May 23, 2017
published on NJPW World
(taped May 23, 2017)
City: Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan
Venue: Tochigi City General Gymnasium
Attendance: 641
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 24
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Makoto Abe, Kimihiko Ozaki
Notes: Stationary camera, only tournament matches are available on NJPW World
Match 1
Shota Umino & Tomoyuki Oka & Volador Jr. vs Tetsuhiro Yagi & Katsuya Kitamura & ACH
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Tomoyuki Oka makes Tetsuhiro Yagi submit to a Boston Crab
Time: 7:01
Match Thoughts
This match was not aired on NJPW World.
Match 2
Hirai Kawato & Tiger Mask vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: El Desperado pins Hirai Kawato after Pinche Loco (sitout lifting double underhook facebuster)
Time: 9:13
Match Thoughts
This match was not aired on NJPW World, but these opening two matches appear to be extremely similar to the opening matches from the 21st. They’re the same matchups, the same finishes, and nearly the same times.
Match 3
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Marty Scurll vs TAKA Michinoku
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Marty Scurll wins via submission with a crossface chickenwing
Time: 8:52
Match Thoughts
Good match. TAKA started with an early lead, but things quickly evened out and remained even for most of the rest of the match. Both guys attempted their usual dirty tricks, and both guys managed to block a lot of their opponent’s attempts at them. I like the finish. Scurll baited TAKA into going for his eye gouge which Scurll countered with his finger snapping shtick. That led directly to the finish.
Match 4
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Will Ospreay vs Jushin Thunder Liger
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Will Ospreay wins via pinfall after an OsCutter
Time: 10:10
Match Thoughts
A good match. Ospreay was kept grounded until later in the match. Liger looked good early on and he kicked out of some big moves, but Ospreay just seems to have momentum on his side. There was a lot of mutual respect going on in this match, and you could tell Ospreay was very appreciative of Liger.
Match 5
David Finlay & War Machine (IWGP Tag Champs) vs Yujiro Takahashi & Tanga Roa & Tama Tonga
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Tanga Roa pins David Finlay after Apeshit (over the shoulder reverse piledriver)
Time: 6:23
Match Thoughts
This match was not aired on NJPW World.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Taichi w/ TAKA Michinoku vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWPG Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Hiromu Takahashi wins via pinfall after a Time Bomb (fireman’s carry into a sitout powerslam)
Time: 14:13
Match Thoughts
Good match. The first part of the match was spent mostly outside the ring as Taichi brawled with Takahashi. Back in the ring, Takahashi used a distraction from TAKA to use the ring bell hammer on Takahashi. This set up Takahashi not only as the babyface, but also as a sort of underdog. Momentum shifted a few times in the match and there were a lot of superkicks, eventually leading to a pretty good finish. Unfortunately Takahashi didn’t get all of his finisher so it didn’t look great, but otherwise this was a nice match and maybe Taichi’s best in the tournament so far.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Dragon Lee vs Ricochet
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: Dragon Lee wins via pinfall after a double stomp in the corner
Time: 13:07
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was easily the most fast paced and high flying of the night. Ricochet and Lee went move for move early on, both showing great speed and agility. As the match went along, Lee also showed his impressive power. This match could have gone either way right up to the end.
Match 8
KUSHIDA (ROH TV Champ) & Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson & Satoshi Kojima vs BUSHI & EVIL & SANADA (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champs) & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Tetsuya Naito pins Satoshi Kojima after Destino
Time: 13:36
Match Thoughts
This match was not aired on NJPW World.
Show Impressions
A solid show from what I was able to see. Not the best of A Block, but it was very good and entertaining.
Match of the Night
Taichi vs Hiromu Takahashi
I think this one and Ricochet versus Dragon Lee were pretty much equal in terms of quality and entertainment, but I’m picking Taichi and Hiromu because I really liked the dynamic between the two guys. I think it was a little more interesting than Lee and Ricochet.
Standings After Night 6
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Lee | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Marty Scurll | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Will Ospreay (defending champ) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Ricochet | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Taichi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Taka Michinoku | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 | 4 | 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 |