NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 25
Event Date: May 19, 2018 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 1,721
Presented By: Fire Pro Wrestling World
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 25
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly
Commentary (Japanese): Jushin Thunder Liger, Milano Collection AT
Ring Announcer: Makoto Abe (1 – 4), Kimihiko Ozaki (5 – 8)
Video
This year’s B-block competitors are introduced.
Match 1
Yota Tsuji vs Shota Umino
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Shota Umino wins via submission with a Boston crab
Time: 7:26
Match Thoughts
This was a good opener. Kevin Kelly said Tsuji was a last minute replacement for Ren Narita, and Tsuji looked like he wanted to make the best of this opportunity. He fought hard and showed a lot of heart as Umino started to dominate towards the end of the match. I liked this.
Match 2
Tomoyuki Oka & Tiger Mask & ACH (AAW Heavyweight Champ) vs YOSHI-HASHI & YOH & Will Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: YOSHI-HASHI forces Tomoyuki Oka to submit to a butterfly lock
Time: 11:06
Match Thoughts
Good match. There wasn’t any real story or direction throughout the match, but the action was fun to watch. The segments with ACH and Will Ospreay against each other were probably the best.
Match 3
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) & Minoru Suzuki vs Toa Henare & Flip Gordon
(referee: Tiger Hattori)
Result: Minoru Suzuki pins Toa Henare after a Gotch style piledriver
Time: 11:16
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Henare seemed a little outclassed in this, and Suzuki never really broke a sweat. Still, the match was entertaining. Flip Gordon did his thing early in the match, but as the match went on the more Suzuki started hurting people. One Henare got into the ring alone with Suzuki, it was clear that the end was near.
Match 4
Chase Owens & Taiji Ishimori vs SANADA (IWGP Tag Champ) & BUSHI
(referee: Tiger Hattori)
Result: SANADA forces Chase Owens to submit to Skull End
Time: 9:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. I think this might have had the most personality of the night so far. Chase Owens got kind of goofy at times, going so far as to ask Milano Collection AT at ringside about how to apply the Paradise Lock and then failing. I liked the match though, even if it did feel a little light on the action.
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B-Block Match
Sho (0-0-0 : 0) vs Dragon Lee (0-0-0 : 0)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Dragon Lee wins via pinfall after Desnucadora (modified sit-put powerbomb)
Time: 17:31
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This started with a burst of speed and aggression from both men. They both wanted to start strong, and they both did. As the match went on, both men displayed their strength more and more. There were lots of strikes and power moves throughout this fight. I was impressed by both of them equally. Late in the match, Sho started going for a cross arm breaker more and more. Show seemed to be pulling ahead, though at times it felt like they would go to a time limit draw. I liked the finish to this, although I do kind of wish the decision had gone the other way. This was a great start to the B Block matches though.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B-Block Match
El Desperado (0-0-0 : 0) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) vs Ryusuke Taguchi (0-0-0 : 0)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: El Desperado wins via pinfall with El Es Claro (after a low blow)
Time: 13:17
Match Thoughts
This was a fun match. You can tell Taguchi is serious about a match when he performs moves besides hip attacks. He started with hip attacks in this one (after the initial brawling from Desperado), but he moved on to a wider variety of moves as the match went along. Taguchi looked good, and it seemed to keep Desperado off balance throughout much of the match. Unfortunately for Taguchi, Desperado is really good at cheating. So good in fact, that El Desperado has forced me to write something I never thought I would: I saw a chair shot to the taint in this match.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B-Block Match
Chris Sabin (0-0-0 : 0) vs KUSHIDA (0-0-0 : 0)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Chris Sabin wins via pinfall after All Hail Sabin (cross-legged Samoan driver)
Time: 13:47
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a very technical match, with both men trying to out-counter each other. There were a number of standoffs and submission attempts. I liked this match a lot in contrast to the previous tournament matches tonight. This was a strong first match for both competitors, and I think the winner needed this victory to help boost his chances going forward.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B-Block Match
Marty Scurll (0-0-0 : 0) (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champ) vs Hiromu Takahashi (0-0-0 : 0)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Hiromu Takahashi wins via Referee Stoppage with a triangle choke
Time: 20:47
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This match started off with some posturing from both guys, but it started to get serious pretty quickly. Both men seemed to continually be looking for big, devastating moves to get an advantage. Scurll eventually started to get more big moves, but Takahashi did get a few of his own. Even so, Scurll began to dominate late in the match. Takahashi seemed to be on his way to a defeat, but that led to a nice counter-filled finish that surprised me a little. I think this match had the best finish of the night.
Show Impressions
This was a very nice start to the B-Block. The opening tag matches felt a bit like an afterthought for the most part, but the tournament matches were all quite good in their own ways.
Match of the Night
Marty Scurll vs Hiromu Takahashi
I really liked the Dragon Lee/Sho match as well, but the last few minutes of the main event were the best part of the night.
Standings After Night 2
Block A
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACH | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Taiji Ishimori | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Yoh | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| BUSHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Flip Gordon | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Will Ospreay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Sabin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dragon Lee | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| El Desperado | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| KUSHIDA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Marty Scurll | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sho | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Official Results: https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/136575?showResult=1