NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors Finals Highlights & Results

Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, & YOSHI-HASHI vs Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & DOUKI

More than anything else, this match was a perfect summation of DOUKI’s presence throughout the entire Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

To start, someone else (Minoru Suzuki) brandished his pipe and elicited more fear and anguish from the commentators and crowd than DOUKI ever could have hoped for.

While he did have some solid offense in the match, DOUKI’s star moment was set up for a seated senton from the top rope to the arena floor. With all 9 of his opponents and partners brawling on the floor, DOUKI took to the sky… and somehow didn’t connect with anybody.

Finally, DOUKI fell to YOSHI-HASHI via Karma for the win. YOSHI-HASHI is my main dude and I have an unexplainable love for the guy, but he’s usually the person you pick out in multi-man matches as the target for the pinfall rather than the one winning the match for his team. Poor guy couldn’t even get his shoulder tape to stick properly, but he stuck DOUKI firmly into the mat for the victory.

Post-match, Suzuki and Liger brawled around ringside building to their eventual match sometime. It sounds like Liger wants Suzuki to put something on the line since Liger has already announced that this is his last year in wrestling. I love you, Liger, but if you coax Suzuki into putting his career on the line and we wind up seeing both of these legends retire in the same year, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to forgive you.

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, & BUSHI vs Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe, Toa Henare, & Tomoaki Honma

I have to believe this team is some form of punishment for Kota Ibushi not participating in the rest of the tour. It’s such a bizarre combination of individuals and he sits on such a different level from all of them. Plus, in general, I can’t stand Honma and Henare is extremely boring to watch. Makabe earned bonus points thanks to the little girl dressed up as him at a show a couple of months back.

On the LIJ side, Sumo Hall has some big history: SANADA and Shingo Takagi both debuted for LIJ in this building while Naito himself defeated Okada here in 2016 to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title. With Shingo in the main event, more LIJ history could be written.

The main draw here was building to Ibushi/Naito at Dominion for the Intercontinental Title and that was more than accomplished. Champion and future challenger started off with one another and we got a taste of the head drops to come in Osaka later in the match. Ibushi, despite his adorable brain getting him lost in big cities and holding a distrust of books, even found a way to counter EVIL’s foot-catch trick with the referee. He’s learning!

EVIL and SANADA eventually put this one away with the Magic Killer on Honma with EVIL picking up the pin.

Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero vs Marty Scurll & Brody King

On the whole, this match worked mostly as a mini-showcase for Brody King. Feeling the power of the BOSJ running through his veins, Brody pulled out some dives of his own to the delight of the crowd and the dismay of Okada and Rocky.

Brody earned himself some incredibly close near falls on Okada with one, in particular, coming after a brutal piledriver. Brody absolutely looked like a star here and like he belonged in the ring with both Rocky and Okada. Unfortunately for Brody, Okada reminded him exactly where he belonged – flat on his back after a Rainmaker.

We’ve yet to see the full Villain Enterprises trio in New Japan. I’m still holding out hope for a PCO appearance at some point, and the duo of Brody and Scurll have laid solid groundwork for the stable to run rampant. PCO vs Ishii, anybody?

Post-match, a brief video message from Chris Jericho played. Okada watched on and then made sure to look around to see if the Painmaker was lurking in the distance for an attack. Okada made it out safe on this night, but on June 9 he’ll come face to face with Jericho with the IWGP Heavyweight Title on the line.