NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 26
Night 10 – A & B Blocks
#njbosj
Event Date: May 26, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Mihama, Chiba, Chiba, Japan
Venue: Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Center – Hall 7
Attendance: 1,515
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 26
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Juice Robinson
Commentary (Japanese): Shunichi Fujisawa, Milano Collection AT, Jushin Thunder Liger
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 5), Makoto Abe (6 – 9)
Video
The competitors of this year’s Best of the Super Jr. tournament are briefly profiled.
Match 1
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Ren Narita (0-6-0: 0) vs Ryusuke Taguchi (4-2-0: 8) (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Ryusuke Taguchi wins via submission with Oh My & Garankle
Time: 7:10
Match Thoughts
Good match. Ren Narita had no time for Taguchi’s usual antics, and the young lion took Taguchi down to the mat early. This was a match dominated by grappling, and I really enjoyed it. It was definitely something different from Taguchi’s normal matches, and it was neat to see. Narita definitely has some mat skills.
Match 2
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-4-0: 4) vs Jonathan Gresham (3-3-0: 6)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Jonathan Gresham wins via submission with an octopus hold
Time: 7:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. Gresham was able to bait Kanemaru into a wrestling match, and that allowed Gresham to avoid Kanemaru’s usual heel tactics. Gresham was also able to dictate the pace and direction of the match, and that allowed him to avoid any real damage to his hurting ribs. This was a nice showcase of Gresham’s skills.
Match 3
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Douki (1-5-0: 2) vs Rocky Romero (2-4-0: 4)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Rocky Romero wins via submission with a cross arm breaker
Time: 10:16
Match Thoughts
Good match. Douki looked surprisingly good again tonight. In these last two matches Douki has shown his mat skills and technical ability, and he’s not bad at all. Rocky came into this match with a hurt leg, and Juice Robinson put Romero’s injury over even more with his commentary, saying Rocky’s leg is purple from hip to knee. Rocky was noticeably slower tonight than in previous matches, and that kind of forced the match to mostly take place down on the mat. This was a nice display of skill from both men, and I really liked how they worked into the finish.
Match 4
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Marty Scurll (3-3-0: 6) w/ Brody King (ROH 6 Man Tag Champs) vs Titan (2-4-0: 4)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Marty Scurll wins via pinfall after the Black Plague
Time: 10:29
Match Thoughts
Good match. Titan looked strong tonight, but Scurll also looked really good. Both men seemed to step up late in the tournament. Scurll did have some shenanigans on his side in the form of Brody King, but for the most part Scurll fought a clean match. Titan was hitting a lot of strong moves, and Scurll was able to keep up and give it back to Titan. This was close all the way up until the last minute or so. It’s too bad someone had to lose, because I think they both deserved to win.
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
BUSHI (3-3-0: 6) vs Bandido (3-3-0: 6)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: BUSHI wins via pinfall after MX
Time: 8:36
Match Thoughts
Good match. BUSHI has been on a roll in the last few rounds, and he looked very strong again tonight. Bandido came into this match with some great moves, but BUSHI always seemed to find a way to come back and match Bandido’s offense. As the match entered the late stages, BUSHI began to pull ahead with some nice combos. This match was mildly surprising, and it was quite good.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Shingo Takagi (6-0-0: 12) vs Tiger Mask (2-4-0: 4)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Shingo Takagi wins via pinfall after Last of the Dragon
Time: 9:22
Match Thoughts
Good match. Tiger Mask brought a good fight, but the cumulative damage he’s sustained throughout the tournament seems to be catching up to him. Tiger Mask went down early from a kick from Shingo, and Tiger seemed hurt. He also seemed to be baiting Shingo though. Tiger Mask used some trickery and more than a few nice submission attempts to try to take Shingo out. Shingo struggled somewhat at times, but as the match went longer, it felt like the fight was more about Tiger Mask’s heart rather than whether or not he could beat Shingo.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
El Phantasmo (5-1-0: 10) (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) vs Yoh (3-3-0: 6) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Yoh wins via pinfall with an O’Connor roll
Time: 12:03
Match Thoughts
Good match. El Phantasmo attacked Yoh before the opening bell, and that caused Yoh to struggle for the majority of this match. El Phantasmo was methodical in his assualt on Yoh, and it seemed clear that ELP’s loss to Rocky Romero was still bothering him. ELP mocked Romero at times in the match, and he was out to embarrass Yoh. That approach gave Yoh an opening to capitalize on ELP who was distracted and hurting. I think the match as a whole was pretty good, but the finish definitely elevated it.
Ring Area
As they get ready for the next match, the commentators mention that TAKA Michinoku is injured, so he has to forfeit his match scheduled tonight against Dragon Lee. Dragon Lee will get two points for the forfeit win.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 26 B Block Match
Robbie Eagles (4-2-0: 8) vs Will Ospreay (5-1-0: 10)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Robbie Eagles wins via submission with the Ron Miller Special
Time: 28:01
Match Thoughts
Great match. Despite some shenanigans very late in the match from El Phantasmo, this was a great match. Ospreay and Eagles have a history with each other, and the commentators did a very good job of telling us about it and making it matter in the match. The action was great. It’s clear that Eagles and Ospreay know each other very well. They were going counter for counter throughout the whole match, and their exchanges were fantastic to watch. Eagles knew how to beat Ospreay, and Ospreay knew how to beat Eagles, so this was a high-flying, hard-hitting match that came down to sheer will. I hope they have a rematch.
Ring Area
The mysterious video again plays for Juice Robinson. Juice angrily says that he thinks he knows who they mystery man behind the videos is. Juice challenges the man to show up and get beat up, then Juice walks away from the announce table and heads to the backstage area.
Match 9
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Taiji Ishimori (5-1-0: 10) vs Sho (3-3-0: 6) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Taiji Ishimori wins via pinfall after the Bloody Cross
Time: 20:27
Match Thoughts
Good match. For Ishimori to realistically have a chance of winning the tournament, he had to win this match. Everyone else has already been eliminated by Shingo’s undefeated streak. So for Ishimori, the goal was clear. He needed to take his time and dominate Sho with power and speed. For Sho, it felt like he just wanted to get some points so he could make up for what might be a disappointing tournament. Sho has had great showings in every match, but he hasn’t gotten as many wins as people might have expected. A Block is tough though. This match was also tough. The pace was methodical throughout, and both men just tried to wear each other down.
Show Impressions
This was another good show. With A Block down to two people, that side of the tournament is mostly about personal victories. B Block is still all jammed up, and some of the one on one victories are super important since it seems like it might come down to a tie of some sort in the end.
Match of the Night
Robbie Eagles vs Will Ospreay
This match had some of the best flying and most fun sequences of dodging and countering the the whole tournament. It was also nicely emotional. I didn’t know the story between these two guys before the match, but by the end of it I was fully informed and invested.
Standings After Night 10
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shingo Takagi | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Taiji Ishimori | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Dragon Lee (Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Champ) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Jonathan Gresham | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Sho (Jr. Tag Champ) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Titan | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| TAKA Michinoku | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Phantasmo (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Robbie Eagles | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Will Ospreay | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| BUSHI | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Yoh (Jr. Tag Champ) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Bandido | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Rocky Romero | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Douki | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Ren Narita | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/186445?showResult=1