NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Ten
May 28th, 2017 | New Sunpia Takasaki in Takasaki, Gumma, Japan | Attendance: 1,375
As this tournament winds down, things have taken shape. We know Taichi will have bad matches (except one), we know Hiromu will wow, we know Liger will lose and we know Marty will be over. Anyway, on this night, we have one of my most anticipated matches of the entire tournament as Hiromu Takahashi takes on Marty Scurll.
A Block: Ricochet [6] vs. TAKA Michinoku [2]
TAKA Michinoku has been a surprising treat in most matches, while Ricochet has been the performer you’d expect. Ricochet came in prepared for some of TAKA’s antics. He avoided getting the rope kicked into his nuts, but still got taken down into the crossface. TAKA in control was solid and a lot of his stuff came off smoothly. Ricochet made a comeback, which the crowd ate up. He survived another crossface and avoided the Michinoku Driver, before winning with the Benadryller in 7:41. Another good match from the A Block. It didn’t overstay its welcome, featured crisp work and had a hot crowd.[***]
A Block: Dragon Lee [6] vs. Jushin Thunder Liger [0]
I’d call this another of my most anticipated matches. Liger’s winless but still super over, as always. He had a game plan to ground Lee, but that quickly went awry and Lee nailed a nice tope con hilo. That led to one of the best countout teases of the tournament. That’s all Liger needs, right? A countout loss on top of everything. Liger got his signature stuff in, like Shotei, the cannonball and the Liger Bomb, but Lee was resilient. The legend made a crucial mistake by taking Lee to the top. Lee fought him off and hit the tree of Joey Lawrence double stomp. He added a diving double stomp to seal the deal in 7:54. Two of the most consistent guys in the block delivered again. It was a sprint full of action that made sense. I also dug Lee using double the finishers because Liger is awesome. [***¼]
A Block: Taichi [6] vs. Will Ospreay [8]
It’s two of my least favorite wrestlers in the block. Though one is clearly better than the other. Guess how this started? Taichi jumped Ospreay and there was some ringside brawling. There really is no originality here. Ospreay brought his brand of flippy offense. Like Ricochet and Dragon Lee before him, he desperately tried bringing some form of excitement to this match. Alas, unless your name is Hiromu Takahashi, you’re not getting something watchable out of Taichi. The typical ref bump came, which allowed Desperado and Kanemaru to get cheap shots in. Taichi then won after a mic stand shot and powerbomb at 10:08. I’ve never seen someone so consistently shitty. Taichi is the worst. I’m not big on Ospreay, but he put in some effort, unlike Taichi. Too much nonsense in this one. Also, where was CHAOS? Why does nobody try to combat the Suzuki-Gun shit? [½*]
A Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi [6] vs. Marty Scurll [6]
These two had a match I gave ***½ in RevPro recently. Marty went after the arm, trying to set up the Chicken Wing down the line. He also had Hiromu well scouted and blocked the sunset flip bomb. Hiromu did a good job selling the arm work. It wasn’t the best sell job I’ve seen, but it did the trick and he still got to hit his key stuff. What made this match work was more than just the things done in the ring. It’s the charisma of both men, which added to things. I like that Hiromu has had to fight from behind in some of these matches, because it gives us something different from his title defenses. Scurll kicked out of a modified Time Bomb near the end, which I didn’t like. He applied the Chicken Wing, but Hiromu managed to counter into Time Bomb for the win at 13:07. I liked all this. Good selling, great back and forth, fun action, an invested crowd and a sense of urgency because they knew that the loser would basically be done. [***¾]
With that loss, Marty Scurll joined Jushin Thunder Liger and TAKA Michinoku as the eliminated folks. Everyone else has eight points. Here’s how the final night of A Block action breaks down. Ricochet needs to win and have Ospreay lose. Ospreay needs to win and have Taichi lose. Taichi needs a win and losses by Ricochet and Hiromu. Hiromu must win, while Ricochet and Lee lose. Lee must win with Ospreay and Taichi losing.
Overall: 7/10. Pretty much the standard for A Block. Three good matches and one shitty Taichi appearance. Liger’s final run has been a blast, despite his record. Ricochet/TAKA was fun and the main event delivered. The booking has set up for an intriguing final A Block show, which is good.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Ricochet | 8 (4-2) | El Desperado | 6 (3-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 8 (4-2) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 6 (3-2) |
| Dragon Lee | 8 (4-2) | ACH | 6 (3-2) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 8 (4-2) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 6 (3-2) |
| Taichi | 8 (4-2) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-3) |
| Marty Scurll | 6 (3-3) | KUSHIDA | 4 (2-3) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 2 (1-5) | BUSHI | 4 (2-3) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 (0-6) | Volador Jr. | 4 (2-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Eight Review
May 26th, 2017 | Nagano Athletic Park Gymnasium in Nagano, Japan | Attendance: 913
The A Block is back today with a few interesting matchups. Jushin Thunder Liger looks for his first win as he takes on Ricochet, Hiromu Takahashi goes against another Suzuki-Gun guy and Will Ospreay and Dragon Lee rematch their ROH outing.
A Block: Marty Scurll [6] vs. Taichi [4]
Considering their point totals, I can predict this outcome. As always, Taichi attacked before the bell, but his microphone stand was outdueled by Marty’s umbrella. Marty could show Taichi how to be a proper villain and not one who sucks the life out of everything he’s involved in. Since NJPW heels tend to be carbon copies of each other, whether Suzuki-Gun or Bullet Club, this had the standard brawling around the arena. Marty made Taichi tap to the chicken wing, but the referee was down, so it was missed. Taichi used a low blow and roll up to steal two points at 9:25. About what I expected. Scurll tried, but couldn’t drag Taichi to something better. [**]
A Block: Jushin Thunder Liger [0] vs. Ricochet [6]
I gave their match in the tournament last year ***½. Ricochet pumping his fist at the “LIGER” part of Liger’s theme was cool. There was a respect based back and forth sequence in the early goings. Liger would gain control, but Ricochet used his quickness to slip free. Once they got into their stuff, everything flowed smoothly. They’re just so good. I also liked how it showcased something different for Ricochet. Against guys like Lee and Ospreay, he flies all over the place. Here, we saw other facets of his game and man, Ricochet is damn good. He picked up the win with King’s Landing at 9:04. Liger continues to have a strong final tournament, despite his 0-5 record. Ricochet has another very good match and remains consistent. I’d like to see him get a Jr. Title run at some point. [***¼]
A Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi [4] vs. TAKA Michinoku [2]
Hiromu got a good match out of Taichi, so this should be just as good, if not better. And it was. TAKA looked to do the Suzuki-Gun style of underhanded tactics, while Hiromu was out to pretty much just punch him in the mouth and bring the big offense. Unlike Taichi and Kanemaru, TAKA’s shenanigans were entertaining. They didn’t feel like he was doing them for the sake of it, but to overcome the juggernaut that is Hiromu. TAKA showed his desperation by feigning a knee injury, using eye pokes and trying several rollups down the stretch. Hiromu survived it all and won with the Time Bomb in 9:24. Hiromu Takahashi can do no wrong. Another fun match for him, while TAKA has another solid outing. TAKA knew he was overmatched and tried everything, but it wasn’t enough. [***¼]
A Block: Dragon Lee [6] vs. Will Ospreay [6]
At ROH’s Manhattan Mayhem VI, these two had a ***¾ showcase. Like that match, this was the two athletic showmen trying to outdo each other and take the lead in their block. However, Dragon Lee showed how he’s more well-rounded than Will. His strikes were better and he didn’t have an odd section early on where he tried some odd submission work. As fliers, they’re about even, and when they focused on that, the match was at their best. Ospreay kicked out of some of Lee’s best shots, including the tree of woe stomp. He fought off the Dragon Driver and went into his finishing stretch, capping it off with the Oscutter to win at 10:06. I preferred their ROH match. This was a fine showcase too, but I wasn’t a fan of some of the early stuff and the finish felt anti-climactic. Ospreay leads the A Block, which is disappointing to me since I’ve been over him for about a year now. [***]
Overall: 6.5/10. The story with the A Block is the same each time out. Taichi drags the show down all by himself. To be fair, the rest of the card wasn’t that strong either. I thought Liger/Ricochet and Hiromu/TAKA were both highly enjoyable, but found Lee/Ospreay to be a disappointment. Nothing here is must see, but everything is fine.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Nine
May 27th, 2017 | Tsukuba Capio Arena in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Will the B Block trend continue today? They’ve typically had good but not great matches (sans KUSHIDA/BUSHI). El Desperado started unbeaten but looks to go the Gedo booking route of a collapse, while KUSHIDA is on the road to the opposite, which is another Gedo booking trope.
B Block: ACH [4] vs. El Desperado [6]
Desperado came out without any of his Suzuki-Gun buddies. Much appreciated. ACH was ready for some of Desperado’s antics, but quickly had his knee targeted. Desperado unwrapped the bandage on it and methodically worked it over. Kudos to ACH, who sold it all very well. He limped, had trouble standing and let out audible yells of pain. In the end, he slipped out of the stretch muffler and scored with the Midnight Driver at 9:56. Solid opening contest. They worked a smart match and both guys succeeded in what they tried. [***]
B Block: NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion BUSHI [2] vs. Volador Jr. [4]
I’m not sure what they were going for here. Early on, BUSHI used a chair on Volador’s leg. I’d expect that would become a target. Instead, it was largely forgotten. BUSHI just went into his normal offense, as if none of that happened. Partially because of that, this felt more like two guys hitting their moves than a cohesive match. Sometimes that’s fine. Here, I don’t think it was because it needed more leg work after the way it started. BUSHI scored with MX to win in 10:53. I wanted more from this. Cut that early stuff out and you’ve got another ***+ performance from BUSHI. [**¾]
B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi [4] vs. Tiger Mask IV [4]
Taguchi’s theme makes me wanna twerk. These two are friendly, so Taguchi was free to be his wacky self. That’s the Taguchi I was never a fan of though. I know comedy has its place in wrestling (I quite enjoy Toru Yano), but Taguchi’s brand doesn’t typically click. After some comedy, Tiger Mask went to work with a few rest holds. He lacked some of the fire we’ve seen from him in this tournament thus far. Both guys tried setting up their submissions (ankle lock and armbar), but it was Taguchi who won out. He applied the ankle lock and Tiger Mask tapped at 9:29. Smooth work, but I wasn’t a fan of the middle portion and didn’t love the comedy stuff. [**½]
B Block: ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA [2] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [6]
It’s a rematch from the Super J-Cup Finals last year. That lackluster tournament ended with a match I generously gave ***¼ to. Like I said on previous shows, looking at the records guys have can tell you how a certain match will go. This was the expected match from these two. They tried to sell KUSHIDA fighting from behind and making this valiant comeback. Suzuki-Gun shenanigans and interference were how he fell behind, so that part wasn’t very interesting at all. They even worked in a dreadful looking referee bump, because why not? Taichi clocked KUSHIDA with a tequila bottle and proceeded to stick around for far longer than I wished. When his Hoverboard Lock kept failing, KUSHIDA resorted to Back to the Future (small package driver) to win in 13:17. Like everything Kanemaru does, this lacked. I got what they were trying to go for, but I feel the execution was way off. KUSHIDA gets the expected win to continue the overused Gedo comeback booking. Hopefully, and I say this as a KUSHIDA fan, he doesn’t win the block. [**¾]
Overall: 5/10. I think we can safely call this the worst show of the BOTSJ this year. Only the opener cracked three stars. Luckily, there’s no Taichi level awfulness, so it isn’t a particularly bad show, just one that’s very skippable.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Will Ospreay | 8 (4-1) | El Desperado | 6 (3-2) |
| Dragon Lee | 6 (3-2) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 6 (3-2) |
| Ricochet | 6 (3-2) | ACH | 6 (3-2) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 6 (3-2) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 6 (3-2) |
| Taichi | 6 (3-2) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-3) |
| Marty Scurll | 6 (3-2) | KUSHIDA | 4 (2-3) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 2 (1-4) | BUSHI | 4 (2-3) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 (0-5) | Volador Jr. | 4 (2-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Seven Review
May 25th, 2016 | Suehiro Gymnasium in Komatsu, Ishikawa | Attendance: 1,994
The tournament returns with B Block action. Can El Desperado remain unbeaten? Can BUSHI finally get a much-deserved win? Will KUSHIDA turn his win into a streak? Speaking of KUSHIDA, he and ACH are the big match today and they had an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match last year that made my year-end list.
B Block: Tiger Mask IV [4] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [4]
Tiger Mask has performed better than expected in this tournament, while Kanemaru has been as bland as I expected. This had the expected early Suzuki-Gun attack, because screw creativity. It followed more Suzuki-Gun tropes with interference and cheap shots galore. As Tiger Mask fought back, he took out TAKA at ringside. Unfortunately, that meant the awful Taichi strolled out to replace him. His distraction and cheap shot set up Kanemaru’s victory in 8:42. Standard Suzuki-Gun BS. Lots of cheap tactics to try and gloss over how dull the match was. Disappointing because Tiger Mask was on such a good run. [*¾]
B Block: El Desperado [6] vs. Volador Jr. [2]
NJPW tournaments are usually fun and filled with good wrestling, but there aren’t a ton of surprises. If a guy like Desperado starts undefeated, he’ll lose his next match or three. It happened with Kyle O’Reilly in last year’s BOTSJ and guys like Togi Makabe (2016), Shelton Benjamin (2014) and Yujiro Takahashi (2013) in previous G1 Climaxes. Anyway, Desperado continued to be the most interesting and entertaining member of Suzuki-Gun. I liked how they didn’t go the typical route. When Desperado tried using a chair, he was caught by the referee, leading to a great spot where Volador dove over the official and onto him. Desperado took a great bump on Voaldor’s spinning piledriver like move to lose at 8:03. Good work from both guys in a fun sprint. The result was the expected one, but either way, this was enjoyable. [***¼]
B Block: BUSHI [0] vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [4]
Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Taguchi Japan! It continues! That came into play instantly, as both men had counters ready for each other. The crowd was way into this, most likely because of how each guy is prominently featured in multi-man tags. Taguchi was the first to go high-risk, nailing a sweet dive to the outside. Unlike the Suzuki-Gun guys, BUSHI found a creative way to utilize underhanded tactics. He crawled under the ring and to the opposite side to blindside Taguchi. BUSHI countered Dodon and survived the ankle lock. The finish was anti-climactic, with BUSHI just hitting MX and getting his first points at 9:26. Another fun match. It’s good to see BUSHI get on the board and the chemistry between these two made for a smooth match. [***]
B Block: ACH [2] vs. ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA [2]
I gave their match in ROH **** last year. This began with a feeling out process, with neither man trying to make a mistake. They had each other very well scouted, leading to some fun counters and blocks in the early stages. It was odd to see KUSHDIA go after the arm. He’s been struggling with that strategy for a while, so he changed up his game in the win over BUSHI, but reverted back in this one. His Hoverboard Lock attempts never quite threatened to fully put away ACH. They had strong exchanges down the stretch, highlighted by ACH fighting off the Small Package Driver and hitting a Michinoku Driver. I wonder if TAKA is mad or honored about that. ACH hit a lariat and the Midnight Driver to put the ROH TV Champion down at 14:44. There’s something funny about that considering ACH left ROH recently. By the way, he, like Cedric Alexander, Donovan Dijak and others, has shined since leaving them. This was the best match of the night, with great back and forth and it told a sensible story.[***½]
Overall: 7/10. Outside of the opener, this is an easy watch. The other three matches are all fun and different. Guys like KUSHIDA, Desperado, ACH and Tiger Mask (sans this show) continue to do a good job and the B Block has been better than expected.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Dragon Lee | 6 (3-1) | El Desperado | 6 (3-1) |
| Marty Scurll | 6 (3-1) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 6 (3-1) |
| Will Ospreay | 6 (3-1) | Volador Jr. | 4 (2-2) |
| Ricochet | 4 (2-2) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-2) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 4 (2-2) | ACH | 4 (2-2) |
| Taichi | 4 (2-2) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 4 (2-2) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 2 (1-3) | KUSHIDA | 2 (1-3) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 (0-4) | BUSHI | 2 (1-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Six
May 23rd, 2017 | Tochigi Sports Park Gymnasium in Tochigi, Japan | Attendance: 641
The A Block is back with another single camera show. Every match on this card is intriguing. Yes, even Taichi’s, purely to see if Hiromu Takahashi can pull a watchable match out of him.
A Block: Marty Scurll [4] vs. TAKA Michinoku [2]
I say it each show, but Marty Scurll is impressively over for this being his first run in Japan. These two went out and had a fun match, filled with entertaining antics. TAKA got in control and applied the crossface , but Marty escaped. Marty’s need to shout moves before doing them (BRAINBUSTER and CHICKEN WING) cost him as TAKA countered both. They came up with a great finishing spot. Both men tried eye pokes but Marty turned TAKA’s into his finger break spot, which got a great reaction. He used the chicken wing to win at 8:32. I found this to be good fun. Both guys didn’t take things too seriously, while still showing a desire to win. [**¾]
A Block: Jushin Thunder Liger [0] vs. Will Ospreay [4]
There were two relatively disappointing matches between these two last year. Though Ospreay did dress as Dark Liger against him, which was cool. Something about their chemistry still lacked this time around. Liger schooled Will several times early, setting up a veteran vs. youngster story. Ospreay used his speed to combat it and went into getting his shit in. Liger fought back, but it lacked something. Ospreay won in 10:10 with the Oscutter in what was one of the more disappointing matches of the tournament. It missed a lot of the fire that both guys have brought so far. With Marty’s win and Liger’s loss, Liger is officially eliminated in his last BOTSJ. [**½]
A Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi [2] vs. Taichi [4]
Hiromu Takahashi is my current Wrestler of the Year, and I’ve made that clear. But if he pulls something good out of Taichi, he may be Wrestler of the Century. Taichi jumped Hiromu before the bell, leading to the typical Suzuki-Gun brawl around the ring. I say that way too often. I’d have booked Hiromu to run straight through Taichi, but instead, we had to sit through Taichi’s boring offense. When Hiromu rallied, the pace quickened. Taichi played mind games, bringing out black trunks to remind Hiromu of his time as a young lion. It was a fun thing to help the match stand out. Taichi honestly put in effort for the first time here. Hiromu won with a sloppy Time Bomb at 14:13 in a match that was easily the best Taichi work I’ve seen in forever. They brought something different and Hiromu did the seemingly impossible. I enjoyed a Taichi match. [***]
A Block: Dragon Lee [4] vs. Ricochet [4]
This had potential to be an absolutely wild match. It began like a lot of Ricochet/Ospreay matches. Fast paced exchanges and two men showing that they’re evenly matched in terms of athleticism. I was intrigued by the more arrogant side of Ricochet, kicking away at Lee’s head and talking smack. I also dug the twist on Ricochet’s rana counter of landing on his feet, by having him do so on Lee’s awesome apron rana. This was the kind of match where two guys went out and showcased their stuff. It’s a fine idea, but I think they are capable of more. Lee won by blocking a super rana and hitting the tree of woe double stomp at 13:07. A fun, fitting main event. Like I said though, I think they have a better match in them. [***½]
Overall: 6/10. A middle of the pack outing from the A Block. TAKA/Marty was solid fun, but Ospreay/Liger didn’t do much for me. Hiromu got the best possible match out of Taichi and the main event was a strong capper. I feel like the A Block can guarantee at least one ***½+ match each time out.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Dragon Lee | 6 (3-1) | El Desperado | 6 (3-0) |
| Marty Scurll | 6 (3-1) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 4 (2-1) |
| Will Ospreay | 6 (3-1) | Tiger Mask IV | 4 (2-1) |
| Ricochet | 4 (2-2) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-1) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 4 (2-2) | Volador Jr. | 2 (1-2) |
| Taichi | 4 (2-2) | ACH | 2 (1-2) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 2 (1-3) | KUSHIDA | 2 (1-2) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 (0-4) | BUSHI | 0 (0-3) |
