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MAY.24.2023

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Best of the Super Jr. 30 night 10 (May 24) full card, preview

Final night of B Block action

May 24 will see the final night of B Block action in Osaka as Best of the Super Jr. 30 heads toward semifinals in Yoyogi and finals in Ota. With three bouts set to determine the block, who will be our top two point scorers to face Mike Bailey and Titan?

Main event: El Desperado (6-2) vs Robbie Eagles (5-3)

singles record: 3-2 Desperado

El Desperado advances with a win

Robbie Eagles must win, with a loss for YOH or Wato

One win off the pace after a shock defeat to Dan Moloney last week in Korakuen, Robbie Eagles may be out regardless of his performance tonight if both YOH and Master Wato take home a victory. A four way tie at 12 would favour Eagles, as would a win for the Sniper and Wato together with a loss for YOH; complicated block maths, and the non zero possibility of a three way playoff aside however, this sixth installment of a rivalry between EL Desperado and Robbie Eagles is reason enough to tune in.

Every one of their encounters, including Eagles surprising the masked man to lift the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and losing the title back right here in Osaka months later has come during the pandemic; now they collide with a vocal crowd for the first time; could that crowd be the difference for one of NJPW’s most loved anti-heroes in Desperado, or the ever popular Australian on the cusp of history in Eagles?

7th Match: YOH (6-2) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2-6) 

Singles record: 3-0 YOH

YOH advances with a win

YOH and El Desperado are the only two of our four contenders tonight to control their own destinies. After impressive victories over both Desperado and Master Wato, YOH is in the B Block driver’s seat and will make the final four if he wins tonight. He also faces an opponent tonight that he’s beaten three times before, but don’t write YOH into the semifinals bracket yet. Kanemaru always has a trick up his sleeve, and after losing his last six straight, wants to end his tournament on a high. 

6th Match: Master Wato (6-2) vs Kevin Knight (3-5)

Master Wato must win, with Desperado or YOH losing 

Despite being one of three men at 12 points, Master Wato’s fate is not entirely in his hands. As he hopes for either Robbie Eagles to defeat El Desperado, or for Yoshinobu Kanemaru to put YOH away, he still has to win to stay in, and that means having to beat Kevin Knight. The Jet’s run this tour will see him with a negative W:L ratio, but his six point score is a very respectable result, and one he wants to build on even if it is at the expense of a Hontai ally. 

Dan Moloney (4-4) vs Clark Connors (4-4) 

Singles record: 1-0 Moloney

Another battle for pride rather than points, Dan Moloney and Clark Connors will be colliding in a war of B Block’s power juniors. Both even at eight points going into the last night, the winner here will have the huge confidence boost of a positive record coming out of impressive BOSJ campaigns. Meanwhile, after Connors last encountered Moloney in the UK while still training in the LA Dojo, a chance to show just how brutal and determined he is as part of BULLET CLUB. In terms of raw power, who is the strongest of the super juniors? We find out with this contest.   

 

4th Match: BUSHI (1-7) vs Francesco Akira (4-4) 

Singles record: 1-0 BUSHI

Francesco Akira’s B Block hopes died on May 21 in Korakuen when an emotionally fraught main event saw him eventually cave to El Desperado’s Numero Dos. Akira’s heart and fighting spirit cannot be in question however, and he would definitely be well deserving of a positive W/L balance with one more win over BUSHI. For the masked man, a string of disappointing results will have questions asked of his tournament presence in future years unless he can close out with a win over the Nova Fireball tonight.

3rd Match: Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titan)

Last night’s block matches in Osaka were topped and tailed by surprising results, as Ryusuke Taguchi finally got on the scoreboard with his last match after the full moon came out accidentally at KUSHIDA’s hands, and Titan stopped the Hiromu Takahashi BOSJ winning streak with Llave Inmortal. Now, as Titan prepares for his semifinal Friday in Yoyogi, it’s tag team action seeing yesterday’s opponents as today’s partners in Osaka.

2nd Match: Just Five Guys (Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO)

 Last night in Osaka, DOUKI came frustratingly close to scoring a personal best eight points in BOSJ action, only to be stopped, not by SHO, but by Yujior Takahashi and EVIL as the difference makers. With the prideful DOUKI not having Taichi and TAKA Michinoku at his side last night, Japones Del Mal will seek retribution with even sides tonight instead. Will cold revenge on a hot day in Osaka be sweet for DOUKI?

1st Match: Yuto Nakashima & Lio Rush vs Mike Bailey & Oskar Leube

Kicking off this evening, opponents in last night’s stunning A Block decider in Lio Rush and Mike Bailey tangle once more with Young Lions at their side. After an intense encounter, it was Rush endorsing Bailey to go on and win BOSJ30 last night, but tonight’s bout will doubtless be a competitive one all the same. 

 

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