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 has now revealed the full card for Friday’s Best of the Super Juniors semifinals.
In the main event of the show, A Block winner Master Wato takes on YOH, who finished second place in B Block. The semi-main will see Robbie Eagles, the B Block winner, take on A Block runner-up Kosei Fujita. These bouts will determine which two competitors advance to Sunday’s finals for a shot to become the next challenger for DOUKi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Both semifinal bouts are pitting tag team partners against each other. Eagles & Fujita, as the Ichiban Sweet Boys, are three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and held the titles as recently as last month. Wato & YOH are former champs as well.
After BOSJ, NJPW has Dominion coming up on June 14. That event is being headlined by Callum Newman vs. Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship — and those two are set to face off on Friday in an eight-man tag match.
NEVER Openweight Champion Ren Narita and his Dominion challenger Aaron Wolf will also collide in tag action.
The semifinals event is being held in Gunma and begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time, airing live on NJPW World with English and Japanese commentary.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors semifinals (Friday, June 5) —
Best of the Super Juniors semifinal: Master Wato vs. YOH
Best of the Super Juniors semifinal: Robbie Eagles vs. Kosei Fujita
Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay vs. Yota Tsuji, Taiji Ishimori, Robbie X & Daiki Nagai
A dozen names entered the last day of block action still in contention, but NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 is now down to its final four wrestlers.
Both semifinal matches are set to pit tag team partners against each other. It will be Master Wato vs. YOH and Robbie Eagles vs. Kosei Fujita this Friday (June 5). The winners advance to the finals on Sunday (June 7), with that bout determining the tournament winner and the next challenger for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI.
Wato defeated Nick Wayne today to finish on 12 points as the A Block winner. Fujita defeated Daiki Nagai to claim second place in the block, also finishing on 12 points and beating out Francesco Akira due to a tiebreaker.
All of the B Block contenders won their matches today, but it was Eagles and YOH — with respective victories over Hyo and Daisuke Sasaki — who advanced as the top two after tiebreakers were worked out. The block ended in a five-way tie at 12 points.
Fujita is looking to repeat as the BOSJ winner after defeating YOH in last year’s finals. Wato is also looking to claim a second BOSJ trophy after winning the tournament in 2023.
Friday’s show begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time and is airing live on NJPW World with English and Japanese commentary. The rest of the card aside from Wato vs. YOH and Eagles vs. Fujita has not been announced yet.
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.
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
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’s Best of the Super Juniors 33 continued on Sunday, May 24, with a show in Kyoto.
Five A Block matches were featured on the show, including Jun Kasai defeating Nick Wayne in the main event.
Also on the show, Titan took his first loss of the tournament to Robbie X.
With all wrestlers having six matches completed, Titan still remains atop the group with 10 points, and Master Wato and Jun Kasai are tied just below him with eight points.
Nick Wayne, Ryusuke Taguchi, Robbie X, Kosei Fujita, and Francesco Akira are tied below them with six points. Valiente Jr. has four points, and Daiki Nagai has zero points with an 0-6 record.
NJPW BOSJ 33 B Block standings graphic (Image credit: NJPW)
B Block:
Daisuke Sasaki (3-2): 6 points
El Desperado (3-2): 6 points
SHO (3-2): 6 points
YOH (3-2): 6 points
Taiji Ishimori (3-2): 6 points
Robbie Eagles (2-3): 4 points
Jakob Austin Young (2-3): 4 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-3): 4 points
Hyo (2-3): 4 points
KUSHIDA (1-4): 2 points
Robbie X stopped Titan's streak in a sensational bout, and Nick Wayne was brought into Jun Kasai's world in Kyoto!#BOSJ33 A Block reporthttps://t.co/Bw1vPJx8uc
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
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 continued in Hachioji on Sunday.
Ten tournament matches took place on the show, headlined by hometown favorite Hiromu Takahashi vs. Clark Connors. The match spilled around Esforta Arena, with Connors introducing a spare tire that would factor into the finish. Takahashi reversed a spear attempt and delivered a sunset flip powerbomb onto the tire, then followed with Time Bomb I and Time Bomb II for the win.
In the semi-main event, El Desperado overcame multiple interference attempts from House of Torture to defeat SHO with a Pinche Loco.
Master Wato beat Francesco Akira with Recientemente to improve to 3-2, dropping Akira to 2-3.
Taiji Ishimori targeted Robbie Eagles’ shoulder throughout their match and won via a Bloody Cross.
KUSHIDA avenged his loss to Dragon Dia from last year’s tournament, making him submit to the Hoverboard Lock.
YOH defeated MAO in a unique bout to improve his record to 2-3. MAO, evidently influenced by Orange Cassidy, wrestled part of the match with his hands in his pockets. He later hit a sling blade and frog splash in similar style to Hiroshi Tanahashi. YOH ultimately picked up the win with the Direct Drive, earning two points from the match.
Robbie X beat Kosei Fujita after landing a stunner and the X Express.
Kevin Knight picked up his second straight win, pinning Titan with a UFO Splash.
Ninja Mack also secured his second tournament victory. Chris Charlton noted on commentary that Mack might be too focused on creating viral moments rather than winning. Mack attempted his Ninja Special during the bout, but Yoshinobu Kanemaru tossed the referee in the way to block the move. Kanemaru then tried to remove Mack’s mask, only to reveal Mack had another underneath. After avoiding a whisky spray, Mack rolled up Kanemaru for the win.
In the opener, Nick Wayne overcame several hip attacks from Ryusuke Taguchi and hit Wayne’s World to improve to 4-1.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 night six results from Sunday, May 18:
A Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Clark Connors
B Block: El Desperado defeated SHO
A Block: Master Wato defeated Francesco Akira
B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles
A Block: KUSHIDA defeated Dragon Dia
B Block: YOH defeated MAO
A Block: Robbie X defeated Kosei Fujita
B Block: Kevin Knight defeated Titan
A Block: Ninja Mack defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
B Block: Nick Wayne defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
A Block —
Kosei Fujita (3-2): 6 points
Dragon Dia (3-2): 6 points
Robbie X (3-2): 6 points
Master Wato (3-2): 6 points
KUSHIDA (3-2): 6 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-3): 4 points
Clark Connors (2-3): 4 points
Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points
Hiromu Takahashi (2-3): 4 points
Ninja Mack (2-3): 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 in Gunma on Tuesday with five tournament matches in Block A.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 night seven lineup:
NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 32 continued in Yoyogi on Saturday.
AEW’s two tournament entrants faced off on the show, with Kevin Knight picking up his first win by defeating Nick Wayne via UFO Splash. It was Wayne’s first loss of the tournament. The two shook hands after the match, and Knight raised Wayne’s hand.
Hiromu Takahashi dropped his third straight match in the semi-main event, losing to Dragon Dia via a Reptilian.
In the main event, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defeated MAO after hitting a second Pinche Loco. After the match, Desperado praised MAO for winning over the NJPW fans and thanked DDT for sending him. He also called on the new generation of junior heavyweights to try and knock him off the top.
Master Wato defeated Ninja Mack in the opening tournament match. During the bout, Wato put on a mask similar to Mack’s that was on the English commentary desk. The two then had a martial arts-style exchange before Mack attempted his Ninja Special sequence of backflips but Wato dodged the kick at the end of them. Shortly after the match returned to the ring, Wato countered a top-rope dive into Vendaval for the submission win.
Ryusuke Taguchi pinned YOH with a bare-bottomed Dodon to improve to 3-1.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru sprayed whisky in Francesco Akira’s face before rolling him up with a small package for the pin. He now sits at 2-2.
SHO used a wrench behind the referee’s back to take out Robbie Eagles before finishing him with Shock Arrow.
Clark Connors pinned Bullet Club stablemate Robbie X with No Chaser. The two showed mutual respect after the match.
Titan forced Taiji Ishimori to tap to Yahweh, moving to 3-1.
KUSHIDA and Kosei Fujita had a unique, submission-based grappling match. Fujita entered barefoot, and KUSHIDA removed his footwear after his ring entrance. KUSHIDA picked up the win with Back to the Future. It was the only pinfall attempt of the match.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 Night Five Results:
B Block: El Desperado defeated MAO
A Block: Dragon Dia defeated Hiromu Takahashi
B Block: Kevin Knight defeated Nick Wayne
A Block: KUSHIDA defeated Kosei Fujita
B Block: Titan defeated Taiji Ishimori
A Block: Clark Connors defeated Robbie X
B Block: SHO defeated Robbie Eagles
A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Francesco Akira
B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated YOH
A Block: Master Wato defeated Ninja Mack
A Block —
Kosei Fujita (3-1): 6 points
Dragon Dia (3-1): 6 points
Robbie X (2-2): 4 points
Francesco Akira (2-2): 4 points
Master Wato (2-2): 4 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-2): 4 points
Clark Connors (2-2): 4 points
KUSHIDA (2-2): 4 points
Hiromu Takahashi (1-3): 2 points
Ninja Mack (1-3): 2 points
B Block —
Nick Wayne (3-1): 6 points
Ryusuke Taguchi (3-1): 6 points
Titan (3-1): 6 points
Robbie Eagles (2-2): 4 points
El Desperado (2-2): 4 points
MAO (2-2): 4 points
SHO (2-2): 4 points
Taiji Ishimori (1-3): 2 points
YOH (1-3): 2 points
Kevin Knight (1-3): 2 points
Upcoming Schedule
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 night six lineup for Sunday, May 18:
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.
Ali came up short in his match against Hiromu Takahashi at Friday’s NJPW Capital Collision, losing after Takahashi countered Ali’s 450 splash and hit the time bomb for the win. After the match, Ali could be heard shouting at the announcers, who later said that Ali wanted a match against Takahashi at next year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, noting that he and Takahashi were currently tied at one win each.
The two first faced off at Windy City Riot earlier this year in Chicago, with Ali scoring the win.
Since being released by WWE last fall, Ali has worked the independent circuit and TNA, where he won the X-Division title in February. After losing the title to Mike Bailey in July he departed TNA, losing to Nic Nemeth in a match that had been for the TNA World Championship.
Coming up short in this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, Takahashi has spent most of the summer working both in NJPW and CMLL, where he’s faced off against the likes of Mistico and Templario.
