May 26, 2017
published on NJPW World
(taped May 26, 2017)
City: Nagano, Nagano, Japan
Venue: Nagano Sports Park Gymnasium
Attendance: 913
Series: Best of the Super Jr. 24
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Makoto Abe, Kimihiko Ozaki
Notes: stationary camera, only tournament matches published on NJPW World
Match 1
Shota Umino & Tomoyuki Oka & Tiger Mask vs Tetsuhiro Yagi & Katsuya Kitamura & Volador Jr.
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Tomoyuki Oka forces Tetsuhiro Yagi to submit to a Boston Crab
Time: 8:01
Match Thoughts
This match was not published on NJPW World.
Match 2
Hirai Kawato & ACH vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: El Desperado pins Hirai Kawato after Pinche Loco (sitout lifting double underhook facebuster)
Time: 9:54
Match Thoughts
This match was not published on NJPW World.
Match 3
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Taichi w/ El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs Marty Scurll
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Taichi wins via pinfall with a Taichi Shiki Gedo Clutch
Time: 9:25
Match Thoughts
This was pretty entertaining. Taichi attacked Scurll before the bell and proceeded to brawl outside the ring. El Desperado and Kanemaru joined in, so the first part of this match was essentially three on one. The ref let a lot go, including interference and chair shots. Scurll and Taichi eventually made it into the ring, and Scurll started to mount a comeback. Taichi kept cheating his way out of predicaments though, which led to a nice but not too surprising finish.
Match 4
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Ricochet vs Jushin Thunder Liger
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Ricochet wins via pinfall after King’s Landing (lifting reverse STO)
Time: 9:04
Match Thoughts
Good match. This one built nicely and you could feel the energy of the crowd increase as it went along. Ricochet and Liger traded holds early, then gradually moved on to hitting bigger moves. Ricochet would slowly gain the upper hand and Liger would keep finding ways to kick out as the match went along.
Match 5
David Finlay & War Machine (IWGP Tag Champs) vs Yujiro Takahashi & Tanga Roa & Tama Tonga
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Yujiro Takahashi pins David Finlay after Pimp Juice (kneeling snap DDT)
Time: 7:06
Match Thoughts
This match was not published on NJPW World.
Match 6
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
TAKA Michinoku vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Hiromu Takahashi wins via pinfall after a Time Bomb
Time: 9:25
Match Thoughts
Good match. TAKA started being devious right away by faking a leg injury early in the match. He also tried to win quickly by putting Takahashi in a leg submission on the floor in an attempt to get him counted out. Neither worked and the two men fought a fairly even match after that. The traded moves, strikes, and pin attempts at an increasing pace until one of them hit a big move for the win.
Match 7
Best of the Super Jr. 24 A Block Match
Will Ospreay vs Dragon Lee
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: Will Ospreay wins via pinfall after an OsCutter
Time: 10:05
Match Thoughts
Very good match. As expected, there was a lot of flying in this one. The pace was also quite high throughout. Both men traded some nice moves which led to some exciting sequences. The momentum shifted far enough in either direction so that I wasn’t quite sure who would win up until the very end of the match.
Match 8
KUSHIDA (ROH TV Champ) & Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson & Satoshi Kojima vs BUSHI & EVIL & SANADA (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champs) & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: BUSHI pins KUSHIDA after MX (diving double knee facebreaker)
Time: 13:00
Match Thoughts
This match was not published on NJPW World.
Show Impressions
Ospreay and Dragon Lee stole the show tonight. The other tournament matches were fine, but I don’t think any of them were necessarily standouts. Ospreay and Lee stood out.
Match of the Night
Will Ospreay vs Dragon Lee
Easily the best of the night.
Standings After Night 8
Block A
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Ospreay (defending champ) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Dragon Lee | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Hiromu Takahashi | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Marty Scurll | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Ricochet | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Taichi | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Taka Michinoku | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Jushin Thunder Liger | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Desperado | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| ACH | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Tiger Mask | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Volador Jr. | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Bushi | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| KUSHIDA | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |