By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors – Night Twelve”
May 31, 2022 in Toyama, Japan at Toyama Techno Hall West Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This year’s field features two blocks, each with ten wrestlers. This is a round-robin tournament, so everyone will have nine singles matches in this two-week event. (Some nights, there will be 10 tournament matches, and other nights, there will be five tournament matches and a handful of non-tournament matches.) The winner of each block will then meet in the finals on June 3. There are ten tournament matches on this event. This is the final night of block action, with the winners of each block squaring off in the final night of this tournament on Friday.
Kevin Kelly provided commentary solo, and he always does a good job of a running monologue. This was a good sized crowd in a large convention hall, with perhaps 1,000 fans all seated on the floor, with no risers.
Entering this final night, eight wrestlers sit at 3-5. New Japan tends to let these wrestlers win their final night, so a significant number of wrestlers will end this tournament at either 4-5 or 5-4. We’ll see if that happens here. Also, there is a convoluted way that Robbie Eagles wins the tournament if he wins and others lose. Being as he is facing Titan at 3-5, expect Titan to win to get rid of the convoluted tiebreaker possibility.
1. Master Wato (8) defeated Douki (6) in a BOSJ B Block match at 9:49. They immediately traded stiff forearms. Douki hit a plancha and a DDT on the floor, then a top-rope senton. In the ring, Douki applied his modified Triangle Choke at 2:00. Wato fired back with a backbreaker over his knee. Wato nailed an impressive flip dive over the top rope, and they were both down on the floor.
In the ring, Douki hit an enzuigri and a swinging suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Wato hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Douki went back to his Triangle Choke move. Wato powered out, stood up, and hit a tombstone piledriver-type move, and they were both down again at 7:00. They traded more stiff forearms. Douki hit a stiff clothesline, then a slingshot DDT for a nearfall. Wato applied a submission hold on the mat out of nowhere, tying up Douki’s head, and Douki tapped out. Solid match, but Wato didn’t work over the head or neck at all.
2. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (8) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (6) in a BOSJ A Block match at 2:21. My two least favorite wrestlers in the tournament square off, so let’s hope this one is short. Kanemaru jumped Taguchi as he entered the ring. Taguchi hit his mid-ring butt bump. Kanemaru pulled down Taguchi’s pants on a sunset flip attempt to reveal his red underwear. Kanemaru got a rollup for the pin, and I got my wish for a painlessly short match.
3. Bushi (8) defeated El Lindaman (8) in a BOSJ B Block match at 8:30. Intense lockup to start, and Lindaman ripped Bushi’s shirt off. Bushi hit a basement dropkick on Lindaman’s left knee, and he tied up Lindaman on the mat. Lindaman hit a standing neckbreaker out of the corner at 3:30, and they were both down. Bushi hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall and a DDT. Bushi fired back with a running dropkick to the face, and he slammed Lindaman’s head on the mat as Lindaman was tied in the ropes. Lindaman fired back with a belly-to-back suplex, and they were both down at 6:00.
They traded rollups, and Lindaman hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Bushi hit another dropkick on the knee and a Lungblower. Bushi then nailed a Lungblower to the chest for a believable nearfall at 8:00. Bushi then jumped off the second rope, grabbed Lindaman’s head, and hit his Lungblower to the chest for the pin. Solid match, and both men finish the tournament at 4-5.
4. Clark Connors (8) defeated Alex Zayne (8) in a BOSJ A Block match at 7:09. Connors nailed a spear to the back. Zayne rolled to the floor, but Connors nailed a spear to his front, and he got a nearfall in the ring. Connors applied a Full Nelson, and he dominated early. Zayne hit a clothesline at 2:00 and was fired up. Connors went for a Monty Brown Pounce, but Zayne did a summersault to avoid it. Zayne hit a huracanrana. Zayne hit his forward roll-into-a-huracanrana at 3:30.
Connors hit a German Suplex. They fought on the ring apron, and Zayne nailed a powerbomb on the apron, and they both tumbled to the floor at 6:00. Zayne went for his top-rope corkscrew press, but Connors got his legs up. Connors hit a powerslam. Connors nailed his one-handed powerslam for the pin. Really good for the time given. Yet another match where someone with three wins sneaks out a win on the final night.
5. Wheeler Yuta (10) defeated TJP (8) in a BOSJ B Block match at 11:42. They opened with mat reversals, and TJP showed off his heelish swagger. Yuta tied up TJP’s head with a leg-scissors lock. They sped it up with some reversals, and Yuta hit a senton splash at 3:00. TJP hit a modified Northern Lights suplex. TJP tied up the arms and snapped backward on the left arm, and Yuta sold the painful move. TJP immediately went to work on the left arm. TJP applied a Muta Lock, leaning backward to also yank on Yuta’s head. This has been intense back-and-forth mat work.
TJP hit a belly-to-back suplex. Yuta hit an Angle Slam at 9:00, then a Mafia Kick. TJP fired back with a springboard-back-elbow, and both men were down. TJP missed his top-rope frogsplash. Yuta hit his repeated elbow shots to the head, rolled TJP over, and got a nearfall. (That has been a finisher several times here.) TJP escaped and applied an STF, but Wheeler escaped and got a rollup for a nearfall. TJP hit an enziguri. Yuta got a rollup to score the pin. Yuta offered a handshake; TJP slapped it. “That’s about all you’re going to get out of TJP,” Kelly said. At 5-4, Wheeler is the only wrestler on the first half of the show to finish with a winning record.
Intermission
6. Sho (10) defeated Yoh (8) in a BOSJ A Block match at 10:44. The bell sounded, and Sho immediately rolled to the floor and spoke on the mic, but we don’t have a translator today. He headed to the back, then ran to the ring before being counted out. I assume he tried to get Yoh to chase after him and it didn’t work. Yoh hit some quick moves and Sho bailed again. Sho hit Yoh with the bell hammer while the ref was distracted. Sho dragged him to the floor and ran him into a wall at 3:00. Sho hit him with a chair over the back. Sho forced the ref to come back to the ring to make the count. Yoh dove back in before being counted out at 5:00.
They traded stiff forearm shots and Sho hit some hard kicks to the chest and back. Yoh hit a dragon screw leg whip, then a dropkick on the knee, and Sho was hobbled. Yoh began working over the left leg. Sho went for his wrench but the ref took it from him. Sho hit a spear. They each hit a jumping knee to the chest. Yoh hit a hard clothesline at 9:00, and he was fired up. Yoh went for a butterfly suplex, but Sho blocked it. Sho pushed the ref at Yoh, then he hit a low blow with the ref out of position. Sho hit him in the head with the wrench, hit a suplex, and scored the tainted pin.
7. Titan (8) defeated Robbie Eagles (10) in a BOSJ B Block match at 10:55. They took turns tying up each other’s legs on the mat early. They sped it up, ended in a standoff, and shook hands. Eagles hit a huracanrana and a leg lariat at 4:00. They fought on the floor. Titan nailed a dive through the ropes at 6:00. Titan missed a top-rope double stomp to the floor, and he sold pain in his knee upon landing. Eagles nailed a flip dive through the ropes to the floor, with Eagles landing in the front row.
In the ring, Eagles hit a running knee to the chest. Eagles nailed his running double knees in the corner for a nearfall at 8:30, and he applied the Ron Miller Special leg lock, but Titan reached the ropes. Titan fired back with a superkick. Eagles hit a superkick. Titan hit a shoulder breaker over his knee for a nearfall at 10:00. Titan missed a springboard double stomp and again sold the pain in his knee. Eagles hit a springboard dropkick on the knee. Titan tied up Eagles’ legs, rolled him back and got the pin out of nowhere. I expected this outcome, as this eliminated Eagles and means the 9th match will now determine the B Block winner.
8. Francesco Akira (8) defeated Ace Austin (10) via count-out in a BOSJ A Block match at 10:23. Kelly explained that Austin is eliminated but wants that final win. Akira hits a springboard into a stunner move early for a nearfall. Akira hit a stiff kick tonight, and Kelly said Akira is fighting with more aggression tonight.Where has this Akira been all tournament long?” Kelly asked.
Austin fired back with a springboard spin kick to the face at 6:00. Akira hit his roll-through into a double stomp to the chest. Akira nailed the shotgun dropkick into the corner for a nearfall, and he has just dominated this match thus far. Akira hit his modified Pedigree, and he set up for The Fold/spinning faceplant, but Akira avoided it. Akira nailed a second-rope Asai moonsault, and they were both down at 9:30. Kelly noted these are the two youngest men in the tournament.
They fought on the floor. Akira nailed a running double knees from the apron to the floor, and he jumped back in the ring at the 18-count. Austin didn’t stand up before being counted out. Akira grabbed the Impact X Division title and celebrated with it, even though Kelly said the title was not on the line. Good match. After so many fakeouts on countouts all tournament, it was nice to see one actually happen. I also want to point out that no one kicked out of The Fold all tournament, so the finisher was protected as a dangerous move.
9. El Desperado (12) defeated El Phantasmo (12) to win the BOSJ B Block at 19:37. ELP complained about not being in the main event, and he rolled to the floor, saying they were going to go to a time-limit draw. (A draw would mean 1 point each, and ELP advances to the finals.) Kelly was momentarily confused, not realizing the bell had gone off, so the 30-minute time limit had started. They fought on the floor, where Desperado dropped Phantasmo on chairs. Desperado nailed a flip dive through the ropes. In the ring, Desperado tied up Phantasmo’s legs. Phantasmo threw him to the floor at 7:00.
In the ring, ELP hit a faceplant move for a nearfall, then a delayed vertical suplex for another nearfall, then a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 8:30. Desperado fired back with an Angle Slam, and he went for the Stretch Muffler submission hold. Desperado hit a Blue Thunder bomb for a nearfall at 11:30. In an impressive spot, Phantasmo jumped off the top rope and hit a crossbody block several feet from the ring. That was quite a jump.
Back in the ring, Desperado hit a dragon screw leg whip, and he went back to the Stretch Muffler; Phantasmo rolled him over for a nearfall. Desperado again applied the Stretch Muffler, but this time, he had ELP’s hand’s tied up too. Desperado put ELP along his back and hit an inverted tombstone piledriver for a nearfall, and they were both down at 15:30. ELP hit a superkick for a nearfall. Phantasmo hit his modified Styles Clash, but Desperado kicked out. (No one had kicked out of that so far in the tournament.) The crowd was hot and Phantasmo was frustrated.
Phantasmo hit an enzuigri, but he’s hobbling from those leg holds. Desperado hit his Angel’s Wings. He then hit Phantasmo’s modified Styles Clash to score the pin! I love that finish. Very good match, but the outcome was entirely expected. Desperado was the favorite going in, and I never wavered on that.
10. Hiromu Takahashi (12) defeated Taiji Ishimori (12) to win the BOSJ A Block at 22:30. Desperado stayed at ringside to see who he would be facing on Friday. Kelly said Ishimori is 36-17 (.679 winning percentage) in BOSJ, highest of anyone in this year’s field. They immediately brawled on the floor. In the ring, Ishimori hit a basement dropkick on Hiromu’s injured leg, and Ishimori dominated early, and he tied Hiromu up in a sleeper hold. Hiromu nailed a running dropkick from the ring apron to the floor, and they were both down at 6:00.
In the ring, Ishimori slammed Takahashi shoulder-first into the turnbuckle, and Hiromu sold the pain. This has been somewhat methodical, and I’m wondering if they are going to flirt with a time-limit draw (which, like the prior match, would mean Ishimori would win the block). Ishimori went for a handspring-back-elbow, but Hiromu caught him with a German Suplex. However, Ishimori fired back with a Canadian Destroyer at 9:30, and they were both down. They got up and traded stiff forearms. Hiromu nailed the Shotgun dropkick into the corner, then he hit the Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles. Hiromu hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 12:00. Hiromu applied his modified Triangle Choke, but Ishimori reached the ropes.
Ishimori applied his Bonelock/modified STF. Ishimori hit a double kneedrop to the chest for a nearfall at 14:30, and they were both down. Ishimori hit a pop-up powerbomb. However, Hiromu again applied his Triangle Choke. Ishimori hit a jumping knee to the jaw; Hiromu nailed a superkick. Ishimori hit a hard clothesline, and they were both down at 17:30. Ishimori rammed him shoulder-first into the ring post again, then he hit another shoulder breaker over his knee, and Hiromu writhed in pain on the mat.
Ishimori once again applied the Bonelock. Hiromu went back to the Triangle Choke, but Ishimori immediately turned it into a powerbomb, and they were both down at 20:30. Hiromu again applied the Triangle Choke. He hit a stunner and again went back to the choke. After close to a minute, the referee called for the bell, signaling that Ishimori had passed out. Very good match, but I was hoping for high drama of Hiromu becoming desperate in the final minutes to get the win while Ishimori kept an eye on the clock for the draw.
With the win, the finals of the BOSJ on Friday will be El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi. That was the expected outcome when the brackets were announced.
Final Thoughts: Best match goes to the main event, although my preferred booking with the same outcome is better. Desperado-Phantasmo earns second best, with a really good TJP-Yuta match finishing third-best. I know New Japan loves its even-steven booking, but Zayne was so impressive throughout the tournament, and the Japanese fans took to him so well, it is really disappointing to see that loss dropped him to 4-5. Likewise, I totally expected Bushi to beat the far superior El Lindman to also get up to four wins.
Of all the guys who finished with a losing record, I’m most surprised that Francesco Akira had a 4-5 mark, after the great way Will Ospreay introduced him to New Japan fans. As for my pre-show prediction, all wrestlers who were 3-5 won tonight, unless they were facing another wrestler who also had a 3-5 mark.
The show clocked in at just over three hours. The tournament concludes on Friday. The rest of the card (besides Desperado-Hiromu) will be announced in the next day or so.
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