wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2022 Night Six Review
Image Credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2022 Night Six
May 22nd, 2022 | Akita Terrsa Great Hall in Akita, Japan
I saw there was a day off so I gave myself a little extra time to cover this.
B Block: DOUKI [2] vs. Robbie Eagles [2]
They’ve met in each of the past three BOSJ tournaments and the matches have gotten better (**¾, ***, and ***¼). They used that history to start with the guys being evenly matched and knowing each other well. DOUKI got the first real upper hand after a tornado DDT to the outside, which famously is the move that split Robbie’s head a few years back. From there, DOUKI slowed the pace for a while and when Eagles got going, he worked the leg. It sounds so simple but I really appreciate when someone works the body part to set up their finisher. So many people don’t do that and it’s annoying. DOUKI caught an Eagles dive into the DOUKI CHOUKI and that’s become something of a signature spot for him. DOUKI missed a double stomp and really hurt his knee before getting a GREAT near fall on a pinning combination. It was the kind of thing that wins matches in a tournament like this. Eagles trapped him in the Ron Miller Special to win in 11:57, improving to 4-0 against him. That ruled and their stuff legitimately keeps getting better together. [***½]
B Block: El Lindaman [2] vs. TJP [2]
Hey, Francesco Akira was out with TJP this time. TJP looked to pick apart Lindaman here, snapping at the arm, and going after it relentlessly. From there, he attempted several submissions though Lindaman managed to get to the ropes. It was as if Lindaman couldn’t really get anything going for the early stages. TJP was in total control. Lindaman had to take to the air to turn the tide, hitting a dive outside that got him going. We got some back and forth coming out of that with both guys having a chance to pull out the win. TJP hit a German suplex and applied an STF but again, Lindaman found a way to get free. It was like TJP was in control for so long but Lindaman kind of always had an answer. After struggling to hit a German throughout due to the arm damage, Lindaman fired up and hit one to win in 11:11. That was really good though the ending felt kind of flat. [***¼]
B Block: BUSHI [2] vs. Master Wato [0]
BUSHI holds a 2-1 edge with meetings in the BOSJ 2020 (***), BOSJ 2021 (***), and New Beginning in Hiroshima 2021 (***). They’re pretty consistent together. On that note, they opened this with the expected solid back and forth. They didn’t wow me at any point but everything they did came off well enough. I honestly don’t even that much to say here because this match just kind of existed and saw the guys trade offense with neither one gaining a notable advantage. Wato had his closest call on a German suplex that nobody ever really bit on. BUSHI hit two lungblowers before winning with MX in 9:04. Not at all a bad match but one that was just there and nobody will likely ever remember. [**¾]
B Block: El Phantasmo [4] vs. Titán [0]
Kind of surprised at the 0-2 start for Titán given how commentary hyped up the change in his game coming into the tourney. ELP was up to his usual antics by spitting on his hand before offering a handshake, dancing a little bit, talking smack, and taunting. Titán returned the favor by mocking ELP’s taunt soon after, which the crowd appreciated. ELP took control soon after until Titán rallied with a pretty asai moonsault. Even though he’s changed some of his stuff, Titán is a guy who uses high octane stuff to get going. Once he was into things, the crowd also picked up, only adding to what made this match work so well. They went into bigger moves like a DVD and the UFO, both getting each guy a near fall. After some close calls, ELP removed his opponent’s mask. Commentary said he should’ve been DQed but ELP claimed it was a mistake. That’s hard to believe given that he attempted it several times earlier. After Titán got his mask back on, ELP kicked him in the head, and won with a modified Styles Clash in 14:43. A really good match with lots of action and a pretty clever finish that I haven’t seen much. [***½]
B Block: El Desperado [4] vs. Wheeler Yuta [2]
Honestly, this is likely the match in the tournament that I’m most excited about. Yuta has been great lately and Desperado rules. We got a feeling out process to start where Yuta showed that he wasn’t going to be a pushover. Desperado is the star here and he took control by working the knee to set up his Stretch Muffler later. Even when Yuta got going with things like a tope suicida, Desperado could just go back to the leg and snuff out his momentum. Yuta survived Guitarra del Angel and then Desperado kind of pushed him to match him in strikes. That led to a hard hitting section where Yuta fired up and came close to winning with some big offense. Desperado got free of the elbows and won a series of counters by hitting Pinche Loco. He went for a second that saw Yuta counter and get some believable near falls. Desperado hit a second Pinche Loco to improve to 3-0 after 15:44. As expected, they delivered. A hell of a back and forth affair with lots of action and drama. Yuta looked great in defeat and Desperado remains arguably the company’s MVP in this era. [****]
Standings
El Desperado/El Phantasmo: 3-0 (6 points)
BUSHI/Robbie Eagles/El Lindaman: 2-1 (4 points)
Wheeler Yuta/DOUKI/TJP: 1-2 (2 points)
Titán/Master Wato: 0-3 (0 points)
