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NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XXIII: Day 13

By Ioan Morris on 6 June 2016

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June 6th, 18:30 from Sendai Sun Plaza, Miyagi

The results of today’s matches will determine who wins blocks A and B and advances to tomorrow’s final. A Block is currently a four-way tie, while B Block features three potential winners.

The story so far…

Here are the current standings, with the names in bold still in the running:

A Block – Current Standings

  • KUSHIDA – 8
  • Kyle O’Reilly – 8
  • Matt Sydal – 8
  • Ryusuke Taguchi – 8
  • BUSHI – 6
  • Rocky Romero – 6
  • Gedo – 2
  • David Finlay – 2

B Block – Current Standings

  • Ricochet – 8
  • Volador Jr. – 8
  • Will Ospreay – 6
  • Bobby Fish – 6
  • Jushin Liger – 6
  • Tiger Mask – 6
  • Barreta – 4
  • Chase Owens – 4

Bearing in mind that in the event of a tie the winner of the head-to-head goes through, here’s everyone’s possible route to the final:

A Block

  • KUSHIDA wins if he beats BUSHI and Taguchi loses
  • Ryusuke Taguchi wins if he beats Gedo and KUSHIDA loses
  • Matt Sydal wins if he beats Finlay and KUSHIDA and Taguchi lose
  • Kyle O’Reilly wins if he beats Romero and Sydal and Taguchi lose

B Block

  • Volador Jr. wins if he beats Will Ospreay
  • Will Ospreay wins if he beats Volador Jr. and Ricochet loses
  • Ricochet wins if he beats Chase Owens and Volador Jr. loses

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & EVIL took place before the intermission, but today I’ll only be reviewing the tournament matches.

Here we go…

B Block – Round Seven

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Baretta

Liger Beretta

Decent effort from these two, particularly considering both were out of the running. Liger pulled out the diving crossbody to the outside for the second time in the tournament, but in the end Baretta flipped out of a Liger Bomb and hit the Dudebuster for the win. Not much to see, but both men deserve credit for their performances over the last two weeks. **

Tiger Mask vs. Bobby Fish

Tiger Mask Bobby Fish

A straightforward match, won by Fish after Tiger Mask had kicked out of a Falcon Arrow and he transitioned to a heel hook for the submission victory. Again, a commendable effort. Something I didn’t mention in the pre-amble was that a win for Tiger Mask would’ve put Ospreay out because of the head-to-head record. Ospreay now still has a shot. **1/2

Ricochet vs. Chase Owens

Ricochet Chase Owens

Yujiro Takahashi was present at ringside. Hmm. Ricochet looked to get some momentum, sending Owens to the outside, but Takahashi blocked the dive. The same happened when Ricochet tried to springboard in a minute later. The solution: to take Takahashi out with a tope con hilo. Nice. Ricochet hit a springboard crossbody and standing SSP, both for two, before getting caught by Owens’ fireman’s carry gutbuster. The package piledriver was blocked, and a Regalplex got two for Ricochet, before Takahashi reappeared to break up a pin off a springboard 450. After a chair made its way in and distracted the ref, Owens struck with the brass knuckles for the… near-fall! Ricochet managed a desperation Benadryller to put both men down, and lo, a strike battle commenced. Suplex combo from Ricochet for two, then he headed up top, but Takahashi delayed him, and the Phoenix Splash missed the mark. Owens rolled him up, grabbed Takahashi’s hand for leverage, and got the three-count. Damn the Bullet Club, damn them all to hell. There was some very real tension here – good match. ***1/2

Will Ospreay vs. Volador Jr.

Ospreay Volador Jr.

Fantastic opening sequence in which Volador delivered a twice-around headscissors before Ospreay hit a shooting star press from the apron to the floor. Ospreay took control, stretching his opponent, then a superkick from Volador had both men down. Springboard crossbody from Volador (after he got caught in the ropes jumping to the apron), then an Asai moonsault to the outside. Back in, a lungblower brought a near-fall, then Ospreay connected with a moonsault DDT for one of his own. He was caught up top, however, and the top-rope hurricanrana from Volador nearly ended it. Ospreay somehow landed on his feet from the top-rope Spanish Fly and launched straight into the springboard OsCutter, connecting to put Volador down for the three-count. ***1/4

Will Ospreay wins B Block! After losing his opening two matches, the comeback began with a win in the now-infamous match against Ricochet, and thanks in part to Chase Owens’ cheating and Bobby Fish’s victory, Ospreay heads to the final tomorrow.

A Block – Round Seven

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero

Kyle O'Reilly Romero

Romero trolled O’Reilly early, looking to go for a dive before opening the ropes and inviting his opponent back in. Nakamura-style knee lifts from Romero, but O’Reilly grabbed an armbar over the top-rope to begin work on Romero’s taped shoulder. Armbreakers and a back suplex for two. After a ground-and-pound, Romero scrambled to the outside where O’Reilly’s kick was ducked and hit the ringpost. Romero connected with a running knee from the apron and a springboard clothesline back inside. A springboard dropkick to a rope-hung O’Reilly followed for two. Romero knee-dropped O’Reilly’s arm from the middle-rope, but O’Reilly fought back with his sequence of strikes. A Regalplex was countered to a victory roll for a near-fall, then at the second time of asking it connected, dumping Romero on his head for a two-count. O’Reilly ripped the tape off Romero’s shoulder and hit another armbreaker, but got caught up top, where Romero delivered a flipping armbar from which O’Reilly just made the ropes. After a back-and-forth, O’Reilly connected with a brainbuster and transitioned into an armbar, and now it was Romero who just (just) made the ropes. Hard strikes from both men, then slaps, then a high knee from Romero that knocked the mouthguard from O’Reilly’s mouth. A running Shiranui connected for a very near-fall, then Romero nailed one more jumping knee strike and O’Reilly stayed down for three. Great match. O’Reilly is eliminated. ****

Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay

Sydal David Finlay

Finlay appears to have aged five years over the course of the tournament. After an early period of parity gave way to control from Finlay, Sydal fought back with a hard clothesline, then locked in an inverted Muto Lock before further punishing Finlay’s left leg with kicks. Finlay caught Sydal with an Irish Curse backbreaker for two, but missed a dropkick, and Sydal’s standing moonsault earned a near-fall. The Here It Is driver connected at the second attempt, then Sydal was caught up top, but the Finlay Roll was blocked and the jumping hurricanrana connected. SSP from top missed and a German suplex from Finlay got a close two-count. A high kick from Sydal knocked Finlay to the mat and this time the Shooting Star Press hit the mark for the win. At this point, Sydal leads the block. ***1/4

Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo

Ryusuke Taguchi Gedo

Gedo went back to his early tournament tactic of using the ringbell hammer to attack Taguchi, and as usual, Red Shoes Unno let it go. Taguchi was launched into to ringpost, and back in, Gedo whipped him into an exposed turnbuckle. A neckbreaker got a two-count. The beatdown continued until Taguchi reversed an Irish whip to the turnbuckle then embarked on an extended ass-based comeback. The third of the Three Amigos was countered to a crossface, but Taguchi grabbed the ankle lock from which Gedo got the rope break. Taguchi signalled for Gedo’s Raintaker, but it was blocked. Soon after, with the referee momentarily knocked down, Gedo hit a low blow and looked to lock in the WAR Special, but Taguchi reversed it to a pinning combination for the win. And now Taguchi leads the block (because he beat Sydal on Day 1 of the tournament). ***

KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI

KUSHIDA BUSHI

Bushi attacked before the bell, then launched into a suicide dive. An apron DDT got the near-count out, then Bushi did his customary t-shirt choke. Kushida came back with a springboard dropkick and began to target Bushi’s arm, locking in what looked like an arm figure-four, then stretching the shoulder joint, forcing Bushi to the ropes. A seated dropkick and standing moonsault got two. Bushi connected with a quickly executed diving dropkick, but Kushida hit back with a handspring kick to knock him outside, and followed with a tope con hilo. Back in, the moonsault missed the mark, then Kushida was caught off a springboard with a Codebreaker. Double knees in the corner from Bushi, a swinging neckbreaker got two, then it was time for the Main Event Strike Battle. Kushida span into the Hoverboard Lock, then transitioned to a Fujiwara armbar, but Bushi grabbed the referee, delivered the mist to Kushida and hit the jumping Codebreaker from the middle-rope for a very near-fall! Bushi headed to middle-rope, connected with a second Codebreaker and that was it – Kushida was down for the three-count. Post-match, Bushi misted the Junior belt and challenged Kushida to a title match. ***1/2

Ryusuke Taguchi wins A Block!

Tomorrow’s final will be: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay

A Block – Final Standings

  • Ryusuke Taguchi – 10
  • Matt Sydal – 10
  • BUSHI – 8
  • KUSHIDA – 8
  • Kyle O’Reilly – 8
  • Rocky Romero – 8
  • Gedo – 2
  • David Finlay – 2

B Block – Final Standings

  • Will Ospreay – 8
  • Volador Jr. – 8
  • Ricochet – 8
  • Bobby Fish – 8
  • Jushin Liger – 6
  • Tiger Mask – 6
  • Barreta – 6
  • Chase Owens – 6

Final thoughts: Well, the result of A Block was certainly unexpected, whereas Ospreay winning B Block was a moment of elation. For that reason, perhaps it would’ve been better to switch the order of the blocks, but I can understand than Kushida and Bushi are more acceptable main eventers. I certainly can’t complain about the quality, which was strong throughout, even in the dead-rubber matches. Romero/O’Reilly was the match of the night and to my mind the third best match of the tournament – check it out.

Tomorrow, the winner of Best of the Super Juniors XXIII will be decided. See you then.