NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 26
Night 14 – B Block
#njbosj
Event Date: June 3, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Kita, Okayama, Okayama, Japan
Venue: Zip Arena Okayama
Attendance: 1,773
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 26
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Gino Gambino
Commentary (Japanese): Haruo Murata, Milano Collection AT, Jushin Thunder Liger
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 4), Makoto Abe (5 – 9)
Video
The competitors in B Block of this year’s Best of the Super Jr. tournament are briefly profiled.
Match 1
Jonathan Gresham & Sho (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ) vs Yuya Uemura & Tiger Mask
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Sho forces Yuya Uemura to submit to a Boston crab
Time: 9:43
Match Thoughts
Good match. I like the team of Gresham and Sho. Gresham wrestled Uemura and started working on his lower body, then Sho came in and powered Uemura down so he could follow up on Gresham’s work. Tiger Mask occupied Gresham after a while, but SHo and Gresham did a good job of isolating the young lion.
Match 2
Brody King & Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Tag Champs) vs Toa Henare & Juice Robinson (IWGP US Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Juice Robinson pins Brody King after Pulp Friction
Time: 8:27
Match Thoughts
Good match. Juice and Marty started the match against each other, and they had a little fun making fun of each other. This match was lighthearted in tone, but serious in action. I quite enjoyed it.
Match 3
Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi (NEVER Openweight Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Yoshinobu Kanemaru pins Shota Umino after Deep Impact
Time: 8:55
Match Thoughts
Good match. The main focus here was to build some tension and aggression for the NEVER Openweight Title match between Ishii and Taichi. Taichi brawled with Ishii and hit at least one low blow on him, and in that way Taichi had an advantage over Ishii for most of this match. Eventually their fight went out to the floor, and Kanemaru finished the match with Umino.
Match 4
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs Titan & Dragon Lee (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Shingo Takagi pins Titan after Last of the Dragon
Time: 8:48
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Since Shingo won A Block, this might have been a preview match for the upcoming Jr. Heavyweight Title match at Dominion. Regardless, this was a lot of fun. Both teams worked well together, but Naito and Shingo definitely had the better teamwork as the match went along. Titan got isolated after a while, and he was punished by LIJ. This was a pretty dominant performance from Naito and Shingo.
Ring Area
After the match, Shingo rips of Titan’s mask. As some of the young lions cover Titan’s face, Naito gets into the ring and puts on Titan’s mask. Shingo and Naito pose with Titan’s mask, then Naito throws the mask out into the crowd. Naito then goes and rips off Dragon Lee’s mask as well. Naito throws Lee’s mask into the crowd, but Shingo looked like he wanted to put it on. After Naito and Shingo leave the ring, Titan and Dragon Lee end up putting on each other’s masks.
Match 5
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B Block Match
BUSHI (5-3-0: 10) vs Ren Narita (0-8-0: 0)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: BUSHI wins via pinfall after MX
Time: 9:08
Match Thoughts
Good match. I was really pulling hard for Narita in this one. I like BUSHI, but it’s really easy to want to see him lose. BUSHI is on the hottest streak in B Block, and it would have been great for Narita to get his one and only win in the last night on the hottest guy. Narita did better than Narita early when they were mat wrestling, but the experience of BUSHI came into play pretty quickly after the opening sequences. Narita still had some good moments and some hopeful near falls, but BUSHI is on fire right now. This was a strong finish for both men.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B Block Match
Bandido (4-4-0: 8) vs Rocky Romero (3-5-0: 6)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Bandido wins via pinfall with the 21 Plex
Time: 11:30
Match Thoughts
Good match. Bandido and Rocky started the match with some nice technical lucha exchanges, then they moved on to higher impact moves and strikes. Bandido started to focus on Rocky’s leg, and that seemed to be the difference-maker in the match. Rocky fought valiantly and kept going for a cross arm breaker, but Bandido’s attacks seemed to be doing more damage. I was really hoping for Rocky to pull out one last win, but I also wanted to see Bandido end strongly, so I was split in this matchup.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B Block Match
Robbie Eagles (5-3-0: 10) vs Yoh (5-3-0: 10) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Yoh wins via pinfall with a bridging dragon suplex
Time: 11:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. Eagles looked strong and was able to avoid or counter a lot of Yoh’s moves throughout the match. Eagles did seem to be a step or two slower than usual tonight though. Eagles was still fast and precise, he was just maybe a bit slower than he usually is, and that cost him against Yoh. Yoh was looking to finish strong, and he fought as hard as he has in the entire tournament. This was a good matchup, and I’d like to see a rematch, or maybe Eagles and Phantasmo challenging SHo and Yoh for the Jr. Tag Titles.
Match 8
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B Block Match
Douki (1-7-0: 2) vs El Phantasmo (5-3-0: 10) (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: El Phantasmo wins via pinfall after CRII
Time: 13:13
Match Thoughts
Good match. These are the two most loathed men in B Block (and probably the whole tournament). I was actually hoping for a no contest or double DQ as the match was starting. Instead we got a good match from two jerks. THere was one scary moment when both men fell from the top turnbuckle, but other than that the match was entertaining. It was a nice mix of high-flying and rule breaking. El Phantasmo removed Douki’s mask at one point, and I wonder why that wasn’t a DQ, but regardless, I liked the match.
Match 9
Best of the Super Jr. 25 B Block Match
Will Ospreay (6-2-0: 12) vs Ryusuke Taguchi (6-2-0: 12) (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Will Ospreay wins via pinfall after Stormbreaker, Ospreay wins B Block
Time: 22:18
Match Thoughts
Great match. There was a little lightness early in the match, but Ospreay paid for getting cute. After that, the match was serious all the way through. Taguchi still hit a fair amount of hip attacks, but there wasn’t really any of the goofing around that we’re used to seeing in Taguchi’s matches. Taguchi and Ospreay went back and forth, each of them hitting about the same amount of offense on each other. The last few minutes of the match were great. Taguchi kept going for the ankle lock while Ospreay tired to string together a solid series of offensive moves. This was a great way to end the block portion of the tournament.
Show Impressions
B Block ended with four about equally good matches and one great main event. I’m excited for the finals!
Match of the Night
Will Ospreay vs Ryusuke Taguchi
Ospreay never fails to deliver, and Taguchi never fails to provide a fun and entertaining match. This match was probably more tense than the final match of A Block.
Standings After Night 14
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shingo Takagi | 9 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Taiji Ishimori | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Dragon Lee (Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Sho (Jr. Tag Champ) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Marty Scurll (ROH 6 Man Champ) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Jonathan Gresham | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Titan | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| TAKA Michinoku | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Ospreay | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Yoh (Jr. Tag Champ) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| El Phantasmo (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| BUSHI | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Robbie Eagles | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Bandido | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Rocky Romero | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Douki | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Ren Narita | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/186477?showResult=1