Sendai Sun Plaza sees us past the midway point
May 17 sees Best of the Super Jr. 30 move on to Sendai and Sun Plaza Hall. With the tournament now moving past the midway stage, those near the bottom of their block risk getting put on the bubble of elimination, while those at the top will be hanging onto their spots all the more fiercely.
Watch Best of the Super Jr 30 live in English on NJPW World!
Main event: B Block- El Desperado (3-1) vs YOH (2-2)
Singles record: 1-1
Headed into Best of the Super Jr, El Desperado was rather dismissive of his competition in B block, but reserved grudging praise for YOH ‘the entertainer’. YOH has cwertainly enjoyed himself in and around the ring thus far in his campaign, but that’s brought mixed results, currently sitting 2-2 and four points. For El Desperado’s part, an opening night loss to former mentor Yoshinobu Kanemaru was followed by effective wins against BUSHI, Master Wato and Kevin Knight to end his first half at the top of the table. Once scathing in his vitriol toward YOH, Desperado has come around to YOH’s charisma perhaps, but will he be forced to respect his wrestling acumen all the more after tonight on YOH’s home Miyagi prefecture turf?
9th Match: A Block- KUSHIDA (1-3) vs Taiji Ishimori (3-1)
Singles record: 1-1
KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori head into their fifth matches of the tournament at opposite ends of the A Block spectrum, Ishimori having just lost his first match to Lio Rush, while KUSHIDA, suffering successive losses in his first three matches, finally got his first victory Tuesday over Mike Bailey. After Ishimori stated last summer that he would ‘assess’ KUSHIDA before considering granting a challenge to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship he held at the time, the Timesplitter would appear to be failing that assessment. Yet denied his shot at Ishimori in 2022 not because of ability but a sudden illness, KUSHIDA is hungry to pick up his second win against the Bone Soldier- and he needs those two points for his own survival.
8th Match: B Block- Master Wato (2-2) vs Dan Moloney (2-2)
Even at 2-2, Dan Moloney’s record is an admirable one for his first four career Best of the Super Jr. matchups. For Master Wato in his fourth tournament, the same four point score isn’t as much of a cause for celebration, but he can get started on a strong second half tonight. Will his speed and skill be enough to overcome the powerful Drilla?
7th Match: A Block- Titan (3-1) vs Mike Bailey (3-1)
Mike Bailey got his first Best of the Super Jr. off to a very impressive start. 3-0 through the first third, an impressive submission performance from KUSHIDA in Akita saw him fall to 3-1. At the same six point level, Titan is impressing in his own right, and this meeting of highly proficient, highly unorthodox athletes will be one to behold in Sendai.
6th Match: B Block- Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-2) vs Robbie Eagles (3-1)
Singles record: 1-0 Eagles
Robbie Eagles and Yoshinobu Kanemaru had parallel starts to their BOSJ campaigns, both going 2-0 before stumbling in Nagoya. Then Tuesday night in Akita saw Eagles get his first victory over BUSHI as Kanemaru dropped another decision to Master Wato, putting them at six and four points respectively. Now they meet for only the second time one on one; with similar tactical mastery, and a shared past of recent title matches against Hiromu Takahashi ending in narrow defeat, who will prove to be the better man in Sendai?
5th Match: A Block- Lio Rush (4-0) vs DOUKI (1-3)
After Lio Rush scored a hat trick of impressive wins to get his campaign started, a victory over Taiji Ishimori moved him clear at the top of the table at eight points and with some very valuable tiebreaks. Meanwhile DOUKI, initially buoyed by an opening night win against KUSHIDA, was deflated with losses to Taiji Ishimori and Hiromu Takahashi before dropping his third straight to TJP. Now, two lightning quick competitors should pair off in spectacular form but will Rush continue to ride high, or can DOUKI gain two more key points?
4th Match: B Block- Francesco Akira (3-1) vs Clark Connors (2-2)
Singles record 1-0 Connors
Francesco Akira’s 3-1 record thus far has seen him leverage speed and skill to impressive effect. For Connors, it’s power and brutality that has seen him reap dividends at 2-2. His losses via rollup and Five Star Clutch to Robbie Eagles and YOH were met with swift retribution, and the attitude and appetite for destruction that Bloody Hands Gedo has instilled in Clark is fearsome to see. As Eagles and YOH were able to do in Nagano and Akita, can Akira’s quickness and smart thinking lead him to catch a break, or will the savagery of 100 Proof Connors advance to six points?
3rd Match- A Block: TJP (2-2) vs SHO (1-3)
At 2-2 after a hard fought win against DOUKI Tuesday, TJP seeks to get to six points against the 1-3 SHO. In last year’s Best of the Super Jr. opener, TJP played a key role in Francesco Akira’s first singles win in NJPW over SHO, when he helped defuse the Murder Machine’s plan to use his trademark wrench. This year, SHO would gain no greater satisfaction from delivering a wrench shot to the Public Enemy; but having been around the block more than a few times, TJP will be sure to have a plan or two up his sleeve.
2nd Match: B Block- Kevin Knight (1-3) vs BUSHI (0-4)
Kevin Knight and BUSHI have undergone challenging starts to their BOSJ campaigns, Knight dropping his first two, while BUSHI went 0-4. For debutant Knight though, a win over Yoshinobu Kanemaru was a hugely significant confidence booster, one that he seeks to build on against BUSHI, while the LIJ member needs to score in order to have any realistic shot at the top four from Sendai onward.
1st Match: A Block- Ryusuke Taguchi (0-4) vs Hiromu Takahashi (2-2)
Singles record: 6-2 Hiromu
Starting with 45th Anniversary in March 2017, Hiromu Takahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi have wrestled one another six times post Takahashi’s return from excursion, all in semi or main events, and all with Hiromu in the win column. Now the two find themselves in the opening bout in Sendai, on Taguchi’s home turf, and with adifferent set of circumstances that could be setting up the fates for a Coach driven upset. Winless in his first four, can Taguchi put together a huge result in our first match of the night?
I'm fucking dying
