NJPW Best of the Super Juniors night five results: Shingo vs. Kanemaru

Night five of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament took place today in Yamagata, highlighted by a main event featuring LIJ’s Shingo Takagi against Suzuki-gun’s Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

Prelim bouts:

DOUKI and Taichi defeated Bandido and Yota Tsuji

Taichi submitted Tsuji with a modified sleeper. DOUKI removed Bandido’s mask after the match.

El Phantasmo and Gedo defeated Robbie Eagles and Jado

El Phantasmo pinned Jado with a roll-up after Gedo distracted Jado with his cane.

Will Ospreay, Juice Robinson and Ren Narita defeated YOH, Rocky Romero and Shota Umino

Juice submitted Umino with a modified Boston Crab.

Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Toa Henare

Naito pinned Henare with the Destino.

Block A matches:

SHO defeated Taka Michinoku

Michinoku immediately began working on SHO’s arm, which is all busted up. SHO mounted a brief comeback, but but Michinoku kept putting him down. SHO counters with a cross armbreaker, then holds on as he works on Michinoku’s arm.

Michinoku reaches the ropes as they battle back and forth. SHO hit two clotheslines, then a third. SHO then laid him out with the shock arrow for the win. This was a good, basic match and nothing more.

Marty Scurll defeated Tiger Mask IV

The two shook hands before the match started.After some chain grappling, Scurll teased like he wasn’t going to break Tiger Masks fingers by breaking away from him..but then seconds later he grabbed one of his hands and “broke a finger” anyway. 

Scurll got the heat by working on Tiger Mask’s hands, wrapping one of them around the chains that hold that ring ropes together in a clever spot. Tiger Mask dodged a chop, sending Scurll’s land into the post, but Scurll retaliated by dodging at just the right moment so Tiger Mask’s foot hit the post as well.

After a count out tease, Tiger Mask came back into the ring and hit Scurll with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Scurll went for the chickenwing but Tiger Mask countered with a pin attempt and a leglock. Tiger Mask hit a tombstone and a tiger bomb for a near fall.

Tiger Mask went for what looked like a modified kimura then went for the tiger suplex. Scurll countered with the chicken wing, but Tiger Mask floated over for another near fall. Marty Scurll then hit him with a forearm and pinned him with the black plague. This was good and built well, but the finish felt pretty flat and came out of nowhere.

Taiji Ishimori defeated Titan

They start off quick, ending up out of the ring. Titan looks to jump off the apron, but Ishimori instead grabs him and pulls him down in midair for the heat. Titan comes back with a big chop that somehow propels him to the floor, then sends Ishimori to the outside where he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

In the ring, Titan countered with a cross armbreaker then followed with a submission. Ishimori came back with a knee then pinned him with the bloody cross. This was another good match, more technical in nature than I expected.

Dragon Lee defeated Jonathan Gresham

They go back and forth for the first five minutes with some hot action. Gresham works over Lee’s arm. Lee at one point went for a roll-up, then with one arm powerbombed Gresham for a two count.

Gresham follows with a series of some great-looking offense, including a stacked powerbomb and a cradle attempt. Gresham works the arm again, then tries for the Octopus lock. He tries to break down Lee but he positions himself back on his feet. Lee dodges a enziguri and hits a running knee, then follows with a second. Lee then finishes him off with the descunadora. This was very fun while it lasted.

Shingo Takagi defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

They end up brawling around the ring early on, with Kanemaru posting Shingo for the heat. Kanemaru lifted up Shingo’s knee and slammed it through the table, with the table actually breaking. 

Kanemaru works on the injured leg in the ring, wrenching it multiple times. Shingo makes it to the ropes, but Kanemaru wraps Shingo’s leg against the ring post, then grabbed a chair and whacked it against the injured knee. Not finished, he dragged Shingo on the entrance ramp and wrapped Shingo in a leglock in an attempt to get a count out win, but Shingo made it in at just the right time.

Shingo comes alive with a back suplex and soon after that hits a death valley driver. But Kanemaru counters by putting Shingo right back with a figure four leg lock. Kanemaru uses the referee to wrap Shingo back up, but uh oh, ref bump. Of course, that is Taichi’s (who is on commentary) cue to interfere, introducing a chair that Kanemaru happily accepts.

Kanemaru looks for the whiskey mist spot, but Shingo uses the chair to block the spray and lays him out. Kanemaru looks to use it himself and is successful. After a gory bomb, Shingo hits a pumping bomber but Kanemaru kicks out. Last of the Dragon gets it as Taichi struggles to get back in the ring. A different kind of main event, but very good. The leg work was well done in particular.

Shingo cut a promo after the match, saying he’ll go undefeated in the BOTSJ tournament.

Current standings:

Block A:

  • Shingo Takagi: 6
  • Taiji Ishimori: 6
  • Tiger Mask: 4
  • Marty Scurll: 4
  • Dragon Lee: 4
  • Jonathan Gresham: 2
  • Titan: 2
  • SHO: 2
  • Taka Michinoku: 0
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru: 0

Block B:

  • El Phantasmo: 4
  • Robbie Eagles: 4
  • Ryusuke Taguchi: 4
  • Will Ospreay: 4
  • DOUKI: 2
  • YOH: 2
  • Bandido: 0
  • BUSHI: 0
  • Ren Narita: 0
  • Rocky Romero: 0