wolf & Toru Yano & Jun Kasai vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo)
  • Unbound Company (Yota Tsuj & OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan & Zane Jay
  • Best of the Super Jr. 33 Final: Kosei Fujita vs. YOH

The show takes place Sunday, June 7, at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. It will stream in English and Japanese on NJPW World.  

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW is running back the 2025 Best of the Super Juniors finals with YOH hoping for a different result this time.

It will be a repeat of last year when YOH and Kosei Fujita face off in the Best of the Super Juniors finals this Sunday. Fujita won that 2025 bout to claim his first-ever BOSJ trophy. YOH, who made it to the finals in both 2021 and 2025, has never won the tournament before.

During block action this year, YOH and Fujita finished second in their blocks. They advanced to the semifinals for what ended up being matchups against their respective tag team partners. YOH defeated his ally Master Wato, the A Block winner, while Fujita was able to defeat his Ichiban Sweet Boys partner and B Block winner Robbie Eagles.

The tournament finals are being held at Ota City Gym in Tokyo on Sunday, and the show will air live on NJPW World starting at 4 a.m. Eastern time. In addition to the BOSJ trophy, an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake with either YOH or Fujita becoming the next challenger for DOUKI.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals (Sunday, June 7) —

  • Best of the Super Juniors tournament final: YOH vs. Kosei Fujita
  • Rest of card to be announced

There will be both English and Japanese commentary available for the event.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors update: 12 still alive heading into last night of block action

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Going into the final night of block action, a dozen competitors are still alive in NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33.

There is a seven-way tie at the top of A Block following the conclusion of Tuesday’s event at Korakuen Hall. Jun Kasai, Master Wato, Robbie X, Kosei Fujita, Titan, Francesco Akira, and Nick Wayne all enter the last day of block action with a chance to advance. In B Block, YOH, Robbie Eagles, El Desperado, SHO, and Taiji Ishimori are still in contention.

Here are the quick results from today’s show:

  • B Block: YOH defeated El Desperado
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita defeated Titan
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Hyo
  • A Block: Jun Kasai defeated Master Wato
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles defeated Jakob Austin Young
  • A Block: Nick Wayne defeated Valiente Jr.
  • B Block: SHO defeated Daisuke Sasaki
  • A Block: Francesco Akira defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
  • B Block: Kushida defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • A Block: Robbie X defeated Daiki Nagai

The situation will be sorted out on Wednesday (June 3) with the last day of block matches. After that, the semifinals are going down on Friday (June 5) before the finals take place on Sunday (June 7). The winner of the tournament earns a title shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors standings —

A Block:

  • Jun Kasai (5-3): 10 points
  • Master Wato (5-3): 10 points
  • Robbie X (5-3): 10 points
  • Kosei Fujita (5-3): 10 points
  • Titan (5-3): 10 points
  • Francesco Akira (5-3): 10 points
  • Nick Wayne (5-3): 10 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)
  • Valiente Jr. (2-6): 4 points (eliminated)
  • Daiki Nagai (0-8): 0 points (eliminated)

B Block:

  • YOH (5-3): 10 points
  • Robbie Eagles (5-3): 10 points
  • El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
  • SHO (5-3): 10 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (5-3): 10 points
  • Daisuke Sasaki (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)
  • Hyo (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)
  • Jakob Austin Young (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)
  • KUSHIDA (3-5): 6 points (eliminated)

The exact match order for Wednesday’s card has not been locked in yet, but it will feature Kasai vs. Taguchi, Master Wato vs. Wayne, Titan vs. Akira, Fujita vs. Nagai, and Robbie X vs. Valiente Jr. in A Block and Desperado vs. Kanemaru, Ishimori vs. KUSHIDA, YOH vs. Sasaki, Eagles vs. Hyo, and SHO vs. Jakob Austin Young in B Block.

WOL: Zzzmackdown, mask vs. mask, WWE shareholder lawsuit

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

Some fans are calling AAA’s El Noche de Los Grandes the real main event of this weekend. Who will lose their mask: El Grande Americano or El Grande Americano Original?

A hot crowd in Barcelona saw a pretty lukewarm edition of WWE SmackDown leading into Sunday’s Clash in Italy PLE.

Also, what kind of revelations might we learn from the WWE shareholder lawsuit?

Plus, Clash in Italy odds, BOSJ, CMLL, AEW Collision, and more.

Check it out.

Right Click Save As (sub needed)

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Things continue to tighten up in A Block as NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 enters its final stretch.

After starting off the tournament on an unbeaten run, Titan has now lost two consecutive matches. He does still hold the A Block lead in a tiebreaker over Master Wato. They each have 10 points, with five other competitors closely behind at eight points.

Here are the quick results from Friday’s show:

  • A Block: Kosei Fujita defeated Valiente Jr.
  • A Block: Nick Wayne defeated Titan
  • A Block: Robbie X defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
  • A Block: Master Wato defeated Daiki Nagai
  • B Block: Hyo defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • El Desperado, KUSHIDA & YOH defeated Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay
  • SHO & Dick Togo defeated Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
  • Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Toru Yano & Masatora Yasuda
  • Tiger Mask defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto

There are now only three block shows remaining until the June 5 semifinals. The finals will then be held on June 7. At stake is the BOSJ trophy and a title shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors standings —

A Block:

  • Titan (5-2): 10 points
  • Master Wato (5-2): 10 points
  • Francesco Akira (4-3): 8 points
  • Jun Kasai (4-3): 8 points
  • Nick Wayne (4-3): 8 points
  • Robbie X (4-3): 8 points
  • Kosei Fujita (4-3): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-4): 6 points
  • Valiente Jr. (2-5): 4 points
  • Daiki Nagai (0-7): 0 points

B Block:

  • El Desperado (4-2): 8 points
  • SHO (4-2): 8 points
  • Daisuke Sasaki (3-3): 6 points
  • YOH (3-3): 6 points
  • Robbie Eagles (3-3): 6 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (3-3): 6 points
  • Hyo (3-3): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-3): 6 points
  • KUSHIDA (2-4): 4 points
  • Jakob Austin Young (2-4): 4 points

Next up is a B Block show on Saturday (May 30) consisting of five tournament matches: Ishimori vs. SHO, El Desperado vs. KUSHIDA, Eagles vs. Sasaki, YOH vs. Kanemaru, and Hyo vs. Jakob Austin Young.

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Titan remains unbeaten in NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 following another victory on Friday.

Osaka played host to night five of the tournament, which only included matches from A Block. Titan, the lone competitor in either block who has not lost yet, improved his record to 5-0 with a win over Ryusuke Taguchi. The night also saw victories for Master Wato, Jun Kasai, Francesco Akira, and Nick Wayne.

Here are the quick results:

  • A Block: Master Wato defeated Kosei Fujita
  • A Block: Jun Kasai defeated Robbie X
  • A Block: Francesco Akira defeated Valiente Jr.
  • A Block: Titan defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
  • A Block: Nick Wayne defeated Daiki Nagai
  • El Desperado, KUSHIDA & Hyo defeated SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo
  • Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated YOH, Toru Yano & Tiger Mask
  • Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Masatora Yasuda
  • Taiji Ishimori & Gedo defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto & Taisei Nakahara

BOSJ action continues this weekend with shows on both Saturday and Sunday. At the May 23 event, there will be five B Block matches and one from A Block. The next day is an A Block-focused card.

The updated standings for the tournament are listed below:

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 standings —

A Block:

  • Titan (5-0): 10 points
  • Jun Kasai (3-1): 6 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-2): 6 points
  • Master Wato (3-2): 6 points
  • Nick Wayne (3-2): 6 points
  • Robbie X (2-3): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-3): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points
  • Valiente Jr. (1-3): 2 points
  • Daiki Nagai (0-5): 0 points

B Block:

  • Daisuke Sasaki (3-1): 6 points
  • YOH (3-1): 6 points
  • SHO (3-1): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-1): 4 points
  • El Desperado (2-2): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (2-2): 4 points
  • Hyo (1-2): 2 points
  • Jakob Austin Young (1-3): 2 points
  • KUSHIDA (1-3): 2 points
  • Robbie Eagles (1-3): 2 points

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After a couple of days off, NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 was back in action with a show from Korakuen Hall on Wednesday.

Titan stayed unbeaten with a win over Valiente Jr., improving his record to 4-0 and maintaining an early lead atop A Block. Ryusuke Taguchi also entered today unbeaten but was defeated by Nick Wayne.

In B Block, no one is unbeaten anymore after Daisuke Sasaki and SHO lost their matches. Sasaki fell to Hyo, while SHO was bested by his former tag team partner YOH. The B Block lead is now a three-way tie with Sasaki, SHO, and YOH at 3-1.

Here are the quick results from night four’s card:

  • A Block: Robbie X defeated Kosei Fujita
  • B Block: YOH defeated SHO
  • A Block: Master Wato defeated Francesco Akira
  • B Block: El Desperado defeated Hyo
  • A Block: Titan defeated Valiente Jr.
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Daisuke Sasaki
  • A Block: Nick Wayne defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
  • B Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Robbie Eagles
  • A Block: Jun Kasai defeated Daiki Nagai
  • B Block: Jakob Austin Young defeated KUSHIDA

BOSJ is off again tomorrow before picking up on Friday with only A Block matches. Master Wato vs. Kosei Fujita, Robbie X vs. Jun Kasai, Valiente Jr. vs. Francesco Akira, Titan vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, and Nick Wayne vs. Daiki Nagai are the matches scheduled.

The updated standings for both blocks are listed below. BOSJ runs through June 7, with the winner earning a title shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 standings —

A Block:

  • Titan (4-0): 8 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (3-1): 6 points
  • Jun Kasai (2-1): 4 points
  • Robbie X (2-2): 4 points
  • Nick Wayne (2-2): 4 points
  • Master Wato (2-2): 4 points
  • Kosei Fujita (2-2): 4 points
  • Valiente Jr. (1-2): 2 points
  • Francesco Akira (1-3): 2 points
  • Daiki Nagai (0-4): 0 points

B Block:

  • Daisuke Sasaki (3-1): 6 points
  • YOH (3-1): 6 points
  • SHO (3-1): 6 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-1): 4 points
  • El Desperado (2-2): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (2-2): 4 points
  • Hyo (1-2): 2 points
  • Jakob Austin Young (1-3): 2 points
  • KUSHIDA (1-3): 2 points
  • Robbie Eagles (1-3): 2 points

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 night one results, initial standings

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tournament season in NJPW got underway on Thursday with Korakuen Hall hosting night one of Best of the Super Juniors 33.

It was a good day for outsiders with Nick Wayne (AEW), Daisuke Sasaki (DDT), and Hyo (Dragon Gate) all picking up victories over NJPW wrestlers. Two other outsiders — Jun Kasai (Pro Wrestling Freedoms) and Valiente Jr. (CMLL) — were not in action today and will kick off their BOSJ campaigns on Saturday.

Here are the quick results:

  • A Block: Kosei Fujita defeated Francesco Akira
  • B Block: Daisuke Sasaki defeated El Desperado
  • A Block: Titan defeated Master Wato
  • B Block: KUSHIDA defeated Robbie Eagles
  • A Block: Nick Wayne defeated Robbie X
  • B Block: Hyo defeated YOH
  • A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Daiki Nagai
  • B Block: SHO defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Jakob Austin Young

The tournament runs through June 7 and will determine the next challenger for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI, who is “boycotting” BOSJ this year instead of competing for bragging rights.

Next up for the tournament are shows in Tokyo this Saturday and Sunday, taking place at Esforta Arena Hachioji and Yoyogi National Stadium second gymnasium. The cards for those events are listed below:

Saturday, May 16 —

  • B Block: El Desperado vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita vs. Nick Wayne
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. SHO
  • A Block: Titan vs. Jun Kasai
  • B Block: KUSHIDA vs. Daisuke Sasaki
  • A Block: Robbie X vs. Francesco Akira
  • B Block: YOH vs. Jakob Austin Young
  • A Block: Master Wato vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
  • A Block: Valiente Jr. vs. Daiki Nagai

Sunday, May 17 —

  • B Block: El Desperado vs. Robbie Eagles
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita vs. Jun Kasai
  • B Block: YOH vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • A Block: Master Wato vs. Robbie X
  • B Block: Hyo vs. Daisuke Sasaki
  • A Block: Nick Wayne vs. Francesco Akira
  • B Block: KUSHIDA vs. SHO
  • A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Valiente Jr.
  • B Block: Jakob Austin Young vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • A Block: Titan vs. Daiki Nagai

And here are the initial standings through the first night:

Best of the Super Juniors 33 standings —

A Block:

  • Kosei Fujita (1-0): 2 points
  • Titan (1-0): 2 points
  • Nick Wayne (1-0): 2 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (1-0): 2 points
  • Jun Kasai (0-0): 0 points
  • Valiente Jr. (0-0): 0 points
  • Daiki Nagai (0-1): 0 points
  • Robbie X (0-1): 0 points
  • Master Wato (0-1): 0 points
  • Francesco Akira (0-1): 0 points

B Block:

  • Daisuke Sasaki (1-0): 2 points
  • KUSHIDA (1-0): 2 points
  • Hyo (1-0): 2 points
  • SHO (1-0): 2 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (1-0): 2 points
  • Jakob Austin Young (0-1): 0 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0-1): 0 points
  • YOH (0-1): 0 points
  • Robbie Eagles (0-1): 0 points
  • El Desperado (0-1): 0 points

Updated list of NJPW Best of the Super Juniors entrants

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The lineup for NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 is now almost fully set with 18 of the 20 entrants confirmed.

NJPW has announced that junior heavyweight mainstays KUSHIDA and Ryusuke Taguchi will be participating in this year’s tournament. Along with that, Dragon Gate wrestler Hyo has been added to the list of entrants as he makes his official NJPW debut.

KUSHIDA and Taguchi are both former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions and BOSJ winners, with KUSHIDA having won the tournament in 2015 and 2017 and Taguchi winning in 2012.

Though this is Hyo’s NJPW debut, he won the promotion’s bodybuilding contest in 2025. He’s a two-time Open the Brave Gate Champion, which is Dragon Gate’s version of a junior heavyweight title.

BOSJ 2026 begins on May 14 and runs through June 7. The final two entrants, along with the block lineups, are set to be revealed this Saturday at NJPW Sakura Genesis. A title shot will be awaiting the BOSJ winner — if current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI does not win the tournament himself.

Here is the updated list of entrants:

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 —

  • Kosei Fujita
  • DOUKI
  • El Desperado
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • SHO
  • Daisuke Sasaki
  • YOH
  • Master Wato
  • Jakob Austin Young
  • Francesco Akira
  • Valiente Jr.
  • Robbie Eagles
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Robbie X
  • Titan
  • KUSHIDA
  • Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Hyo

Big Audio Nightmare: Incredible BOSJ finals & tourney wrap-up, Stardom, NOAH

Posted on by Adam Summers

The Big Audio Nightmare is back as Adam Summers & Mike Sempervive talk about everything happening in the very busy world of Japanese wrestling.

This week’s topics include:

  • The incredible NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals between YOH and Kosei Fujita
  • In-depth thoughts on the NJPW BOSJ as a whole
  • The latest major shows from Stardom and Marigold
  • OZAWA’s latest title defense and Team 2000X jumping the shark
  • A look at major shows from AJPW, Dragon Gate, and more

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Finals set for NJPW Best of the Super Juniors

Posted on by Joseph Currier

YOH Is headed to the finals of NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2025.

The last night of B Block matches took place on Thursday with YOH emerging as the block winner. He defeated Taiji Ishimori to end block action with 12 points. El Desperado and MAO also had the same point total, but YOH advanced on a tiebreaker due to his victories over each of them earlier in the tournament.

It will be Kosei Fujita vs. YOH this Sunday (June 1) in the finals. Neither wrestler has ever won the tournament before. YOH did make it to the finals in 2021 but lost to Hiromu Takahashi.

The tournament winner will be in line to challenge Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. If either Fujita or YOH were to dethrone Desperado, it would be the first singles title win of their NJPW career.

Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo is hosting the tournament finals on Sunday. After that, the next major NJPW show is in two weeks with Dominion being held in Osaka on June 15.

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

Posted on by F4W Staff

The B Block standings got a little tighter on Thursday as night eight of Best of the Super Juniors 2025 took place in Osaka.

With a loss to Taiji Ishimori, Nick Wayne was unable to build on his lead at the top of the block. He is still in first place with eight points, but the gap is tight. There are now eight wrestlers tied for second place with six points. SHO is in sole possession of last place with four points.

Here are the full results from today:

  • B Block: Yoh defeated El Desperado
  • B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Nick Wayne
  • B Block: Robbie Eagles defeated Titan
  • B Block: Kevin Knight defeated SHO
  • B Block: MAO defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Master Wato, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano defeated KUSHIDA, Yuya Uemura & Katsuya Murashima
  • Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young defeated Robbie X & Gedo
  • Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson defeated Dragon Dia & Shoma Kato

NJPW has shows on Saturday and Sunday this weekend with both nights featuring a full slate of A and B Block matches. The tournament is now entering its last stretch with four shows left before the finals happen on June 1.

The updated standings for the tournament are listed below. Both blocks are in the same spot with one wrestler leading at eight points and then a logjam behind them:

A Block —

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

B Block —

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

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

Posted on by F4W Staff

For the second straight night at Korakuen Hall, Hiromu Takahashi took a loss in the main event of NJPW Best of the Super Juniors.

Night four of the tournament was headlined by Francesco Akira defeating Takahashi to improve his record to 2-1. Takahashi is now 1-2 with losses to Akira and Kosei Fujita.

Akira used a new Ground Tarantula submission to get the win against Takahashi. With Takahashi having no faction at the moment following Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI’s NJPW departures, Akira extended an offer after the match for him to join United Empire. A frustrated Takahashi continued heading backstage despite the offer.

Here are the full results from Thursday’s show:

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

The Taguchi vs. SHO match only went five seconds with Taguchi avoiding a charge from SHO and pinning him right after the bell rang.

This weekend, BOSJ continues with nights five and six taking place on Saturday and Sunday. The tournament runs through June 1.

Here are the updated standings:

A Block —

  • Kosei Fujita (3-0): 6 points
  • Dragon Dia (2-1): 4 points
  • Robbie X (2-1): 4 points
  • Francesco Akira (2-1): 4 points
  • Hiromu Takahashi (1-2): 2 points
  • KUSHIDA (1-2): 2 points
  • Ninja Mack (1-2): 2 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-2): 2 points
  • Clark Connors (1-2): 2 points
  • Master Wato (1-2): 2 points

B Block —

  • Nick Wayne (3-0): 6 points
  • Titan (2-1): 4 points
  • Robbie Eagles (2-1): 4 points
  • MAO (2-1): 4 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (2-1): 4 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (1-2): 2 points
  • El Desperado (1-2): 2 points
  • SHO (1-2): 2 points
  • YOH (1-2): 2 points
  • Kevin Knight (0-3): 0 points

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 night one results

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Best of the Super Juniors 32 kicked off today in Chiba.

Matches from both the A and B Blocks were featured on the show.

The first tournament match of the night featured AEW’s Nick Wayne making his tournament debut against House of Torture’s SHO. Wayne picked up the win with a Prodigy Plex. He had the crowd behind him as well, after SHO insulted the fans and attempted multiple low blows throughout the bout.

The semi-main event of the evening saw four-time tournament winner Hiromu Takahashi against two-time tournament winner KUSHIDA. The finish of the match saw KUSHIDA almost score the victory after the two excahnged pinning combinations just before Takahashi locked in Maximum The Holding (A cloverleaf type submission) and made KUSHIDA tap.

The main event of the night saw IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado against CMLL’s Titan. This is the fourth year in a row that the two have met in the tournament, having been in the same block for 3 and meeting in the semifinals of BOSJ 30. Desperado made Titan tap to his Numero Dos stretch-muffler submission hold on Saturday. The two rivals are now 2-2 in singles matches against one another. After the match, Desperado said he wants to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against TItan at some point, be it in Japan or Mexico. He also said that he’s only won BOSJ twice, and still considers himself as chasing the tournament’s all-time most-decorated competitor, Takahashi, who has won it four times (Jushin Liger won it three times.)

NJPW BOSJ 32 night 1 results:

  • B Block: El Desperado (2points) defeated Titan (0points)
  • A Block: Hiromu Takahashi (2points) defeated KUSHIDA (0points)
  • A Block: Kosei Fujita (2points) defeated Francesco Akira (0points)
  • A Block: Dragon Dia (2points) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0points)
  • B Block: Nick Wayne (2points) defeated SHO (0points)
  • YOH & Toru Yano defeated Harley Jackson & Robbie Eagles
  • Master Wato, Kevin Knight & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Shawn Kato, Ryohei Oiwa & Taiji Ishimori
  • Katsuyori Murashima & Ninja Mack defeated Takoyakid & Robbie X

Block Standings:

A Block:

  • Hiromu Takahashi (1-0) 2 points
  • Dragon Dia (1-0) 2 points
  • Kosei Fujita (1-0) 2 points
  • Master Wato (0-0) 0 points
  • Ninja Mack (0-0) 0 points
  • Robbie X (0-0) 0 points
  • Clark Connors (0-0) 0 points
  • KUSHIDA (0-1) 0 points
  • Francesco Akira (0-1) 0 points
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0-1) 0 points

B Block:

  • El Desperado (1-0) 2 points
  • Nick Wayne (1-0) 2 points
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (0-0) 0 points
  • Robbie Eagles (0-0) 0 points
  • YOH (0-0) 0 points
  • Kevin Knight (0-0) 0 points
  • Taiji Ishimori (0-0) 0 points
  • MAO (0-0) 0 points
  • Titan (0-1) 0 points
  • SHO (0-1) 0 points

Upcoming schedule:

NJPW BOSJ 32 night two on Sunday, May 11::

  • B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • B Block: YOH vs. Robbie Eagles
  • A Block: Master Wato vs. Clark Connors
  • B Block: Kevin Knight vs. MAO
  • A Block: Ninja Mack vs. Robbie X
  • Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita
  • Shoma Kato & El Desperado vs. Daiki Nagai & Nick Wayne

NJPW BOSJ 32 night three on Wednesday, May 13::

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

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.