Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 12) Review 5.31.17

Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 12) Review 5.31.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Taichi @ 10:50 via pin [**½]
– TAKA Michinoku defeated Dragon Lee @ 9:25 via pin [***]
– Marty Scurll defeated Ricochet @ 14:05 via submission [****]
– Will Ospreay defeated Hiromu Takahashi @ 16:30 via pin [***½]

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* Csonka’s Top 5 Omissions From The 2017 BOTSJ.
* Csonka’s Top 5 Potential BOTSJ Winners.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 1) Review 5.17.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 2) Review 5.18.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 3) Review 5.20.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 4)Review 5.21.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 5) Review 5.22.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 6) Review 5.23.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 7) Review 5.25.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 8) Review 5.26.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 9) Review 5.27.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 10) Review 5.28.17.
* Csonka’s NJPW BOTSJ (Night 11) Review 5.29.17.

– These are block A matches today..

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Taichi: Taichi attacks before the bell with the mic stand. That leads to he, Kanemaru and Desperado beating him down. The bell sounded and Suzuki-gun continued their attack on the floor. Taichi then rolled him back in the ring, maintaining control until Liger hit the back breaker. Desperado cut off the apron cannonball, and that allowed Taichi to choke out Liger with a cable on the floor. They then brawled into the crowd; Taichi used chairs on Liger, who had to crawl his way back to the ring to beat the count. Back in the ring, Taichi used the mic stand again to beat on Liger, and then tried to rip off his mask. Liger then started to fight back, hitting a suplex. Taichi then hit an enziguri and a head kick, covering for 2. The superkick followed for Taichi, covering again for 2. Liger fought off the last ride, and hit the shotei. We then got a ref bump and Suzuki-gun gang beat down on Liger. They try to unmask Liger again, the ref then wakes up and tries to clear the ring, but we get another ref bump. Taichi has scissors now and starts to cut off Liger’s hair and then cuts up his costume. Taguchi and KUSHIDA arrive, finally and clear the ring. Liger hits a rolling kick, sending a chair into Taichi’s face, SHOTEI, LIGER BOMB, BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAAAA and Liger puts an end to our crisis. Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Taichi @ 10:50 via pin [**½] As a match it’s nothing but the usual Suzuki-gun shit, but the story of Liger overcoming it all in his final BOTSJ match was cool and the crowd loved that. I wish his final run could have been more, but the man is a selfless performer and still had a fun run.

– Post match, Liger says he owes his win to KUSHIDA & Taguchi. Next year, without him, the junior scene will be even hotter.

Dragon Lee vs. TAKA Michinoku: Holy shot, we got a normal start to the match and even a handshake. Of course, TAKA then suckers him in and eye pokes him and they brawl up the entranceway. TAKA locks in the crossface on the floor; this if course leads to the countout tease that no one buys because they do this all the time, but never actually do a countout to make fans believe. Lee beats the count, but TAKA works the crossface again. TAKA then worked over Lee in the corner, but lee fired up and took the fight to the floor. But when he went back into the ring, TAKA kicked the ropes into his balls to cut him off. Lee fights back, sending TAKA to the floor and hitting a suicide dive. The corner dropkick follows for 2. They trade strikes center ring, and then trade knee strikes; Lee gets a roll up for 2, and then locks in an arm bar. Lee then works the crossface, tries to transition into a cradle but TAKA makes the ropes. Lee then sets TAKA up top and into the tree of WHOA, but TAKA avoids the double stomp. Eye poke by TAKA, and the superkick gets 2. He then gets a cradle for 2. Lee fights back, picks up the pace and hits a bridging suplex for 2. TAKA kicks out and hits a jumping kick to the face as Lee argues with the ref, and the Michinoku driver puts Lee away. TAKA Michinoku defeated Dragon Lee @ 9:25 via pin [***] Good back and forth match, with TAKA using all of his tricks to keep things even against the younger, stringer and faster Lee. In the end, TAKA ended up not needing the tricks to win, just to survive long enough to take advantage of a frustrated Lee as he argued with the ref.

Ricochet vs. Marty Scurll: Scurll attacked right away, beating Ricochet down in the corner. Ricochet quickly fought back, sending Scurll to the floor and hitting a suicide dive and a tope. Back in they go, Ricochet heads up top and flies into the ring, only for Scurll to snag him out of the air and lock in the chicken wing. Ricochet starts to fire back and pick up the pace, but he eats a superkick as he goes for a back handspring. Scurll sends him to the floor, hits the apron superkick and then rolls him in, covering for 2. Scurll then works a Romero special, follows with kicks and they then trade chops. Scurll avoids the 619, almost gets the chicken wing, but Ricochet escapes and then hits the 619 followed by a springboard uppercut. That was a really great sequence. Scurll fights off the benadryller, but gets stunned off the ropes; Ricochet follows with a neck breaker and running shooting star press for 2. Ricochet then superkicks out the knee, he then hits a big lariat and the last shot for a good near fall. Scurll calls for the chicken wing, Ricochet attacks, but Scurll counters the benadryller. They work into a great back and forth, with Ricochet tuning him inside out with a leaping enziguri. Ricochet is fired up now, but Scurll cuts him off and looks for the finger break. Ricochet avoids, Scurll rolls into he chicken wing but Ricochet counters out hitting the dead lift northern lights suplex. Ricochet up top now, but the shooting star press eats knees; Scurll then hits a stuff piledriver, followed by a regular piledriver for a great near fall. Scurll then does the finger break spot, but Ricochet blocks the superkick. Scurll then counters a slam into the chicken wing, Ricochet powers to his feet and looks for the O’Connor roll, but Scurll again catches him in the chicken wing. Ricochet taps! Marty Scurll defeated Ricochet @ 14:05 via submission [****] This was absolutely great, they worked it very evenly and gave Scurll enough hope spots to make him competitive, but the feeling was still that Ricochet would overcome and take the win. They did some absolutely tremendous counter work here, and had me believing Scurll would win, but then right before he actually did, I bit and was waiting on Ricochet to counter into the benadryller to win. Instead. Scurll picks up the huge win and plays spoiler.

Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi: And it all comes down to this. Both men came out fired up and looking to kick ass; Ospreay sent Takahashi to the floor and hit a suicide dive. They then brawled on the floor, with Ospreay hitting a charging dropkick, sending Takahashi into the chairs. Ospreay then took a seat and waited on the champion. Takahashi then avoided a dive, hitting the sunset bomb to the floor.

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/869881966950313984

Ospreay beat the count back in, but Takahashi was in full control and slowly beat on him and laid in chops. Takahashi then picked up the pace a bit and then started to attack the knee, working it off the post. Takahashi then followed with a modified figure four, grounding Ospreay. Ospreay finally makes the ropes, he then manages to hit the back handspring kick, but is too slow to follow up. He cuts off Takahashi, hits a slingshot senton and now we’re just running full speed for a big corner dropkick after solidly selling the leg. Ospreay the starts throwing kicks with the bad leg, stopping in between to make a pain face, he then hits a running shooting star press followed by a springboard, corkscrew senton for 2. That was a bit absurd all things considered. Takahashi then hits the pop up powerbomb, and then the falcon arrow (HE DID THE DEAL). Ospreay fights off the corner DVD, and hits the trapped superkick for the near fall. Takahashi then hits rolling Germans for 2. They work to the apron, trade strikes, Takahashi teases another sunset bomb to the floor, but Ospreay fights that off and hits the shooting star press to the floor. Back in and Takahashi gets the knees up on the top rope shooting star press and gets a roll up for 2. Ospreay hits the Essex destroyer, the imploding 450 and then the OsCutter for the win. Will Ospreay defeated Hiromu Takahashi @ 16:30 via pin [***½] They had a very good match, but Ospreay’s lack of selling the leg held this back from being great. He tends to oversell the immediate pain, and then undersells the effects of it and then, after that just. starts running around and doing what ever. Do not spend time doing limb work only to say fuck off a few moments later. They did some great stuff, either cut out the knee work or improve the selling and it’s great.

– Ospreay cuts a fired up promo, vowing to repeat as BOTSJ champion.

BLOCK A STANDINGS
– Will Ospreay: (5-2) 10pts. – WINNER OF BLOCK
– Dragon Lee: (4-3) 8pts.
– Taichi: (4-3) 8pts.
– Hiromu Takahashi: (4-3) 8pts.
– Marty Scurll: (4-3) 8pts.
– Ricochet: (4-3) 8pts.
– TAKA Michinoku: (2-5) 4pts.
– Jushin Liger: (1-6) 2pts.

BLOCK B STANDINGS
– Volador Jr: (3-3) 6pts.
– ACH: (3-3) 6pts.
– BUSHI: (3-3) 6pts.
– Yoshinobu Kanemaru: (3-3) 6pts.
– KUSHIDA: (3-3) 6pts.
– Ryusuke Taguchi: (3-3) 6pts.
– Tiger Mask: (3-3) 6pts.
– Desperado: (3-3) 6pts.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Good show today, with Liger ending Taichi’s reign of terror, TAKA digging deep to overcome Dragon Lee, Scurll and Ricochet having a great outing and Ospreay and Takahashi having a strong, but flawed, main event to cap off the evening.