Last night of league action in Toyama
After a wild and intense fortnight, the dramatic Best of the Super Jr. 29 tournament has now finally come down to its last night of league action. Tuesday night will see the final block matches, and the two top points scorers that will go on to face one another Friday in the Nippon Budokan determined. After monitoring the points scores, the final match order ha snow been determined!
Watch ALL of Best of the Super Jr. 29 live in English on NJPW World!
Main event: A Block: Hiromu Takahashi (5-3) vs Taiji Ishimori (6-2)
Singles record: 3-2
The winner advances to the final
Their first singles meeting in 2018 determined the Best of the Super Jr. 25 winner; four years on and Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori will lock horns one on one for the sixth time in a match that will determine half of the 2022 finals.
Hiromu and Ishimori’s meetings have always been intense, spectacular affairs that have befitted their grand stage status. Two championship bouts have seen the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship traded between them in Meiji Stadium and the Tokyo Dome, and indeed, it’s only fitting that Ishimori at 12 points heads into this bout with the world’s premier junior heavyweight championship at his waist.
Hiromu Takahashi pleaded with the rest of the A block field at the pre-tournament press conference to try and ‘stop (his) victory’, as he stands on the brink of a historic third consecutive, fourth overall trophy. Will Ishimori be the one to do just that?
9th Match: B Block: El Desperado (5-3) vs El Phantasmo (6-2)
Singles record: 2-0 Phantasmo
El Phantasmo advances with a win or draw
Desperado needs to win, and for Eagles to lose
The Els of Phantasmo, Desperado and Lindaman have been racking up the Ws in Best of the Super Jr. 29, but now as ELP and Desperado sit at 12 and 10 points, this last W will turn out to be the most important of all. Their first meeting, before Phantasmo’s current BULLET CLUB turn was in the UK, and Desperado had always held ELP in grudging regard. When Desperado won his first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in February 2021, it was at the expense of ELP, but the masked rudo would always suggest that without facing Phantasmo in a singles environment, there would be unfinished business. Phantasmo would win their eventual singles reunion in last year’s tournament; will he do the same to reach the Budokan final?
A Block: Ace Austin (5-3) vs Francesco Akira (3-5)
Both are mathematically eliminated
Ace Austin’s hopes of a debut Best of the Super Jr. win were dashed by Ryusuke Taguchi Sunday night; though he remains, at ten points, one win off the pace, his loss to HIromu Takahashi has mathematically eliminated him. Akira’s hopes were wiped out entirely when Taiji Ishimori beat him to move to 12 points, but he can still end his own debut BOSJ on the highest of highs if he can defeat the X Division Champion.
B Block: Robbie Eagles (5-3) vs Titan (3-5)
Titan is mathematically eliminated
Eagles needs to win, and for Phantasmo to lose
Two points shy of El Phantasmo in B Block, Robbie Eagles doesn’t have the most wins in this tournament, but he does have the most important wins in this tournament. His main event victories over Phantasmo and El Desperado ensure that if the block ends in a tie, he will advance. His path to the final isn’t an easy one, and it starts with needing to beat Titan, which is far from a guarantee. As Titan comes off a win over DOUKI, he now wants to finish on a personal best of eight points, even if it puts Eagles out.
6th Match B Block: YOH (4-4) vs SHO (4-4)
Singles record: 21-12-22 YOH
Both are mathematically eliminated
With the former Roppongi 3K partners heading into the last night of action at eight points, YOH and SHO’s personal grudge continues without thoughts of the Budokan final tonight. After RPG3K collapsed, it seemed as if YOH had put SHO in the rear view mirror when defeating him in last year’s tournament, and then picking up a convincing victory at Wrestle Kingdom to boot. Yet a month later, SHO and HOUSE OF TORTURE cheated their way to a one sided victory, and YOH would enter a slump. With a convincing victory over Hiromu Takahashi one week ago, YOH turned a corner mentally, and now seeks to come full circle by ending SHO’s tournament with a loss for the second year running.
5th Match B Block: Wheeler Yuta (4-4) vs TJP (4-4)
Both are mathematically eliminated
Wheeler Yuta and TJP head into the final night out of the running and like everyone else, wanting to end their campaigns with one last victory. A technical master against a technical prodigy, how will Yuta and TJP match up tonight?
4th Match A Block: Clark Connors (3-5) vs Alex Zayne (4-4)
Clark Connors’ final league match is with Alex Zayne. After defeats to Hiromu Takahashi and YOH in Chiba and Ota, Zayne crashed out at eight points, while Clark Connors was similarly disappointed in hard fought defeat to Hiromu. Who will be able to end on a high note tonight?
3rd MatchB Block: BUSHI (3-5) vs El Lindaman (4-4)
Both are mathematically eliminated
Out of the running after a loss to Master Wato Sunday, El Lindaman has little time to reflect on what may have been as he takes on BUSHI. Pre-tournament, El Lindman recognised BUSHI’s considerable skill, but suggested he lacked the ‘hunger’ needed to succeed at the highest level. BUSHI has proved that idea wrong on several occasions in his three victories; will he deny the G-REX Champion one more satisfaction tonight?
2nd Match B Block: Master Wato (3-5) vs DOUKI (3-5)
From El Desperado to Titan over the weekend and finally now to Master Wato, DOUKI has had to deal with three very personal encounters at the end of his BOSJ campaign. DOUKI has spoken at length about his hatred for Wato, but also the necessity for the two of them to elevate themselves into a new generation of junior heavyweight wrestling. Now, both are at 3-5 in their last bout. DOUKI badly wants his personal BOSJ best of eight points, while Wato wants to end on a high; whose hatred and competitive drive sees them victorious?
1st Match A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi (3-5) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (3-5)
Singles record: 2-1 Taguchi
With big, convincing wins over Hiromu Takahashi and then Taiji Ishimori, Yoshinobu Kanemaru headed into this past weekend strong, before spoiling SHO to the delight of the fans worldwide. Meanwhile Taguchi also played spoiler Sunday, to the rather more popular Ace Austin. If there’s anyone that can really put a foul note in Kanemaru’s closing stretch, it’s Taguchi. Having won their last two singles matches, and giving Kanemaru deep *seat*ed trauma at Dontaku in the Fukuoka PayPay Dome, Taguchi will look to add to the Heel Master’s nightmare bank tonight.
