NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Night Thirteen
June 6th, 2016 | Sendai Sun Plaza in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Here we are. The last night of the tournament before the finals. Which guy with 8 points will win A Block? Kyle O’Reilly, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA and Matt Sydal are all alive. Over in B Block, who takes it? Ricochet, Will Ospreay or Volador Jr.? Let’s find out.
B Block: Beretta [6] def. Jushin Thunder Liger [6] in 5:18
Beretta entered in the midst of a four match losing streak after starting 2-0. He used his quickness to his advantage, scoring on a dive outside, as well as a tornado DDT. He also went for a top rope rana, but Liger rolled through into a pinning combination for a near fall. After another dive outside, Beretta countered a Liger Bomb and nailed the Dudebuster to end his streak. It was short, inoffensive and I appreciated that it really felt like Beretta tried to work quick and pull out the stops to avoid losing five straight. **¾
B Block: Bobby Fish [8] def. Tiger Mask IV [6] in 6:42
I was hoping that the guy that beat Tomohiro Ishii for the ROH Television Title would have been booked a bit stronger in this tournament. He went 5-2 last year and should have ended around the same this time. I guess it’s not too far off though. Anyway, these two had some pretty good back and forth. There was nothing particularly wrong with what they did, it just wasn’t very engaging. Tiger Mask hit the big top rope tiger suplex for two and went right into a submission, giving Fish a taste of his own medicine. Fish survived and, though it took two Fish Hook attempts, made Tiger Mask tap. Like the previous match, this was fine. I’m glad both were short since neither match had anything on the line. **½
B Block: Chase Owens [6] def. Ricochet [8] in 10:21
Ricochet needed to win and have Volador Jr. lose to win B Block. Ricochet’s athletic ability and speed was way too much for Owens in the early goings and it showed. Owens had an ace up his sleeve though, as Yujiro Takahashi made sure to get in cheap shots outside to help turn the tide. In a really cool moment, Ricochet ducked an Owens clothesline and in one fell swoop, dove out onto Takahashi. Owens attempted to pull tights and bring a chair into play, but Ricochet was resilient and still connected with the Benadryller. He wasn’t able to instantly pin though, opening the door. Thanks to another distraction from Takahashi, Ricochet missed a Phoenix Splash. Owens rolled him up and used Yujiro for leverage to steal it and cost Ricochet the block. Better than I expected as they played into the drama of Ricochet winning the block. You felt robbed because the dastardly Owens cheated non-stop to steal it. Ricochet did a good job of selling how much the loss hurt. ***¼
B Block: Will Ospreay [8] def. Volador Jr. [8] in 8:58
Volador Jr. would win B Block if he won this. Thanks to his win over Ricochet and Ricochet’s loss earlier, Ospreay would take the block with a victory as well. Volador’s attire was pretty cool tonight, though he removed his mask at the start. This was one of my most anticipated matches of the tournament. Their exchange here looked a million times better than the awful one they had in a six man at Korakuen a few days prior and ended with an Ospreay shooting star press off of the apron. Volador was ready for a lot of Ospreay’s high flying stuff and answered with his own offense. Volador had a sloppy slipup when trying to flip over the ropes at one point. Ospreay hit a sick moonsault DDT but saved the best for last. Volador attempted the Spanish Fly off the top, but Ospreay landed on his damn feet! He hit the springboard cutter to come from way behind and win B Block, despite losing three of his first four matches. Best match of the night so far as, while it didn’t feel as urgent or dramatic as the previous match, it was a really good athletic showcase between two of the better tournament performers. ***½
Will Ospreay celebrated like this was a big deal, which is appreciated.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI) in 13:33
The rumored Dominion card sees YOSHI-HASHI vs. SANADA, which sounds intriguing. Both guys have been racking up wins for their teams on the undercards of these shows. Chaos, tired of always getting their asses kicked post-match, decided to attack before the bell. These are becoming harder and harder to fairly judge. They are infinitely more entertaining than those old Chaos/Bullet Club matches, but we’ve seen them a lot in a very short span. There’s only so much these guys can do together. It was another really fun match between them though. I’ve liked the focus being on SANADA and YOSHI-HASHI. It came down to them as SANADA won with a moonsault. Worth a look. ***½
A Block: Rocky Romero [8] def. Kyle O’Reilly [8] in 16:50
Kyle O’Reilly came in needing a lot of help and a win of his own to win the block. We got a surprising show of respect in a fist bump after their first exchange. The guys know each other well from their tag team matches so this was mostly smooth. Kyle made the first big mistake when he missed a kick outside and connected with the ring post. Despite this, I was surprised to see Rocky place his focus on Kyle’s arm. The final few minutes of this were great and saw O’Reilly fight for his life to get his submission locked in. When he finally did though, Romero reached the ropes. They got into a battle of strikes, where Romero hit a stiff knee and clothesline that knocked the mouthpiece out of Kyle. Another big running knee ended O’Reilly’s hopes of winning A Block. Good match here, though it never quite got to great levels. Disappointing to see O’Reilly finish just 4-3 as I wanted him to win the entire tournament. However, the news after the show that he wants to bulk up and move to heavyweight status is all sorts of fantastic. A G1 run by O’Reilly would add a ton to that tournament. ***½
A Block: Matt Sydal [10] def. David Finlay [2] in 8:59
Finlay’s long hair and beard look is a good one for him. He was looking to play spoiler from the start as he blocked a rana and went right into attempting the stretch muffler. Sydal survived, but Finlay found his target. Finlay also came close on some pinning combinations and I liked that they were doing their best to make you buy into the possibility to him pulling off the upset. While Sydal missed his first Shooting Sydal Press attempt, he scored on the second and took over the lead in A Block. As usual, Finlay delivered another strong performance and was one of the best surprises of the tournament. This entire thing was much better with him than it would have been with either of the Young Bucks. Sydal has been very good too. ***¼
A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi [10] def. Gedo [2] in 9:46
Taguchi showed up with a bandana covering his eyes as a way to mock Gedo. Gedo didn’t take too kindly to this, attacking Taguchi during his entrance and getting his trusty ring bell hammer to help. He also removed the turnbuckle pad and made sure to talk a bunch of trash. Taguchi came back and it was time for ass based offense. Oh, joy. Gedo kept trying to cheat, including a low blow that led him to a rollup attempt. Taguchi countered it into his own rollup to win and take over the lead in A Block. Now, KUSHIDA has to win for us to not be subjected to Taguchi in the finals. Anyway, this was standard stuff for these two. Some fun moments, but mostly just there. **¼
A Block: BUSHI [8] def. KUSHIDA [8] in 13:17
KUSHIDA has to win to win the block, but BUSHI was out for revenge after losing to KUSHIDA at the New Beginning in Osaka earlier this year. That was clear as BUSHI dropkicked KUSHIDA during his entrance and beat him up on the outside for a while. That led to a countout tease but of course, KUSHIDA beat it. KUSHIDA went after the arm, which BUSHI did a very good of selling. It was great to see KUSHIDA just viciously attack it. He aimed his kicks and strikes at the arm, adding a little something to his offense. It was smart and set up the Hoverboard Lock perfectly. When he finally locked it in, BUSHI fought with everything he had to escape it. He finally did after shoving the referee away and spitting mist at KUSHIDA. The diving Codebreaker connected but only got two. BUSHI had to hit it a second time to win his fourth straight and cost KUSHIDA the block. Not quite as great as their New Beginning match but one of the stronger tournament matches. Almost always good to see BUSHI win, though this one led to Taguchi winning the block, which sucks. ***¾
BUSHI picked up the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title after the match and held it high in the air, before cutting a promo.
Overall: 7/10. Well, there you have it. The final night of block matches turns out to be like most of the rest of the tournament. It was good but not great. The matches have mostly been good, with a few being great, but the booking is strange. I liked Ospreay coming from behind to win his block but Taguchi is a head scratcher. You had a chance to put Ospreay against KUSHIDA (though I get not doing that since they already met and if Ospreay wins the tournament, he gets another shot), O’Reilly or BUSHI and you go with Taguchi. Come on Gedo, you’re better than that.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 10 (5-2) | Will Ospreay | 8 (4-3) |
| Matt Sydal | 10 (5-2) | Volador Jr. | 8 (4-3) |
| Kyle O'Reilly | 8 (4-3) | Ricochet | 8 (4-3) |
| KUSHIDA | 8 (4-3) | Bobby Fish | 8 (4-3) |
| BUSHI | 8 (4-3) | Beretta | 6 (3-4) |
| Rocky Romero | 8 (4-3) | Jushin Thunder Liger | 6 (3-4) |
| David Finlay | 2 (1-6) | Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-4) |
| Gedo | 2 (1-6) | Chase Owens | 6 (3-4) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Night Twelve
June 5th, 2016 | New Sunpia Takasaki in Takasaki, Gumma, Japan
It’s the final B Block exclusive night! Night thirteen has matches from both blocks and night fourteen is the finals. Will Ricochet lock up the block? Is Beretta going to end his losing streak? Can Will Ospreay find a way to stay alive? Big implications on this show.
B Block: Tiger Mask IV [6] def. Beretta [4] in 12:17
There was some playful back and forth within the first few minutes. Beretta tied Tiger Mask to the ring post outside, though it didn’t lead to too much of a countout tease. You have to be better at it Trent, like Toru Yano. They fought in the crowd, which was welcome with the multi-camera format. It also led to some rare fighting on the boards of the hockey rink around the arena. Once back inside, we got a series of near falls and close calls, including one after a top rope tiger suplex and tiger bomb from Tiger Mask. It was only when Tiger Mask went to an armbar that he was able to make Beretta submit. So the losing streak continues. Solid enough match. I liked the crowd brawling addition and thought most of the match was fine. **½
B Block: Will Ospreay [6] def. Jushin Thunder Liger [6] in 8:20
Well this is certainly an interesting first time ever matchup. Liger had some fun with the youngster, mocking him at point. Ospreay came back and targeted the arm for a bit before getting folded on a Liger Bomb. They did the countout tease, which happens far too often in tournament matches, G1 or BOTSJ and Liger got in at nineteen. Their final exchange was pretty good, as Ospreay hit a few high impact moves, including a sitout suplex and standing shooting star press, for two. Liger’s Brainbuster attempt was countered and Ospreay won with the springboard cutter. It was, like the previous match, mostly fine. It just felt like it was kind of just there. The crowd was surprisingly dead throughout, despite Liger always getting a good reaction and Ospreay already being pretty over. That didn’t help matters. **¾
B Block: Bobby Fish [6] def. Chase Owens [4] in 10:36
Coming in, I felt like these two could mesh well since neither has a style that is too high octane. The lack of commentary allowed us to hear Bobby Fish before the match, which was kind of funny. After a basic back and forth, it seemed like Owens went after the knee. He made sure to mock the fans by saying “Bobby” as he did so. Chase tried the Bret Hart ring post figure four but it looked like total shit. Fish tried a comeback but ate a big superkick from Owens. Owens withstood a barrage of kicks before applying another figure four variation, though Fish got out. Fish then came back and applied the Fish Hook for the victory. Surprisingly, I had an issue with Fish in this match and not Owens. Fish didn’t well all of the leg work enough, hitting his comeback stuff like nothing for the most part. That took away from a good match. ***
B Block: Volador Jr. [8] def. Ricochet [8] in 12:03
The two men shook hands before the opening bell. They wrestled at a very fast pace to start, earning a standing ovation and leading to another shake of the hands. It looked far better than Volador’s struggles with Will Ospreay in a six man on the previous show. It’s not a big thing, but I love that the announcer says “five minutes passed” and then repeats it in Spanish during Volador matches. Volador nearly killed himself on a moonsault off the apron, but was lucky that Ricochet managed to catch him. Volador was in control for a bit until Ricochet snapped off a rana and then a spinning kick. We nearly got the infamous spot from Ricochet/Ibushi a few years back, as Volador tried a top rope rana only for Ricochet to land on his feet, though he stumbled a bit. Volador then hit a sick looking reverse rana to get the win and take the lead in B Block. This was a good match, though it had a few slip ups to keep it from being one of the best in the tournament. ***¼
If my math is right, the only people alive heading into the final night in B Block are Ricochet, Volador Jr. and Will Ospreay.
Overall: 6/10. One of the lesser nights of the tournament so far. The first match was decent enough and while the second was better, it felt like a disappointment. Fish/Owens had potential but a lack of selling hurt it. The main event was also good, but again had something missing to make it really good. Not a bad night, but not a very strong one either.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| KUSHIDA | 8 (4-2) | Volador Jr. | 8 (4-2) |
| Kyle O'Reilly | 8 (4-2) | Ricochet | 8 (4-2) |
| Matt Sydal | 8 (4-2) | Will Ospreay | 6 (3-3) |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 8 (4-2) | Jushin Thunder Liger | 6 (3-3) |
| BUSHI | 6 (3-3) | Bobby Fish | 6 (2-3) |
| Rocky Romero | 6 (3-3) | Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-3) |
| David Finlay | 2 (1-5) | Beretta | 4 (2-4) |
| Gedo | 2 (1-5) | Chase Owens | 4 (2-4) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Night Eleven
June 3rd, 2016 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Unlike 2015, shows in Korakuen Hall feel important this year. With just a few days left in the Best of the Super Juniors, there are some big implications entering this show. It’s the third and final Korakuen show of this tournament and the first two saw KUSHIDA vs. O’Reilly and Ospreay vs. Ricochet in the two best tourney matches so far. Though the whole show is available, I’ll just be reviewing the tournament matches here.
A Block: Kyle O’Reilly [8] def. David Finlay [2] in 9:58
Young Finlay attempted his stretch muffler within the first minute or so. Though O’Reilly slipped free, you could tell that he was feeling the effects of it. I love the fire from Finlay. Despite his win/loss record, the dude shows no fear. He went toe to toe with O’Reilly in a battle of uppercuts that was great and his addition of saying “I’M GONNA KILL YOU” before hitting a final running one was the cherry on top. O’Reilly held nothing back either and their slap exchange while O’Reilly tried for the Sharpshooter might have been my favorite part of the match. After a late enziguri, Finlay held onto Kyle’s leg and locked in the stretch muffler. O’Reilly nearly countered into the armbar, but Finlay rolled through right into a German that got the crowd chanting his name. O’Reilly fired back with a Brainbuster for two before proceeding to kick Finlay’s head in Bryan Danielson style. He applied a triangle choke that made Finlay give up. I enjoyed the hell out of this match. I might be biased since I like Finlay and love O’Reilly but it was badass. It felt like a fight where both guys wanted to badly win. The best Finlay match I’ve ever seen and I’m so happy he got an opportunity as it has made the tournament so much better. They shook hands post-match. ***¾
A Block: Rocky Romero [6] def. Gedo [2] in 8:33
A battle of Chaos members. Romero had Beretta in his corner, marking the first time either man has done that in the tournament so far. Gedo questioned this and it led to a hilarious shoving match before they all hugged. Gedo then promised to lay down for Rocky only to roll him up for two. There were all kinds of shenanigans from eye pokes to Beretta saying sorry in between cheap stomps on Gedo to Gedo doing Rocky’s “FOREVER” clotheslines. Despite a low blow from Gedo, Romero pulled out the win after some running knees. Post-match, Romero iced his balls and all three men hugged. There are certainly better matches in the tournament, but you might not find one that was more fun. It was full of fun antics and worked as a nice change of pace. ***
A Block: BUSHI [6] def. Ryusuke Taguchi [8] in 10:19
After a horrible 0-3 start, BUSHI entered this on a two match winning streak. Taguchi has managed to be one of the top performers from a record standpoint for some reason. Just like on night one, there were tons of BUSHI masks in the crowd. Taguchi showed up in a sparkly green suit and Tetsuya Naito mask, walking to the ring exactly like a member of LIDJ. He even had his lips painted green, poking fun at BUSHI. Taguchi used his ass for offense early and then BUSHI seemed to target his groin. Not only did he crotch him on the ropes, but then worked that area with the ring post for a while. The finish was rather creative as Taguchi kicked out of a rollup and while falling back, BUSHI knocked the referee out of the ring. It allowed him to sneak in a mist spit before racking up two more points with the leaping Codebreaker. Not the best of matches, but mostly fine. **¾
A Block: KUSHIDA [8] def. Matt Sydal [8] in 15:59
As far as I know, it’s the first New Japan main event for Sydal. They began with mat work and though Sydal did his best to keep up, it was clear that KUSHIDA had the advantage there. When they started exchanging moves it was pretty great, highlighted by Sydal handstand walking out of a KUSHIDA rana attempt. I dug KUSHIDA being brash and doing a Namaste taunt (Sydal trademark) before trying the Hoverboard Lock. There were more than a few moments that stood out, including KUSHIDA reversing a rana into a sick looking Boston crab. This entire match was much more grounded than I expected. Sydal went after the leg, which made things tough for KUSHIDA, though he came back with arm work of his own. It was when Sydal decided to go up top that it cost him as he missed the Shooting Sydal Press. KUSHIDA locked in the Hoverboard Lock and Sydal tapped. Really good match that felt important, which was key considering it was a battle for first place. ***¾
Overall: 7/10. Four mostly strong matches tonight. BUSHI and Taguchi had the worst of the bunch, but it was still solid. Romero and Gedo was one of the most highly entertaining outings of the tournament. KUSHIDA and Sydal put on a worthy main event, but my favorite match of the evening was O’Reilly vs. Finlay. Check out that and the main event if pressed for time, but the whole thing is good.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| KUSHIDA | 8 (4-2) | Ricochet | 8 (4-1) |
| Kyle O'Reilly | 8 (4-2) | Jushin Thunder Liger | 6 (3-2) |
| Matt Sydal | 8 (4-2) | Volador Jr. | 6 (3-2) |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 8 (4-2) | Beretta | 4 (2-3) |
| BUSHI | 6 (3-3) | Bobby Fish | 4 (2-3) |
| Rocky Romero | 6 (3-3) | Chase Owens | 4 (2-3) |
| David Finlay | 2 (1-5) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-3) |
| Gedo | 2 (1-5) | Will Ospreay | 4 (2-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Night Ten
June 2nd, 2016 | Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
People are getting officially eliminated and the herd is being thinned out as we inch towards the finish line. Before a big A Block show tomorrow, B Block hosts four matches and most are pretty intriguing.
B Block: Volador Jr. [6] def. Chase Owens [4] in 10:28
Right from the start, Volador frustrated Owens by outwrestling him. He also hit a nice dive to the outside and looked to be in firm control. Owens did manage to turn the tide and he went old school by moving the mats outside to expose the concrete. He also removed Volador’s mask to put it on himself. It was rather comical to see him work with it on, highlighted by a moonsault where he shouted “I CAN FLY!” The moonsault missed, leading to a more balanced back and forth final few minutes. They went up top where Volador scored on a super rana to gain the win. Solid enough match. Volador was as good as expected, but Owens’ hijinks were an added bonus. ***
B Block: Jushin Thunder Liger [6] def. Tiger Mask IV [4] in 1:11
The two super veterans of the tournament. Having Liger’s actual theme makes everything so much better. Quick start as Tiger Mask hit a suicide dive within the first few seconds. He went for more offense inside the ring, only to be caught into the Ground Cobra Twist, giving Liger the quick three count. This usually happens at least once in NJPW tournaments (Toru Yano is the master in heavyweight tournaments) and I think here was a good place for it. They shook hands after the bell. Too short to really rank. NR
B Block: Will Ospreay [4] def. Bobby Fish [4] in 14:22
Another Will Ospreay match, another that I was really looking forward to once the blocks were announced. These are my two favorite guys in B Block. Their early exchanges were great, as Fish came off like an angry old man with a big forearm in the middle of it. Ospreay did his flippy stuff and came down gingerly on the leg, which I was hoping Bobby would target. He didn’t really and Ospreay kind of forgot about it. Fish ended up trying to go after it, but Ospreay did his best to keep him away. I didn’t like that Ospreay still got in all of his flashy flips regardless. Normally, Ospreay isn’t guilty of this, especially back in his classic with KUSHIDA at Invasion Attack. Their closing battle was pretty fun before Ospreay won with the springboard cutter. I thought the overall story they told was fine but it felt like the leg selling only came into play when it was convenient. ***¾
B Block: Ricochet [8] def. Beretta [4] in 13:13
Both guys have been pretty good throughout this tournament, though Beretta has hit a slump after a 2-0 start, just like Rocky Romero over in A Block. Similar to when Romero met Matt Sydal, it was clear that these two have chemistry and know each other well. Ricochet was too fast for Beretta early on and was kind of a dick about it, so Beretta slapped him. That kind of was the story the rest of the way. Ricochet’s speed would really trip up Beretta, who would get frustrated and try to hit Ricochet hard. They built to some good drama, which is missing at times from the tournament. Beretta’s desperation to try and rack up a win was great, as he came close to a late countout. Once Ricochet got back in, Beretta hit the running knee and covered, but Ricochet turned him over for a crucifix to steal it and find himself atop the standings. Another really strong match that was probably among the top five in the tournament. ***¾
Overall: 7.5/10. One of the better single camera shows so far. We started with a pretty entertaining opener before getting a short match out of the way. That gave the next two really good matches more time to breathe and it worked out well.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 8 (4-1) | Ricochet | 8 (3-1) |
| Matt Sydal | 8 (4-1) | Jushin Thunder Liger | 6 (3-2) |
| Kyle O'Reilly | 6 (3-2) | Volador Jr. | 6 (3-2) |
| KUSHIDA | 6 (3-2) | Beretta | 4 (2-3) |
| Rocky Romero | 4 (2-3) | Bobby Fish | 4 (2-3) |
| BUSHI | 4 (2-3) | Chase Owens | 4 (2-3) |
| David Finlay | 2 (1-4) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-3) |
| Gedo | 2 (1-4) | Will Ospreay | 4 (2-3) |
