NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXV Night Eleven
May 31st, 2018 | Hachinohe City East Gymnasium in Hachinohe, Aomori | Attendance: 1,426
We’re nearing the end of the line people. With just two shows for each block left, the true contenders are separating themselves from the pack. Side note, this tournament has had too many single camera, no commentary shows. I get it, but it has made most of the tournament feel less important.
A Block: BUSHI [4] vs. Flip Gordon [6]
A win keeps BUSHI alive, while Flip could jump out into sole possession of first if he does the same. When you watch enough of these matches, you begin to sense patterns. BUSHI had the early control thanks to some of his usual underhanded tactics. Flip made a comeback, complete with all the flashy moves we’ve come to expect from him. I did appreciate how BUSHI continued to find interesting ways to avoid Flip’s offense. He seemed to have him scouted well. BUSHI picked up the win with MX after 11:58 in a match that was just the right length. It worked as a solid opener, without either man going overboard with what they did. [***]
A Block: ACH [4] vs. Taiji Ishimori [6]
I guess I’ve messed up my block standings because I’ve had ACH at 2 points, but he has four. Anyway, this was intriguing because these two made quite the tag team in 2016. They were a highlight of the Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament. Ishimori showed just how much he’s changed since then. He was vicious and attacked his former partner at every opening. There was no semblance of the good guy from those days. ACH’s shoulder was once again a problem. He’s not winning matches, but his selling and performances continues to make him a standout. ACH had some hope spots, but Ishimori was always a step ahead. Though they both knew each other well, Ishimori’s new attitude and ACH’s bad shoulder kept the new Bone Soldier in the driver’s seat. He won via Bloody Cross in 11:57. There are matches in the tournament with more action. However, I really enjoyed the story between former partners and their new personalities. [***½]
A Block: Tiger Mask IV [6] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay [6]
Can Tiger Mask IV just win this block? And maybe even the tournament, then title, and then give me him against Liger in a veteran battle. Whatever. He was obviously going to lose this, a victim of the Gedo round robin tournament booking trope. Interestingly, Tiger Mask bested Ospreay in the 2016 BOTSJ. Since Will, the young champion, is quicker, stronger, etc., Tiger Mask had to dig deep. He busted out a Tombstone to gain an advantage that rattled the champion. Will’s comeback still had the same problems it has had in almost all other tournament matches. Tiger Mask gave it his all, but clearly wasn’t on the champion’s level, falling to Storm Breaker in 12:05. Smart action and a well told story that didn’t overstay its welcome. [***]
A Block: YOH [4] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru [4]
This is the strangest, weakest main event choice so far in the tournament. Kanemaru has been the worst performer of the field, while YOH is still mostly unproven. It does involve two members of junior tag teams, but that’s it. Anyway, Kanemaru attacked before the bell. Duh. It seemed like they were going for a story of the young upstart trying to weather the storm of the wily veteran. However, Kanemaru’s offense and heat segments continue to be devoid of any interest or intrigue. YOH’s comeback sequence was filled with energy, raising some of the fun level of the match. He won with the Five Star Clutch in a long 16:37. They told a version of this story in much better fashion when YOH faced Tiger Mask. Kanemaru dragged this down, but YOH did his best to make it fun. A lackluster main event. [**½]
Overall: 6/10. Another average outing from the A Block. There was nothing bad, but also nothing you had to see. I dug the hell out of ACH/Ishimori, which is worth checking out. The rest of the show is either solid or went on for too long.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Taiji Ishimori | 8 (4-2) | KUSHIDA | 6 (3-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 8 (4-2) | Hiromu Takahashi | 6 (3-2) |
| BUSHI | 6 (3-3) | Marty Scurll | 6 (3-2) |
| Flip Gordon | 6 (3-3) | Dragon Lee | 6 (3-2) |
| YOH | 6 (3-3) | El Desperado | 4 (2-3) |
| Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-3) | Chris Sabin | 4 (2-3) |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-4) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 4 (2-3) |
| ACH | 4 (2-4) | SHO | 4 (2-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXV Night Ten
May 30th, 2018 | Big Palette Fukushima in Fukushima, Japan | Attendance: N/A
I love when there’s a B Block show posted. All eight men seem determined to steal the entire tournament with each outing. This night features some interesting first time ever matches and the renewal of a rivalry in the main event.
B Block: CMLL World Lightweight Champion Dragon Lee [6] vs. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion Marty Scurll [4]
These two met in the tournament last year, having a strong match (***½). This time around, it wasn’t quite as good, but delivered. Both men played to their strengths. Lee was the high octane, fast paced wrestler he’s known for, while Marty was cunning and opportunistic. The momentum shifted from time to time, before the final few minutes saw a shift in intensity. However, I think it relied too much on false finishes down the stretch. It’s kind of an issue that some recent Marty matches have suffered from. He managed to pull out the win with the CHICKEN WING in 16:01. They were on their way to something really good, but it got bogged down late. The final few minutes didn’t click with me, when that’s usually the time for a match to shift into the next gear. [***¼]
B Block: Ryusuke Taguchi [2] vs. SHO [4]
There’s an interesting sort of backstory to this, as SHO was part of the team that dethroned Ryusuke Taguchi (and Ricochet) of the Jr. Tag Team Titles last year. You also had the case of Taguchi, who usually steps up for the tournament, coming in with just two points so far. YOH, SHO’s partner, has spent the tournament trying to keep up with his block, while SHO has shown that he’s on their level. That was the case here, as he controlled Taguchi for the most part. In fact, that seemed to awaken Taguchi, who rallied and brought out BIG MATCH TAGUCHI for the final stretch. He got free of an armbar and went into a series of moves, capped with a dragon suplex in 13:08 for the victory. I didn’t think I would, but I liked this more than the opener. It was clean, told a logical story, and continued SHO’s hot streak. [***½]
B Block: Chris Sabin [4] vs. Hiromu Takahashi [4]
With everything so close in this block, a loss might eliminate either man. Off topic, but I’d be all for BUSHI and Hiromu against the Motor City Machine Guns. A theme of Sabin’s matches seems to see him fall behind early. He gets overwhelmed at the start and is forced to dig deep and find what made him so successful in his younger days. I can’t believe I’m talking about Sabin like this. I feel so old. What made this match work so well was how Hiromu also adjusted his game plan, remaining a step ahead of Sabin. It was the kind of chess match you don’t often get from a Hiromu match. The highlight was the finish, where Hiromu countered Hail Sabin into a triangle choke in 13:35. I love the addition of a submission to Hiromu’s repertoire. He is the best junior heavyweight on the planet and showed it again here. A creative match filled with action and smart spots. [***¾]
B Block: El Desperado [4] vs. KUSHIDA [4]
Desperado beat KUSHIDA in the BOTSJ last year (***), but lost a title shot at KUSHIDA in September (***½). This was closer to the former and it fell victim to some of the same issues that other NJPW main events do. Though it lasted just 18:33 and nowhere near as egregiously long as some other top NJPW matches, this one clearly didn’t need to go that long. It felt longer. There was also a little too much of the usual Suzuki-Gun style antics. However, on the positive side, I dug the leg work. Desperado found some innovative ways to attack it. KUSHIDA sold it well at times, but it was inconsistent and hurt the match. Following a ref bump and visual win, KUSHIDA still picked up the win with Back to the Future. It was good, but was held back by lackluster selling and shenanigans. [***]
Overall: 7/10. Even with one of their lesser shows so far, the B Block remains consistently entertaining. Hiromu/Sabin was a strong, unique matchup, while Taguchi/SHO was strong. Scurll/Lee and KUSHIDA/Desperado both came across as disappointments, yet were still solid matches.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Taiji Ishimori | 6 (3-2) | KUSHIDA | 6 (3-2) |
| Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-2) | Hiromu Takahashi | 6 (3-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 6 (3-2) | Marty Scurll | 6 (3-2) |
| Flip Gordon | 6 (3-2) | Dragon Lee | 6 (3-2) |
| YOH | 4 (2-3) | El Desperado | 4 (2-3) |
| BUSHI | 4 (2-3) | Chris Sabin | 4 (2-3) |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-3) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 4 (2-3) |
| ACH | 2 (1-4) | SHO | 4 (2-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXV Night Nine
May 29th, 2018 | Tochigi Sports Park Gymnasium in Tochigi, Japan | Attendance: 683
After a day off, the BOTSJ returns. The A Block got to perform in front of the smallest crowd to see a BOTSJ show so far this year. As I’m in a bit of a rush today, this review may end up shorter than usual.
A Block: Taiji Ishimori [4] vs. Tiger Mask IV [6]
Having lost a few matches in a row, Ishimori was in no mood to mess around. He jumped Tiger Mask quickly and took control of things. That set up the simple story for the match. Ishimori held serve for most of the match, forcing the veteran to have to make a comeback. He used his wit to combat some of Ishimori’s more explosive offense. Unfortunately for him, he never had quite enough and Ishimori bested him with the Bloody Cross in 11:18. A good match that told a smart story. There are matches in the tournament with more action, but this didn’t need that. [***]
A Block: ACH [2] vs. BUSHI [2]
Two of my favorite guys in the block are sitting at the bottom of the standings. Their match in last year’s tournament was strong (***½), with ACH winning. As has been the story with ACH this year, his shoulder was his downfall. BUSHI slowed the pace and targeted it. ACH had to dig deep and fight from behind. His comeback was exciting, but BUSHI stopped it with the MX to score the win in 11:57. I dug this match. It wasn’t anything over the top. It had the right amount of action, featured good selling, and told a fine story. [***¼]
A Block: Flip Gordon [6] vs. YOH [2]
Despite a bunch of lame performances so far, Flip Gordon came in tied with Tiger Mask IV for the block lead. YOH has been doing his best to keep up with the other guys in the block. That was the case here again, as YOH went toe to toe with one of the fastest guys in the tournament. YOH proved he was very capable in that department, as these two delivered one of the quicker paced matches of the entire BOTSJ. A few moments and spots didn’t click the way it could have, keeping it from reaching the next level. YOH won with a clutch pin to score the upset in 11:06. Another good match on today’s show. [***]
A Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay [4] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru [4]
Two of my three least favorite wrestlers in the tournament. Yikes. Kanemaru jumped Ospreay before the bell because, Suzuki-Gun. It’s literally the same thing every single match. What was different this time around was Ospreay. He actually sold quite well in this one. It wasn’t over the top and he didn’t land on his back neck for as much of his offense as usual. They were surprising me with how solid the match was. However, it was the longest of the night and it felt like it should’ve been the shortest. The final third or so felt like they were kind of just killing time when a match should be ramping up. Ospreay won via Storm Breaker in 14:03. This was two-thirds of a truly strong match, a third of a bland one, and an overall okay outing. [**¾]
Overall: 6.5/10. One of the better A Block shows so far. It didn’t have a bad match and was mostly consistent. Nothing over the top or annoying, just some solid wrestling.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Taiji Ishimori | 6 (3-2) | Dragon Lee | 6 (3-1) |
| Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-2) | SHO | 4 (2-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 6 (3-2) | El Desperado | 4 (2-2) |
| Flip Gordon | 6 (3-2) | Hiromu Takahashi | 4 (2-2) |
| YOH | 4 (2-3) | Chris Sabin | 4 (2-2) |
| BUSHI | 4 (2-3) | KUSHIDA | 4 (2-2) |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-3) | Marty Scurll | 4 (2-2) |
| ACH | 2 (1-4) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 2 (1-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXV Night Eight
May 27th, 2018 | Nagoya Congress Center in Nagoya, Aichi | Attendance: 1,841
Nagoya gets its second straight night of BOTSJ action. We’re back to the superior B Block for another round of interesting matchups.
B Block: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion El Desperado [4] vs. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion Marty Scurll [2]
The Bullet Club vs. Suzuki-Gun. Desperado attempted to jump Scurll before the bell, but the “Villain” was prepared. He avoided it and delivered his own attack. From there, these guys fought through the crowd, with both attempting to use underhanded tactics. As they got back to the ring, Desperado targeted the leg. It’s been his target most of the tournament to set up the Stretch Muffler. Along with the fighting in the crowd, other Gedo booking tropes were thrown in, including a ref bump. During the ref bump, Marty made Desperado tap to the CHICKEN WING and of course, nobody was there to see this. What is this, the Attitude Era? Desperado went for a low blow late, but Marty caught him. He snapped his fingers, which apparently legitimately broke one of Desperado’s fingers. He then tapped to the CHICKEN WING in 14:40. It went a bit long for what they were going for. I understand the heel/heel dynamic, but the shenanigans felt like too much and it bogged down some of the match. [***]
B Block: Chris Sabin [2] vs. CMLL World Lightweight Champion Dragon Lee [6]
Lee entered this one undefeated. Where the previous match was about two guys trying to out cheat each other, this was based around respect. They shook hands before the bell and kept things clean. It even opened with your standard good guy dueling dropkicks standoff. Like in his match against SHO, this saw Sabin have to dig deep and find a way to keep up with a younger, quicker opponent. It again worked as a good story for the veteran. It’s crazy to think I’ve been watching Sabin for over a decade. Sabin ate a German, double stomp, and a PK, but survived. He lit up Lee with a series of superkicks, before scoring with Cradle Shock for the win in 13:39. Though it’s an upset, it was an expected win considering Lee’s start. You watch enough Gedo booked tournaments and you get a sense for when and where the results are going. This was an improvement on the opener, giving us some rock solid action. It did lack some of the drama and intensity needed to go over the top. [***¼]
B Block: KUSHIDA [2] vs. SHO [4]
SHO came into this understand who KUSHIDA was. He knew that he’s been the ace of this division for years and worked a tentative start because of it. It was very mat based to start, with both men attempting cross arm breakers. Due to the grappling nature, it was slower paced than most of the tournament and felt very different. That’s a good thing. Everything they did felt calculated. Though SHO is on a much lower level than KUSHIDA, he looked every bit his equal at certain points and showed no fear. I appreciated SHO showcasing his power by slamming KUSHIDA out of a submission. He also demanded KUSHIDA give him everything, wanting to prove himself in this environment. SHO also understood what was needed to counter the Hoverboard Lock on several occasions and even when KUSHIDA applied it, he found a way to slide to the ropes. With SHO having that so well scouted, KUSHIDA opted for Back to the Future to put him down at 19:24. Another performance by SHO that lets us know he is the breakout star of the tournament. They worked my kind of match and it was different enough to stand out. Everything was smart and well executed for one of the stronger tournament matches so far. [***¾]
B Block: Hiromu Takahashi [2] vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [2]
These two met in a great IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match last year (****) built around Taguchi’s ankle lock. Right on cue, Taguchi went for it early and Hiromu frantically scrambled outside. With just one win each, both guys brought that level of desperation you want in a tournament like this. A loss could doom either one of them. From all their time spent in tags last year, they knew each other well. Taguchi had to find new ways to transition into the ankle lock, while Hiromu would catch his hip attacks into German suplexes. When Taguchi finally got a good grip on the ankle lock, the panic and desperation was clear in Hiromu and we didn’t even need a close up of his face to tell. Yes, he managed to sell the hell out of a move without screaming at the top of his lungs. Taguchi was clever throughout, forcing Hiromu to pull out his big moves to stop him. When his usual stuff failed, he pulled out a triangle choke to make Taguchi submit at 14:49. Another really strong match from Hiromu and the B Block. They played off their past and worked at a frantic pace fitting of their desperation. [***¾]
Overall: 7.5/10. This B Block is probably the strongest in any BOTSJ I’ve ever seen. We got another show filled with good matches. There was a solid heel/heel opener and a good old fashioned babyface battle second. Then, the last two matches picked up the level of quality and did so with two completely different matches. My kind of show.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Flip Gordon | 6 (3-1) | Dragon Lee | 6 (3-1) |
| Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-1) | SHO | 4 (2-2) |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-2) | El Desperado | 4 (2-2) |
| Taiji Ishimori | 4 (2-2) | Hiromu Takahashi | 4 (2-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 4 (2-2) | Chris Sabin | 4 (2-2) |
| YOH | 4 (2-2) | KUSHIDA | 4 (2-2) |
| ACH | 2 (1-3) | Marty Scurll | 4 (2-2) |
| BUSHI | 2 (1-3) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 2 (1-3) |
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXV Night Seven
May 26th, 2018 | Nagoya Congress Center in Nagoya, Aichi | Attendance: 1,831
Can the A Block turn things around and put on a show near the quality of the B Block? Will Tiger Mask IV keep rolling or fall victim to the usual Gedo booking trope of a hot start and cold finish? Is ACH’s shoulder still going to be a problem? Will Flip Gordon finally impress? Can Will Ospreay show me why some folks think he’s a WOTY candidate? Will Kanemaru continue to suck? Let’s find out.
A Block: Flip Gordon [4] vs. Tiger Mask IV [6]
Tiger Mask IV is two decades older than Flip. LET’S GO OLD GUY! When you have a match with such an age disparity, the story to tell becomes simple. Tiger Mask grounded Flip and cut off his attempts to do his flashy offense. He was more aggressive than usual, almost coming across as a bully. Tiger Mask was all, “GET OFF MY LAWN” and I dug it. I’m always in the mood for a vet kicking the shit out of a young punk. Surprisingly, Tiger Mask hit the super butterfly suplex early, when it’s usually been part of his finishing stretch. Another mistake the veteran made was when he missed a flying headbutt, opening the door for Flip. He reeled off a flurry of offense, capped with the springboard 450 splash, to hand Tiger Mask his first loss in 11:15. A super predictable result, but one that surprisingly gave us the best Flip match so far. He wasn’t just doing stuff for the sake of it like against ACH, and they told a good story. [***]
A Block: ACH [2] vs. YOH [2]
Good efforts from both guys so far in the tournament. YOH has been Naito-lite in some of his work, while ACH has sold the hell out of a bad shoulder. There was a very fast pace to this in the opening few minutes. ACH held serve at the start of the match, being the more experienced performer. He hit some of his signature stuff. However, YOH continued to show the determination that made him such a great Young Lion. He battled back and ACH’s shoulder came into play. Eventually, YOH managed to hit the cradle DDT to secure another two points after 12:04. It was a fine match, with what seemed to be all the right pieces for something good. It just lacked any real drama or sense of urgency. It basically felt like the definition of a house show match. [**¾]
A Block: Taiji Ishimori [4] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru [2]
These two have wrestled quite a bit in NOAH. In fact, Kanemaru holds a ridiculous 10-0 record against the new Bone Soldier. This match was seemingly booked to be the Kanemaru special. Lots of brawling outside, some stalling, and multiple countout teases. It made it feel less like he knew how to handle Ishimori and more like they were out there to kill some time. A gripe I’ve had with NJPW stuff is that a lot of matches feel like they go longer than they need to. This was one of them, despite running just 14:55. It took forever to get to the finish, which all just led to a Kanemaru rollup win. This was shit and maybe I’m being harsh but I liked almost none of it. A few spots worked and their chemistry was fine when they wrestled. Too much of it was a lot of nothing and it was another terrible showing for Kanemaru. [*½]
A Block: BUSHI [0] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay [4]
BUSHI has no wins, which made the outcome here quite clear. Their only prior meeting was at RevPro Global Wars in 2016 (***¼). Like BUSHI’s last outing, there was a sense of desperation. He knew a loss would effectively eliminate him, so he dropkicked Will before the bell to gain an advantage. With BUSHI in control, there was a lot of yelling in pain from Will. He’s still not doing enough outside of screaming to be considered good in the selling department. The neck continued to be a target and he continued to land on it for a lot of his comeback stuff. It makes no sense and it’s as if he doesn’t get it. I mean, why should he if people are just going to constantly heap praise on him despite it. Anyway, it came down to a ref bump and I thought that would trigger the finish, especially after some BUSHI mist. Ospreay blocked MX with a kick and they continued on for a few more minutes. BUSHI did eventually nail MX to win in 14:47. This was the best match on the show, yet still suffered from some of Will’s usual issues. It’s like there’s a great wrestler inside just DYING to come out, but he just keeps getting in his own way. I liked how Will’s recklessness is beginning to cost him and it should be interesting going forward. [***¼]
Overall: 5/10. Another middle of the pack A Block night of action. The opener was a fun veteran vs. youngster match, while ACH/YOH was solid. The main event was good, though it never sniffed reaching that next level. Kanemaru/Ishimori sucked major ass and dragged down the show a bit further. For the A Block, mediocrity is the one consistent thing.
| A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Flip Gordon | 6 (3-1) | Dragon Lee | 6 (2-1) |
| Tiger Mask IV | 6 (3-1) | SHO | 4 (2-1) |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 4 (2-2) | El Desperado | 4 (2-1) |
| Taiji Ishimori | 4 (2-2) | Hiromu Takahashi | 2 (1-2) |
| Will Ospreay | 4 (2-2) | Chris Sabin | 2 (1-2) |
| YOH | 4 (2-2) | Ryusuke Taguchi | 2 (1-2) |
| ACH | 2 (1-3) | KUSHIDA | 2 (1-2) |
| BUSHI | 2 (1-3) | Marty Scurll | 2 (1-2) |
