NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors Finals Highlights & Results

From 20 down to two, the finals of the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 26 are here with the undefeated steam roller Shingo Takagi battling the bridge between the Juniors and Heavyweights Will Ospreay.

Plus, Jon Moxley makes his NJPW debut challenging Juice Robinson for the IWGP US Title and Hiroshi Tanahashi makes his in-ring return against Jay White.

It all began on May 13 with a crew of 20 wrestlers spread across the A and B Blocks. Over the following several weeks, the gap between the favorites destined to shine at the end and the rest of the crowd grew larger and larger.

In the end, the A Block broke down to a fight between two men: Shingo Takagi and Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori’s only loss on the way to his match with Shingo came at the hands of the master heel, Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Kanemaru was superb in his performance throughout the BOSJ using his skeevy skill set to pick up a count out victory over SHO as well.

The B Block was a more competitive field toward the end with Will Ospreay, Ryusuke Taguchi, El Phantasmo, and Robbie Eagles all vying for the top spot. It would eventually come down to Ospreay and Taguchi with the Aerial Assassin picking up the win in just over 20 minutes. Ospreay’s only losses along the way came at the hands of Bullet Club members ELP and Eagles.

Now, with the finals in the main event in Ryogoku’s Sumo Hall, Shingo and Ospreay clash to determine who will challenge Dragon Lee on June 9 at Dominion.

Alongside the Best of the Super Juniors tournament itself has been the torment of Juice Robinson. The IWGP US Champion has been teased with a video from a mysterious individual claiming that on June 5, time would be up for Robinson. That individual was revealed to be Jon Moxley who makes his New Japan debut fresh off of an 8-year run in WWE and surprise appearance at AEW Double or Nothing.

Recovering from surgery on his left elbow, Hiroshi Tanahashi has proven he’s a big Talking Heads fan with his goal for the IWGP Heavyweight Title: same as it ever was. Tanahashi, on the mend, announced at Wrestling Dontaku that he would begin climbing the mountain back to the championship only to be interrupted and attacked by Jay White. White, looking to solidify his status and regain the momentum he lost in dropping the gold to Kazuchika Okada, has his sights set on the Ace of the Universe.

Full results can be found on the last page, but let’s roll through the highlights and takeaways from the finals of Best of the Super Juniors 26!

Dragon Lee, Titan, & Shota Umino vs Bandido, Jonathan Gresham, & Ren Narita

Ren Narita continued to impress here, even outshining the favorite boy Shota Umino. Narita picked up an expected zero points in the Best of the Super Juniors but he absolutely made a name for himself along the way. His matches with Robbie Eagles and Will Ospreay were both game changers for the Young Lion.

Narita nearly walked away with the victory for his team by way of a couple of near falls on Dragon Lee. In the end, Lee rebounded and picked up the pin on Narita after a running knee strike to the face.

The main takeaway for me here is how much more exciting the NEVER Openweight 6-Man division could be with a couple of Junior Heavyweight teams in the mix. The triple-team moves and fluidity of both teams really shined here and left me wanting more. Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Gresham in a New Japan ring as his BOSJ tour was pretty fantastic.

El Phantasmo, Robbie Eagles, & Taiji Ishimori vs Roppongi 3K & Ryusuke Taguchi

Once again proving that he hates fun and wants to ruin the party for everybody, ELP started things off by donning the rugby helmet of Taguchi before kicking his ball into the crowd. And I mean deep into the crowd. Someone in the last row of Sumo Hall may have walked home with a ring-used rugby ball today.

Despite some tomfoolery early in the match consisting of ELP getting his thumb stuck in the funky weapon of Taguchi, Bullet Club took control but wasn’t exactly on the same page.

Eagles flattened SHO with a 450 splash in the corner but was unaware of a blind tag from ELP. Eagles wrapped SHO up for the pin but was shoved away by ELP who drilled SHO with his CR II front-face piledriver for the victory.

A distraught Eagles watched on as ELP and Ishimori paraded around with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles inferring that they would be the next challengers for the belts, leaving Eagles out in the cold. Post-match, Eagles stormed off from his partners furthering the divide that started in the BOSJ tournament.

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.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White

Acting in true dirtbag fashion, White attacked Tanahashi as he soaked in the cheers from the crowd before the bell rang. It was an all-out onslaught from this point forward with White focusing on the surgically repaired elbow of the Ace.

White was absolutely relentless in his attack here with Tanahashi having very little breathing room. Gedo and White came in with a strict game plan: focus on the weakest point of Tanahashi and tear it apart. More than just twisting Tanahashi’s arm with submissions, White also added some unique offense to the mix like a hammerlock Saito Suplex driving Tana down on his arm and head.

Midway through the match, Tanahashi came back with a burst of energy but was quickly thwarted by White with a Flatliner and deadlift German suplex. It wasn’t enough to put Tanahashi away, but it was enough to slow the momentum of the Ace.

Throughout the entirety of the match, the damage to the arm was visible. Tanahashi’s usual move set, including Dragon Screw Leg Whips and Slingblades, was rendered relatively useless with the weakened elbow. Even simple moves like an Irish Whip were cut short allowing White to capitalize.

Following in the form of Zack Sabre Jr at G1 Supercard, White looked to tap Tanahashi out with an armbar submission. White continued to wrench and pull on the arm in sickening fashion as Young Lion Yota Tsuji cheered Tanahashi on from ringside. It was a bit of a touching moment seeing Yota call on the Ace to survive. Tana eventually made it to the ropes forcing a break, but would it only prolong the inevitable?

Showing some ingenuity and the will to power through, Tanahashi delivered a Dragon Screw on White with White’s foot stuck between his legs. Perhaps not as effective, but it afforded Tana the opportunity to put The Switchblade on the mat.

Tanahashi followed up with a Slingblade before heading to the top rope for a High Fly Flow. White, however, was expecting it and was able to stop the move before Gedo wormed his way into the ring.

With the referee distracted by Gedo, White nailed Tanahashi with a low blow only to be met with a low blow from the Ace himself! With White writhing on the canvas, Tanahashi attempted to lock in the Cloverleaf but was rolled up in a hammerlock small package for another shock victory for Jay White.

Jay White has now proven that he has Tanahashi’s number. As with all of the best heels, everything White has said is starting to become clear and true – this is his era and Tanahashi’s run is coming to an end.

During the match, Kevin Kelly spoke of the love the fans hold for Tanahashi: “They are hopeful. They will never stop believing in their Ace.” I’m right there with them. With the G1 Climax coming in just about a month, Tanahashi still has time to make this the Summer of the Ace and not the Summer of the Switchblade.

IWGP US Title: Juice Robinson (c) vs Jon Moxley

Perhaps the most anticipated match of the evening, Jon Moxley made his debut against the IWGP US Champion Juice Robinson. That opening sentence, by the way, highlights Robinson’s entire problem with the build to this match. Instead of anybody asking what Robinson would have in store for Moxley, everyone has been pondering what Moxley will bring to Juice and New Japan. The champion has taken a backseat to the debuting Death Rider.

From the get-go, Moxley immediately set himself apart from everybody else on the New Japan roster. Channeling his Shield days (or maybe a love for Iizuka), Moxley entered through the crowd. For the first time in years, Moxley wore actual wrestling gear which was as big a mind-blowing moment as his entire debut.

Not to be upstaged, Juice revealed a big change during his intro. Removing his entrance garb, the US Champion showed off a fresh haircut. No longer donning the long hair, Robinson looked more serious and determined as he stared a hole through Moxley across the ring. Moxley, never to be intimidated, served Juice the double birds to heighten the champion’s frustrations.

Taking full advantage of the looseness of New Japan officiating, Moxley and Juice brawled to kickstart the match. With Juice on the outside, Mox crushed him against the barricade with a suicide dive sending both men into the crowd.

Brawling back toward the entrance, Mox proved that he had already learned one of the secrets of fitting into the NJPW roster: beating up Young Lions. Mox dropped one of the rookies before attempting to piledriver Juice on the floor but the move was reversed into a back body drop.

Juice contemplated heading back to the ring momentarily but then ventured into the crowd to gain access to the entrance structure. Standing above the entrance, and the recovering Mox, Juice leaped with a somersault dive crashing down on his opponent and the Young Lions below. Showing solidarity with DOUKI, Juice overshot his jump a bit and it looked like a crashed down hard on his tailbone more than connecting flush with anybody on the floor.

Fighting back at ringside, Juice and Mox battered one another with no care for the wellbeing of themselves or their opponent. In one of their brief moments in the ring, Juice went to the top rope but was brutally dumped to the outside by the challenger.

Back on the floor, Moxley paid tribute to Cactus Jack with a chair-assisted elbow drop from the apron to a waiting Juice sprawled across a table. As we all know, Japanese tables don’t break too easily and Mox found this out. Not to be shut down, though, he drove Juice through the table with a suplex.

Playing the hits, Moxley wrapped Juice in a ring post figure four leglock before setting up for a Pillmanizer. Juice battled back, throwing the chair into Moxley’s head, before building some momentum of his own. Using a bit of Moxley’s own game plan against him, Juice delivered a running cannonball on Mox against the table before powerbombing him through the wood on the arena floor.

This would be Juice’s last big moment, though. Back in the ring, Moxley delivered his double-arm DDT which Juice somehow managed to kick out of. Ready to send a message to both Juice and the rest of the professional wrestling world, Moxley spiked Juice with an implant double-arm DDT for the victory.

Jon Moxley is the new IWGP US Champion and everything is as unknown and confusing as ever in pro-wrestling. It’s not currently known how long Moxley will be sticking around New Japan, but his home promotion of AEW will start television in October. With no working relationship between the two companies, it will be interesting to see if Moxley holds the title beyond October.

This was an absolutely incredible debut for Moxley, though it is surreal to see him in a New Japan ring and in actual wrestling gear. Juice had a career-making performance despite dropping the title. He turned it up to another level completely and proved that he can be a serious wrestler with the fun-loving Juice character sent to the back burner.

BOSJ Finals: Shingo Takagi vs Will Ospreay

For nearly a year, Shingo Takagi has been undefeated as the Junior Heavyweight powerhouse of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Undefeated is a loose term here – he’s been on teams that have lost matches, but he hasn’t been pinned or submitted in any of those losing efforts. Shingo became just the third man in history to run his entire block without a single loss.

Will Ospreay has been wavering between Junior Heavyweight and Heavyweight since last year. After becoming the NEVER Openweight Champion by defeating Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 13, Ospreay set out to prove that he could be the common bond between the two weight classes. Ospreay’s reign would last just over 90 days before dropping the title to Jeff Cobb at G1 Supercard freeing Ospreay up for Best of the Super Juniors.

While not a complete physical match, the similarities in ideology between Shingo and Ospreay are evident. Both could pass for Junior or Heavyweight wrestlers and their styles are adaptable to opponents larger and smaller than themselves. As such, we found ourselves at an impasse early on in this match.

In the opening moments, Shingo and Ospreay struggled for control with neither man being able to gain a quick advantage. After a standoff to the applause of the crowd, Ospreay found a small window to get one up on the domineering Shingo.

After a dive on the outside, Ospreay looked to capitalize with a springboard off of the railing only to be caught by Shingo and driven face-first into the apron with a faceplant. Shingo followed up with a DDT on the arena floor.

Looking to raise issues with Ospreay’s problematic neck, Shingo attempted a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron. Ospreay was able to wiggle free, but it left him open on the arena floor for an absolutely insane dive from The Dragon. As strong and physically dominant as Shingo is, he may be twice as fast. He hit the ropes like a locomotive before crushing Ospreay on the outside.

Throughout the majority of the match, one thing was crystal clear: both Shingo and Ospreay had found their match. While both men had competitive bouts throughout the tournament, nobody in either block was able to match either competitor quite so closely. Until, and including, the very end of the match these two went tit for tat.

In one of his more incredible counters of the match, Ospreay was able to avoid Shingo’s Pumping Bomber lariat and spin it into a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Not to be outdone, Shingo countered Ospreay’s attempted Robinson Special into a wheelbarrow suplex directly into the corner.

Fighting back on the apron, Ospreay delivered a pinpoint Oscutter before heading back into the ring. In a moment that I’m still trying to figure out the science behind, Ospreay came crashing down on a bent-over Shingo’s back with a 630 shooting star senton! Mind. Blown. Ospreay followed with yet another SSP, but Shingo was resilient.

Oscutters.

Attempted Storm Breakers.

Last of the Dragon.

Pumping Bombers.

None of it was enough. Crossing the 30-minute mark, neither man showed signs of faltering. Finally, Ospreay pulled through with the magic. He countered Last of the Dragon into a poison rana before striking with the Hidden Blade. Not finished, he sprang to the top rope and leaped back for a Super Oscutter and wrapped up with the Storm Breaker for the win after an absolutely intense flurry.

Post-match, Ospreay thanked Shingo and the crowd before declaring that he would be moving to Japan to focus on New Japan Pro Wrestling. He claimed that he was part of the new generation of stars who needed to step up and lead the company into the future, citing those who have left like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, KUSHIDA, and others.

On June 9, Will Ospreay will now challenge Dragon Lee for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title at Dominion and we’ll have coverage of the results!

Full Results:

• Dragon Lee, Titan, and Shota Umino defeated Bandido, Jonathan Gresham, and Ren Narita
• El Phantasmo, Robbie Eagles, and Taiji Ishimori defeated Roppongi 3K and Ryusuke Taguchi
• Tomohiro Ishii, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Toru Yano, and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and DOUKI
• Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, and BUSHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe, Toa Henare, and Tomoaki Honma
• Kazuchika Okada and Rocky Romero defeated Marty Scurll and Brody King
• Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
• IWGP US Title: Jon Moxley defeated Juice Robinson (c)
• Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Will Ospreay defeated Shingo Takagi