May 22, 2017
published on NJPW World
(aired live)
City: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 1,250
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 24
Commentary: Milano Collection AT
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki, Makoto Abe
Intro Video
Introducing the competitors in this year’s tournament.
Match 1
Shota Umino & Katsuya Kitamura vs Tomoyuki Oka & Hirai Kawato
(referee: Kenta Sato; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: Hirai Kawato forced Shota Umino to submit to a Boston Crab
Time: 6:57
Match Thoughts
A pretty good match. Oka and Kitamura seemed to have an issue with each other going into the match, but Umino and Kawato started. The pace was kept pretty high throughout the match, and everyone was in and out of the ring. Oka and Kawato seemed to want to keep Kitamura out of the match, but once Kitamura got a tag everything started breaking down. This was a fine opener and a decent warmup.
Ring Area
After the match, Oka and Kitamura continued brawling outside the ring for a little while. In the ring, Umino seemed very frustrated and Kawato stared at him for a while before leaving the ring.
Match 2
Taichi & TAKA Michinoku vs Jado & Will Ospreay
(referee: Kenta Sato; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: Taichi pins Jado after a superkick
Time: 8:02
Match Thoughts
A pretty good match. It felt like it got a little messy at times, but overall this was good. Taichi and TAKA continuously used dirty tricks and weapons to get every advantage they could. Ospreay, for his part, didn’t help his team by complaining to (and distracting) the referee for extended amounts of time. Ospreay got some offense, but he was largely neutralized in this match. Suzuki Gun controlled this one throughout.
Ring Area
After the match, Will Ospreay gets in the face of Taichi but gets dumped out of the ring. Ospreay leaves the ring area visibly frustrated.
Match 3
Marty Scurll & Yujiro Takahashi & Tanga Roa & Tama Tonga vs David Finlay & Ricochet & War Machine (IWGP Tag Champs)
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Tama Tonga pins Raymond Rowe after a Gun Stun (jumping cutter)
Time: 8:55
Match Thoughts
Great match. This was a lot of fun to watch. If I had to pick one standout it would probably be Scurll, but everyone had a part in making this a crazy, fast-paced bout. People were in and out of the ring at a pretty good pace, but there were enough sustained sequences to give the match some continuity. It’s hard to pick the best moment from this one, but it might be when Scurll tried to put Hanson in a sleeper, but Hanson kept doing his running corner clotheslines for multiple repetitions before Scurll transitioned to joint manipulation (aka finger breaking) when Hanson was celebrating.
Also, Finlay didn’t get pinned so my comment from the last NJPW show might have been premature. I’d like to see Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa challenge War Machine for the titles soon. Also, it seems like Scurll is having the time of his life now that he’s in Bullet Club.
Match 4
Dragon Lee & Jushin Thunder Liger & Juice Robinson & Satoshi Kojima vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champ) & EVIL & SANADA (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champs) & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Juice Robinson pins EVIL after a Pulp Friction (Unprettier)
Time: 10:35
Match Thoughts
Good match. After a chaotic start that began with Naito tossing the already broken IC Title, Liger seemed to take offense and started for the babyface team. Liger’s team then took turns in the ring with Dragon Lee coming in next followed by Kojima then Robinson. Los Ingobernables de Japon were more fluid with their tags and managed to maintain a semblance of control throughout the match. Their control eventually dissipated and the final segment of the match descended into chaos once again. I like the finish to this one. It was a bit surprising for me. I never would have picked that finish from the combinations of wrestlers available.
– Intermission –
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 24 B Block Match
Yoshinobu Kanemaru w/ TAKA Michinoku vs Volador Jr.
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe; guest commentary: Jushin Thunder Liger)
Result: Yoshinobu Kanemaru wins via pinfall after Deep Impact (diving DDT)
Time: 9:41
Match Thoughts
A very good and entertaining match. Kanemaru dominated the first part. He was in complete control and looked like he was on his way to a fairly easy victory. Volador Jr. then hit a big dive, seemingly on autopilot, which turned the match around. Volador’s dive opened the match up considerably and led to a sequence where some big moves were traded. Volador seemed to be taking over, but TAKA eventually played a role, helping his Suzuki Gun teammate to regain control.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 24 B Block Match
ACH vs Tiger Mask
(referee: Red Shoes Unno ; ring announcer: Makoto Abe; guest commentary: Jushin Thunder Liger)
Result: Tiger Mask wins via pinfall with a crucifix pin
Time: 11:40
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Tiger Mask started with a light advantage and hit ACH with a big backbreaker. ACH took control and quickened the pace of the match with a series of dives to the floor, one after the other. Back in the ring, ACH started to lose control of the match because his back kept giving out on him. His injury led to a fairly tense and fun finish.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 24 B Block Match
El Desperado w/ TAKA Michinoku vs Ryusuke Taguchi
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki; guest commentary: Jushin Thunder Liger)
Result: El Desperado wins via pinfall after Pinche Loco (sitout double underhook facebuster)
Time: 12:38
Match Thoughts
Great match. El Desperado tried his usual dirty tactics, but Taguchi was able to mostly avoid them at first. Taguchi had the first big burst of offense in the match, but El Desperado retaliated by stabbing Taguchi in the butt with a pen. Desperado started going for leg submissions late in the match, but Taguchi was resilient and went for an ankle lock a few times himself. The finish was really great in this one and reminded a bit of something Eddie Guerrero might have done. I like this match because there was some comedy in it, but it was all played pretty straight at the same time. It was a great balance of tones.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 24 B Block Match
BUSHI (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champ) vs KUSHIDA (ROH TV Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki; guest commentary: Jushin Thunder Liger)
Result: KUSHIDA wins via pinfall with Back to the Future (small package driver)
Time:15:51
Match Thoughts
Great match. BUSHI dominated most of the match except for some sporadic offense from KUSHIDA. Late in the match things started to turn around and KUSHIDA strated hitting big moves and submissions. The finish to this match built up to a nicely exciting finale.
Show Impressions
Another good show. I’m hoping tonight marks a comeback or KUSHIDA in the standings. El Desperado looks like he could run away with B Block, but there’s still plenty of time left in the tournament.
Match of the Night
KUSHIDA vs BUSHI
I really liked all of the tournament matches tonight for various reasons. I think this match had the best build up to the finish though.
Standings After Night 5
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Lee | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Marty Scurll | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Taichi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Ricochet | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Will Ospreay (defending champ) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Taka Michinoku | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Desperado | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| ACH | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| KUSHIDA | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Volador Jr. | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bushi | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |