Yoshinobu Kanemaru is out of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
NJPW announced tonight that Kanemaru will be out of action with a knee injury, and thus will miss the tour. As a result, young lion Yuya Uemura will compete in Kanemaru’s place.
Kanemaru last competed at NJPW Road to Power Struggle on November 3, where he teamed with Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado to defeat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and Shingo Takagi. NJPW later announced that he would miss a show held in Kochi on November 5. He did not take part in Power Struggle, which took place on November 7.
The tournament is set to start on Sunday and will run through December 11, when the finals will be held at Budokan Hall.
Here is the updated roster for this year’s tournament based on Kanemaru’s injury:
Yoshinobu Kanemaru has sustained an injury to his right knee, and will be unable to compete on November 5’s event in Kochi. Changes have been made to the card accordingly.
We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Kanemaru wrestle. We appreciate your understanding and wish Kanemaru the best in his recovery.
Kanemaru was scheduled to team with his Suzuki-gun stablemates Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado in a six-man tag match against Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi at the show. With Kanemaru off the card, Suzuki & Desperado will now face Takagi & BUSHI. Takahashi will team with Tetsuya Naito & SANADA against EVIL, Dick Togo & Yujiro Takahashi.
Thursday’s Road to Power Struggle show is a non-televised event. Power Struggle is taking place at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan this Saturday and will air live on New Japan World starting at 3 a.m. Eastern time.
The participants for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors 27 tournament have been announced
This year’s format is a dramatic change from last year’s tournament. Instead of two blocks and twenty entrants, this year there is only one block with ten wrestlers. The top two wrestlers who score the most points will meet each other in the finals.
Most of this year’s participants are NJPW regulars. Robbie Eagles, who has not appeared on a New Japan Pro Wrestling card since the COVID-19 pandemic, will make his return on this tour. Master Wato, who returned from excursion earlier this year, will make his Best of the Super Juniors debut.
The ten participants for this year’s tournament include:
Ryusuke Taguchi
Master Wato
SHO
Robbie Eagles
Hiromu Takahashi
BUSHI
El Desperado
Yoshinobu Kanemaru
DOUKI
Taiji Ishimori
The finals will take place on December 11 at Nippon Budokan.
The tournament, which usually runs in May, will instead run in conjunction with this year’s World Tag League. The original tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru are the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
The Suzuki-gun team defeated Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI in the main event of today’s New Japan Road event in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall to claim the vacant titles.
After a low blow and a whiskey bottle shot from Kanemaru, Desperado hit Pinche Loco on Takahashi for a near fall. Desperado followed up with a straight right hand and a second Pinche Loco before pinning Takahashi to win the titles.
The is the second IWGP Junior Tag Team Title reign for Desperado and Kanemaru.
Former champions SHO and YOH were forced to relinquish the titles after YOH suffered a knee injury, resulting in a four team, league-style tournament to determine the new champions.
Kanemaru and Desperado’s team and Takahashi and BUSHI both finished the tournament 2-1 to set up today’s final. The teams of Taiji Ishimori/Gedo and Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi both finished 1-2.
One half of the champions, SHO, appeared at today’s press conference and officially vacated the titles, saying that YOH is unlikely to come back before the end of the year due to a knee injury. SHO had said they would be vacating the titles in a post-match interview at Summer Struggle in Jingu.
As a result, a four team round robin tournament will start on September 3. The two teams who score the most points will face off in the finals of the tournament on September 11.
The following teams will compete:
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
SHO and YOH had held the titles for 239 days, defeating El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, their second reign as champions. The duo had successfully defended the title twice before vacating.
The winner of the A Block in the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors will be decided on Friday, with Taiji Ishimori set to face the unbeaten Shingo Takagi.
Ishimori sealed the deal with a win over Tiger Mask IV today in Aichi. They had a tense, psychologically sound match on what was one of the weaker shows of the tournament so far.
Dragon Lee and Yoshinobu Kanemaru had a solid main event outing, but with their tournament fate already decided, it lacked something.
Here are the full results and match recaps from today’s show:
YOH and Narita exchanged holds and escapes. Ishii and Tsuji tagged in and traded shoulder tackles. Ishii scored the first knockdown. YOH and Ishii used a series of tags, working over Tsuji in the red corner.
Tsuji hit a back body drop and managed a tag to Narita. Narita hit a pair of tackles and a vertical suplex. He tried for a belly-to-belly, but YOH blocked it. Narita used his crab with a sharpshooter grip, but YOH rolled to the ropes.
YOH hit a flying forearm. Ishii made a tag and ate a dropkick from Narita. Tsuji tagged in and traded strikes with Ishii. Tsuji scored a shoulder tackle knockdown. He hit a dropkick, but Ishii no-sold it. Ishii applied a full crab, but Tsuji made it to the bottom rope.
Tsuji and Narita doubled up on Ishii, and Tsuji hit a spear for a near fall. YOH jumped in to even the odds. Ishii hit a back suplex for a near fall, then used a crab on Tsuji for the submission. A solid opener.
RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, BANDIDO, JUICE ROBINSON & YUYA UEMURA DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO, ROBBIE EAGLES, GEDO & JADO
Bandido and Eagles started off with some crowd work. They did a series of flips, counters, and reversals. It started off a little clunky, but it was very crisp by the end. Jado and Uemura tagged in, and the pace slowed to a crawl. Jado has balance issues and really shouldn’t be in the ring.
Bullet Club worked Uemura over in the blue corner. Taguchi got a tag and ran wild with hip attacks. ELP avoided Three Amigos, then hit an enzuigiri. Both tagged out.
Juice avoided a kendo stick shot from Jado and a brass knuckles shot from Gedo. Juice hit Gedo with Pulp Friction for the pin. Not much to this one.
TAICHI & DOUKI DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY & SHOTA UMINO
Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell. They used the jumpstart and a ringside brawl to take the early advantage. They worked over Umino. Ospreay tagged in, and he went one-on-one with DOUKI. Ospreay gave DOUKI the bulk of the offense.
Taichi and Umino tagged back in. Taichi used an Axe Bomber for a near fall, then won after a superkick.
After the match, DOUKI and Taichi beat down Ospreay. Taichi hit him with his microphone stand, and DOUKI used a pipe to attack Ospreay’s ribs. This was the weakest match on the show to this point.
TETSUYA NAITO & BUSHI DEFEATED ROCKY ROMERO & TOA HENARE
Rocky and BUSHI kicked things off. BUSHI teased a dive, but Rocky cut him off, hitting a dropkick. Henare made a tag and started to work on BUSHI. Naito jumped in illegally to even the odds and turn the tide in BUSHI’s favor.
Naito tagged in and landed a one-legged dropkick. BUSHI and Naito made quick tags, working over Henare. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick and choked Henare with his T-shirt. Henare hit a big boot and tagged Rocky.
Rocky hit a dropkick on BUSHI and a rana on an interfering Naito. Rocky hit forever clotheslines and a rewind kick, getting a near fall. Rocky got a cross armbreaker applied, but BUSHI reached the bottom rope. BUSHI hit an enzuigiri, and both tagged out.
Henare landed a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Naito hit a hip toss, a dropkick, a neckbreaker, and a second dropkick. All four men jumped in. BUSHI sent Rocky to the apron, then hit a codebreaker. Naito hit Henare with Destino and got the pin. Just a basic undercard tag match.
A BLOCK MATCH: MARTY SCURLL DEFEATED TAKA MICHINOKU BY FORFEIT
A BLOCK MATCH: SHO DEFEATED TITAN
Titan had his right knee taped up. That played into the story of the match. Titan would tease a flying move, hesitate, then SHO would hit him with a power strike. SHO went to work on the right arm. Titan landed a tope con hilo. The arena was deathly quiet.
Back in the ring, Titan hit a springboard crossbody, then used a kneebar. SHO reached the bottom rope, forcing a break. SHO blocked a flying headscissors, then hit a powerbomb. They traded strikes.
They exchanged corner clotheslines. Titan hit a slingshot dropkick in the corner. SHO countered with a pair of lariats. Titan used a victory roll for a near fall. He applied an armbar, but SHO managed to get to the ropes.
SHO hit a piledriver for a near fall, then used Shock Arrow for the pin. Decent work, but the crowd wasn’t into this at all.
A BLOCK MATCH: TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED TIGER MASK
Ishimori attacked before the bell, but Tiger Mask was able to counter with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Tiger hit a double underhook knee strike, then landed a kick for a near fall. Tiger hit a Tiger Driver for a near fall, then transitioned to a cross armbreaker. Tiger then slipped to an armbar, but Ishimori reached the ropes.
Tiger hit a series of kicks to Ishimori’s arms. Ishimori countered with a jumping knee strike and hit double knees in the corner for a near fall. Tiger used a crucifix for a one count, then blocked a handspring kick. Ishimori hit a running knee for a near fall.
Ishimori used a Yes Lock, and Tiger tapped out. The psychology of this match was excellent. Ishimori needed a win to stay alive, and Tiger knew that, and threw everything he had at him.
A BLOCK MATCH: SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED JONATHAN GRESHAM
Gresham was selling his ribs as he entered. They locked up, but Shingo had no desire to trade holds. He used some strikes, a shoulder tackle, and clotheslined Gresham over the top to the floor. Shingo dropped Gresham on the apron. Gresham avoided a chop and made it back inside.
Shingo climbed to the apron, but Gresham dropkicked him to the floor. He went out after him, but Shingo dropped the injured ribs on the apron, then hit a knee drop to the ribs.
Back inside, Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. Gresham managed to pull back on Shingo’s left leg, then hit a dropkick in the corner. Shingo rolled to the floor, no-sold a knee strike, and hit a jab.
Back inside, Gresham hit a dropkick, sending Shingo back to the floor. Gresham hit a suicide dive, then used a rear naked choke on the floor. They teased a countout, but Shingo made it back in at 19.
Gresham hit a Shooting Star Press, but he could not follow up. Gresham hit a series of hard strikes and got a couple of quick near falls. Gresham tried for the octopus, but Shingo blocked it. Gresham hit the ropes, but Shingo hit him with a pop-up DVD.
Shingo hit Noshigami for a near fall, then a Pumping Bomber for another two count. Shingo went for Last of the Dragon, but Gresham blocked it and used a bridge for a near fall. Gresham got the Octopus, but Shingo reversed into Last of the Dragon for the pin. A very good match.
A BLOCK MATCH: DRAGON LEE DEFEATED YOSHINOBU KANEMARU
Kanemaru attacked before the bell. Dragon countered. He went for a tope con hilo, but changed his mind and used a handstand to flip off the apron. Kanemaru used a strike, then choked Dragon with a chair.
Back in the ring, Kanemaru went for Dragon’s mask. He tied Dragon to the tree of woe and landed a dropkick. Kanemaru hit a backdrop and used a full crab, but Dragon reached the ropes. Kanemaru used a vertical suplex for a near fall, then sent Dragon back outside.
Kanemaru hit a snap suplex on the concrete floor in the aisle. Kanemaru shoved a Young Lion in Dragon’s way as he tried to get back inside, but Dragon made it in at 18. Dragon hit a dropkick, then a tope con hilo.
Back inside, Dragon hit a rolling dropkick, then a backbreaker. He hit a one-legged dropkick for a one count, then a dropkick in the corner. He teased a second dropkick in the corner, but Kanemaru cut him off with his own dropkick.
Dragon hit a snap German, a jumping knee strike, and a DDT. They rolled to the apron, where Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT. Back inside, Kanemaru went for Deep Impact. Dragon caught him coming in with a jumping knee.
Dragon went for Desnucadora. Kanemaru grabbed Red Shoes, and Taichi jumped in from the commentary table and pulled Red Shoes to the floor. Kanemaru ripped off Dragon’s mask. Kanemaru tried to spit whiskey, but Dragon hit a dropkick.
Shota Umino gave Dragon his mask back. Kanemaru hit a low blow, and a moonsault for a near fall, as Red Shoes was revived. Dragon hit Desnucadora, but could not follow up with a cover.
They traded roll-ups for near falls. Dragon pulled down a kneepad and hit a running knee strike. He followed with Desnucadora for the pin. Another solid match, but this was one of the weaker shows of the tournament.
A BLOCK STANDINGS
Shingo Takagi: 16
Taiji Ishimori: 14
Dragon Lee: 12 (Out of contention)
Marty Scurll: 10 (Out of contention)
Jonathan Gresham: 8 (Out of contention)
SHO: 8 (Out of contention)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru: 4 (Out of contention)
Tiger Mask: 4 (Out of contention)
Titan: 4 (Out of contention)
TAKA Michinoku: 0 (Out of contention)
B BLOCK STANDINGS
El Phantasmo: 10 (Holds tiebreaker over Eagles, Ospreay)
Robbie Eagles: 10 (Holds tiebreaker over Ospreay, Taguchi)
Night five of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament took place today in Yamagata, highlighted by a main event featuring LIJ’s Shingo Takagi against Suzuki-gun’s Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Prelim bouts:
DOUKI and Taichi defeated Bandido and Yota Tsuji
Taichi submitted Tsuji with a modified sleeper. DOUKI removed Bandido’s mask after the match.
El Phantasmo and Gedo defeated Robbie Eagles and Jado
El Phantasmo pinned Jado with a roll-up after Gedo distracted Jado with his cane.
Will Ospreay, Juice Robinson and Ren Narita defeated YOH, Rocky Romero and Shota Umino
Juice submitted Umino with a modified Boston Crab.
Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Toa Henare
Naito pinned Henare with the Destino.
Block A matches:
SHO defeated Taka Michinoku
Michinoku immediately began working on SHO’s arm, which is all busted up. SHO mounted a brief comeback, but but Michinoku kept putting him down. SHO counters with a cross armbreaker, then holds on as he works on Michinoku’s arm.
Michinoku reaches the ropes as they battle back and forth. SHO hit two clotheslines, then a third. SHO then laid him out with the shock arrow for the win. This was a good, basic match and nothing more.
Marty Scurll defeated Tiger Mask IV
The two shook hands before the match started.After some chain grappling, Scurll teased like he wasn’t going to break Tiger Masks fingers by breaking away from him..but then seconds later he grabbed one of his hands and “broke a finger” anyway.
Scurll got the heat by working on Tiger Mask’s hands, wrapping one of them around the chains that hold that ring ropes together in a clever spot. Tiger Mask dodged a chop, sending Scurll’s land into the post, but Scurll retaliated by dodging at just the right moment so Tiger Mask’s foot hit the post as well.
After a count out tease, Tiger Mask came back into the ring and hit Scurll with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Scurll went for the chickenwing but Tiger Mask countered with a pin attempt and a leglock. Tiger Mask hit a tombstone and a tiger bomb for a near fall.
Tiger Mask went for what looked like a modified kimura then went for the tiger suplex. Scurll countered with the chicken wing, but Tiger Mask floated over for another near fall. Marty Scurll then hit him with a forearm and pinned him with the black plague. This was good and built well, but the finish felt pretty flat and came out of nowhere.
Taiji Ishimori defeated Titan
They start off quick, ending up out of the ring. Titan looks to jump off the apron, but Ishimori instead grabs him and pulls him down in midair for the heat. Titan comes back with a big chop that somehow propels him to the floor, then sends Ishimori to the outside where he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
In the ring, Titan countered with a cross armbreaker then followed with a submission. Ishimori came back with a knee then pinned him with the bloody cross. This was another good match, more technical in nature than I expected.
Dragon Lee defeated Jonathan Gresham
They go back and forth for the first five minutes with some hot action. Gresham works over Lee’s arm. Lee at one point went for a roll-up, then with one arm powerbombed Gresham for a two count.
Gresham follows with a series of some great-looking offense, including a stacked powerbomb and a cradle attempt. Gresham works the arm again, then tries for the Octopus lock. He tries to break down Lee but he positions himself back on his feet. Lee dodges a enziguri and hits a running knee, then follows with a second. Lee then finishes him off with the descunadora. This was very fun while it lasted.
Shingo Takagi defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
They end up brawling around the ring early on, with Kanemaru posting Shingo for the heat. Kanemaru lifted up Shingo’s knee and slammed it through the table, with the table actually breaking.
Kanemaru works on the injured leg in the ring, wrenching it multiple times. Shingo makes it to the ropes, but Kanemaru wraps Shingo’s leg against the ring post, then grabbed a chair and whacked it against the injured knee. Not finished, he dragged Shingo on the entrance ramp and wrapped Shingo in a leglock in an attempt to get a count out win, but Shingo made it in at just the right time.
Shingo comes alive with a back suplex and soon after that hits a death valley driver. But Kanemaru counters by putting Shingo right back with a figure four leg lock. Kanemaru uses the referee to wrap Shingo back up, but uh oh, ref bump. Of course, that is Taichi’s (who is on commentary) cue to interfere, introducing a chair that Kanemaru happily accepts.
Kanemaru looks for the whiskey mist spot, but Shingo uses the chair to block the spray and lays him out. Kanemaru looks to use it himself and is successful. After a gory bomb, Shingo hits a pumping bomber but Kanemaru kicks out. Last of the Dragon gets it as Taichi struggles to get back in the ring. A different kind of main event, but very good. The leg work was well done in particular.
Shingo cut a promo after the match, saying he’ll go undefeated in the BOTSJ tournament.
