NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Finals
June 3rd, 2017 | Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 3,454
After thirteen shows, we’ve finally reached the end of the Best of the Super Juniors XXIV. It’s my third tournament and it was much better than 2015 and about on par, if not a bit better than 2016. The finals were great the last two years (2015 got ****½ while 2016 got ****). This year we have an unexciting finals, but one that should deliver in quality. Sounds like a lot of NJPW booking right?
Katsuya Kitamura, Manabu Nakanishi and Tetsuhiro Yagi vs. Syota Umino, Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nagata
This is my first look at Yagi. Oka and Kitamura, which should be a main event rivalry in a few years, started off and it ruled. I hope they don’t get sent on excursion. I don’t think time in CMLL or ROH will do much for them. Umino and Yagi brought a different pace, moving very fast in their exchanges. Yagi got wrecked by Nakanishi a bit, before Nagata came in to a battle of the dads. Oka got the win for his guys by making Yagi submit to the Young Lion Crab in 7:58. Just what I’ve come to expect from the Young Lions. Lots of energy Nagata and Nakanishi took nights off as the coaches, which is fine. I’m digging the protégé vibe from them and Oka/Kitamura. [**¾]
Hirai Kawato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
I totally forgot that Yano and Ishii had the Tag Titles this year. Kawato gave zero fucks and wanted to fight instantly. Jado tried playing the vet who taught him a lesson, but he’s shit at everything he does, so I couldn’t buy into it. Ishii and Yano worked him over as well, including sending him into the exposed turnbuckle. He managed to tag in his older partners, who fared better, but he wanted right back in. It’s probably good, since Makabe looked like he didn’t want to be there today. Ishii murdered Kawato with a lariat to close it out at 7:24. Ishii was a badass, Yano was mildly entertaining and Kawato stole the show by being a madman. Nobody else came to work, though. [**¾]
El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV and Volador Jr.
All six men were part of the tournament. Desperado and Liger were great, Tiger Mask and Volador were good, TAKA had his moments and Kanemaru sucked. This was exactly what you’d expect. The Suzuki-Gun guys tried their standard tricks, while the babyface unit did all they could to overcome it. TAKA was not in the mood to take a big bump, as he turned the top rope Spanish Fly into what was basically a hip toss off the top for the loss in 5:46. This was short and sweet. They kept Kanemaru to a minimum and let the entertaining guys do their thing. [**½]
ACH, David Finlay and IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine vs. Bad Luck Fale, The Guerillas of Destiny and Yujiro Takahashi
Pimp Yujiro brought the Tokyo Latina (@muffin030ass on Instagram) with him. I love when she’s around. David Finlay’s been wearing the War Machine face paint for a while, but ACH adopted it here too. I’m still upset Finlay was left off this tournament. This was here to preview GOD/War Machine at Dominion. ACH was hype and wanted the champs to throw him onto their opponents, but it was unfortunately cut off. ACH ended up taking the heat, before bringing in War Machine to kick ass. Things broke down, which including a dive by ACH and then Hanson hitting a somersault onto GOD. Finlay nearly ended Yujiro, but Fale took him out. It allowed Yujiro to win via Pimp Juice at 10:06. This was more fun than expected. War Machine is great in NJPW, while ACH and Finlay have always delivered. The Bullet Club guys played their roles well too. [***¼]
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki and Taichi
Guys in CHAOS have bad hair, especially YOSHI and Ospreay. Except Ishii. Anyway, this was to build towards the Goto/Suzuki rematch at Dominion. In a totally expected opening, Suzuki-Gun jumped CHAOS before the bell and it led to a brawl on the outside. They’ve only been back for about five months and I’m beyond tired of them. And I say this as a guy who likes Minoru and Desperado. HASHI took most of the heat, which meant Taichi was on offense, which is never good. Goto came in hot, but it just led to a battle of strikes with Suzuki. That part was fun. Suzuki-Gun all got involved and Kanemaru accidentally spit booze at Taichi, allowing YOSHI to win with Karma at 12:13. Standard Suzuki-Gun stuff. I’m over it. [*¾]
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA vs. Dragon Lee, Juice Robinson, Ricochet, Ryusuke Taguchi and Satoshi Kojima
Kojima has been working these matches in place of the injured Hiroshi Tanahashi. Naito threw his broken IC Title at Liger on commentary. I’d love that singles matches, to be honest. I like that Taguchi Japan was ready for the LIDJ sneak attacks. We’ve seen variations of this match for the entire year, yet they’re always entertaining. LIDJ is awesome in a way the Bullet Club, Suzuki-Gun and CHAOS can only dream of. The interactions between Dragon Lee and BUSHI made me wish they were in the same block (ditto for Ricochet/BUSHI). I also always get a kick out of Kojima’s rapid-fire chops. He also did a dragon screw and air guitar tribute to Tanahashi. Just when he looked like he might win, he got taken out by a lariat from EVIL. Naito hit Destino and that was all in 12:19. Easily the best thing so far. LIDJ can do no wrong. Great energy, awesome pace and lots of action. Always entertaining. [***¾]
Post-match, Tetsuya Naito cut a promo and out came Hiroshi Tanahashi. He claimed that Naito tells people to relax, so he did. He’ll be at Dominion for their match.
Gedo and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega and Marty Scurll
This clearly previewed Omega/Okada II. The match that I thought was great, but nowhere near GREATEST MATCH OF ALL TIME LEVELS like a lot of people saw. They started the match and had some good exchanges, with teasing of signature moves, but nothing more. Scurll and Gedo slowed things down a bit. Gedo got worked over for obvious reasons. Okada was given the hot tag and hit all his shit. He and Omega continued to avoid the finisher of the other. Both Gedo and Scurll had to be saved from defeat by their partners, but dual superkicks sent Okada packing. The Chicken Wing made Gedo tap at 13:04. Solid tag match. The heat segment was good, Okada’s hot tag worked and they did the right amount of teasing for the Dominion main event. Though it’s not much of a tease since, like the rest of Dominion, it’s a rematch of something we’ve seen already. [***]
BOTSJ Finals: ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
Last year, these two met twice (****½ at Invasion Attack and ***¾ at Dominion) and KUSHIDA won both. KUSHIDA won this tournament in 2015, while Ospreay did in 2016. It’s an incredibly uninspired finals choice. Though this was a friendly encounter, you got the feeling Ospreay had a chip on his shoulder. Or maybe that’s just his personality. He called KUSHIDA a bitch while no-selling his strikes, trying to show his toughness. It just led to him eating a rolling kick and dive outside. They played off their past well, with Ospreay having the top rope shoulder breaker scouted (but he still got hit with it) and KUSHIDA getting his knees up on signature Ospreay stuff. There was a particularly wild spot where Ospreay spiked KUSHIDA on the apron with a reverse rana. Ospreay decided against the good guy route of helping KUSHIDA in and was willing to take the countout, but KUSHIDA beat it. KUSHIDA had a fantastic Oscutter counter, jumping with Ospreay and catching him in an armbar. It was nearly as good as the chair armbar spot against KOR last year. They progressed in a badass exchange of strikes and kicks, including KUSHIDA going all Bryan Danielson by stomping on Will’s face. Will flipped him off in the middle, remaining defiant. The Hoverboard Lock didn’t work, so KUSHIDA went to transition to Back to the Future, but Ospreay had a counter ready. Ospreay brought everything, including an imploding 450 and about ten of his corner superkicks, but KUSHIDA refused to stay down. They fought up top, where KUSHIDA hit SUPER Back to the Future. He held on like his name was Okada, and rolled into a second to win in 27:59. That was fantastic. Some spots didn’t look as good as others (Will standing like a moron while KUSHIDA set up his own Oscutter for example) and I preferred their first match. It followed the formula of a lot of NJPW matches that people have gone the full five on this year in that it had a slow build to a wild finish that everyone remembers. Still, it’s a working formula and I was all about how well they played into their history. Having the tourney guys around the ring added to the big fight feel. A must-see match. [****½]
At the end of the day, my biggest gripe with NJPW continues to be the booking. They did the come from behind win just like Ospreay had last year. Now, the Jr. Title match at Dominion is ANOTHER Wrestle Kingdom rematch. Could you imagine the outcry if WWE put on a great WrestleMania and SummerSlam was just a retread of that show? It’s like there’s been no growth in six months. There were lots of interesting opportunities to go with out of this tournament, but they went the safe route. Take a chance. They did it with Omega and it paid off. Take more risks. NJPW gets away with a lot of their safe, stale booking because the in-ring product delivers. I’m sure Dominion will be a damn good show, just not an exciting one.
Overall: 7.5/10. Pretty much the show I expected. NJPW tends to have events with solid tag matches filling the undercard and then a big finish. The only things that I say need to be seen are the LIDJ tag and the main event. A show like this is all about the main though, and that delivered. I’m not a fan of the booking, but the wrestling was great.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Thirteen
June 1st, 2017 | Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall in Nagoya, Aichi | Attendance: 1,535
It’s the final night of the tournament before the finals. Will Ospreay won the A Block, so I’m expecting a KUSHIDA win in this block. I’m not a fan of the idea and I’d rather BUSHI, ACH or El Desperado take home the win. Everyone in this block enters tied with six points and there are a ton of possibilities.
B Block: El Desperado [6] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [6]
Desperado has been one of the MVPs of this tournament, so naturally, he’s 0-3 after starting 3-0. I appreciated that they were untrustworthy of one another. Both guys are in Suzuki-Gun, so both are typically up to heel tricks. The story of this was each guy trying to out heel the other, which was a good way to play it. Taichi and TAKA got involved, everyone argued and there was some brawling on the outside. As they fought outside, the count neared ten. Desperado nearly got in, but Taichi rolled Kanemaru in and knocked TAKA into him, so Kanemaru won via countout in 9:39. About as good as they could’ve handled this. They worked to their strengths and had a solid match. I liked how Desperado was pissed after the match. I’d be all for him splitting from the group, but in NJPW, seemingly everyone has to be in some sort of stable, so it won’t happen. [**¾]
B Block: ACH [6] vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [6]
With both guys being babyface, they had some fun and joked around to start. We even got ACH mocking Taguchi’s ass attacks and the Shinsuke Nakamura taunt. As things progressed, they got a bit more serious and competitive. They still found ways to throw in the comedy stuff, but it felt natural. Taguchi went for the ankle lock, which helped slow ACH down at times. It certainly didn’t when he jumped straight to the top rope for a superplex. I didn’t mind it much since the ankle work wasn’t overdone to the point where he should’ve been completely unable to do things like that. ACH countered Dodon into a cradle, which got reversed a few times before Taguchi kept his shoulders down for three at 13:41. A good, fun match with lots of energy. It may have gone a bit long for what they were done, but I enjoyed it. [***]
B Block: BUSHI [6] vs. Tiger Mask IV [6]
BUSHI started 0-3, but has won three in a row. Tiger Mask came out firing and hit an early Tombstone. He was looking to get his two points and leave quickly. BUSHI turned things in his favor after tripping up Tiger Mask, leading to some fast paced back and forth. There were moments of desperation, like when Tiger Mask applied a guillotine choke. Just as Tiger Mask went for the Tiger Suplex, BUSHI fought out and we got a ref bump. BUSHI used a chair assisted Codebreaker and MX to finish things off at 12:08. I thought this was going very well until the cheap finish. I just don’t think it was needed. BUSHI is booked well enough to beat Tiger Mask without nonsense. [***]
B Block: ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA [6] vs. Volador Jr. [6]
With wins over Kanemaru, Taguchi and BUSHI, a win for KUSHIDA gets him in the finals. They shook hands before the match, because though everything’s on the line, they’re respectable athletes. With so much at stake, they worked with a sense of urgency and had some great exchanges throughout. KUSHIDA went after the arm, even though that hasn’t quite worked for him recently. Volador continued to find ways to escape. They traded super ranas, with Volador’s being especially impressive. When KUSHIDA finally got the Hoverboard Lock on again, Volador still wouldn’t quit. Wisely, KUSHIDA took what he’s learned in the tournament and rolled it into God’s Last Gift to win the match and block at 15:44. A really fun main event that kept a great pace throughout. [***½]
I get why they did it, but I’m not a fan of the booking. It’s the same exact thing they did with Will Ospreay last year. Now the finals are a rematch of something that happened twice last year and the last two winners of this tournament. It’s typical Gedo booking. Why not take a chance? Now the Jr. Title match at Dominion will either be a rematch from the tournament or from Wrestle Kingdom and there’s already far too many of those. The last time Gedo took a big chance was with Kenny Omega and that’s worked out great. Do more surprise things like that.
Overall: 6.5/10. The typical good, but not great outing from the BOTSJ. The main event was the best match on the show and was worked like it was important. The rest of the show is solid, yet unspectacular. I’m not a fan of the booking decisions throughout, but whatever.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Will Ospreay *Winner* | 10 (5-2) | KUSHIDA *Winner* | 8 (4-3) |
| Ricochet | 8 (4-3) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 8 (4-3) |
| Dragon Lee | 8 (4-3) | BUSHI | 8 (4-3) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 8 (4-3) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 8 (4-3) |
| Taichi | 8 (4-3) | Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-4) |
| Marty Scurll | 8 (4-3) | ACH | 6 (3-4) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 4 (2-5) | El Desperado | 6 (3-4) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 2 (1-6) | Volador Jr. | 6 (3-4) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Eleven
May 29th, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,311
The B Block gets live treatment again. No single camera, no commentary stuff here. It’s an interesting show because, if results pan out, everyone could end the night tied in points. Time to see how B Block will shape up heading into its final night.
B Block: El Desperado [6] vs. Tiger Mask IV [4]
Desperado started 3-0 but hast lost two straight. Tiger Mask has had quite the impressive tournament. I enjoy Desperado, but he’s not immune to the tired pre-match Suzuki-Gun attack and outside brawl. He focused on Tiger Mask’s knee, and the Tiger Mask sold it well. Desperado went for various submissions and attempted to remove Tiger Mask’s mask. I appreciate that he didn’t completely resort to the same boring tricks like the rest of his stable. Tiger Mask fought from behind and connected on a Tiger Bomb and Tiger Suplex to win in 10:20. A rock solid way to start the tourney matches. Tiger Mask had to overcome a lot and it worked all came together well. [***]
B Block: BUSHI [4] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [6]
One member of an awesome stable (LIDJ) and one member of a lame one (SG). Fuck Kanemaru for jumping BUSHI while his dope theme song played. And guess what? It led to a brawl through the crowd. This stale ass stable and their stale ass matches. Like when met Kanemaru, BUSHI kind of played the de facto babyface and it worked. His suicide dive to take out TAKA was great and got a good reaction. Kanemaru used Suzuki-Gun’s dreaded tequila bottle as mist but failed. BUSHI hit MX and picked up the win at 9:27. I dig BUSHI but even he couldn’t overcome the dullness of Kanemaru. Too much of the same old, same old at times. I did like babyface work from BUSHI and that cheating backfired in the end. [**½]
B Block: ACH [6] vs. Volador Jr. [4]
For some reason, ACH didn’t trust Volador to shake hands at the start. Volador has mostly been a babyface so far. I guess he was right because Volador kicked him low once they shook. From there, this was non-stop action and moved at a crazy pace. There wasn’t a ton in the way of psychology or story, just two guys hitting their shit in an effort to win. That’s fine sometimes. I think it worked well here because everything they did felt important. The highlight might’ve been ACH hitting a quartet of suicide dives. He’s been a blast in this tournament. Volador won this insane battle with a massive super rana at 12:02. This wasn’t the kind of match everyone likes, but I had so much fun with it. More of this please. [***½]
B Block: ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA [4] vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [6]
TAGUCHI JAPAN EXPLODES! They met on this same day last year (***½). Due to their friendship, this was clean from the start, which is a nice change of pace from the past three matches. They worked the expected body parts, and when that didn’t work, they progressed to striking. The exchanges were great, with armbars and ankle locks galore. Though I’m tired of the “desperate come from behind rally” in these tournaments, KUSHIDA has done well with his. He was willing to get a bit dirty when he needed to, but didn’t take it overboard to where he looked like a heel. His rollup attempt out of Dodon felt like a last ditch effort, but he dug deep and hit Back to the Future to earn the victory in 22:53. I thought that when he had the great match with Hiromu, Taguchi was done putting on great performances. I was wrong. This ruled. Their chemistry was top notch and KUSHIDA’s determination was palpable throughout. I liked the little things too, like stealing each other’s moves, as their usual stuff failed. [****]
Overall: 8/10. Probably my favorite B Block show thus far. Everything clicked, as even the worst thing (BUSHI/Kanemaru) was still solid. Tiger Mask/Desperado was a fun opener and ACH/Volador felt like a less-hyped version of Ricochet/Ospreay. The main event truly delivered one of the better tournament matches and B Block has an interesting scenario were everyone is tied with six points.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Night Twelve
May 31st, 2017 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 1,118
It’s the final night of A Block competition. I believe I know where they’re going with the booking and I’m not a big fan, but we’ll see. Taichi, Dragon Lee, Ricochet, Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi are all alive on the final night.
A Block: Jushin Thunder Liger [0] vs. Taichi [8]
In his final BOTSJ match, Liger could play spoiler to Taichi. Taichi looked to prevent that with typical Suzuki-Gun nonsense. The pre-match attack, the cheap tactics, the fighting outside, etc. You know the deal by now. Liger had to fight from behind, because each time he thought he had something going, Taichi found an underhanded way to combat it. The Suzuki-Gun guys went too far, ripping Liger’s mask and cutting his hair. Sick of seeing what the legend was going through, perennial good guys KUSHIDA and Ryusuke Taguchi ran out to make the save. The place went nuts as Liger, with ripped mask and costume, rallied. Shotei, Liger Bomb and BRAINBUSTER wrapped it up at 10:02. Most of it was standard Suzuki-Gun shit but Liger overcoming it all to earn a win in his final BOTSJ match was great. The visual of him with the ripped attire was great. For that lone, it gets a bump in quality. Also, this was Liger’s 100th career BOTSJ win. A nice, round number to end on and a number that I don’t think will ever be touched. [**¾]
A Block: Dragon Lee [8] vs. TAKA Michinoku [2]
In a surprising moment, TAKA gave a handshake before the bell. He did poke Lee in the eye and it led to a fight in the aisle, so not everything changed. It led to one of the better countout teases of the tournament, but Lee beat the count. As expected, Lee turned it around and got his shit in. He even used TAKA’s own crossface against him. Lee got frustrated when he couldn’t put away TAKA and for having to overcome his shenanigans. His argument with the referee allowed TAKA to kick him in the face and win with the Michinoku Driver in 9:20. Solid little match here. Lee tried to fight through TAKA’s stuff, got frustrated and it cost him. TAKA needing everything in his power to win was wise. [**¾]
A Block: Marty Scurll [6] vs. Ricochet [8]
These two had a great match in PWG in 2015 (***¾). Ricochet needs a win and an Ospreay loss to win the block. I guess the reason TAKA didn’t attack before the bell was because Marty did it here. This was fought with a sense of urgency from the start. Scurll held serve for a large portion of the match and his antics were highly entertaining. Ricochet learned as the match went on, including flipping over Marty’s patented “JUST KIDDING” kick. He went into a wild flurry that made me feel he was on the verge of the win. Ricochet’s SSP caught knees and Marty, ever the villain, went into a series of piledrivers. Ricochet survived and fought through the Chicken Wing, but eventually had to tap at 13:31. This was one of the better tournament matches so far. Scurll looked great and they made me buy into Ricochet overcoming and winning. I hope Marty gets more NJPW bookings and I’d still love to see Ricochet get an IWGP Jr. Title run. More than another KUSHIDA run and definitely more than an Ospreay run.[****]
A Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi [8] vs. Will Ospreay [8]
Whoever wins this, wins the block. One of these guys is one of the best wrestlers in the world. The other is Will Ospreay. Both guys came out on fire and we got some brawling through the crowd. Hiromu nailed his excellent sunset flip powerbomb. I just have to note it because it’s awesome. He attacked the leg, which can go one of two ways. Ospreay can sell well like he did at last year’s BOTSJ finals, or he can decide against it like he does all too often. He started with some good selling, but it all went downhill once he had to get his shit in. He didn’t want to let it stop him from hitting his key stuff and it took away from the match. The lack of selling allowed the finishing stretch to move at a quick pace. Ospreay used a flurry of offense, including the Essex Destroyer, an imploding 450 and the Oscutter to win the match and block at 15:19. Solid match, but nowhere near as good as it could’ve been if Ospreay sold better. Ospreay, Taichi and TAKA were the only guys to not have great matches with Hiromu in this tournament. [***¼]
As I said before, I’ve been over the Ospreay hype (outside of a few matches, I’m looking at you, Shibata vs. Ospreay) for quite some time. I suspect they do KUSHIDA/Ospreay III as the finals. Their first match was a classic but the second left something to be desired. Also, I’d rather Hiromu not do another rematch at Dominion.
Overall: 7/10. A good final show for the A Block. We didn’t get the expected awfulness from a Taichi match, so it allowed for a consistent show. I came away disappointed with the main event and I thought TAKA/Lee was good, but nowhere near great. Ricochet/Scurll stole the show and I wish one of them won the block.
| A Block | Points | B Block | Points |
| Will Ospreay *Winner* | 10 (5-2) | El Desperado | 6 (3-3) |
| Ricochet | 8 (4-3) | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 6 (3-3) |
| Dragon Lee | 8 (4-3) | ACH | 6 (3-3) |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 8 (4-3) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 6 (3-3) |
| Taichi | 8 (4-3) | Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-3) |
| Marty Scurll | 8 (4-3) | KUSHIDA | 6 (3-3) |
| TAKA Michinoku | 4 (2-5) | BUSHI | 6 (3-3) |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 2 (1-6) | Volador Jr. | 6 (3-3) |
Yes! Lucha Underground is back! I've waited months for this. Having it on Netflix has been a nice way to kill this time, but not enough.
There's just one match on tap for the return and it's going to take all night long!
Lucha Underground Championship All Night Long Match: Johnny Mundo (c) vs. The Mack
There's only been one previous All Night Long match. In season one, Prince Puma successfully defended the Lucha Underground Title against Johnny Mundo in one of the best matches in LU history (****1/4). It's an Anything Goes Ironman match that takes up the duration of an episode. Mundo used his speed advantage early, looking to tire out Mack. He did talk smack about the Mack not being built for a match like that. Mundo took the early 1-0 lead with the End of the World in under five minutes. Following a commercial break, the cocky Mundo went up 2-0 by using the ropes for leverage on a pin. Mack took that time to turn things up. His flurry of offense led to a sitout powerbomb that got him on the board, but he remained down 2-1. The next segment saw them trade stuff until Mundo nailed a corkscrew dive outside. He grabbed his leg and called the official over. Mack looked to take advantage, but Mundo needed to be checked on. It was all a ruse though, as Mundo was faking and used a low blow and DDT to take a 3-1 lead. THAT BASTARD! One of the better spots came when Mack tied Mundo the stretcher and slid him down the Temple stairs. Mack followed with a stunner and cut the lead to 3-2. Mundo tried running, just like he did against Puma in season one. PJ Black appeared to help his buddy Mundo. Things looked bleak for the Mack until Son of Havoc evened the odds. Mack was still out though, so Havoc knocked on Dario's office and was handed beers, which brought Mack back to life. The place erupted. Mundo and Black turned it around and Mundo made the band play a "victory song' for him. As he bragged, a member of the band jumped off the stage with a cross body. She revealed herself to be Sexy Star! Fueled, Mack tied it after a piledriver through a table. Things got hectic as the clocked near the end. The final three or so minutes were great. Mundo's top fan (Ricky Mandel) came out but was taken out by Sexy and Havoc. Mack hit a frog splash off a ladder and through a table but time expired before he could cover around 37:25. The match itself was great. Not on the level of Mundo/Puma, but it told a great story and the final stretch ruled. However, I didn't like the idea of a draw. There shouldn't be a time limit that ends minutes before the show because it's supposed to be all night long. Still, this was a ton of fun despite the finish. [***3/4]
Dario Cueto appeared, saying there are no ties in his Temple. Next week, they'll restart under sudden death rules.
Overall: 7.5/10. A really fun way for Lucha Underground to return. The match brought several existing storylines together in one entertaining match. I've said it before, but Lucha Underground does one match shows better than anyone. Somehow, this match, at ***3/4, is probably the worst of the bunch. I wasn't a fan of the finish and, though I don't like continuing things until next week, it gives people a reason to tune in.
Want to watch Lucha Underground, Raw and Smackdown and don't have cable? Try signing up for Fubo.tv. Stream USA, El Rey, NBA TV, SyFy and many other channels by getting Fubo.tv right here!
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) |
