The 25th Best of the Super Juniors tournament continued Saturday with Night Seven’s A Block action, held at the Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall in Aichi. Here are the results.
Prelim Matches:
Shota Umino & Chris Sabin defeated Yuya Uemura & Dragon Lee when Umino submitted Uemura with the Boston Crab.
YOSHI-HASHI & SHO defeated Tomoyuki Oka & KUSHIDA when YOSHI-HASHI submitted Oka with the Butterfly Lock.
Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado defeated Chase Owens & Marty Scurll when Suzuki pinned Owens after a Gotch Piledriver.
Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Toa Henare when Naito pinned Henare after a Destino.
A Block Matches:
Flip Gordon defeated Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask scored the first meaningful offense of the match. After trading holds, he hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He applied a headscissors and slammed Flip’s face into the mat, before transitioning to a camel clutch.
Tiger gave up the hold for some reason, allowing Flip to land some strikes, and a standing shooting star. Flip hit a cool springboard Sling Blade, before Tiger was able to connect with the double underhook superplex for a two count.
Tiger used an armbar, but Flip was able to escape, and hit a Falcon Arrow. He missed a corkscrew moonsault, but connected with a rolling senton and another standing shooting star, before Tiger caught him in a cross armbreaker. Tiger followed with a double underhook powerbomb, and a Tombstone, before heading to the top.
Tiger missed a top rope splash, leading to the finishing sequence. Flip landed on his feet out of a suplex attempt, and connected with a superkick on the mat, and another to Tiger as he sat prone on the top rope. Flip hit the Four Flippy Splash, and got the pin.
The first few minutes were nothing to write home about, and the rest of the match was average.
ACH Defeated YOH
This was a good match, but not anything that you need to go out of your way to see.
They started with their version of the Ospreay/Ricochet sequence. It was good, but these guys obviously aren’t at that level. ACH played bully for several minutes, working over YOH’s neck. He used strikes, holds, and a bridging suplex pinfall attempt, all targeting the head and neck.
YOH was able to come back, landing a double footstomp, and a neckbreaker, which earned him a nearfall. They did a cool series of spots near the ropes, which ended with YOH hitting a crossbody off the top. ACH rolled through, and hit a DVD for a nearfall.
ACH went for a deadlift suplex, but started selling his bad shoulder, and gave it up. YOH took notice, and started working over the shoulder. He went for a swanton bomb, but ACH got his knees up. The crowd really got behind ACH at this point. He tore the tape off his shoulder, which got a big reaction, but YOH took advantage, and hit the superplex into a Falcon Arrow spot for a nearfall.
They traded strikes, and ACH got the best of the exchange, as YOH took a flip bump off a lariat. ACH followed with the Soul Buster (package DDT), and picked up the pinfall victory.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori
This was good, but if they had cut about three minutes of dead time out, it would have been great. They only went fifteen, but there were multiple countout teases, and some of the selling was too much.
Ishimori jumped Kanemaru before the bell, landed some strikes, and a seated senton. He used a cravate, and landed blows to the back of the head, before the action spilled outside, and the match turned in Kanemaru’s favor. They brawled into the audience, and Kanemaru use a chair to choke Taiji.
Back inside, it was Kanemaru’s turn to work the head and neck. He hit a draping DDT on Taiji, who bumped from the apron to the floor. They teased a countout, before Kanemaru continued his attack. Taiji missed a dropkick, but connected on a handspring into a kick. He followed with Ibushi’s Golden Triangle to the floor, and hit his sliding suplex.
Kanemaru came back with a tornado DDT, leading to a double down. Taiji went for a superplex, but Kanemaru turned it into an implant DDT off the top. He followed with an inverted DDT, but Taiji was able to counter with the powerbomb lungblower, but could only get a two count from it.
Taiji used a crossface, but Kanemaru was able to reach the ropes. Kanemaru grabbed Red Shoes, who took a bump to the floor. He spit the whiskey mist, and hit a brainbuster, but only got a two count, which came as a shock to the audience.
Kanemaru came off the top into a Codebreaker, but as Taiji picked him up, Kanemaru small packaged him for the pin. I liked the zigs and zags at the end.
BUSHI defeated Will Ospreay
This was not as good as most Ospreay matches, but only because they used this as part of telling a larger story. The idea is that Ospreay is exhausted, which I’m sure he is. As a result, he sold a lot here, and cut back on the spectacular offense a bit. It was still very good overall, and the crowd is into BUSHI as a part of the most over faction in the promotion.
BUSHI hit a dropkick as Ospreay was being introduced, and he choked him with his ring gear. BUSHI wasted no time attacking Ospreay’s bad neck. Ospreay teased the Sasuke Special, but they both did their trademark poses. BUSHI continued his attack near the ropes, and they rolled to the floor, where BUSHI used a chair.
Ospreay beat the count inside, and BUSHI used a headscissors. He followed with a dropkick to the back, and used an STF. Ospreay was able to hit a handspring knee strike, a 619, and a springboard clothesline, which earned a nearfall.
BUSHI was back in control in short order, hitting a missile dropkick and double knees in the corner. Ospreay hit an enziguri, and a Sasuke Special. After a struggle on the floor, Ospreay hit a brainbuster, dropping BUSHI on the apron. Ospreay dignalled for the Storm Breaker, but BUSHI bumped Red Shoes, and sprayed Ospreay with the black mist. He used a backslide for a nearfall, but ate a kick on a follow up strike, allowing Ospreay ample time to wash the mist out of his eyes.
Ospreay hit a superkick, and a lifting inverted DDT for a nearfall. The crowd began buzzing at this point.
Ospreay hit a Robinson Special, and went for the Oscutter, but BUSHI hit a backstabber, leading to a double down. BUSHI landed a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall, then went up top, landed the MX, and got the pin.