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Best of the Super Juniors Day 8, May 23, Korakuen Hall:
B Block
El Phantasmo defeated Ren Narita. Very good opener. ELP controlled this from the start as he played the arrogant heel, thinking he was above the young lion. He did the ridiculously stupid rope walk spot, but thankfully Narita countered into a belly to belly. Narita hit a perfect bridging German suplex for a near fall. Narita countered CR2 a couple of times, once into a Boston Crab, which ELP had to battle out of. ELP got the win with a splash from the top rope. After the bell he hit Narita with CR2. This was an excellent showing from Narita.
A Block
Titan defeated TAKA Michinoku. Decent match with an unfortunate blown finish. TAKA dominated this early on as he grounded Titan. Titan was able to find an opening to take to the air and quicken the pace. Titan hit an amazing dive to the floor. Back in the ring, TAKA went for his Facelock finish over and over again, with Titan managing to avoid. TAKA went for the Michinoku Driver, but again, Titan was able to counter every time. The finish saw Titan hit a sit down Death Valley Driver, but it looked like TAKA was supposed to kick out. The referee counted three and Titan got the win.
B Block
BUSHI defeated Robbie Eagles. This was really good. Another excellent showing from Eagles, as he targeted the knee of BUSHI. He somehow combines high flying with a limb attack, and it really makes him stand out. He is really getting over with the Korakuen crowd too. BUSHI spent the majority of the match on the defensive and was unable to hit the apron DDT. Eagles missed a 450 Splash, which turned the match. BUSHI hit a rope assisted Codebreaker and hit MX to score the win.
A Block
Jonathan Gresham defeated Tiger Mask IV. This was another great Gresham match that told an excellent story and had so much creativity. Salty Tiger came out in this, as he went after the mid section of Gresham. He was drilling him with all sorts of stiff kicks. Gresham went back to wrestling any chance he got, but Tiger would continue to nail him in the stomach area. At one point he lifted him in a double underhook and dropped him across his knee. Gresham’s selling was brilliant. They began trading holds late in the match, and the finish came when Tiger went for a headlock takeover, only for Gresham to catch him in a flash pin. This was so well done and another very different Gresham match.
B Block
YOH defeated DOUKI. This was good. YOH has really stepped up in this tournament and caught up with SHO in showing that he can stand on his own. DOUKI jumped him to begin and mounted an assault that included a suicide dive. YOH got back into the match when he went after the knee and worked towards the Calf Crusher. DOUKI got to the ropes. DOUKI used his neck tie submission and almost made YOH pass out. DOUKI again botched his slingshot DDT, something he seems to do four out of five times. There was a nice strike exchange at the end before YOH pinned DOUKI with a dragon suplex.
A Block
SHO defeated Marty Scurll. This was incredible! One of the matches of the tournament so far. The atmosphere in Korakuen added to it. Scurll nailed SHO with the umbrella and focused his attack on the neck. Scurll hit an apron superkick, and SHO begged for more until he got fired up and mounted a comeback. He hit a series of strikes and suplexes, which Scurll cut off with a half and half suplex. Scurll went back to the neck with a tornado DDT into a Chickenwing attempt, but SHO countered into Shock Arrow for an amazing near fall. It was so good, that I started typing that SHO was the winner as the referee counted. SHO went for a powerbomb, but Scurll ripped the tape off SHO’s injured ear and delivered a couple of big lariats to it for a big near fall. SHO hit one of his own and hit a powerbomb onto the knees, again for a near fall. SHO then hit Shock Arrow once more to score a major win that the crowd erupted for.
B Block
Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Rocky Romero. This was the battle of New Japan’s two greatest “coaches”. Rocky slam dunked an basketball onto Taguchi’s head before the bell rang. There was lots of comedy in this, with many hip attacks. They had a long battle of the hip attack vs Rocky’s forever clothesline’s. Things got a bit more serious late on, with Taguchi going after the ankle and Rocky going for the armbar. They traded counters to each other’s big moves and it ended with a roll through out of Dodon, that Taguchi won and got the pin. After the match they embraced and posed for pictures together.
A Block.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori. They went straight into the crowd, and Kanemaru tried to repeat the count out finish from yesterday, but Ishimori seen it coming. This was very short. They went back and forth in the ring for a couple of minutes until the whiskey bottle got involved. It ended up in the hands of referee Red Shoes, who took a drink and missed Kanemaru spray into the eyes of Ishimori. Kanemaru pinned Ishimori with a small package.
B Block
Will Ospreay defeated Bandido. This was spectacular. We saw Bandido step up yesterday, but he went to another level with this. This was a breakout match for him and Ospreay went out of his way to make Bandido look like a star. This was just an incredible aerial display. It barely slowed down right from the bell. Bandido used his one arm gorilla press to a huge reaction from the crowd. Later on he almost landed on his head he did a springboard shooting star press to the floor, which was beyond insane. There were a couple of amazing hurricanrana pins, which looked incredible. Bandido hit the moonsault fall away slam from the top rope, which again, looked incredible. He went for 21-Plex, and just like their previous meeting at Wrestlecon, Ospreay landed on his feet. This time Bandido sensed it, but he was caught with a Spanish Fly. The finish saw Ospreay muscle Bandido up and turn him into a Stormbreaker. After the match Ospreay helped Bandido to his feet as the crowd chanted for the Mexican.
A Block
Shingo Takagi defeated Dragon Lee. This was another match of the tournament contender. This match was INSANE and just another amazing performance from Shingo, who is on a whole other level at the minute. He’s untouchable. Early on Shingo hit a DDT on the floor and not long after dropped Lee on the apron with a Death Valley Driver. Shingo unloaded with hard strikes when he was in control. Les got fired up and started trying to match the strikes of Shingo, and at times won. He dropped Shingo with a lariat, and then followed up with one of the craziest suicide dives I have ever seen. Lee, soared about three rows into the crowd, with his hands by his side, and very nearly landed on his head. Lee hit the Shibata dropkick in the corner and a stiff PK. Shingo was able to hit Noshagami and a murderous Pumping Bomber. Lee countered Last of the Dragon into a pin and then came the sequence of the tournament. Lee hit a snap German suplex, a couple of knee strikes and a reverse rana, but Shingo kicked out at one. More knee strikes weren’t enough either and Shingo muscled ale up to hit Last of the Dragon and pin the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion. Kevin Kelly described Shingo best. He wrestles
like he’s wearing a suit of armor. He looks unbeatable.
Both this, and yesterday’s Korakuen Hall show were outstanding from top to bottom and two of the best wrestling shows you’ll see all year.
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