By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors – Night 11”
May 27, 2025, in Shizuoka, Japan at Kiramesse Numazu
Streamed live on New Japan World
Like other recent shows, this venue is a large room with no upper deck or tiered seating, so the 800 or so fans were all seated on the floor. The lights were on, and it was easy to see. Walker Stewart provided solo commentary as the show began, but he said Robbie Eagles would be joining him shortly.
* 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. Notably, there were no guardrails, which is the signature look of the BoSJ tournament shows, giving the high-flyers more room to move.
* This is the final night of action for the A Block! Clark Connors, Master Wato, and Hiromu Takahashi are all 5-3. Will someone finish at 6-3, or will there actually have a dreaded five-way tie at 5-4?
* We have four preview tags. I always point out it is (kayfabe) unfair for two guys — Kevin Knight and Ryusuke Taguchi — to have this show off to rest up while everyone else in their Block must compete. (But at least Knight and Taguchi are both eliminated, so it won’t impact who wins the tournament.)
1. Yota Tsuji and Titan vs. Nick Wayne and Daiki Nagai. Nagai and Yota opened. Basic action by all four early on. Nagai bodyslammed Yota for a nearfall at 4:00, then a spinebuster. Wayne and Titan locked up, with Wayne hitting a superkick. Titan hit a spin kick to the jaw and a dive through the ropes onto Nick. In the ring, Tsuji hit a Gene Blaster (spear) and pinned Nagai. Solid.
Yota Tsuji and Titan defeated Nick Wayne and Daiki Nagai at 5:37.
2. Mao and Shoma Kato vs. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi and Sho. The HoT attacked from behind as the babyfaces came through the curtain, and I started my stopwatch at first contact. They brawled at ringside and through rows of hard (non-folding) chairs. Mao held Sho upside down on a cart, and Kato pushed them; it made for a humorous visual. Stewart pointed out we aren’t officially underway yet. They fought on these small push-carts. They got in the ring and we had a bell at 4:35! Mao hit some flying cannonballs on Sho as he was against the ropes. Sho hit a spear at 6:00. Shoma got in and put Yujiro in a Boston Crab. The HoT worked over Kato. Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice implant DDT for the pin. Meh.
Yujiro Takahashi and Sho defeated Mao and Shoma Kato at 8:54/official time of 4:19.
3. Toru Yano and El Desperado vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles and Hartley Jackson. Eagles and Despe opened. Eagles hit a knee drop to the forehead for a nearfall at 2:30. Hartley got in and hit some chops on Desperado. Despe hit a spinebuster at 5:00, and they were both down. Yano tagged in for the first time; he turned around and was startled to see the massive Hartley across the ring from him. Hartley hit a suplex. Robbie hit a senton; Hartley hit a much more devastating senton for a nearfall at 6:30. Eagles hit a plancha to the floor on Desperado. In the ring, Yano hit a low blow mule kick and got a backslide for the tainted pin.
Toru Yano and El Desperado defeated Robbie Eagles and Hartley Jackson at 7:17.
4. “Bullet Club” Taiji Ishimori and Gedo vs. Yoh and Tiger Mask. Ishimori and Yoh opened, then Gedo and TM locked up at 1:30, and those two brawled to the floor. Back in the ring, Gedo was in charge. Ishimori tugged on TM’s mask at 4:30. This match is moving at a glacial pace. TM hit a backbreaker over his knee on Ishimori. Yoh finally got the hot tag and hit some flying forearms. Tiger Mask dove through the ropes onto Ishimori. In the ring, Yoh applied a standing Anaconda Vice and dragged Gedo to the mat, and Gedo tapped out.
Yoh and Tiger Mask defeated Gedo and Taiji Ishimori at 6:34.
* Robbie Eagles joined commentary here.
5. Ninja Mack (6) vs. Dragon Dia (8) in an A Block tournament match. Again, Dia finished last year 1-8, so his four wins are quite an improvement. Both men are about 5’3″, and they traded quick reversals at the bell. Mack nailed the Sasuke Special to the floor at 3:00. Eagles noted he lost to Mack last year and was disappointed they weren’t in the same Block this year to get his win back. In the ring, Mack kept Dia grounded in a crossface submission hold. Dia hit a plancha to the floor. Dia hit an Asai Moonsault at 6:30.
In the ring, Dia leapt off the ropes, but Mack caught him. Mack hit a second-rope Spanish Fly at 8:00, and they were both down. They traded rollups. Dia hit an enzuigiri; Mack hit a superkick. Mack missed his top-rope corkscrew 630 Senton splash. Dia came off the ropes, but Mack caught him with a spin kick to the head for the pin. Good action.
Ninja Mack (8) defeated Dragon Dia (8) at 10:10.
6. Francesco Akira (8) vs. Kushida (8) in an A Block tournament match. Eagles talked about how Akira lost his cool after his loss on Sunday, saying it’s not the way you want to see someone end their tournament. An intense lockup to open. They went to the floor, where Kushida pulled Akira into the ring post at 1:30. Walker noted that Kushida got the win over Akira in last year’s tournament. In the ring, Kushida worked over the left arm and was in charge, and he applied a cross-armbreaker at 4:00. He kicked out the left arm as Akira was holding the top rope.
Akira hit a doublestomp to the chest, then a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 7:00. Akira hit a hard clothesline and was fired up. Kushida hit a suplex, and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Akira hit a Speed Fire (twisting slam) for a nearfall at 9:00, but he missed a Fireball (double knees to the back of the head). Kushida got a backslide for a believable nearfall. Akira hit a superkick. Kushida caught him with a Hoverboard Lock, but Akira reversed it into his Ground Tarantula, and Kushida tapped out. That’s one of the best undercard matches of the whole tournament.
Francesco Akira (10) defeated Kushida (8) at 10:46.
7. Master Wato (10) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) in an A Block tournament match. Kanemaru came out first, and he attacked Wato on the floor. We had a bell at 00:26, even though Wato had not been in the ring. (WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY?) They brawled on the floor. Kanemaru placed a folding chair over a knee, and hit it with another chair. Wato climbed in the ring — for the first time! — at the 19-count at 2:30, but Kanemaru targeted the damaged knee. Wato locked in a Figure Four, but Wato reached the ropes at 6:00.
Wato mousetrapped both arms and got a seatbelt cover for a believable nearfall. Kanemaru kicked out the left knee and again applied a Figure Four. Sho appeared and distracted the ref. It allowed Kanemaru to hit Wato with a whiskey bottle to the knee. Wato wound up tapping out! Sho and Kanemaru continued to beat on Wato until Yoh made the save.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (8) defeated Master Wato (10) at 9:02.
8. Clark Connors (10) vs. Kosei Fujita (8) in an A Block tournament match. Connors hit a shoulder tackle. They brawled to the floor, where Connors whipped Fujita into the rows of chairs. He pulled out the car tire from under the ring; he stood on the apron and threw it down onto Fujita on the floor at 3:00. Ouch! Fujita rolled back into the ring at the 19-count, but Connors attacked and kept Kosei grounded. He hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 5:30. Fujita applied a half-crab and targeted the leg, but Connors reached the ropes at 9:00.
Connors hit a hard clothesline. Fujita hit a German Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall at 11:00, and he was fired up. Connors hit a twisting spinebuster for a nearfall, then a Gore to the kidneys! He hit a Gore to the ribs for a believable nearfall. Connors hit a Blue Thunder Bomb over his knee. Fujita applied the Jungle Boy Snare Trap leg lock, and Connors tapped out! (I was thinking Connors was winning here).
Kosei Fujita (10) defeated Clark Connors (10) at 13:32.
9) Hiromu Takahashi (10) vs. Robbie X (6) in an A Block tournament match. This is a first-time-ever singles match.They fought to the floor at 1:30, and Robbie choked Hiromu with a clothing item. Robbie hit a running somersault and splashed onto Hiromu, who was seated in a chair, at 4:30. They got into the ring, and Robbie was in charge. Robbie shouted at the crowd about how he was “the replacement” (for Bushi, who has left NJPW), clearly upset that he ‘backed his way in’ to the tournament.
Hiromu fired up and hit some chops. Robbie draped Hiromu over the top rope and hit flying knees to the back and got a nearfall at 8:30. Robbie hit a spin kick in the corner and a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Hiromu hit a Death Valley Driver into the corner at 11:30. Robbie X hit a Pele Kick into the corner, but he missed his top-rope Phoenix Splash. Hiromu flipped Robbie into the corner pads, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes.
Robbie went for a Lethal Injection, but Hiromu hit a German Suplex. Robbie popped up and hit his own German Suplex. They hit stereo clotheslines. Robbie hit another Pele Kick; he again went for a Lethal Injection, but Hiromu caught him with a Lungblower, then another clothesline for a nearfall at 14:30. The pace had really picked up. Hiromu hit a Time Bomb (DVD). Robbie finally hit the Lethal Injection. He hit a second one! Robbie hit the X Express (Phoenix Splash) for the pin.
Robbie X (8) defeated Hiromu Takahashi (10) at 15:54.
* And yes, we wound up with a five-way tie at 5-4 after all. I’m baffled at this booking. So who even won the Block???? Through the series of tie-breakers, Kosei Fujita is the winner of the A Block. He came into the ring, but Robbie X was still in there. Robbie noted he beat Kosei, and he wants the first title defense if Kosei wins.
Final Thoughts: I hate this. By having everyone at 5-4 or 4-5, it means no one really stood out. The logical booking entering the day was to have either Connors or Wato win to improve to 6-3… forcing Hiromu to have to win the main event, as he had the tiebreaker over both men. If they wanted Fujita to win the block, just book him to go 6-3, rather than back in to the finals via a convoluted tiebreaker. So lame, so disappointing, such wrong-headed booking I can’t even wrap my head around the stupidity of it all.
After a day off, the B Block wraps up its round-robin action on Thursday. The finals will take place Saturday.
I think you might be mad because you spent every review saying no way was someone who was 5-4 winning the block. Saying Walker was wrong when he was saying the wrestles who had 4 losses weren’t eliminated. It’s ok. Still love the reviews