wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 30 Night 10 Review
Image Credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 30 Night 10
May 24th, 2023 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 819
A Block ended on a high note in terms of match quality and the surprising man who made the semifinals. We shall see if B Block follows suit.
B Block: BUSHI [2] vs. Francesco Akira [8]
Akira is coming off of a star making performance against Desperado. BUSHI attacked the knee which made sense given how Desperado tortured it a few nights ago. Even when Akira got something going, his leg would cause problems and put him back on his heels, allowing BUSHI to pounce. That was basically the story here. Akira came across as the better wrestler who kept getting openings only for his leg to hold him back. After a few close calls, he got trapped in a kneebar. Akira rolled near the ropes a few times but ultimately got stuck in the middle of the ring and tapped in 8:44. The usual solid BUSHI match. Commentary noted that a healthy Akira likely wins that 75 times out of 100. [***]
B Block: Clark Connors [8] vs. Dan Moloney [6]
Connors has taken a step back in terms of his match quality this year (the Bullet Club curse) while Moloney has been a welcome addition. This started in the aisle as the two angry men brawled all around ringside and through the crowd before the bell even rang. That took a few minutes before we actually got started and Clark immediately tossed him back outside. They kept up the hard hitting style throughout, giving us something different from what was seen through a lot of this tournament. Moloney looked done only to clothesline Connors over and out. Their fight out there led to Connors hitting the ring post and Moloney winning via countout. Bell to bell this went 4:25 and was fun. Post-match, Connors threw a fit. [***]
B Block: Kevin Knight [6] vs. Master Wato [12]
Knight can play spoiler as Wato is tied atop the block with 12 points. These two were evenly matched at the start before Knight took control and targeted the back. Not what I was expecting but it worked. I honestly don’t have much to say here because it was yet another case of a classic Wato match. Technically fine and nothing more as it failed to grab me again. Maybe the character is just bland to watch but I enjoyed him a lot more when he was just a wild Young Lion. There was solid back and forth here with Wato surviving a standing frog splash and Sky High only to catch Knight with a pretty German Suplex from out of nowhere to win in 8:32. Wato remains alive but needs a loss by either YOH or Desperado to advance. [***]
B Block: YOH [12] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [4]
BOSJ meetings in 2018 (**½), 2021 (***), and 2022 (**¼). YOH needs to win to stay alive while Kanemaru can play spoiler. He immediately went after the knee, working it at every chance and nearly getting an early countout win because of it. That was the story of the match and it worked because it’s one of those simple, yet effective tales. YOH had a body part targeted and had to fight from beneath. Both men are good at what they do so this worked. Basically, any momentum that YOH would gain from something like a Falcon Arrow would be negated by Kanemaru going after the knee or something along those lines. YOH rallied late with a thrust kick and Dragon Suplex only for Kanemaru to counter Direct Drive into a cradle and steal this in 13:22, killing YOH’s chances at the semis. That’s a shame because YOH has been great in this tournament. [***¼]
B Block: El Desperado [12] vs. Robbie Eagles [10]
We now have a straightforward finals here as the winner advances. Many meetings here including the 2020 BOSJ (***½), 2021 BOSJ (***¾), 2022 BOSJ (****¼), Wrestle Grand Slam in 2021 (****) and Power Struggle 2021 (***¾). The start was slow here as they geared up for a lengthy match and didn’t want to make the first mistake, especially with both men having their knees worked over throughout the tournament. I liked the change here as Desperado was so ruthless against Akira but showed respect to an old foe here. It ultimately became a battle of two guys attacking each other’s leg, looking to set up the Ron Miller Special and Stretch Muffler. Desperado goaded Robbie into a great spot by no selling his kicks and then catching a running one into a Tanahashi-level dragon screw. Down the stretch, they were throwing everything that could at each other and refused to give in against the other one until Desperado did his vicious looking Numero Dos. Eagles had to verbally give up then at the 20:32 mark and the crowd popped for Desperado making the semifinals. A hell of a main event and one of the better tournament matches. [****]
So, we’ve got Desperado vs. Titán and Bailey vs. Wato in the semifinals. Again, I applaud New Japan for doing something different with these final four even if Wato is bland and YOH should’ve gone over him. The best bet for a great finals would be Desperado vs. Bailey with Desperado winning. I know he’s not the freshest guy in the division but after being one of the company’s MVPs for years, I’d like to see him get that spot.
Post-match, Desperado seemed to lead the crowd in a “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE” chant.
