NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 26
Night 11 – A Block
#njbosj
Event Date: May 29, 2019 (18:00 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Atsuta, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Venue: Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
Attendance: 1,363
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 26
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Gino Gambino
Commentary (Japanese): Shigeki Kiyono, Milano Collection AT, Taichi (5 – 8)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 4), Makoto Abe (5 – 8)
Video
The competitors in A Block of this year’s Best of the Super Jr. tournament are briefly profiled.
Match 1
Yota Tsuji & Ren Narita vs Tomohiro Ishii & Yoh (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Tomohiro Ishii forces Yota Tsuji to submit to a Boston crab
Time: 11:25
Match Thoughts
This was a good opener. Yoh and Tsuji spent the most of the time in the ring, but Ishii ended the match with Tsuji. Tsuji wanted Ishii the entire time, and though he did well at times, Tsuji got more than he could handle. This was a nice warmup.
Match 2
Gedo & Jado & Robbie Eagles & El Phantasmo (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) vs Yuya Uemura & Bandido & Juice Robinson (IWGP US Champ) & Ryusuke Taguchi (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Juice Robinson pins Gedo after Pulp Friction
Time: 9:49
Match Thoughts
This was fun. Eagles and Bandido started the match, and they gave us a good preview for their upcoming match. After that, everyone kind of took turns coming in and out of the ring until Gedo and Juice ended up staying in the ring against each other for a substantial amount of time. It was good to see Juice finally happy since it was revealed that John Moxley is the one who has been stalking him via video.
Match 3
Taichi (NEVER Openweight Champ) & Douki vs Shota Umino & Will Ospreay
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Taichi pins Shota Umino after a superkick
Time: 7:56
Match Thoughts
Good match. Douki sole purpose seemed to be to hurt Ospreay before their upcoming match. He didn’t get that job done during the match, but he might have done it right after the match. Other than that, Umino looked pretty good against Taichi, but the NEVER Openweight Champ didn’t really have any trouble dealing with the young lion. It just maybe took Taichi a little longer to put Umino away than he thought it would.
Match 4
Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI vs Toa Henare & Rocky Romero
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Tetsuya Naito pins Toa Henare after Destino
Time: 9:05
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was practically a clinic for LIJ. After a while, Toa Henare tagged into the match and he got completely isolated by Naito and BUSHI. Henare got destroyed by the teamwork of LIJ.
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Titan (2-5-0: 4) vs Sho (3-4-0: 6) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Sho wins via pinfall after the Shock Arrow
Time: 11:05
Match Thoughts
Good match. Titan came to the ring with his knee heavily wrapped, and the commentators said Titan revealed that he’s been dealing with knee issues the entire tournament. After a fast start, Titan eventually settled on trying to use Sho’s taped elbow to his advantage. Sho’s strength was too much for Titan for much of the match though. At this point in the tournament, this match was all about pride for both men.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Taiji Ishimori (6-1-0: 12) vs Tiger Mask (2-5-0: 4)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Taiji Ishimori wins via submission with the Yes Lock
Time: 4:34
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. The action was good, but the match was surprisingly short. Ishimori wanted this one to be done quickly, so he started with an attack right at the opening bell. Tiger Mask turned the tables, but Ishimori got back into control with a precise attack on Tiger Mask. The finish was good, but it was surprising because of its suddenness.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Shingo Takagi (7-0-0: 14) vs Jonathan Gresham (4-3-0: 8)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Shingo Takagi wins via pinfall after Last of the Dragon
Time: 11:11
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Gresham’s rubs seemed to be hurting more than ever in tonight’s match, and Shingo definitely took notice of that. Gresham tried to bait Shingo into wrestling, but Shingo was more interested in just punishing Gresham with his power. Gresham started to make some headway as the match went longer, and he put Shingo in trouble a few times. Shingo’s power and steadfast commitment to wrestling his own match rather than Gresham’s was the biggest difference maker here though.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 26 A Block Match
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-5-0: 4) vs Dragon Lee (5-2-0: 10) (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Dragon Lee wins via pinfall after Desnucadora
Time: 14:02
Match Thoughts
Good match. Both men have been eliminated from the tournament before this match started, but Dragon Lee still needs to keep winning to prevent anyone else from getting a title shot against him. Kanemaru just wants to be a huge jerk and ruin Dragon Lee’s night. Taichi was at the announce table, so unsurprisingly, Taichi got involved. There were a whole lot of shenanigans in this match, but it was fun.
Show Impressions
With A Block realistically down to one match between Shingo and Ishimori before tonight even started, tonight’s show didn’t mean much. It was still an entertaining event, but it was definitely one of the lighter shows of the entire tour.
Match of the Night
Jonathan Gresham vs Shingo Takagi
The finish felt inevitable, but Gresham gave a good fight despite some seemingly insurmountable odds.
Standings After Night 11
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shingo Takagi | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Taiji Ishimori | 7 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Dragon Lee (Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Champ) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Jonathan Gresham | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Sho (Jr. Tag Champ) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Titan | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| TAKA Michinoku | 0 | 8 | 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/186447?showResult=1