Best of the Super Jr. night 2 (May 13) Preview
Tournament hits Korakuen Hall
Night two of Best of the Super Jr. 31 sees the tournament make its first stop in Korakuen Hall. Another ten match card will bring spectacular action on a stacked lineup!
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Main event: B Block- Hiromu Takahashi (0–1) vs DOUKI (0–1)
Singles record: 4–1 Hiromu
Opening night of Best of the Super Jr. saw Hiromu Takahashi continue a losing slump that he had been in all through 2024 to date, submitting in defeat to KUSHIDA. Now, he seeks to bounce back against DOUKI.
Japones Del Mal scored the biggest singles win of his career to date in Sapporo earlier this year over Hiromu. It broke his own four match losing record against the Time Bomb, and gave him a ton of momentum in the months to come. Now he has the pressure of trying to prove the result was no fluke. DOUKI and Hiromu have a special connection to one another, and DOUKI’s continued drive to surpass the four time BOSJ winner has seen him to incredible and dangerous lengths, including here in Korakuen. What will happen in this intense main event?
9th Match: A Block- El Desperado (0–1) vs Kosei Fujita (1–0)
Singles record: 1–0 Desperado
Kosei Fujita’s one and only singles match opposite El Desperado came right at the start of his career, in an opening bout of the 2021 G1 Climax tour. Now, nearly three years on, they meet in the headline bout of their block. Night one saw Fujita score an emphatic victory over Yoshinobu Kanemaru, while Desperado, submitting to Titan in th eopening main event, seems beatable. Can Fujita pull off the win of his career tonight?
8th Match: B Block- KUSHIDA (0–1) vs SHO (1–0)
Singles record: 2–0 KUSHIDA
Once thought to be the next successor to the technical proficiency and skill of KUSHIDA in the junior heavyweight division, SHO chose to take a very different path to success. Still, the Murder Machine has not earned said success against KUSHIDA since his return to excursion, regardless of the side of the fan favourite and rule breaker divide he sits on. Now at 1–0 as champion in the tournament, will he get his first singles win against the similarly 1–0Timesplitter?
7th Match: A Block- BUSHI (0–1) vs Titan (1–0)
Singles record: 1–0 Titan
Super Junior Tag League partners BUSHI and Titan face off in a Los Ingobernables De Japon battle. Faction derbies are always one of the highlights of tournaments like these, and this clash of masked masters is definitely one to keep a keen eye on. Titan is riding high after a deeply satisfying opening main event win, and is not looking to slow down any tonight.
6th Match: B Block- Dragon Dia (0–1) vs Taiji Ishimori (1–0)
After turning heads in his NJPW debut Saturday, Dragon Dia takes the fight to Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori got off to a flying start against DOUKI in Chiba and looks to keep up his winning form against the young rising star of DRAGONGATE.
5th Match: A Block- TJP (0–1) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0–1)
A first time matchup between two crafty veterans, TJP and Yoshinobu Kanemaru should match up well. Yet with a defeat for HOUSE OF TORTURE to Catch 2/2 in the Super Junior Tag League finals still fresh in the memory, H.O.T will be on high alert in this bout, and TJP needs to keep his head on a swivel.
4th Match: B Block- Robbie Eagles (0–1) vs Drilla Moloney (0–1)
Singles record: 1–0 Moloney
Robbie Eagles goes from contending with the high flying Ninja Mack on night one to taking on the powerhouse bruiser Drilla Moloney. Moloney picked up the win when the two faced off last year in Korakuen Hall; now he looks to score his first victory of the year; but Robbie shares the same goal.
3rd Match: A Block- HAYATA (1–0) vs Clark Connors (0–1)
A block action sees HAYATA face Clark Connors. With Jake Lee targeting Tetsuya Naito, and with Gabe Kidd gunning for Kaito Kiyomiya, there is no prejudice for War Dogs when it comes to aligning, or fighting NOAH members, and this will be no different.
2nd Match: B Block- Francesco Akira (1–0) vs Ninja Mack (1–0)
An explosive battle of impactful young stars pits Ninja Mack against Francesco Akira. It was a good night for both on day one in Chiba, with Akira scoring a win over Dragon Dia, and Mack surprising Robbie Eagles with a flash pin. Who will stay unbeaten?
1st Match: A Block- Kevin Knight (1–0) vs Blake Christian (1–0)
A first time meeting for Blake Christian and Kevin Knight will bring a spectacular start to the night. Christian did all he said he would do pre-tournament en route to victory voer Clark Connors, wowing with some spectacular offense before eventually achieving vicrtory through controversial means. Meanwhile Kevin Knight scored a sensational first victory against TJP in his own opening effort. Who keeps their momentum going?
