Yoyogi sees ten more tournament matchups
Best of the Super Jr. 32 continues a Tokyo hot streak on May 17, as Yoyogi sees the tournament continue. It's a loaded night of action again, as both blocks continue to vie for supremacy in their fourth league matchups.
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Main event: B Block- El Desperado (1-2) vs MAO (2-1)
A long desired for match for both men, El Desperado and MAO tangle in the main event. Desperado has eyes MAO's potential from his matchups in DDT for quite sometime, leading to a tag team union at All Star Junior Festival USA in 2023, and then an appearance in last summer's Despe Invitacional. Now the two go one on one. With MAO having just suffered his first loss, and Desperado having dropped his last two straight decisions, it's a critical match for both going into the midway point of the tournament. MAO knows a win over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion dramatically raises his profile in the wrestling world, but that is no small task to attempt in Yoyogi.
9th Match: A Block- Hiromu Takahashi (1-2) vs Dragon Dia (2-1)
Singles record: 1-0 Hiromu
In the midst of a challenging debut Best of the Super Jr. tournament last year, the most agonisingly close Dragon Dia came to an elusive first victory that only eventually happened on the last night of competition, was against Hiromu Takahashi. Painful memories of Gunma in 2024 were somewhat allayed later that year when Dia and Ryusuke Taguchi got a Super Jr. Tag League victory over Hiromu and BUSHI, but this time Dia wants the win on his own steam, and should he get two points on the board could shoot up the rankings not just in BOSJ, but at home in DRAGONGATE as well.
He finds Hiromu in a potentially beatable state, Takahashi dropping his last two in main event spots to Kosei Fujita and Francesco Akira. Now Hiromu badly needs to regain lost momentum, but will he find it further disrupted by Dragon Dia?
8th Match: B Block- Kevin Knight (0-3) vs Nick Wayne (3-0)
Singles record: 1-1
From Seattle to Yoyogi, Kevin Knight and Nick Wayne have a trans Pacific rubber match tonight. Knight has long been a friend of Wayne's since his time in the senior Buddy Wayne's wrestling academy, and the two have tangles twice before on the independents as even younger men. Now as the 3-0 Wayne and 0-3 Knight battle over a crucial two points, mutual respect and friendship will be out the window. The Jet certainly had never imagined he would be at the bottom of the table after three matches, and is feeling the pinch of potentially being on the elimination bubble if he drops another. Meanwhile Wayne has been pushing himself to the limits to gain his six point top point scoring status, and could pay a physical price especially in the form of a hurt knee. Will Wayne&s streak survive, or will Knight's be broken?
7th Match: A Block- KUSHIDA (1-2) vs Kosei Fujita (3-0)
A Block sees Kosei Fujita facing KUSHIDA. Though last year's Yoyogi appearance saw a defeat to Ninja Mack for KUSHIDA, this remains one of if not the most significant venue to the Timeplitter's career, it being the site of both of his BOSJ trophy wins. Tonight Kosei Fujita will look to defeat KUSHIDA on de facto home turf, raising his record to eight points and staying atop the table in the process, but with KUSHIDA finally on the board, he wants to keep momentum rolling.
6th Match: B Block- Titan (2-1) vs Taiji Ishimori (1-2)
Singles record: 2-0 Ishimori
Titan takes on Taiji Ishimori in B Block this evening. Wins start to become trends, which start to become streaks, and Taiji Ishimori could end the night able to say he's on a winning streak at the least when it comes to titan. Two prior meetings in this tournament have seen the Bone Soldier to victory, but only just having gotten on the board, can he score a second consecutive victory tonight?
5th Match: A Block- Clark Connors (1-2) vs Robbie X (2-1)
It's a War Dogs derby in the fifth match of the night as 1-2 Clark Connors faces 2-1 Robbie X. Robbie might well be Clark's new dog for real, but that doesn't mean special treatment, in what if anything might be the hardest hitting match of the night. X surprisingly has the early point lead over his teammate, but now they go head to head, will this be an unofficial initiation for Robbie, and if so, will he pass the test?
4th Match: B Block- Robbie Eagles (2-1) vs SHO (1-2)
Singles record: 3-0 Eagles
Robbie Eagles versus SHO has become a familiar sight to fans during Best of the Super Jr. over the years, and it's become a familiar sight to see Eagles with his hand raised at the end of said bouts. TMDK's Sniper is 3-0 over SHO, and looks to extend that to four, as well as his point total to six. Will SHO throw a wrench in the works for Eagles though?
3rd Match: A Block- Francesco Akira (2-1) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (1-2)
Singles record: 2-0 Akira
Undefeated against Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and 2-1 so far in BOSJ32 competition after a huge win against Hiromu Takahashi, Akira heads into Yoyogi to take on the Heel Master. Last year's tournament saw Akira forced to withdraw due to a knee injury, and if there's any lingering issues, kanemaru is sure to exploit them tonight- can Akira survive and thrive?
2nd Match: B Block- Ryusuke Taguchi (2-1) vs YOH (1-2)
Singles record: 3-1 Taguchi
If this tournament was called 'Strangest of the Super Jr.' then this may well be the tournament final. As it is, the battle of the Miyagi prefecture boys has YOH looking to get his second win while Ryusuke Taguchi is on the fight to six. It'll certainly be a unique encounter in the second match of the night.
1st Match: A Block- Master Wato (1-2) vs Ninja Mack (1-2)
We'll be off to a high paced start when Ninja Mack and Master Wato collide. Mack's debut BOSJ last year was missed by Master Wato during his injury, and this is an entirely fresh matchup as a result. With two dynamic and unpredictable athletes in the mix, who gets two more points on the board?
