NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 is down to its final two competitors.
Taiji Ishimori and El Desperado will meet in the tournament finals at NJPW Dominion. The match will headline Sunday’s show at Osaka Jo Hall.
Ishimori defeated TJP in the first semifinal of today’s show. It will be his first trip to the BOSJ finals since 2018 when he lost to Hiromu Takahashi in a match rated five and a half stars by Dave Meltzer.
El Desperado defeated DOUKI in the main event of Monday’s show to advance to the finals. This will be his third trip to the tournament finals. He was defeated by Takahashi in the finals of the 2020 and 2022 tournaments.
🏆BEST OF THE SUPER Jr.31🪽#BOSJ31 準決勝‼️ Aブロック🥇デスペラードとBブロック🥈DOUKIが激突💥 この激闘を制し、大阪城のメインに立つのは⁉️
Best of the Super Juniors 31 finals: Taiji Ishimori vs. El Desperado
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against EVIL in a lumberjack deathmatch
NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against HENARE
NJPW World TV Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
Provisional KOPW 2024 Champion Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan in a storm catch rules match
IWGP Tag Team & NJPW Strong Tag Team title elimination match: KENTA & Chase Owens vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 is down to its final four.
The last night of B Block action took place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Friday with Taiji Ishimori and DOUKI securing their spots in the semifinals. With a victory over Hiromu Takahashi, Ishimori topped B Block with a 7-2 record and 14 points. DOUKI defeated Robbie Eagles to finish second with a 6-3 record and 12 points.
On Monday (June 3), Korakuen Hall will host both semifinal matches. It will be El Desperado vs. DOUKI and Ishimori vs. TJP. The winners advance to face each other in the finals, which will headline NJPW Dominion on Sunday, June 9.
Desperado (6-3, 12 points) won A Block while TJP (5-4, 10 points) finished in second.
None of the four wrestlers remaining have won Best of the Super Juniors before. Desperado and Ishimori have made it to the finals but lost.
The winner of the tournament will be in line for a title shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO, who won the title from Desperado this February with a countout victory.
The Best of the Super Juniors 31 continued on Thursday with a show at Korakuen Hall.
Today’s event featured the final round-robin matches in A Block.
El Desperado picked up a win over HAYATA in the main event to punch his ticket to the semifinals and clinch the top spot in A Block at 12 points. TJP also advances to the semifinals. As his Aswang character, he defeated Titan on today’s show. He finished with 10 points and in a tie with Titan, Blake Christian, and HAYATA. Since TJP was 3-0 against the competitors he finished tied with, he advanced to the next round.
Here are the quick results from today’s show:
Tournament matches:
A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Clark Connors via count-out
A Block: BUSHI defeated Kevin Knight
A Block: TJP defeated Titan
A Block: Kosei Fujita defeated Blake Christian
A Block: El Desperado defeated HAYATA
Non-tournament matches:
Dragon Dia & Ninja Mack defeated KUSHIDA & Shoma Kato
Robbie Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
Clark Connors attacked the referee after he was counted out against Kanemaru. The loss eliminated him from being able to advance to the semifinals.
TJP wrestled his final round-robin match in the tournament as his Aswang character. He had previously said he needed help from “him” to advance to the semifinals. He beat Titan using the red mist, a Mamba splash, and a running knee to the back of the head. He and Titan shared a fist bump after the match.
Kosei Fujita played the role of spoiler in the semi-main event of the night by defeating Blake Christian and eliminating him from the tournament. The win also solidified TJP as advancing to the semifinals on a tie-breaker provided there wasn’t a draw in the main event between Desperado and HAYATA.
Desperado praised HAYATA in a post-match promo.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —
A Block:
El Desperado (6-3): 12 points
TJP (5-4): 10 points
HAYATA (5-3): 10 points
Blake Christian (5-4): 10 points
Titan (5-4): 10 points
Kevin Knight (4-5): 8 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4-5): 8 points
Clark Connors (4-5): 8 points
BUSHI (4-5): 8 points
Kosei Fujita (3-6): 6 points
B Block:
Taiji Ishimori (6-2): 12 points
Hiromu Takahashi (6-2): 12 points
Robbie Eagles (5-3): 10 points
DOUKI (5-3): 10 points
SHO (5-4): 10 points **
Drilla Moloney (4-4): 8 points
KUSHIDA (4-4): 8 points
Ninja Mack (4-4): 8 points
Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
Dragon Dia (0-8): 0 points
** Was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira in his final round-robin match.
The NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 continued in Numazu on Tuesday
Four matches in B Block took place on the show. With just one match remaining in the round-robin portion of the tournament, Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori sit atop the group with 12 points. They both picked up victories on Tuesday and will wrestle each other on Friday.
Robbie Eagles was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira on today’s show. As a result of Akira withdrawing from the tournament with a knee injury, Eagles was awarded a default victory and an automatic two points to bring his record to 5-3 and 10 points. He’ll face DOUKI on the final night of the tournament, who also has 10 points. However, Eagles lost to both Ishimori and Takahashi, so he has been eliminated from advancing to the semifinals. DOUKI beat Takahashi but lost to Ishimori, so he needs a win and an Ishimori loss on Friday to advance.
Eagles lost to Hiromu and Ishimori. Douki beat Hiromu and lost to ishimori.
To my maths that puts Eagles out. DOUKI win and Ishimori win advances DOUKI, but if eagles wins, the main event is to decide 1 and 2
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Clark Connors & Gedo
Blake Christian & HAYATA defeat El Desperado & Tiger Mask
Titan & Yota Tsuji defeated Callum Newman & TJP
BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito defeated Kevin Knight & Tomoaki Honma
Other notes from the show —
Dragon Dia remains winless after eight matches. He lost to Ninja Mack in the opening tournament match.
In the second tournament match, DOUKI made KUSHIDA submit to the Italian Stretch #32 (AKA DOUKI Choky).
Taiji Ishimori had to overcome Yujiro Takahashi’s interference to defeat SHO in the semi-main event on Tuesday, eliminating the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion from advancing to the semifinals.
Moloney appeared to have Takahashi beat in the main event after a Drilla Killa but Takahashi got his foot on the rope on the pin. Moments later, Takahashi countered another pin attempt into his own pinning combination and got the win.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —
A Block:
El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
Titan (5-3): 10 points
Blake Christian (5-3): 10 points
HAYATA (5-3): 10 points
Kevin Knight (4-4): 8 points
Clark Connors (4-4): 8 points
TJP (4-4): 8 points
BUSHI (3-5): 6 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points
Kosei Fujita (2-6): 4 points
B Block:
Taiji Ishimori (6-2): 12 points
Hiromu Takahashi (6-2): 12 points
Robbie Eagles (5-3): 10 points
DOUKI (5-3): 10 points
SHO (5-4): 10 points **
Drilla Moloney (4-4): 8 points
KUSHIDA (4-4): 8 points
Ninja Mack (4-4): 8 points
Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
Dragon Dia (0-8): 0 points
** Was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira in his final round-robin match.
The Best of the Super Juniors continued in Yoyogi on Sunday.
Things are wide open in both blocks after nine events. A Block is down to their final night of the tournament. B Block still has two remaining.
TJP picked up a win over El Desperado in the main event, improving his record to 4-4 and keeping himself in the running to make the semifinals. He also cut a three-language promo after the match using Japanese, English, and addressing his next opponent, Titan, in Spanish. Desperado, Titan, Blake Christian, and HAYATA sit atop the ground with 10 points. Kevin Knight and Clark Connors are still alive with eight points as well.
Taiji Ishimori and Hiromu Takahashi sit atop B Block with 10 points. However, Robbie Eagles and SHO are at eight points and still have scheduled matches with Francesco Akira remaining. Since Akira withdrew due to injury, it’s an automatic two points for Eagles and SHO, technically putting both at 10 points as well. KUSHIDA, Drilla Moloney, and DOUKI are all still in the running to make the semifinals with eight points.
Here are the quick results from today’s show:
B Block: Ninja Mack defeated KUSHIDA
A Block: HAYATA defeated Kosei Fujita
B Block: SHO defeated Dragon Dia
A Block: Blake Christian defeated BUSHI
B Block: Taiji Ishimori defeated Drilla Moloney
A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Titan
A Block: Kevin Knight defeated Clark Connors
B Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Robbie Eagles
A Block: TJP defeated El Desperado
Other notes from the show —
Yujiro Takahashi hit Dragon Dia with a skateboard moments before SHO defeated Dia. SHO’s record improved to 4-3 and Dia dropped to 0-7.
The commentary team brought up how Blake Christian has been stripped of the GCW Championship by Matt Cardona. He beat BUSHI and kept himself in the running to advance to the semifinals leading into the final night for A Block.
DOUKI was scheduled to wrestle Francesco Akira on the show. With Akira having withdrawn from the tournament due to injury, DOUKI was awarded two points and a default victory.
Kanemaru defeated Titan after ripping his opponent’s mask off and giving him a low blow.
Kevin Knight kept himself in the running with a win over Clark Connors. Both he and Connors need a win and some help on the final night of A Block.
After Robbie Eagles targeted Hiromu Takahashi’s leg for the entirety of their match, Takahashi needed help to the back and wasn’t putting any weight on his leg. That will likely be the story for his remaining match against Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 standings —
A Block:
El Desperado (5-3): 10 points
Titan (5-3): 10 points
Blake Christian (5-3): 10 points
HAYATA (5-3): 10 points
Kevin Knight (4-4): 8 points
Clark Connors (4-4): 8 points
TJP (4-4): 8 points
BUSHI (3-5): 6 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5): 6 points
Kosei Fujita (2-6): 4 points
B Block:
Taiji Ishimori (5-2): 10 points
Hiromu Takahashi (5-2): 10 points
KUSHIDA (4-3): 8 points
Robbie Eagles (4-2): 8 points **
Drilla Moloney (4-2): 8 points
DOUKI (4-3): 8 points
SHO (4-3): 8 points **
Ninja Mack (3-4): 6 points
Francesco Akira (2-3): 4 points (Will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury)
Dragon Dia (0-7): 0 points
** Wrestler still has a match vs. Francesco Akira remaining(automatic default victory/two points).
Upcoming Best of the Super Juniors schedule —
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 —
B Block: Ninja Mack vs. Dragon Dia
B Block: KUSHIDA vs. DOUKI
B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. Francesco Akira (default victory for Eagles)
B Block: Taiji Ishimori vs. SHO
B Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Drilla Moloney
Thursday, May 30, 2024 —
A Block: Blake Christian vs. Kosei Fujita
A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Clark Connors
A Block: El Desperado vs. HAYATA
A Block: TJP vs. Titan
A Block: BUSHI vs. Kevin Knight
Friday, May 31, 2024 —
B Block: KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Dia
B Block: Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI
B Block: SHO vs. Francesco Akira (default victory for SHO)
The Best of the Super Juniors continued on Wednesday with a show in Osaka.
Today’s event began with an announcement that Francesco Akira will miss the remainder of the tournament. His scheduled opponent for Wednesday, Hiromu Takahashi, came out to address the fans and said he’d open the show since his match was canceled. He then joined the Japanese commentary team. Takahashi receives an automatic two points as a result of the default victory.
Just two tournament matches remain for the wrestlers in A Block. Three matches remain for each member of B Block.
Titan and El Desperado are now tied atop A Block, but a post-match attack on today’s show by Clark Connors will seemingly put Desperado at a disadvantage going into his final round-robin matches. In B Block, things are wide open with five wrestlers tied with eight points. However, SHO, DOUKI, and Robbie Eagles will receive an automatic two points due to Akira’s withdrawal, since they’d yet to face him in the tournament. Adding those points in, Eagles sits atop the group with 10 points.
Here are the quick results from today’s show:
A Block match: Titan defeated Kosei Fujita
B Block match: Robbie Eagles defeated Dragon Dia
A Block match: BUSHI defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
B Block match: Drilla Moloney defeated KUSHIDA
A Block match: HAYATA defeated Kevin Knight
B Block match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Willie Mack
A Block match: El Desperado defeated Clark Connors via DQ
A Block match: TJP defeated Blake Christian
B Block match: SHO defeated DOUKI
Other notes from the show:
Drilla Moloney handed KUSHIDA just his second loss of the tournament, which has led to a five-way tie atop B Block. KUSHIDA focused on Moloney’s biceps for much of the match and it was implied on commentary that the injury could impact the rest of Moloney’s tournament.
A rare disqualification victory was awarded to El Desperado on the show when Clark Connors shoved a referee and refused to stop punching his opponent. Connors then attacked several young boys after the match and unmasked Desperado.
SHO used a loaded boot and frequent interference to defeat DOUKI in the main event.
After the show, Desperado challenged Connors to a hardcore match after the BOSJ ends.
Night six of NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament took place on Sunday in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
Five matches in the A Block and five matches in B Block took place on the show. The quick results are available below.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 night six quick results —
B Block: Drilla Moloney defeated Francesco Akira
A Block: BUSHI defeated Kosei Fujita
B Block: DOUKI defeated Dragon Dia
A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Kevin Knight
B Block: KUSHIDA defeated Taiji Ishimori
A Block: Clark Connors defeated Titan
B Block: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ninja Mack
A Block: TJP defeated HAYATA
B Block: Robbie Eagles defeated SHO
A Block: El Desperado defeated Blake Christian
El Desperado became the first wrestler in A Block to hand Blake Christian a loss. He defeated Christian in the main event of Sunday’s show to improve his record to 3-2 and drop Christian to 4-1. However, Christian still sits alone atop the group.
After a big win on Sunday, KUSHIDA is all alone atop B Block. He defeated Taiji Ishimori to move to 4-1 and drop Ishmori down to 3-2.
Robbie Eagles defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO on Sunday after his TMDK teammate Fujita helped him fend off interference from House of Torture’s Yujiro Takahashi.
Drilla Moloney kept up the attack on Francesco Akria after the opening match on the show. He made Akira submit to a leglock and continued attacking his opponent’s leg afterward. Akira had to be tended to outside of the ring after the match and could not put weight on his leg as he walked to the back.
TJP finally got into the win column with a victory over HAYATA. This leaves Dragon Dia as the only competitor without a win thus far in the tournament.
The Best of the Super Juniors finals are set to headline one of NJPW’s biggest events of the year.
It was confirmed today that the finals of Best of the Super Juniors 31 will be the main event of NJPW Dominion on Sunday, June 9. The show is taking place from Osaka-jo Hall and will air live on NJPW World.
The announcement means that the Best of the Super Juniors finals are going on last instead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Jon Moxley and EVIL.
We don’t know who will be competing in the Best of the Super Juniors finals yet. There are still eight tournament shows left before Dominion. At the moment, Blake Christian has a 4-0 record and leads the A Block. KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori are tied for the B Block lead with 3-1 records.
Here’s everything that’s been confirmed for Dominion so far:
NJPW Dominion 2024 (Sunday, June 9) —
Best of the Super Juniors finals
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against EVIL
NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Henare
KOPW 2024 title holder Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan
NJPW World Television Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
Four-way tornado elimination match for both the IWGP Tag Team titles and NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles: KENTA & Chase Owens (IWGP Tag Team Champions) vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo (Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
Night five of NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament consisted of 10 matches with A Block and B Block both in action.
After a pre-show angle where he was attacked by SHO, Hiromu Takahashi got his revenge by defeating SHO in the main event. There were also victories for Kevin Knight, Francesco Akira, Blake Christian, Robbie Eagles, BUSHI, DOUKI, HAYATA, Drilla Moloney, and Kosei Fujita.
Here are the quick results:
– B Block match: Hiromu Takahashi defeated SHO
– A Block match: Kevin Knight defeated El Desperado
– B Block match: Francesco Akira defeated Taiji Ishimori
– A Block match: Blake Christian defeated Titan
– B Block match: Robbie Eagles defeated KUSHIDA
– A Block match: BUSHI defeated TJP
– B Block match: DOUKI defeated Ninja Mack
– A Block match: HAYATA defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
– B Block match: Drilla Moloney defeated Dragon Dia
– A Block match: Kosei Fujita defeated Clark Connors
Blake Christian, first place in A Block, is the only wrestler who still has a perfect record in the tournament. KUSHIDA and Ishimori took their first losses today but are still tied for the B Block lead.
The tournament is back in action on Sunday (May 19) with another show featuring both blocks.
It was announced today that the Best of the Super Juniors finals will be the main event of NJPW Dominion on June 9. There are eight tournament shows left before that.
Taiji Ishimori and KUSHIDA maintained their perfect B Block records as night four of NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 31 took place on Thursday.
In the main event of the show, Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles. KUSHIDA was victorious earlier in the night against Francesco Akira. Ishimori and KUSHIDA are tied for the early B Block lead with 3-0 records and six points.
Hiromu Takahashi, SHO, and Drilla Moloney also got wins on Thursday. This was Takahashi’s first victory of the tournament.
Here are the quick results:
– B Block match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles
– B Block match: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Dragon Dia
– El Desperado, Boltin Oleg & Katsuya Murashima defeated Kevin Knight, Tiger Mask & Shoma Kato
There are Best of the Super Juniors shows on Saturday (May 18) and Sunday (May 19) this weekend. Each of those nights will feature a full slate of tournament action with both A Block and B Block matches.
Best of the Super Juniors runs through June 9 when the finals will be held at NJPW Dominion. The winner of the tournament will likely be in line for a shot at SHO’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.
On Saturday, this year’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors kicked off with a full slate of matches.
This is the 31st edition of the junior heavyweight tournament. Both A Block and B Block were in action with night one being held in Chiba. The card included KUSHIDA and Hiromu Takahashi renewing their rivalry as KUSHIDA began the tournament with a victory.
Here are the quick results:
A Block match: Titan defeated El Desperado
B Block match: KUSHIDA defeated Hiromu Takahashi
A Block match: Kevin Knight defeated TJP
B Block match: Taiji Ishimori defeated DOUKI
A Block match: Blake Christian defeated Clark Connors
B Block match: SHO defeated Drilla Moloney
A Block match: Kosei Fujita defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
B Block match: Ninja Mack defeated Robbie Eagles
A Block match: HAYATA defeated BUSHI
B Block match: Francesco Akira defeated Dragon Dia
Twelve more shows on the Best of the Super Juniors tour will happen from now through June 3. The finals of the tournament will then take place at Dominion on June 9, which is a change from NJPW’s traditional schedule for the tournament.
If IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO doesn’t win the tournament, the winner will receive a shot at his title. A trophy is also awarded to the BOSJ winner.
The next show is on Monday (May 13), again with both blocks in action.
Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado square off today in the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 29 finals.
Hiromu will look to make it three BOSJ crowns in a row and four overall, while Desperado will try to win the tournament for the first time. Tatsumi Fujinami will be on hand as a special guest at ringside for the finals.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson takes on Tomoaki Honma in a non-title match in the only other singles bout on the card. A series of tag matches fill out the lineup.
Here is the card:
Best of the Super Juniors 29 finals: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga & Jado vs. Jay White, Doc Gallows, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI
Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo
Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. EVIL & SHO
Juice Robinson vs. Tomoaki Honma
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. TJP & Francesco Akira
Robbie Eagles, Clark Connors, YOH & Titan vs. El Lindaman, Wheeler Yuta, Ace Austin & Alex Zayne
Our live coverage begins at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
**********
The show opened with a card change announcement. Current IWGP champion Juice Robinson is afflicted with appendicitis and has been removed from tonight’s show. In his place, young lion Ryohei Oiwa steps up to challenge Tomoaki Honma.
Tomoaki Honma defeated Ryohei Oiwa
I’m a sucker for young lion matches—this was fun.
Oiwa opened the match with a stint of offense, but, unsurprisingly, Honma took control from the young lion after the match developed. Oiwa continued to fight, even with his back against the wall, eventually securing a single-leg Boston crab. Honma survived the hold and landed a pair of KoKeShi to bring this match to a close.
Ace Austin, Wheeler Yuta, El Lindaman, and Alex Zayne defeated Robbie Eagles, YOH, Titan, and Clark Conners
Yuta and Eagles opened the match with a speedy wrestling sequence before passing their batons to Lindaman and YOH. After YOH and Lindaman traded moves, Titan tagged in and established firm control for his team—a similar sequence played out with Zayne, Austin, and Conners until a match reset left Zayne and Conners alone in the ring.
Yuta and Lindaman rushed the ring, taking control for their team before landing a double dive. Once the ring was cleared again, Zayne hit Conners with the cinnamon twist to win the match.
The English commentary was doing their best to establish Zayne and Conners as a legitimate pairing moving forwards.
TJP and Fransico Akira (United Empire) defeated Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi (Six or Nine)
UE tried to gain an early advantage by rushing the junior tag champions as the opening bell rang but failed to establish significant control. UE was able to take the lead after withstanding a short stint of Taguchi control.
Wato eventually landed a dropkick which sent Akira to the floor, leading to a dive that took out both UE representatives. In the ring, Six or Nine double-teamed TJP, scoring a near fall after a barrage of b-triggers.
Taguchi forced Akira to make the save after locking TJP into an ankle lock. This led to a prolonged rally from the UE team, ending with an elevated cutter into a stretch hold from TJP. Taguchi tapped to the hold, leaving the UE team with a win over the IWGP Junior Tag Team champions.
This was, presumably, to set up a future IWGP junior tag title match.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-gun) defeated EVIL and SHO (House of Torture)
This was a nothing match, but at least it was short-lived.
The HoT team jumped Suzuki-gun before the match began—this led to an extensive lead for the HoT pairing. After being on the receiving end of an HoT beatdown, Kanemaru eventually tagged out to ZSJ, who helped take control for the first time. A distraction from EVIL and a run-in from Dick Togo ended ZSJ’s rally, but a well-timed low blow from Kanemaru forced Togo to spray EVIL in the eyes with Kanemaru’s alcohol. Kanemaru dropped SHO with another low blow, and ZSJ forced him to tap with an arm bar.
Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, and El Phantasmo defeated (Bullet Club)Jeff Cobb, Arron Henare, and Great O-Khan (United Empire)
I was not a fan of this at all.
This match opened with a brawl. O-Khan focused Owens, forcing Fale to make an early save. Bullet Club then worked to isolate O-Khan, eventually leading to a tag out to Cobb. Cobb rocked Fale with a pair of lariats, but Fale answered with a shoulder tackle, leading to a double tag.
ELP and Henare worked through a short sequence before the match broke down into another brawl. Once things calmed down, Ace Austin walked to the ring and flashed an ace playing card and a too-sweet at Henare, leaving ELP free to hit CR2 and pin Henare.
After the match concluded, a close-up revealed Austin’s ace was Bullet Club branded. Austin is officially the Bullet Club.
SANADA Speaks
In an unannounced appearance, SANADA walked to the ring and challenged for the IWGP US championship at Dominion. The English commentary seemed uncertain about Robinson’s readiness come Dominion, given his ongoing battle with appendicitis.
BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon)defeated Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and DOUKI (Suzuki-gun)
This wasn’t very good.
This match opened with an awkward brawl. The match tried to develop in-ring but continually fell into chaos for some time. Eventually, Naito escaped a prolonged period of Suzuki-gun control, tagging out to Shingo.
Shingo and his King of Pro Wrestling rival, Taichi, traded blows before a tag to TAKA allowed Taichi to escape. Shingo then ran through TAKA, but Taichi interrupted the pin after the pumping bomber. Taichi and Shingo teased a sumo spot, and Shingo sent Taichi to the floor. Shingo then rolled up TAKA to win the match.
After the match, Shingo rolled up Taichi for a five-count, perhaps teasing a future stipulation for the KOPW trophy.
Once he recovered, Taichi announced if you want to see the choices for stipulations ahead of his KOPW challenge, you will need to watch his YouTube channel.
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga, and Jado defeated Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Doc Gallows, and Jay White (Bullet Club)
Before the match, Jay White announced he had a surprise. KENTA’s music hit, and he walked to the ring.
Gallows and Yano opened the match with a silly little sequence. Gedo tagged in and jumped Jado to establish control for Bullet Club. White cemented this control as he and his partners worked Jado into the corner.
Jado eventually secured the hot tag to Okada, leading to a strong rally for the babyface team. Gedo interrupted Okada’s offense long enough for White to retake control, scoring a near fall with a blade-buster. Okada avoided the blade-runner and White avoided the rainmaker, but a dropkick from Okada hit the mark.
Tama and Gedo tagged in. With Jado’s help, Tama hit gun-stun and pinned Gedo to win the match.
Once the match concluded, Okada and White had a staredown and heated verbal exchange.
Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Hiromu Takahashi defeated El Desperado
This pairing feels more than overexposed at this point. The match was pretty slow until the twenty-minute mark; once the pair reached this point, the match was rather exciting. The closing sequence was what you would expect—a ton of kick-outs in the ultimate battle of one-upmanship.
After an extended feeling out process, Hiromu established control with a slam into the ring post and a suplex to the floor. Back in the ring, Desperado turned things around with a knee-breaker, beginning his attack on Hiromu’s leg. Desperado took the action to the floor himself, landing a scoop slam on the outside before a backdrop on the inside left him with a two-count.
Desperado locked in multiple wear-down holds, continuing to focus Hiromu’s leg. Hiromu eventually fought back into the match, landing a dropkick to the floor to slow Desperado’s advance. Back in the ring, Hiromu led an offensive sequence, connecting with multiple big moves.
Desperado turned things back around with a beautiful dive to the floor. A frog splash scored Desperado a near fall, leading into another stent of leg work. Hiromu avoided Pinche Loco and locked in D to turn momentum on its head.
Once Desperado escaped Hiromu’s triangle choke, the pair traded strikes. From the exchange, Desperado tried for Pinche Loco, but Hiromu reversed the move again. A quick lariat yielded a near fall for Hiromu, which he followed with a victory royal. As Hiromu tried for D again, Desperado landed a spinebuster, but the followed Pinche Loco attempt was blocked once more. Desperado hit a forearm that slumped Hiromu and a pair of Pinche Locos; Hiromu kicked out.
A now frustrated Desperado whipped the leg of Hiromu multiple times before locking in numero dos. Hiromu reversed the submission into destroyer; Desperado refused to fall. After two quick pin attempts, Hiromu dropped Desperado with a lariat. Hiromu then hoisted up Desperado and hit Time Bomb 2; Desperado kicked out.
Hiromu, now as desperate as Desperado, tried closing things with a close fist strike. Desperado answered Hirmou with a punch of his own before trying for Pinche Loco again. Hiromu wiggled free from the underhooks, landing two cutters, a Time Bomb, and a Time Bomb 2 to close the match and win the tournament.
After the tournament’s conclusion, Hiromu cut a promo thanking the people responsible for the tournament and celebrating his third consecutive win.
Hiromu Takahashi has won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the third time.
Hiromu defeated YOH in 38:30 in today’s tournament finals at Sumo Hall in Ryogoku to capture his second consecutive BOSJ and his third in four years. While not yet official, Hiromu is next in line to challenge IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado, most likely at Wrestle Kingdom 16.
YOH’s former Roppongi 3K tag partner SHO from Bullet Club’s House of Torture interfered in today’s bout by attacking both competitors, which could lead to future bouts with either YOH or Hiromu.
SHO grabbed the house mic and declared the bout a no contest after leaving both laying, but referee Red Shoes Unno refused to call the match. World Tag League winners Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI chased SHO away from the ring, then tended to YOH. Hiromu’s LIJ stablemates Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi came to ringside as well to encourage Hiromu to continue on.
NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 28 and World Tag League 2021 tournaments wrap up today in Ryogoku.
The BOSJ finals will main event, as Hiromu Takahashi faces YOH. Hiromu will be aiming for his third career BOSJ win. YOH rebounded after losing his first four tournament matches to earn a spot in the finals.
The World Tag League finals will take place in the semi-main, with Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI taking on Bullet Club’s EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi. Goto and YOSHI-HASHI finished the tournament at 9-2, while House of Torture made the finals on tiebreakers with an 8-3 record and wins over the other two 8-3 teams.
A “major announcement” from Katsuyori Shibata has also been advertised for the show. Shibata returned to the ring at the G1 finals on October 21 for a five-minute exhibition match against Zack Sabre Jr., promising that the next time he was in the ring, it would be for a real match. Shibata was forced to retire after suffering a subdural hematoma in an April 2017 IWGP Heavyweight title match against Kazuchika Okada.
Wrestle Kingdom 16 opponents will be on opposite sides of a tag tonight as well. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi will team with BUSHI, facing Okada and Robbie Eagles. Shingo defends the IWGP title against Okada on night one of Wrestle Kingdom on January 4.
A series of tag matches will fill out the undercard. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA take on Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata face Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens. Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato take on Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo face Tiger Mask & Ryohei Oiwa. Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuto Nakashima & Kosei Fujita take on Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI in the opener.
Our live coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.
**********
DOUKI, TAKA Michinoku, and Minoru Suzuki defeated Kosei Fujita, Yuta Nakashima, and Rysuke Taguchi
This was fine and to the point.
Fujita opened the match against Suzuki and momentarily succeeded in taking control on the mat. On the mat, Suzuki caught Fujita in a crossface, forcing a rope break and a tag. Nakashima tried his luck against Suzuki, but a Suzuki forearm dropped the young lion.
TAKA tagged in after Suzuki’s success to immediately lose control to Nakashima. Taguchi tagged into the match and continued to advance his team’s lead. The lead continued as the young lions and DOUKI entered the fray.
A deep Boston crab from Nakashima incited a brawl as team Taguchi attempted to prevent Suzuki-Gun interference; this failed as the struggle spilt into the ring. The struggle favoured DOUKI and company. All three Suzuki-Gun competitors locked in submissions inside the ropes, leading to a tap-out victory.
El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori defeated Ryohei Oiwa and Tiger Mask
The match itself was extremely brief. It served future ends, setting up more for the junior belts.
ELP and Ishimori teased Tiger Mask following the opening bell by trading tags before engaging. To their dismay, Tiger Mask gained offensive control and maintained it even as both heels hit the ring. Oiwa tagged into the match and was doing quite well before an ELP superkick broke up a Boston crab, allowing Ishimori to pin Oiwa for an abrupt ending.
After the match, ELP and Ishimori began to beatdown Tiger Mask. Robbie Eagles hit the ring but failed to save his partner. Rysuke Taguchi then hit the ring and successfully fought off Bullet Club, only to attack Tiger Mask and Eagles after saving the day. Taguchi posed with both junior tag belts before scurrying off after the champions, Eagles and Tiger Mask, regained their footing.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Toru Yano
Nothing special in this one.
The match opened with an eight-way brawl, initiated by Suzuki-Gun. After things calmed down, Wato and Desperado had a typical opening sequence. This lasted for a moment before another brawl restarted the chaos.
Once the match resumed, ZSJ and Taichi cornered Wato. Once Wato escaped, Makabe tagged in and gained control for his team after running through all of his opponents. A kick from Taichi reset the match.
Taichi and Makabe traded blows before ZSJ and Honma entered the match. Honma tried and failed at submitting ZSJ, but Makabe prevented ZSJ from even attempting a submission. ZSJ avoided the headbutt, and Taichi flattened Honma. ZSJ then successfully locked in a triangle, forcing the submission.
After the match, there was a brief scuffle that ended with Suzuki-Gun standing tall.
Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga
This was a bit of a mess, but the matches purpose was fulfilled, I suppose; Owens is a mini-rival for Tanahashi before Tanahashi gets another run at KENTA.
Imagine this — the match opened with a brawl. Kojima and Loa took turns striking each other after the brawling ended. Loa emerged with control, allowing each member of Bullet Club to tag in and beat down Kojima.
After Kojima finally tagged out, Nagata overwhelmed Tonga to reset momentum momentarily. Tonga was able to withstand the rally, before tagging in Owens, but due to a miscommunication, Nagata regained control.
Tanahashi tagged into the match to focus down his apparent rival, Owens, but Bullet Club chicanery caused the match to break down into a brawl. After the brawl played out, Owens and Tanahashi were alone once more. Owens avoided High Fly Flow. Two C-triggers (knee strikes) left Tanashi laid out. Owens hesitated, allowing Tanahashi to roll up the Texas Heavyweight Champion to close the match.
After the match, KENTA appeared on the tron to challenge Tanahashi to a rematch. KENTA agreed to the match so long as it was held with no disqualifications. Tanahashi agreed.
Katsuyori Shibata’s Announcement
Shibata entered the ring with tears in his eyes. Shibata then announced he had a match on January 4th’s Tokyo Dome show and left the ring. The Wrestler will be back for Wrestle Kingdom.
SANADA and Tetsuya Naito defeated Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
This was enjoyable enough for a preview tag. It seems Cobb Naito is the singles match in the making.
LIJ opened the match by jumping O-Khan and Cobb. SANADA then tied O-Khan up with the paradise lock while pulling on the braid. As SANADA stood the match up, O-Khan found his first opening. After catching a strike from SANADA, O-Khan took control, and the match spilt to the outside.
Once back inside, Cobb tagged in, slowing the pace as he worked over SANADA. This pace continued as O-Khan tagged back in.
SANADA caught a Mongolian chop, probably because O-Khan screamed before trying it. SANADA then landed a dropkick before tagging Naito into the match. Cobb, now legal, was on the receiving end of a Naito rally.
Cobb eventually caught Naito, driving him into the turnbuckle pads to end Naito’s offence. O-Khan then hit the ring, aiding Cobb in turning the match around. SANADA tried saving his partner but fell to O-Khan. SANADA did succeed in buying Naito enough time to catch Cobb with a rana. The rana turned into a pin, leading to the finish.
After the match, Cobb jumped Naito but failed in his attack. Naito left standing tall, with a smile on his face. After Naito made it through the curtain, Cobb tried to jump him again.
Robbie Eagles and Kazuchika Okada defeated Shingo Takagi and BUSHI
There was a lot to like in this match. It was excellent at teasing the upcoming Shingo/Okada title match without over-exposing the match-to-be.
This match opened with Shingo and Okada grappling; they traded control multiple times before a ducked rainmaker turned into a failed last of the dragon. Okada and Shingo are equals, at least in this moment.
BUSHI and Eagles tagged into the match and increased the pace ten-fold. A tope into the barricade left BUSHI in control. BUSHI choked Eagles with a shirt before tagging Shingo back into the match.
Eagles tried striking down Shingo but fell to one blow from the reigning world champion. Shingo eventually slipped from control as a quick rana allowed Okada to tag back in. Okada succeeded in reversing momentum, at least for a moment.
Shingo eventually fought to a standing position to trade strikes with Okada. The pair again tried to finish one another but failed to deliver anything substantial. BUSHI tagged back into the match, focusing Okada while Shingo focused Eagles outside the ring.
Okada withstood the BUSHI attempt at offence, delivering an air raid crash neckbreaker before locking in the money clip. Shingo hit the ring to break up the hold, and Eagles hit the ring to fight off Shingo. Eagles and Okada succeeded in fighting off Shingo, and a dive from Eagles left Okada alone once more with BUSHI. Okada landed the rainmaker and pinned BUSHI to close the match.
World Tag League Finals: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto defeated EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
This match wasn’t good, but seeing YH with a Tag League trophy might be worth enduring the chicanery.
The match opened with a Bullet Club favoured distraction. YH fought through, however, and gained control. Goto and YH then grabbed the would-be distractor, Dick Togo, and beat him down in an attempt to even the odds.
EVIL removed a turnbuckle pad while YH and Goto were dealing with Togo. EVIL then succeeded in throwing both of his opponents into the exposed buckles. The match then worked its way outside, where Bullet Club slammed YH and Goto into the barricade and EVIL beat down YH with a chair. Back in the ring, Yujiro and EVIL maintained this momentum.
A dropkick to the knee of EVIL allowed YH to tag out. Goto connected with some offence but was grabbed by a recovered Togo. Togo and Yujiro slammed Goto into the barricade while EVIL distracted the referee. Back in the ring, EVIL focused the knee of Goto.
It took YH hitting the ring for EVIL’s momentum to wane. Goto connected with a reverse GTR, yielding a near fall. Then, with his back against the wall, EVIL distracted the referee again, allowing Togo to choke Goto with a rope. Goto fought through this interference and delivered a backdrop suplex to EVIL after escaping.
YH tagged in, as did Yujro. The pair tried moves but were successful in stopping one another. Finally, a money shot landed, forcing Goto to break up the pin. EVIL then hit the ring and hit Goto with darkness falls. YH tried to claw his way back into the match, but pimp juice left him laying. After a failed pin, Yujiro grabbed his cane, forcing Goto to hit the ring again.
Goto saved YH and fought off EVIL and Togo before he could interfere. YH and Goto hit DYW, but Togo pulled the referee to the outside before he could finish his count. Togo and EVIL then hit the ring with a rope and chair, respectively. This triggered Tomohiro Ishii to hop the barricade, fighting off Togo to even the odds.
YH and Goto fought off Bullet Club again, surviving another referee bump and an attempted low blow, before delivering a tandem move to close the match.
Best of the Super Jr Finals: Hiromu Takahashi defeated YOH
I loved a lot of this match. SHO’s involvement is a negative, but overall it was a meaningfully-dense outing even with its extended run time. YOH’s determination and ultimate heartbreak were tangible and drove the match into something special.
This match’s opening sequence consisted of back-and-forth grappling. While Hiromu led most of the exchange, YOH held on. Hiromu and YOH traded strikes, and again, Hiromu maintained a lead, but again YOH stayed focused. This cat-and-mouse game continued for a while, with YOH dawning his new confidence.
Hiromu eventually landed a dropkick on the outside, seemingly stifling YOH’s persistence for the first time. Back in the ring, YOH was chopped down, his chest turning a blistered red. Even as he wore the effects of substantial striking, he continued to resist. A quick drop toe hold followed by a dropkick grounded Hiromu. A falcon arrow left YOH with a lead for the first time, a lead that became substantial after a dragonscrew. YOH locked in stargazer, his leglock variation. Hiromu climbed into the ropes to force a break.
Hiromu caught YOH before he could follow up with a submission of his own, but YOH survived. YOH then reversed an attempt at offence into a German suplex. YOH chased this opening, landing a knee strike, but Hiromu didn’t fall. Instead, Hiromu caught YOH with a sit-down powerbomb, resetting the match.
This late reset initiated a back-and-forth sequence of moves that ended with a nasty throw into the corner that laid out YOH. Hiromu then hoisted YOH to his shoulders on the ring’s apron, delivering a brutal death valley driver against the ring corner. YOH managed to make his way to his feet before being counted out. Hiromu attempted to block YOH, but a rana brought him to the floor. YOH followed up with a beautiful dive that left both men laid out. Enter SHO.
SHO dropped his former partner YOH with a piledriver. This infuriated Hiromu, who stood up to the would-be invader. Hiromu met the same fate; a piledriver to Hiromu also left him lying. SHO then grabbed the microphone and declared the match a no-contest; the referee ignored this declaration, insisting that the match continued. Enter LIJ and CHAOS. The factions ran off SHO, allowing the match to continue.
YOH was the first to strike once the match began again, but Hiromu responded immediately. A series of quick pin attempts YOH followed, but again, Hiromu was ready, this time with a suplex. YOH and Hirmou slipped in and out of each other’s attempts at a finish before a headbutt sent both men to their knees. A lariat flattened YOH, opening him up for victory royale; YOH kicked out.
YOH caught Hiromu with a dragonscrew to slow Hiromu down once more. YOH hoisted Hiromu to the top rope and hit a superplex. Hiromu recovered immediately, attempting a rollup. After YOH kicked out, he hit a beautiful thrust kick followed by a dragon suplex. The kick out that followed was as close as possible. Hiromu then caught YOH himself before delivering a timebomb. Not only did YOH survive, but he also connected with a lariat after being on defeat’s door. Hiromu returned the favour with a lariat of his own before hitting a back-to-belly piledriver; YOH held on. Hiromu then lifted YOH and hit him with timebomb 2 to close BOSJ.
After the match, Hiromu cut a promo. He told YOH to step up and deal with SHO. He also called out Desperado, saying he would win in their title match. Hiromu made it clear he was to be on top, even if it means going through his faction-mates. He then hoisted the BOSJ trophy as he was showered with confetti.
