NJPW Best of Super Juniors 30 - May 12 - May 28, 2023

[Alexa]

Ishimori and Despy would be a great match

 

[Alexa]

Douki finally hit his fucking suplex lol

It is funny to think him and Mayu share the same Finisher, lol

 

[Comrade Khan]

Updated standings, this shit is gonna be a cluster

A Block --

• Mike Bailey (5-2) -- 10 points
• Lio Rush (5-2) -- 10 points
• Taiji Ishimori (5-2) -- 10 points
• Hiromu Takahashi (5-2) -- 10 points
• Titan (4-3) -- 8 points
• TJP (4-3) -- 8 points
• DOUKI (3-4) -- 6 points
• SHO (3-4) -- 6 points
• KUSHIDA (1-6) -- 2 points
• Ryusuke Taguchi (0-7) -- 0 points

B Block --

• Master Wato (5-2) -- 10 points
• Robbie Eagles (5-2) -- 10 points
• El Desperado (5-2) -- 10 points
• YOH (5-2) -- 10 points
• Francesco Akira (4-3) -- 8 points
• Clark Connors (3-4) -- 6 points
• Kevin Knight (3-4) -- 6 points
• Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-5) -- 4 points
• Dan Moloney (2-5) -- 4 points
• BUSHI (1-6) -- 2 points

Love their multi man ties lol

 

[Chris]

The pop when O-Khan came out with Akira lmao

 

[Chris]

Catching up on yesterday's show still and lmao Yoh is trolling tf out of Bushi

 

[Chris]

These Despy/Maloney chops oh my fucking god

 

[Chris]

Despy/Maloney may have been the hardest hitting match of the tournament so far

 

[Chris]

Best of the Super Jr. night 8 (May 21)Preview​

Critical penultimate block action in Korakuen

Fans will be hanging from the rafters in Korakuen Hall on May 21, as the jam packed hall plays host to the penultimate night of block action. With just two matches left to go, some wrestlers’ equations will be made simple for better or for worse, while the semifinal structure of the tournament this year will make for some more complicated scenarios at play as well.
Watch all of Best of the Super Jr. 30 LIVE in English on NJPW World!

Main event: B Block- El Desperado (5-2) vs Francesco Akira (4-3)

Akira must win
In early 2022, El Desperado raising a then unseen in NJPW Francesco Akira’s name in post match comments caused shockwaves of anticipation among wrestling fans of a junior heavyweight dream match. As Akira joined the United Empire two months later, even confronting El Desperado in ring in Ryogoku that April, it seemed like the match would finally move forward. Now, after various twists and turns, the bout finally takes place, and in a perfect storm of setting and stakes.

The raucous sellout Korakuen Hall couples with plenty on the line for both men when it comes to the final four tonight. With so much to play for, this is more than a mere exhibition, and while the fans in attendance will get more than a fitting main event show, the focus on both will be to get two more points before Osaka.

9th Match: A Block- Taiji Ishimori (5-2) vs Hiromu Takahashi (5-2)
Singles record: 4-3 Hiromu

With more high stakes for A Block, Hiromu Takahashi goes to war with old rival Taiji Ishimori. At ten points each, this match won’t decide the block for either man, but it will go a long way to showing how things will play out in Osaka Tuesday. With a long history of wins, championships and crucial tournament points traded over the years, who gets the upper hand in BOSJ 30?

8th Match: B Block- YOH (5-2) vs Kevin Knight (3-4)

Knight must win
YOH looks to be in the hunt in B Block’s final day Wednesday with a win over Kevin Knight. Knight’s impressive tournament debut has seen him earn plenty of fans in addition to his three wins, but can he earn two more points, spoil YOH, and keep his slim hopes of the final four alive?

7th Match: A Block- Lio Rush (5-2) vs TJP (4-3)

TJP must win
Tag opponents in big clashes during Super Jr. Tag League and at Wrestle Kingdom, this is the first one on one meeting for TJP and Lio Rush. It’s one with a lot at stake when it comes to A Block as well; at ten and eight points, who can make a big stride to the final four in Yoyogi next week?

6th Match: B Block- Robbie Eagles (5-2) vs Dan Moloney (2-5)

Moloney is mathematically eliminated
Dan Moloney will not join the likes of his United Empire leader Will Ospreay of those that have won Best of the Super Jr. 30 on their first attempt- his loss to Desperado saw him reach mathematical elimination in Aomori Friday. But he can still play spoiler, and he would like nothing more than to do so at Robbie Eagles’ expense. When Eagles joined TMDK, he joked that it was convenient United Empire found a new junior heavyweight in Moloney soon afterward. The Drilla took offense at those comments, and will look to be offensive indeed in the face of the Sniper of the Skies in Korakuen.

5th Match: A Block- Ryusuke Taguchi (0-7) vs Mike Bailey (5-2)

Taguchi is mathematically eliminated
Ryusuke Taguchi has had absolutely nothing go right for him all tournament long. Despite wanting to bring back the serious big match Taguchi for BOSJ 30, the serious side of the coach has had far less success than the silly, and another loss against DOUKI Friday has left him at zero points. Taguchi is likely asking himself some difficult questions by now, but could he get at least one big result by spoiling joint leader Mike Bailey?

4th Match: B Block- Master Wato (5-2) vs BUSHI (1-6)
Singles record: 3-1 BUSHI

BUSHI is mathematically eliminated
BUSHI is another figure reduced early to a spoiling role in this tournament, his first points coming too late to put him into the final four. Yet the Jet Black Deathmask has meant death to many a BOSJ contender’s hopes in the past, and holds a 3-1 singles record over his opponent tonight. As Wato wants to lead the junior heavyweights to a bright new future, can he get over a BUSHI hump and set himself in good position for a place in Yoyogi Friday?

3rd Match: B Block- KUSHIDA (1-6) vs SHO (3-4)
Singles record: 1-0 KUSHIDA

Both men are mathematically eliminated
KUSHIDA’s Best of the Super Jr campaign has been marked with high effort and strong performances across every one of his matches, and nearly entirely dreadful results. Second to be knocked out of contention in A Block, his 1-6 score is a far cry from his two tournament winning records in the past. Frustration has become clearly evident for the Timesplitter as the campaign has worn on, and now he seeks some level of retribution against SHO.
Once upon a time, KUSHIDA was a mentor figure to SHO- the 1-0 singles record they share post excursion belies a 7-0 record including SHO’s time as a Young Lion. Indeed when KUSHIDA left NJPW in 2019, many thought that SHO would step up and get his own break as NJPW’s technical and power junior ace, with a similar grappling style and love for jiujitsu. Times changed, of course, and the SHO of today is his own far cry from the budding star with buckets of potential. Can KUSHIDA teach SHO a lesson and finally get another feel good win before his tournament ends, and stop an ill gotten win streak for the Murder Machine in the process?

2nd Match: B Block- Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-5) vs Clark Connors (3-4)
Singles record: 1-1

Kanemaru is mathematically eliminated
Connors must win
Before Best of the Super Jr. got underway, Yoshinobu Kanemaru differed from the rest of the lineup in not talking up his chances of the trophy or even the final four. ‘Winning or losing doesn’t matter to me,’ Kanemaru would quip ‘as long as I can have each of my opponents eating out of the palm of my hand’.
It seems as if Clark Connors has gone into his own matches not so much caring about winning or losing as much as ensuring he deals as much destruction as possible. At 3-4, some opponents have been able to steal one from 100 Proof, but all have left their matches feeling decidedly the worse for wear. Tonight? It takes a special talent to be able to make a rampaging rhino eat out of one’s hand, but if anyone can do it, Kanemaru can.

1st Match: A Block- DOUKI (3-4) vs Titan (4-3)
Singles record: 1-0 Titan

DOUKI has been mathematically eliminated
Titan must win
Having fought for survival for the best part of a decade in the toughest school of hard knocks imaginable in the independent scene in Mexico, DOUKI harboured a distinct hatred for the major leagues in the territory, and CMLL in particular. That meant his defeat at the hands of Titan in last year left a distinctly bitter taste in the mouth of Japones Del Mal, one which spoiling El Inmortal tonight would do much to rectify.​

 

[Chris]

 

[Alexa]

I love them two so much, and I see Mike was channeling his inner ZSJ...just without blaming borris johnson

 

[Chris]

Updated standings heading into the final night of block action on Tuesday I believe

A Block --

• Mike Bailey (6-2) -- 12 points
• Lio Rush (6-2) -- 12 points
• Hiromu Takahashi (6-2) -- 12 points
• Taiji Ishimori (5-3) -- 10 points
• Titan (5-3) -- 10 points
• TJP (4-4) -- 8 points
• DOUKI (3-5) -- 6 points
• SHO (3-5) -- 6 points
• KUSHIDA (2-6) -- 4 points
• Ryusuke Taguchi (0-8) -- 0 points

B Block --

• Master Wato (6-2) -- 12 points
• YOH (6-2) -- 12 points
• El Desperado (6-2) -- 12 points
• Robbie Eagles (5-3) -- 10 points
• Francesco Akira (4-4) -- 8 points
• Clark Connors (4-4) -- 8 points
• Kevin Knight (3-5) -- 6 points
• Dan Moloney (3-5) -- 6 points
• Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-6) -- 4 points
• BUSHI (1-7) -- 2 points

 

[Comrade Khan]

ffs @Chris apparently Ishimori is out rest of tournament

 

[Chris]

Yeah he couldn't finish the match yesterday, I think he's only missing one block match tho so unless be factored in to final plans they should be able to do whatever they were going to

 

[Comrade Khan]

it looked like he was originally but ig we will never know

 

[Chris]

I honestly can't tell who's just selling and who's legit hurt rn, they should probably stretch this out longer lol