The Best of the Super Juniors is an annual tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling usually around this time or sometimes it is pushed back to June. The winner of the tournament gets to challenge the current International Wrestling Grand Prix Junior Heavyweight Champion to a title match at the Dominion event (which is like the NJPW version of Summerslam.) The tournament started in 1988 as Tops of the Super Juniors, (it was later renamed Best of the Super Juniors in 1994 and the number was restarted as well,) and was won by Shiro Koshinaka (who was also the first ever IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in 1986.) The tournament took a few years off and then returned in 1991 and has been held yearly ever since. 1992 featured Jushin Thunder Liger’s first win, he would later go on to win it two years later and for a third time in 2001. I know many people would probably rather me not mention this, but Chris Benoit is a two time winner of this tournament, most notably winning the final edition of the original format of the tournament in 1995 as Wild Pegasus. Black Tiger II’s (A.K.A. Eddie Guerrero) win in 1996 is important because it was the first tournament to feature the current two block system. I should also note that Koji Kanemoto is the only other three time winner of the tournament. He won his first BOTSJ in 1998, then again in 2002, and for a third time in 2009. Prince Devitt (A.K.A. Finn Balor) also won the tournament twice.
New Japan is also known for bringing in foreign talent for the BOTSJ tournaments. Aside from the previously mentioned guys, Owen Hart participated in the first couple of tourneys, 2 Cold Scorpio, Fit Finlay, Dean Malenko, Sean Waltman, Brian Pillman, Alex Wright, Jerry Lynn, Chris Jericho, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Chris Candido to name a few. There’s also been several Mexican wrestlers over the years as well, Dr. Wagner Jr, Super Shocker, Sangre Azteca and others.
For more contemporary names: Daniel Bryan (as American Dragon in 2004), Tyson Kidd (as Stampede Kidd in 2003 and 2005), Neville (as Pac in 2012), Brian Kendrick (in 2012 and 2013), Jimmy Rave in 2008, ROH’s Christopher Daniels (as Curry Man in 2002 and 2004), TNA’s Davey Richards (in 2010 and 2011), Manik (as TJP in 2011), and Low-Ki (in 2012), also there’s Lucha Underground’s Prince Puma (as Ricochet in 2013 and winner of last year’s tournament over KUSHIDA) Ricochet joins Finn Balor, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit as the only foreign talent to ever win BOTSJ. Tiger Mask IV (2004 and 2005) is the only ever consecutive BOTSJ winner.
So, all of this history brings us to the 2015 participants who are divided into two blocks. The current point system grants two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss.
Block A participants: Gedo (Current NJPW Booker and 9th Appearance), Jushin Thunder Liger (24th Appearance, 3 Time Winner), Ryusuke Taguchi (11th Appearance, 1 Time Winner) , Baretta (Roppongi Vice and 2nd Appearance), Yohei Komatsu (Young Lion and 1st Appearance), Kyle O’Reilly (ROH, ReDragon, and 1st Appearance), Chase Owens (NWA and 1st Appearance), Barbaro Cavernario (CMLL, Mexican National Welterweight Champion, and 1st Appearance),
Block B participants: Tiger Mask IV (14th consecutive appearance, 2 Time Winner), Nick Jackson (Bullet Club and 2nd Appearance), David Finlay (Son of Fit Finlay and 1st Appearance), Bobby Fish (ROH, ReDragon, and 1st Appearance), Mascara Dorada (CMLL, World Welterweight Champion, and 3rd Appearance), Alex Shelley (Time Splitters and 3rd Appearance), KUSHIDA (Time Splitters and 6th consecutive Appearance), Rocky Romero (Roppongi Vice and 7th Appearance)
Best of the Super Juniors XXII Night One (05/22/15)
Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo Japan inside Korakuen Hall
Match 1: BOTSJ Block A Match: Yohei Komatsu (Young Lion) vs. “The Living Legend” Jushin Thunder Liger
Winner: Jushin Thunder Liger (After Hitting Komatsu with a Brainbuster) 8 minutes and 45 seconds
Having the old veteran against the Young Lion can be hit or miss sometimes. However, I think Liger and Komatsu went a step further here and really delivered a good opener. Komatsu attacked Liger while he was doing his entrance pose, even leading to a Running Dropkick off the ring apron and Sunset Flip dive inside the ring for a near fall. This started things off pretty hot. The crowd liked it and they were behind Komatsu from the start. Liger played the angry vet well here, as they did a spot where Liger just decides to give Komatsu a Brainbuster on the outside because he can. This led to Komatsu literally stumbling back into the ring at the 19 count, which once again drew another Komatsu chant from the crowd. If you read my Wrestling Dontaku review, I said that it is becoming very evident Komatsu is slowly shedding the “Young Lion” tag. This was for all intents and purposes a showcase match for Komatsu. Komatsu did have to endure a few submissions from Liger, but he also got to nail Liger with a Falcon Arrow, counter the Liger Bomb, he no sold a Superplex, and kicked out of the Palm Strike. As you would expect, Komatsu took the fall, but the story that was told was very well done. *** and ½ *
Match 2: BOTSJ Block B Match: “Slick” Nick Jackson (Bullet Club) w/ Cody Hall vs. Tiger Mask IV
Winner: Tiger Mask (After Hitting Nick Jackson with a Tiger Suplex) 7 minutes and 55 seconds
In case you didn’t know, Nick is flying solo because his brother Matt is at home with his wife because they are expecting the birth of their child at some point during this tournament. Nick coming out on the shoulders of Cody Hall made me chuckle, but makes total sense since you know the Bullet Club doesn’t operate without help. Nick was being very cocky and over-confident calling Tiger Mask “old man” as soon as the bell rang and then finding various ways to tell Tiger Mask to “suck it.” Nick showing the referee how to count to three by doing “suck it” made me laugh pretty hard I have to admit. I’m not the biggest fan of Tiger Mask, but he looked good here and as I mentioned, the story they are telling works well for the veteran.
The match turns on the interference by Cody Hall. Hall pulls Tiger Mask to the outside, as Nick distracts the referee. Then in no time flat, Nick misses a running apron kick that actually hits Young Lion Jay White who’s just observing ring side, he Superkicks Cody Hall by mistake, and also kicks the steel pole as well. Tiger Mask takes advantage by hitting a Tombstone to Nick on the outside and from there it is much more high impact. Tiger Mask even hits a Super Double Arm Suplex for a near fall. Nick does eventually get in a Superkick, but Tiger Mask blocks the 450, which I think was supposed to have Nick’s injured leg be the part that lands on Tiger Mask knees. However, it wound up nearly missing instead. I thought Nick could possibly get a win here, but with the story it makes sense for Tiger Mask to get the victory. This was a good match. ** and ¾ *
Match 3: BOTSJ Block B Match: Alex Shelley vs. David Finlay
Winner: Alex Shelley (After Hitting Finlay with the Automatic Midnight) 5 minutes and 30 seconds
This is David Finlay’s debut in New Japan. He’s apparently been in the dojo for a long while and you can tell he takes a few things from his father in this match. He hits Shelley with a stiff Flying Forearm early on, but really that was his only big move of the match. As is to be expected, Shelley dominated most of the match. This was decent with a nice release Belly to Belly from Shelley and a Superkick that looked like it could have taken Finlay’s head off. Hopefully, we will see more from Finlay as the tournament progresses. Shelley wins comfortably with the Automatic Midnight. **
Match 4: BOTSJ Block A Match: Chase Owens (NWA) vs. Barbaro Cavernario (CMLL) (Mexican National Welterweight Champion)
Winner: Barbaro Cavernario (After making Chase Owens TAP OUT to La Cavernaria (Seated Surfboard) 7 minutes and 15 seconds
I’ve only seen Cavernario from the Fantastica Mania shows earlier in the year and he is great, plus he’s a FREAKING Cave Man that actually carries a club with him to the ring. That being said, I felt like Owens and Cavernario didn’t gel very well here. Owens hit a scary looking Suicide Dive early on and Cavernario hit a big Top Rope Splash later on as well. But a lot of the stuff in between was sort of sloppy and was never smooth. Case in point Owens going for an Over the ropes Backbreaker and then another One Arm Backbreaker. I did like the finishing sequence and Cavernario is the right man to go over out of the two. ** and a ½ *
Match 5: 10 Man Tag Team Match: Tomoaki Honma (Great Bash Heel), Togi Makabe (NEVER Openweight Champion and Great Bash Heel), Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto (IWGP Intercontinental Champion) vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Shinsuke Nakamura, (ALL CHAOS) & Kazushi Sakuraba
Winners: Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata, & Hirooki Goto (After Goto Hits YOSHI-HASHI with Shouten-Kai) 13 minutes and 40 seconds
This is the perfect pallet cleanser to all the tournament matches we’ve had so far. Except for YOSHI-HASHI and Honma, everyone else here is involved in a feud with each other. So, those wrestlers pretty much paired up for the entire match. However, not all of them were given equal attention. This match mainly focused on the two title feuds, as it probably should since they are the most important. Makabe and Ishii had one of their typical dust-ups with lots of Lariats, Elbows, and just being stiff with each other. Goto and Nakamura went at it for a bit as well. But as we know by now, Honma and YOSHI-HASHI are the fall guys, so they both took and dished out some damage. Honma and Goto had a funny interaction early as Goto knocked Nakamura down and then posed with Honma. Honma and Nakamura also had lots of interaction in this match, as Nakamura did a Kokeshi type Knee Drop on Honma and then Honma was able to hit a Kokeshi on Nakamura later. YOSHI-HASHI also got a lot of time with Goto before expectedly being the one to take the fall. YOSHI-HASHI has been surprising me as of late with how he can get the crowd behind him and how hard he works at having convincing near falls. The stacked up roll-up on Goto had the crowd biting hard and was well done. The ode to the Shibata and Goto tag team in the finish was nice and the perfect thing these multi-man tags give you. This was a fun way to spend 15 minutes with the bigger talent on the NJPW roster. *** and ¼ *
Match 6: BOTSJ Block B Match: Bobby Fish (ROH & ReDragon) vs. Rocky Romero (Roppongi Vice)
Winner: Bobby Fish (After Making Romero TAP OUT with a Leglock submission) 13 minutes and 10 seconds
Though things would start out rather simple with chain wrestling and then some comedy that involved Fish taking Romero’s eye patch, wearing it, and then being subsequently poked in the unpatched eye by Romero. It didn’t take long for the match to pick-up with Romero doing a HUGE Suicide Dive knocking Bobby Fish into the first row of seats. The crowd was already behind Romero, but that made sure they stayed behind him the whole way. Eventually O’ Reilly stood up on the apron, which helped Fish get the upper hand. Fish nicely countered a Hurricanrana into a Single Crab and then kept working on the leg and back for the rest of the match. The finish was pretty seamless as Romero kicked out of a Falcon Arrow and then Fish easily turned it into a leglock for the win. The crowd was into this from start to finish, the action was enjoyable and it had a little bit of everything in it. I’d say probably the best match on the show to this point. *** and ½ *
Match 7: BOTSJ Block A Match: Kyle O’ Reilly (ReDragon & ROH) vs. Barreta (Roppongi Vice)
Winner: Kyle O’Reilly (After making Beretta TAP OUT with the Armbar) 13 minutes and 5 seconds
ReDragon attacked Romero and Baretta after Bobby Fish’s match, which eventually led to a Double Knee tag move from Roppongi Vice and Baretta hitting a Suicide Dive on both members of ReDragon. The match started as soon as O’Reilly and Baretta got into the ring. Baretta had some fun early on with his dancing Face Twist and his chops to O’Reilly in various corners, which O’Reilly sold wonderfully. O’Reilly did his usual working the arm and wearing his opponent down with various holds. Baretta does hit a nice DDT at one point that O’Reilly sells like he’s having a seizure before Baretta gets the pin, which even though I shouldn’t have, it made me laugh a little bit. O’Reilly is so good at just making it look like everything equally hurts. The match picks up when O’Reilly has Baretta in a Front Dragon Sleeper and Baretta gets out of it by making both guys tumble to the floor. O’ Reilly then hits a WICKED Dropkick to a seated Baretta that gets the crowd back into the match. The finishing sequence was fast paced, but unlike the previous match, I never truly believed Baretta was winning here. His Super Belly to Belly and Shining Kick combo was the closest he would come, but I think it was evident that O’Reilly would pick up the win and he did. Baretta did get the crowd to cheer and chant for him, which means they are appreciating his work. I’m glad to see Baretta finally getting a real opportunity in New Japan and I hope he gets to make the most of it. So, I guess score a double shot for ReDragon on this one. *** and ¼ *
Match 8: BOTSJ Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL World Welterweight Champion)
Winner: KUSHIDA (After making Mascara Dorada TAP OUT with the Kimura) 8 minutes and 55 seconds
This was a lot shorter than I thought it would be, but at least they kept the action going throughout. KUSHIDA worked the arm early, Dorada had a rope turn Dropkick followed by a beautiful rope walking Asai Moonsault to the outside. KUSHIDA would later hit a big dive himself onto Dorada as well. But Dorada try as he might, couldn’t really shake all of the arm work that KUSHIDA had done and eventually tapped out. I should point out that I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone Baseball slide someone’s arm as they are trying to do a Handspring Elbow. I cannot imagine that Gedo and Jado don’t see the potential in a big time match between these two. Even though Shelley and KUSHIDA would be compelling, I think we see KUSHIDA and Dorada in the semi-finals again. This was one of the shortest matches on the entire night and I hope this isn’t the only time we see them. On a side note, the new music they debuted for Dorada on this show is terrible. *** and ¼ *
Match 9: MAIN EVENT: BOTSJ Block A Match: Gedo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
Winner: Gedo (After Hitting Taguchi with a Complete Shot and Gedo Clutch Pin) 14 minutes
Gedo is just awesome, can I say that? Because he just is. He absolutely dominated Taguchi to the crowd’s and probably everyone elses delight. Taguchi didn’t get an offensive move in until eight minutes into the match and of course it was a Running Butt to Gedo’s face. Gedo Superkicked Taguchi before the match even started and the referee rang the bell anyway. Then he goes to the outside and Apron DDT’s Taguchi and yells at the referee in English to start counting. Gedo even gets the ring bell mallet and whacks Taguchi with it a few times too. Then the crowd starts CHANTING for Gedo, I mean in any other match, they would probably be booing the heel at this point. Taguchi does eventually make a small comeback, which includes a Running Apron Butt move on the outside. The crowd went nuts when Taguchi got the Ankle Lock in on Gedo and then he kneeled down Shamrock style and really put it in, which made the crowd just want to will Gedo on even more. There was also a nice near fall with Taguchi hitting the Dodon after this too. The finish was classic heel stuff and it just worked hilariously well. Taguchi gets frustrated and goes out to get the Mallet from earlier. Gedo lures him into the ring while still holding it, when the referee goes to take it away, Gedo low blows him and hits the Complete Shot and Gedo Clutch for the win. This match may not seem like anything, but if you hate Taguchi and love heels being heels, like I do, this was nothing short of brilliant. I’ll be honest, there isn’t much in the way of big moves or anything, but it all has a purpose and serves to point out how underrated Gedo truly is. The man is 46 and you really wouldn’t be able to tell at all. Perhaps Gedo could make a run in this thing. This was a really fun main event and a nice way to cap off the show. *** and ½ *
FINAL RATING: 7.5 This was a pretty good start to the tournament. Everything on the show was solid to very good. It kinda sucks that KUSHIDA vs. Mascara Dorada didn’t get to go longer, but I have a feeling they are saving that for a reason. Both members of ReDragon had pretty good matches against members of RPG Vice, Liger and Komatsu had a very good opener, and Gedo shined in the main event. There wasn’t anything totally must-see here, but if you like tournaments and like some of the wrestlers involved I think it is worth checking out. The final four BOTSJ matches were all very good in their own ways. Now all we can hope for is that the next day is just as good as the first.
Editor Note: This covers night one. You can find night two here.
