NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 26
Night 2 – B Block
#njbosj
Event Date: May 14, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Miyagino, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Venue: Sendai SunPlaza Hall
Attendance: 1,293
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 26
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Caprice Coleman
Commentary (Japanese): Milano Collection AT, Haruo Murata, Jushin Thunder Liger (5 – 9)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 4), Makoto Abe (5 – 9)
Video
The competitors in this year’s Best of the Super Jr. Tournament are briefly profiled.
Match 1
Taichi (NEVER Openweight Champ) & TAKA Michinoku & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs Yota Tsuji & Jonathan Gresham & Tiger Mask
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Taichi forces Yota Tsuji to submit to the Holy Emperor’s Tomb (stretch plum)
Time: 8:46
Match Thoughts
This was a good opener. Gresham started the match with a nice segment with TAKA. Suzuki Gun began to use their superior teamwork to get an advantage, and that led to Tiger Mask and Tsuji each taking turns doing the best they could to hold off the attack. This match felt like a warm-up, but there were some mild previews for the next round of A-block matches.
Ring Area
After the match, Suzuki Gun brawls. TAKA and Kanemaru manage to completely remove Tiger Mask’s mask. Kanemaru leaves with the mask in his hand.
Ring Area
Shota Umino and Sho head to the ring for the next match. Dragon Lee and Juice Robinson come out next, but before the opening bell, another video directed at Juice is shown. “Time’s Up” for Juice.
Match 2
Shota Umino & Sho (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) vs Dragon Lee (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) & Juice Robinson (IWGP US Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Juice Robinson forces Shota Umino to submit to a Boston crab
Time: 9:23
Match Thoughts
Good match. Sho came into the match with a hurt shoulder, and Juice seemed distracted by the video shown before the match, so both teams had some disadvantages right from the start. Also, Sho and Dragon Lee seemed more focused on just hitting each other rather than winning the match, so it felt like Umino was the only person really focused on the task at hand. Umino looked good, and he had some nice moments where he outsmarted Juice. Ultimately though, it was no surprise who took the fall in this match. This did give a good preview for Lee versus Sho though. It could very well be another hard-hitting fight for Sho.
Ring Area
After the match, Sho and Dragon Lee refuse to stop fighting at ringside. Eventually, after brawling into the crowd, the two men are pulled apart.
Match 3
Gedo & Taiji Ishimori vs Brody King & Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Tag Champs)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Marty Scurll pins Gedo after the Black Plague
Time: 7:12
Match Thoughts
Good match. Bullet Club started off with an attack before the bell, and that put Scurll in jeopardy early. Villain Enterprises would mount a comeback though, and Brody King played a huge role in helping Scurll take care of business tonight.
Match 4
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs Toa Henare & Titan
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Tetsuya Naito pins Toa Henare after Destino
Time: 7:46
Match Thoughts
Good match. Shingo and Titan paired off, and Naito and Henare paired off almost exclusively throughout this match. The action was fast-paced throughout, and it felt a little short considering its place on the show. Shingo tended to get the better of Titan in what was an interesting preview for their upcoming tournament match. Henare did well in the match, but he was no match for Naito tonight. Naito had an easy night of it.
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Douki (0-0-0: 0) vs Ren Narita (0-0-0: 0)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Douki wins via pinfall with Suplex del la Luna (wheelbarrow into a bridging German suplex)
Time: 10:15
Match Thoughts
Good match. I don’t have much hope for Narita getting many (or any) wins in the tournament, but he had a good showing tonight. Douki cheated a lot early on, taking Narita outside and using weapons on the young lion, but Narita’s heart pushed him through to mount a comeback. Narita had some near falls towards the end of the match that sparked some hope. It wasn’t always pretty, but this was a good start for both men.
Ring Area
After the match, Taichi holds Narita while Douki attacks Narita with a pipe.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Robbie Eagles (0-0-0: 0) vs Rocky Romero (0-0-0: 0)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Robbie Eagles wins via submission with the Ron Miller Special
Time: 13:56
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I feel like Rocky was the sentimental favorite in this match. Rocky started fast and strong, but Eagles was up for the challenge. Eagles showed a lot of precision in his attacks, and he eventually focused on Romero’s leg. Eagles went for other opportunities as well, but he kept going back to the leg. The damage done to Rocky’s leg began to hinder him more and more as the match went on, but Romero kept fighting and kept hitting some big moves to keep himself in the match. I really enjoyed watching this match unfold.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
El Phantasmo (0-0-0: 0) (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) vs Bandido (0-0-0: 0)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: El Phantasmo wins via pinfall after Greetings From Chasewood Park (arm-trap kneeling facebuster)
Time: 12:05
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was a high flying contest. Both men took to the top rope many times throughout the match, and both men looked very good. It was tough to pick a winner all the way up until the final few seconds. The advantage went back and forth multiple times. The finish was a bit dirty, but I think it works well for the characters involved.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
BUSHI (0-0-0: 0) vs Will Ospreay (0-0-0: 0)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Will Ospreay wins via pinfall after Stormbreaker
Time: 16:36
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Ospreay’s neck became an issue within minutes of the start of the match. BUSHI capitalized on Ospreay’s pain as best he could, going after Will’s head and neck with moves such as a draping DDT onto the edge of the ring. Ospreay struggled at times, but he knows BUSHI very well, and that allowed Ospreay to anticipate some of BUSHI’s moves and tactics. The excitement built up and ballooned during the final few minutes of the match. This was a satisfying match to watch, though it makes me wonder about Ospreay’s long-term chances in a tournament like this.
Match 9
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Yoh (0-0-0: 0) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) vs Ryusuke Taguchi (0-0-0: 0)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Rysuke Taguchi wins via pinfall after Dodon The End
Time: 20:40
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was a fun main event. Taguchi brought some comedy early in the match, but he was mostly serious tonight. Taguchi struggled against Yoh early, but Taguchi started to put together more and more offense the longer the match went. It almost always felt like Yoh was in more control, but Taguchi’s bursts of offense excited the crowd and fueled even more offense. This was a light, fun match and a nice way to end night two.
Show Impressions
I think night one was a bit more entertaining, but night two was a lot of fun as well. I think there are a few clear favorites in A block, but I don’t really see any in B block. That could make B block the closer and more interesting half of the tournament.
Match of the Night
Robbie Eagles vs Rocky Romero
This was a tough choice. I think any of the final four matches tonight were about equally as good as each other. I think I picked this one because it surprised me a little. I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.
Standings After Night 2
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Champ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Shingo Takagi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Taiji Ishimori | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tiger Mask | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Titan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dragon Lee (Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Gresham | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sho (Jr. Tag Champ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TAKA Michinoku | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douki | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| El Phantasmo (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Robbie Eagles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Will Ospreay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bandido | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| BUSHI | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ren Narita | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocky Romero | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Yoh (Jr. Tag Champ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/186439?showResult=1