NJPW Best of the Super Juniors night one live results: Ishimori vs. Lee

The twenty sixth Best of the Super Juniors tournament begins this morning in Miyagi, featuring A Block action.

A rematch from Wrestling Dontaku will take place in the main event. Dragon Lee successfully defeated Taiji Ishimori, and naturally Ishimori is looking to settle the score this morning. A win here could be a good omen for either man as they begin to enter their way into the tournament.

Other A Block matches taking place include SHO vs. Shingo Takagi (who feuded with one another during the last tour), Marty Scurll vs. Jonathan Gresham, Titan vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Tiger Mask vs. Taka Michinoku.

Bandido will also be making his official debut for the promotion in the undercards as he will team with Rocky Romero and Yuya Uemura to take on the Bullet Club contingent of Jado, Robbie Eagles and El Phantasmo. DOUKI will also be making his debut, teaming with Taichi to take on Ren Narita and Yota Tsuji.

Join us for live play-by-play starting at 5:30 a.m.

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TAICHI & DOUKI DEFEATED REN NARITA & YOTA TSUJI

This was all about introducing Douki. Taichi and Tsuji started. Taichi worked over Tsuji with kicks. Tsuji got sent to the floor, where Douki nailed him with a chair. 

The finish saw Douki hit a Suplex de Luna, a wheelbarrow dragon suplex into a bridge, for the pin. Douki didn’t show much, but we will get a chance to see what he can do tomorrow against Narita. 

EL PHANTASMO, ROBBIE EAGLES & JADO DEFEATED BANDIDO, ROCKY ROMERO & YUYA UEMURA 

Bandido and Phantasmo began with a hot sequence. Rocky and Eagles were in next. Jado used a kendo stick to cut Rocky off, and Bullet Club went to work. They tied Rocky to the tree of woe, and took turns working him over. 

Bandido got a hot tag, and connected with a tornado crossbody off the top. Uemura and Eagles faced off, and Uemura hit a double underhook belly-to-belly. 

The match broke down, still leaving Eagles and Uemura the legal men. Eagles hit a Backpack Stunner and picked up the victory. 

JUICE ROBINSON & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI DEFEATED YOH & SHOTA UMINO

Juice and Taguchi did a lot of comedy for the first two-thirds of the match. Things took a more serious turn later, and Taguchi and YOH had a nice sequence. YOH hit a falcon arrow for a nearfall. Taguchi got an ankle lock, but Umino broke it up. 

Umino and Juice faced off, while Taguchi and YOH fought on the floor. Umino hit a back elbow, and used a cross armbreaker, but Taguchi made the save. Juice used a high angle crab. After a fight, Umino finally tapped out. 

TETSUYA NAITO & BUSHI DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY & TOA HENARE 

Ospreay has really toned down his style. He’s still an excellent wrestler, but he doesn’t fly nearly as much as he used to. That’s not a complaint. 

He started off here with BUSHI. They had a nice exchange, and both tagged out. Naito and Henare got tags, and Naito had fun toying with Henare. Henare hit a Samoan Drop, and both made tags. 

Ospreay hit a 619, and then a backflip kick. He connected with a standing shooting star press for a nearfall. He went for Storm Breaker, but BUSHI slipped out. Ospreay teased an Oscutter, but BUSHI hit a neckbreaker.

Naito and Henare got tags. Ospreay on the apron with a DDT. Naito hit Destino, and pinned Henare. 

A BLOCK MATCH: TIGER MASK DEFEATED TAKA MICHINOKU

This was good, all things considered. They played off the knee injury that Tiger suffered at the end of the last tour. TAKA immediately went after the right knee, using holds and kicks. 

Tiger got a couple of hope spots. He threw kicks with both legs, making it clear that he is mostly selling when it comes to the severity of his injury. 

TAKA used a figure four, but Tiger reached the ropes. Tiger used a tombstone for a nearfall, then applied a cross armbreaker. TAKA reached the ropes. Back on their feet, Tiger threw some kicks. TAKA ducked another kick, then used the Just Facelock, but Tiger made it to the ropes. 

TAKA hit a springboard wheel kick. He tied Tiger up in a submission, but Tiger again reached the ropes. They went into their nearfalls at the ten minute mark. Tiger hit a Tiger Driver for a two count, and a Tiger Suplex for another. Tiger then hit a Tiger Suplex into a bridge, and got the pin. 

A BLOCK MATCH: TITAN DEFEATED YOSHINOBU KANEMARU

Kanemaru used an attack before the opening bell to take the early edge. Kanemaru went for Titan’s mask, and loosened it. Titan made a brief comeback, hitting a dive to the floor, then a headscissors. Kanemaru fired right back, hitting a DDT on the floor. 

Kanemaru used a camel clutch, then a headscissors on the mat, grounding Titan. Titan almost hurt himself badly on a charge into the corner, as he slipped between the ropes and went to the floor. He followed up with a beautiful tope con hilo. 

Kanemaru went to the top for Deep Impact. Titan cut him off, but Kanemaru was still able to connect, and got a nearfall. Kanemaru hit a tilt-a-whirl DDT, into a double down at the ten minute mark. 

Titan ducked whiskey mist, then hit a super kick. He hit Titanics, and pinned Kanemaru. Nice effort from these guys. 

A BLOCK MATCH: MARTY SCURLL DEFEATED JONATHAN GRESHAM

They began with a great leapfrog/drop down/dropkick sequence. The pace slowed as Scurll used a Romero Special. They spent several minutes trading holds on the mat. There was some good grappling here.

Scurll hit a 619, then a superplex. They traded pinfall attempts with rolling cradles. Gresham hit a quebrada, then rolled through into an ankle lock. Gresham used a deadlift German. He used a backslide, and a magistral cradle for nearfalls. 

Scurll stomped on the hand, then did his finger break spot. Scurll rolled into a cradle, then slipped to the chicken wing. Gresham escaped the hold, but Scurll followed with a big lariat, and Black Plague for the pin. A different kind of match, but very good. 

A BLOCK MATCH: SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED SHO

SHO came out to new entrance music, and has changed his look up a bit. He has new gear and dyed his hair black. 

They locked up. SHO broke cleanly as Shingo reached the ropes. The crowd was buzzing, just waiting to explode. They traded shoulder tackles, and somewhat surprisingly, SHO scored the first knockdown. 

SHO hit a dropkick. Shingo no-sold two kicks, then caught a third. Shingo swung his arm for a clothesline, but SHO caught it and used a Fujiwara armbar. Shingo rolled outside, and SHO hit a kick from the apron. He teased a German on the apron, but Shingo slipped out. They popped back inside, and Shingo hit a clothesline. 

Shingo hit a clothesline, and SHO spilled to the floor. Shingo posted SHO’s arm. Back inside, Shingo hit a gutbuster, followed by a DDT. Shingo hit a Dragon Spirit, which is a falling back elbow off the top. 

They traded chops. Shingo got a knockdown off a double sledge to the chest. Shingo blocked a spear. SHO hit a vertical suplex. They made the ten minute call, and this match was just flying by. 

SHO used a backstabber and an armbar, but Shingo reached the bottom rope. SHO tried to attack the right arm, Shingo’s Pumping Bomber arm. Shingo hit a big jab and a lariat. SHO teased a suplex to the floor, but Shingo turned it into a deadlift superplex for a nearfall. 

They had an intense striking battle. They traded suplexes. They dropped each other to a knee simultaneously with clotheslines. SHO hit a jumping knee strike, blocked a lariat, and hit his own lariat. 

SHO hit a Pumping Bomber, then three rolling deadlift Germans. He bridged on the third, but Shingo kicked out. SHO hit a lungblower for an awesome nearfall. Shingo backdropped out of a Shock Arrow attempt. 

Shingo hit a German, and followed with a Pumping Bomber for a two count. SHO hit a knee strike, but Shingo followed with a Noshagami. Shingo hit another Pumping Bomber, but SHO kicked out. 

Shingo went for Last of the Dragon, but SHO turned it into a kimura. SHO transitioned to an armbar, then a triangle choke. He slipped back to an armbar, but Shingo reached the ropes. 

SHO hit a series of kicks to the right arm, so Shingo hit a clothesline with his left arm. They traded strikes. Shingo hit a big right hand, and another Pumping Bomber. SHO kicked out. 

Shingo connected with Last of the Dragon, and got the pin. An unreal match. I don’t know how anything in the rest of the tournament can follow this. 

A BLOCK MATCH: TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED DRAGON LEE

A good match, but they couldn’t follow the semi-main. It felt as though they were out there trying to figure out a way to get the crowd. They tried brawling, they tried slowing the pace, they tried quickening the pace, and nothing quite worked. 

This is the second time these two have main evented in the last ten days. I’m sure they wanted to do a different match for that reason. And so, they started off brawling. They exchanged forearm strikes for a long time. Ishimori sent Lee outside with a dropkick, then hit a pescado. 

Back inside, Ishimori went for Lee’s mask. He tied him to the tree of woe, then hit a dropkick. Ishimori worked a chinlock. Lee escaped and hit the ropes, but Ishimori went back to the chinlock. Lee forced a rope break. 

Lee hit a suicide dive. They teased a countout, but Ishimori made it back inside at 18. Ishimori hit a handspring kick, then applied La Mistica. Lee reached the bottom rope, then rolled to the floor. Ishimori teased a moonsault off the post, but Lee cut him off, and hit a dropkick on the apron. 

They stood on the apron, trading strikes. They got back inside, and continued to trade. Twice Lee hit snap German suplexes, and twice Ishimori landed on his feet. Ishimori hit a Canadian Destroyer at the fifteen minute mark. 

Lee hit a DVD into the turnbuckle pad, then hit a double stomp for a nearfall. Lee went for Desnucadora, but Ishimori turned it into a crucifix bomb for a two count. They traded poison ranas. Ishimori connected with a double knee gutbuster for a nearfall, then hit the Bloody Cross for the pin.