By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors – Night 4”
May 15, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is the second of two nights in this sold-out venue, and it always feels like the wrestlers step up here in front of the hot, packed crowds. Chris Charlton provided solo commentary as the show began.
* This year’s tournament features 20 wrestlers, divided into two Blocks. It is a round-robin tournament, so each competitor has nine matches. The last three years, the top two of each Block have reached a four-man playoff. However, this year, only the Block winners will meet in a finale. (So, someone will need to go 6-3 or possibly even 7-2 to win their Block.) A 5-4 record isn’t going to cut it!) Wins are worth 2 points; draws are 1 point each. We have 10 tournament matches tonight.
* Notable that we don’t have guardrails, which is the signature look of the BoSJ tournament shows, giving the high-flyers more room to move.
1. Sho (2) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (2) in a B Block tournament match. Taguchi came out with a cup and a bottle of wine; he lost a short match in Wednesday’s opener. He chased Sho on the floor. Yujiro Takahashi came out of the back; we haven’t had any contact or a bell yet. Sanada came out a different door and they surrounded Taguchi. I started my stopwatch at first contact. Taguchi hit some low blows and this was all quite cartoonish as they fought on the landing half-way up the seated area of Korakuen. They finally got in the ring and we had a bell at 1:07. Sho hit his head on an exposed corner! Taguchi rolled him up for the pin!
Ryusuke Taguchi (4) defeated Sho (2) at 1:12/official time of 0:05!!!! Charlton said we have a new record for shortest match!
2. Clark Connors (2) vs. Dragon Dia (2) in an A Block tournament match. Connors lost via count-out on Wednesday. Charlton talked about Gabe Kidd’s unexpected appearance in AEW a few hours earlier. This is a first-ever singles match, but they locked up in Super Junior Tag League last year, Charlton said. Connors hit a Pounce, sending Dia to the floor! They fought into the crowd. Connors got a vehicle tire; Dia put it back under the ring. They got back into the ring, where Dia hit a twisting slingshot press at 3:30. Dia hit a DDT. He went for a springboard move, but Connors cut him in half with a flying spear for a believable nearfall. Dia hit a huracanrana and got a rollup for the flash pin! That’s a big upset.
Dragon Dia (4) defeated Clark Connors (2) at 5:31.
3. Yoh (0) vs. Kevin Knight (0) in a B Block tournament match. Charlton said Yoh won a prior BoSJ match against Knight. Seriously… whoever loses here is virtually eliminated at 0-3. They locked up and traded fast-paced reversals. Knight hit a huracanrana, then hit a Triangle Dropkick. Yoh grapevined the leg, but Knight reached the ropes at 2:30. They got up and traded kicks, and Knight hit a backbreaker over his knee. He hit a plancha to the floor on Yoh at 4:00. In the ring, Yoh applied a Figure Four and Knight writhed in pain. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall.
Knight hit a rolling DDT for a nearfall at 7:30. He came off the top rope, but Yoh hit him with a superkick. They traded rollups for believable nearfalls. “Both guys are ‘Oh-and-two’ and are feeling the pressure,” Charlton said. Yoh hit a Dragon Suplex for the pin! He added that “it’s a real stunner” that Knight is 0-3.
Yoh (2) defeated Kevin Knight (0) at 8:23.
4. Kushida (0) vs. Ninja Mack (2) in an A Block tournament match. Fast-paced reversals to open. Kushida tried a huracanrana but Mack rotated and landed on his feet. They got on their knees — the ref too! — for some comedy while doing mat-based reversals; it had the crowd laughing. They flipped over the top rope. Mack hit a springboard double-backflip; he also was barely caught! He leaned into the camera and shouted, “Pat McAfee, you like that?” In the ring, Mack hit a top-rope flying headbutt at 4:00; he was slow to make a cover and only got a nearfall. He tried a hammerlock on Kushida, but Kushida reversed it and applied the Hoverboard Lock!
They traded rollups. Mack hit a dropkick, but he missed a top-rope corkscrew splash. He walked on his hands, but Kushida kicked out an elbow at 5:30. Kushida hit a Shotei palm strike for a nearfall, then the Back To The Future rollup driver for the pin. Charlton noted that everyone in the A Block has a victory now. Charlton said that Mack is too concerned about being in “viral moments” and it has backfired for two straight days.
Kushida (2) defeated Ninja Mack (2) at 5:52.
5. Nick Wayne (4) vs. Robbie Eagles (4) in a B Block tournament match. Wayne came out first and he dove onto the floor on Eagles as Robbie approached the ring. Wayne threw him into the ring – we got a bell to make it official – and Wayne hit a frogsplash for a believable nearfall. (We already had one match end that quickly, so there was no guarantee Robbie was kicking out!) Robbie got up and immediately twisted the left leg and targeted it. Wayne hit some chops and he tied Robbie in a hammerlock. Eagles hit a running elbow to the back of the neck at 4:00. Eagles hit some Yes Kicks to the chest, then some Meteora running double knees in the corner for a nearfall.
Wayne hit a stunner. Eagles hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread for a nearfall, and he immediately applied the Ron Miller Special (Trailer Hitch leg lock), but Wayne reached the ropes at 6:00. Wayne hit a Dragon Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall. Wayne came off the ropes but he jammed his left knee upon landing. Eagles hit a Poison Rana at 7:30. Eagles hit a 619 move onto the knee, then a springboard dropkick on the knee. Wayne hit a superkick and the Wayne’s World fadeaway stunner for the pin! (That is the first time he’s hit Wayne’s World in this tournament; his prior wins have come after a fisherman’s buster.) That was really good.
Nick Wayne (6) defeated Robbie Eagles (4) at 8:21/official time closer to 8:00.
6. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2) vs. Robbie X (2) in an A Block tournament match. Kanemaru came out first; he attacked Robbie as Robbie got on the apron. They fought on the floor and the bell rang. (Where is the consistency? Why didn’t we wait until both men got in the ring before we got a bell, like in the first match?????) They got back into the ring and Kanemaru hit a scoop bodyslam. Robbie was immediately selling pain in his shoulder, and Kanemaru targeted it. Kanemaru hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 3:00. The ref got bumped; Kanemaru took off a boot and struck Robbie in the head with it. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Robbie hit his version of a Lethal Injection, then the top-rope X Express (corkscrew press) for the pin! Short and to the point.
Robbie X (4) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2) at 4:25/official time closer to 4:10.
7. Mao (4) vs. Titan (2) in a B Block tournament match. Quick reversals and a standoff. Mao dropped him with a shoulder tackle. He hit a moonsault to the floor onto Titan and several Young Lions at 1:30. Titan hit a springboard crossbody block, a dropkick, and a dive through the ropes onto Mao at 4:00. Titan hit a springboard frogsplash for a nearfall, and he tied up Mao’s legs, but Mao reached the ropes. Mao dove over the ref to hit a flying stunner at 5:30. Titan hit a tornado DDT and a Buzzsaw Kick, then a top-rope doublestomp to the ribs for a nearfall.
Mao hit a straight punch to the jaw and got booed! They traded strikes and kicks, then forearm strikes, and this crowd was HOT; this has been really good. Mao bounced off the ropes and hit a spinning kick at 9:00. Titan caught Mao’s legs and applied a modified Muta Lock, and Mao tapped out! “What a finish!” Charlton shouted. That was easily the best of the night so far.
Titan (4) defeated Mao (4) at 9:20.
8. Kosei Fujita (4) vs. Master Wato (2) in an A Block tournament match. They shoved each other before the bell and they glared at each other, and the immediately traded forearm strikes! Charlton said Wato, at age 28, feels disrespected by the 22-year-old Fujita. Kosei unloaded a series of chops in the corner at 2:00. “These two guys just do not like one another,” Charlton said. Wato locked in the Vendeval submission hold around the neck and shoulders; Fujita escaped and tied up Wato’s legs and cranked back on his head.
Kosei hit a German Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall at 5:00. Wato mousetrapped the arms and got the seatbelt cover for a nearfall. Fujita hit a second German Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall. Kosei hit his Abandon Hope (pop-up stunner). He put Wato on his shoulders and hit The Thrill Ride (modified Burning Hammer) for the clean pin. That was more decisive than I expected. Kosei is alone at the top of the A Block at 3-0!
Kosei Fujita (6) defeated Master Wato (2) at 7:00 even.
9. Taiji Ishimori (0) vs. El Desperado (2) in a B Block tournament match. Again, this was the finals match last year, with Desperado finally winning his first BoSJ. Desperado set up for a dive to the floor at 1:00, but Ishimori hit a kick to the head to cut him off. Ishimori shoved him head-first into the ring apron. He whipped Desperado into the rows of chairs. In the ring, Taiji stomped on the elbow and he kept Despe grounded as he targeted the damaged left arm. He kept Despe grounded for several minutes, until Desperado hit a back suplex and they were both down at 7:00. Desperado hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip out of the corner.
Charlton talked about how Ishimori really cannot afford to start 0-3. Despe locked in a Stretch Muffler, but Ishimori reached the ropes. Ishimori hit a Crucifix Driver and rolled into the Bone Lock (modified crossface). Nice move! Desperado reached the ropes at 9:30. Ishimori rammed Despe shoulder-first into an exposed turnbuckle, then he hit the shoulder-breaker over his knee, and they were both down. Ishimori again applied a crossface move, but Despe turned it into a Stretch Muffler! However, Ishimori flipped him back over with a seatbelt cover for the clean, flash pin! That was a really good last 3-4 minutes.
Taiji Ishimori (2) defeated El Desperado (2) at 11:49.
10. Hiromu Takahashi (2) vs. Francesco Akira (2) (w/Jakob Austin Young) in an A Block tournament match. Akira ran across the ring at the bell, and they traded forearm strikes. He hit a plancha to the floor on Hiromu and was fired up. He applied a leg lock around the neck as he sat on the ring apron, and they traded forearm strikes on the floor, and he whipped Hiromu into several chairs at ringside. Akira charged, but Takahashi hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex into the empty chairs at 3:00! They continued to fight on the floor, and Akira was again whipped into rows of chairs.
They got back into the ring, where Hiromu unloaded some chops, and he applied a modified Tarantula in the ropes at 5:00. He tied Akira in a Camel Clutch. They got up and Akira hit some chops and forearm strikes. Hiromu went for his standing Figure Four, but Akira scrambled to the ropes. Akira hit a slingshot stunner at 7:00, then a huracanrana and a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Akira hit a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 8:30. Hiromu hit a Falcon Arrow and they were both down. Hiromu hit a second-rope Time Bomb (DVD) for a believable nearfall at 10:30.
Hiromu hit a superkick. Akira nailed a Poison Rana; Hiromu hit a German Suplex; they hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 12:00, and this crowd was HOT. “We’re rocking and rolling here!” Charlton shouted. Akira hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, then a swinging neckbreaker, and he set up for the Fireball double knees, but Hiromu ducked it. Akira hit a Fireball to the face for a believable nearfall at 14:00. Akira again missed Fireball, but Hiromu jumped up and hit his own Fireball! Hiromu hit the Time Bomb swinging sideslam for a believable nearfall.
They traded rollups. Hiromu hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex and a clothesline, but Akira kicked out at one at 16 30! Hiromu put Akira on his shoulders and rammed him head-first into the corner pad, then he hit a swinging sideslam. Hiromu hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Akira tied him up on the mat and cranked an arm behind the back, and Hiromu tapped out! Charlton called it a “Ground Tarantula.” A really good match.
Francesco Akira (4) defeated Hiromu Takahashi (2) at 18:16.
* Akira got on the mic and invited Hiromu to join the United Empire. Hiromu just walked to the back and ignored him. He spoke in Italian, then switched to English, saying he “will only look forward.”
Final Thoughts: When I looked at the lineup, I thought it was strange that the A Block was headlining two straight days; usually they alternate, and on paper, the rematch of last year’s finals should have been the headliner. But then Akira and Hiromu went out there and had a barnburner of a match to show why they got that final slot. I’m not sold that Akira is better than Hiromu, but that is undoubtedly Akira’s best singles match. I’ll go with the shorter Titan-Mao for second, with Ishimori-Desperado for third.
Yeah, I’m a sucker for tournaments. Kevin Knight is 0-3; can he rebound from a slow start? I’ll predict he finishes at least 4-5, possibly 5-4. Nick Wayne and Kosei Fujita are both 3-0; can they keep it up? History says they fade as the tournament goes on, particularly for a U.S. talent making his debut. (Mike Bailey won his Block two years ago, only to lose in the playoffs, while Blake Christian started hot last year but finished at just 5-4.) Wato was the winner of this two years ago but he’s off to a 1-2 start and lost decisively today; how does he recover?
The tournament takes a day off and resumes on Saturday in Tokyo with all 20 competitors in action, featuring Mao vs. Desperado in the main event, plus Kevin Knight vs. Nick Wayne, Titan vs. Ishimori, and Kushida vs. Fujita.
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