NJPW: Previewing the Best of the Super Juniors Finals

Since May 13, 20 wrestlers have been fighting tooth and nail to reach the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 5. Now, with Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay headed for a collision in Ryogoku, it’s time to preview the show and the possible IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title matches we’ll see at Dominion on June 9.

A huge pair of shows are in store for New Japan with the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 5 and Dominion following on June 9. The top of the card for Dominion has been set for weeks, but the BOSJ finals on June 5 have been slowly coming together over the past month.

After a trio of successful US Title defenses, Juice Robinson began to receive a threatening message via video package after his matches. The video featured an unknown entity targeting Juice with a date of June 5 specifically highlighted.

We now know who the individual behind the video was – the debuting Jon Moxley. Fresh off of a run in WWE as Dean Ambrose, Moxley is ready to wreak havoc in All Elite Wrestling, NJPW, and anywhere else he steps foot. Can Robinson burst the Moxley bubble in his first bout outside of WWE, or will we see a new US Champion crowd in Ryogoku?

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay White are set on a collision course once more. This time they aren’t fighting for the IWGP Heavyweight Title, but pride and Tanahashi’s future are both at stake. Tana is coming back from surgery on a damaged left elbow and White needs a rebound from his IWGP Heavyweight Title loss to Kazuchika Okada at G1 Supercard.

If White can once again put Tanahashi down on a big stage, he could cement himself as the Ace Killer in New Japan. If Tanahashi is able to succeed in his return match and gain a modicum of revenge against the man who dethroned him as champion in February, we could see the Ace rise from the ashes once more heading into this summer’s G1.

In one of the most hotly anticipated matches of the year, Shingo Takagi will square off with Will Ospreay in the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors. Shingo now stands in exclusive company alongside Jushin Thunder Liger and Prince Devitt as the only 3 men to go undefeated in their BOSJ blocks.

Ospreay had a shakier run through the tournament but has persevered to take the B Block. Can the Aerial Assassin do what no man has done so far in New Japan and decisively defeat Shingo? Or, will the power of Shingo continue to see his opponents drop like flies around him?

With a shot at IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee at Dominion hanging in the balance, the meeting between Shingo and Ospreay is all-important in setting the tone of the Junior Heavyweight division heading into the summer.

For now, let’s take a look at the top three matches set for June 5!

US Title: Juice Robinson (c) vs Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley has been the talk of the professional world for the past several months and threw everything into disarray when he debuted at AEW’s Double Or Nothing. While many fans expected, or at least hoped, that Mox would show up at AEW nobody knew exactly what role he would play if he did make his presence known.

After targeting a pair of New Japan rivals in Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, Moxley shocked the world once again by revealing himself as the antagonist in the “Time’s Up” video haunting Juice Robinson. Now, with Moxley ready to take on not only AEW but NJPW, Robinson must defend the IWGP US Title against the former Lunatic Fringe in Ryogoku.

For Robinson, this is a chance to prove to the world that he belongs in the conversation as one of the best Westerners on the New Japan roster. The reigning US Champion has taken exception to stories asking the question, “What does Jon Moxley have in store for Juice Robinson?” in the immediate aftermath of the Moxley revelation.

The debut of Moxley has, so far, outshined Robinson and the IWGP US Title. Rather than the focus being on the pending battle between the two wrestlers, the narrative has immediately shifted to one of a single expectation – that Jon Moxley will stomp into New Japan Pro Wrestling and capture the US Title.

Robinson, nearing 150 days in his second reign as champion, has reason to be frustrated. Throughout the Best of the Super Juniors tour, he has been active either in the ring or at the commentary booth, lending whatever abilities he can to NJPW. Moxley, on the other hand, has been taunting Robinson from the shadows.

While Moxley has immediately made himself into one of the biggest names in wrestling over the course of a long weekend, Robinson has been working to build himself as a top name in New Japan by defending his championship against the likes of Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, and Trent Beretta. More poignantly, Robinson wrested the US Title away from Cody in the AEW Executive VP’s last match in New Japan.

Robinson and Moxley are no strangers to one another, though their past isn’t rich with history. They shared the ring in FCW, the predecessor to NXT, in both singles and tag matches. In tag action, Robinson and partner Richie Steamboat defeated Moxley and Corey Graves with Steamboat picking up the pinfall on Moxley. In singles competition, Moxley has defeated Robinson.

However, that was nearly 8 years ago. Back then, Jon Moxley was Dean Ambrose and Juice Robinson was CJ Parker. Neither were as polished as they are now and Robinson especially had yet to find his footing as the star he would become in New Japan rings.

Not only is Robinson’s most prized possession on the line, but his pride and the solidification of his career are at stake. Robinson has already been painted as the assumed loser of the bout with the debuting Moxley riding high on his wave of momentum. On June 5, can Moxley shut down not only his doubters but his most dangerous challenger to date?

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White

Jay White ruins everything. This isn’t an opinion – it’s a fact.

When Hiroshi Tanahashi made his return at Wrestling Dontaku, the fans in attendance and watching at home rejoiced. The Ace had been missing since G1 Supercard when he fell, via submission, to Zack Sabre Jr. The work of the Submission Master was enough to aggravate Tana’s lingering injuries and put him on the shelf.

Much like Kota Ibushi at New Beginning, Tanahashi announced that he was ready to get back in the ring and rise to the top of the New Japan card.

And then, Jay White interrupted.

Sauntering down the ramp with the every-shady Gedo by his side, White elicited the proper response from the crowd in Fukuoka – resounding boos. White stood face to face with Tanahashi and laid one of the coldest insults to ever be uttered in wrestling. The Switchblade claimed that Tanahashi was at “the back of the line” when it came to getting a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title, “even behind Goto.”

There’s no need for dragging someone that hard, Jay.

After a distraction from Gedo, White laid waste to Tanahashi with a laser focus on his injured arm. The attack lasted only a matter of minutes before a crew of Young Lions was able to afford Tana an escape route. The furious White proclaimed, once more, that he was next in line for a shot at the championship before exiting.

In backstage comments from Tanahashi after the attack, The Ace’s promo nearly caused me to burst into tears. There he stood, the 8-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, silent and contemplative as cameras rolled and shutters clicked. He looked on the brink of tears himself as he likely replayed the attack in his mind.

Finally, he spoke and left us with the words and determination we all needed at this moment, perhaps Tanahashi himself the most: “As long as I still have this fire, I’ll always return to the ring.”

Cue the waterworks.

Tanahashi now stands at the crossroads of a career. 2019 has, thus far, been filled with the highest of highs and lowest of lows for the Ace of the Universe. On January 4, he bathed in the adoration of fans after unseating Kenny Omega as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Just a month later, though, Jay White came through with the Switchblade Shock in Osaka by capturing the championship for the very first time.

In April, Tanahashi fell to ZSJ and sat on the shelf for a month after having some much-needed work done on his left arm.

Jay White’s claim all along has been that Tanahashi’s time is up and this new era in New Japan should henceforth be known as the Cutthroat Era with his version of Bullet Club leading the way. While White has been on his own turbulent path this year, he may have more momentum on his side heading into June 5 than Tanahashi.

This notion isn’t lost on Tanahashi. Painfully self-aware, Tana discussed the dualities of himself and White in an interview on NJPW’s English language site. When pressed about his looming battle with his rival Tana noted, “To tell you the truth, he’s a high hurdle to clear. To that kid who came back from his excursion to face me, I was a big hurdle to him at the time. Now I’m coming back and he’s the hurdle. It’s almost a role reversal in that regard.”

On June 5, the true test of age versus experience will be at hand.

BOSJ Finals: Shingo Takagi vs Will Ospreay

There is nobody like Shingo Takagi. Since debuting for Los Ingobernables de Japon last year, he has run roughshod through his opponents in singles action and has remained un-pinned and un-submitted in tag team matches. Teetering on the brink of crossing over from Junior to Heavyweight, Takagi’s power and explosiveness set him apart from everybody else in the division.

Will Ospreay has made some waves for himself by attempting to bridge the gap between New Japan’s weight classes, but he’s operating on a completely different level than that of Shingo. Ospreay’s high-flying style lends its way to both divisions – he can match other Junior Heavyweights who fly just like he does and he can throw larger Heavyweight wrestlers off their game by dancing around them.

While both men are easy picks to make the eventual transition from Junior to Heavyweight full-time, they each operate on completely different planes. On June 5, Ospreay will need to rely on his speed and sudden strikes while Shingo will need to use his power and resolve in order to make it to Dominion and challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.

One of the main factors setting Shingo apart from Ospreay and everybody else in the Junior Heavyweight division is his impressive Best of the Super Juniors block run. In the largest-ever Best of the Super Juniors, Shingo continued his winning ways by remaining undefeated to the tune of an insane 18 points at the close of the A Block.

Only two men in history have gone undefeated in their blocks – Jushin Thunder Liger in 2001 and Prince Devitt in 2013. In those tournaments, Liger walked away with 10 points and Devitt with 16 in their Block efforts which eventually led both men to winning the tournament overall. Shingo has the opportunity to add his name to an exclusive list in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

When Ospreay won his Best of the Super Juniors in 2016, he did so after earning a meager 8 points out of a possible 16 in his block before pinning Ryusuke Taguchi in the finals. On June 3, Ospreay once again defeated Taguchi – this way on his road to the finals topping the Aerial Assassin off with 14 points.

The winner of the Best of the Super Juniors is awarded a Junior Heavyweight Title shot against current champion Dragon Lee. But, whenever the Junior Heavyweight Title is discussed the conversation always circles back to one name: Hiromu Takahashi.

After breaking his neck in a successful Junior Heavyweight Title defense against Dragon Lee, Hiromu was forced to vacate the championship. Since then, fans have speculated as to just when and where he would return to the ring. It’s the question that has clouded the Junior Heavyweight Title scene for months as every turn seems like an opportunity for Hiromu to make his glorious return.

What does the future hold, though, if Shingo or Ospreay defeat the reigning champion Dragon Lee at Dominion on June 9?

For Ospreay, a feud would be reignited. Hiromu and Ospreay have a storied past built at least partially on Hiromu’s insistence that Ospreay is, in fact, a cat. Perhaps more importantly, this year’s Dominion would be the one-year anniversary of the day Hiromu defeated Ospreay for the Junior Heavyweight Title stemming from his own Best of the Super Juniors tournament win.

With Shingo as champion, though, a whole new slew of questions spring to mind. With both men being members of LIJ, what would it spell for the faction as Hiromu, who was never defeated for the championship, would seek to reclaim his place on the Junior Heavyweight throne?

We’ve already seen that LIJ are able to support one another through whatever is thrown their way. Despite some rockiness in last year’s G1 Climax between SANADA and Naito, all seemed right in the world of the Los Ingobernables de Japon once their block match had wrapped up. Perhaps Shingo and Hiromu can still co-exist in the group while also building to what would, undoubtedly, be one of the biggest matches of the year.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. On June 5, Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay will clash in a war between two men who, more than anyone else on the roster, can marry the two worlds of Juniors and Heavyweights. Can Ospreay be the man to finally knock Shingo from his perch, or will The Dragon continue to scorch everything around him as Dominion inches ever closer?

The Best of the Super Junior finals airs live on June 5 at NJPWWorld.com.