As May turns to June, we would ordinarily be reaching the culmination of Best of the Super Juniors. That means some historic classics to look into in the NJPW World archives, but it isn’t only junior heavyweights that grab the headlines!
May 31 1991: Vader Flash
Before we look at some incredible junior heavyweight contests, we start our journey through history with a super heavyweight contest in Osaka in 1991.
Norton had debuted in NJPW the prior December and instantly made a mark with a dazzling blend of athleticism and power. Fans reacted to ‘Flash’ with amazed applause that went against the grain of intimidated gasps Japanese fans usually greeted American imports in the age of the super heavyweight ‘foreign monster heel’.
That reaction would draw the ire of the man who had dominated as top non-Japanese wrestler in the company, Big Van Vader. When Norton and Vader did finally inevitably meet, the result was always going to be violent. After a wild brawl saw Norton with the countout victory, Vader insisted that the fight continues, leading to Norton being dropped on his head soon after. ‘After that happened,’ Norton recounted later ‘that was it, I was going to give everything I had in return’.
June 1, 1983: Ssshh, I’m Hunting Tigers
In years long before the Best of the Super Junior tour became a late spring fixture, the MSG Series and IWGP League were showing off the best heavyweights in the world. In fact, June 1 1983 would see the culmination of the first IWGP League, in a controversial bout between Hulk Hogan and Antonio Inoki. Before those two stars took center stage in the main event, however, Kuramae Sumo Hall was whipped into a frenzy by a junior heavyweight classic.
Kuniaki Kobayashi’s personal hatred for Tiger Mask started the prior year. On returning from his excursion in Mexico, Kobayashi doubled down on his martial arts roots, adopting his signature red gear. As Tiger Mask was at the peak of his popularity, Kobayashi put himself in the position of ‘tiger hunter’ hell bent on exposing the junior heavyweight pioneer.
A string of classic bouts followed, but Tiger Mask was burning the candle at both ends; or having it burned for him. As another brutal rivalry with Dynamite Kid continued to rumble over the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, a vicious attack during a tag match in April saw fears that Tiger Mask was injured. He would vacate both his WWF and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, gutting out the rest of the April tour before taking two months off and returning to the ring here in Kuramae, his biggest Japanese rival in the opposite corner, and vacant NWA gold at stake.
June 3, 2017: Back to the BOSJ
When the full force of the NJPW roster returns full time, one of the most compelling stories will doubtless be Will Ospreay’s status as a full time heavyweight, having made the transition in February 2020. His junior heavyweight career is highlighted by a pair of Best of the Super Junior victories, with his first in his debut year of 2016, an achievement only Milano Collection AT before him could lay claim to. Ospreay went into the 2017 tournament as favourite, and with a 5-2 record in block competition, it seemed few could stop him.
Certainly not, most assumed, KUSHIDA. The junior heavyweight ace had a torrid start to 2017, losing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom to a returning Hiromu Takahashi, and then losing a much publicised rematch in April at Sakura Genesis in under three minutes. With a poor start to the tournament, most counted Kushi out, but he would rally to 4-3; good enough to see him to the Yoyogi final. KUSHIDA was on the doorstep of redemption, while Ospreay was looking to break a jinx against the man who had beaten him twice before.
June 4, 2018: More, More, More! Dangerous!
One year later, the Best of the Super Juniors had its finals in Korakuen Hall, with Hiromu Takahashi standing opposite Taiji Ishimori.
2017 was a dramatic year for Takahashi. He started it in dominant form, defeating KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on his first challenge, and then successfully defending in a wild match against old rival Dragon Lee, and against the Timesplitter again, in the aforementioned three minute squash. KUSHIDA’s BOSJ win however, saw him well on the road to redemption, a path he would complete by beating Hiromu at Dominion. The latter half of the year saw Takahashi on the outside of the championship scene looking in, frustratingly squeezed out of several challenges and only consoled by a soft feline friend he called Daryl.
While Hiromu and Daryl were adored by the fans, few were taking the Time Bomb as seriously as they did when he returned from excursion. BOSJ 25 was Takahashi’s chance for a redemption of his own. He would blister through the tournament with amazing performances on a nightly basis until the finals, where he had a tough task in the form of Taiji Ishimori.
Best of the Super Juniors marked the full time NJPW debut of Ishimori as part of BULLET CLUB. He instantly made an impact, defeating then IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay in match one of the tournament, before making his own stunning path to the Korakuen finals, and a high impact war.
June 5, 2019: Violence, Purveyed
2019’s Best of the Super Juniors would be headlined by an undeniable match of the year candidate between Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi that saw Ospreay finally hand The Dragon his first ever pinfall defeat in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
It was a newsworthy night indeed which also included Hiroshi Tanahashi returning to action from injury, only to be defeated by Jay White, and one of NJPW’s most impactful debuts in modern history.
Since Dontaku in May, mysterious videos had atunted IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson, leading to rampant speculation on the identity of a mysterious ‘Death Rider’ from Juice’s past. Shortly before the Best of the Super Jr. finals, the man behind the videos was revealed as Jon Moxley.
Moxley and Robinson had trained together long ago in WWE’s developmental system. While Moxley would make it to the top flight in WWE, Robinson elected to gamble on himself and start from scratch in New Japan, becoming one of NJPW’s most beloved stars in the process. In 2019, Moxley finally elected to make the same gamble and leave his American employer, pursuing a long held career goal of wrestling in Japan.
Champion Robinson was furious at the incumbent Moxley getting all the press, and vowed to prove to the Death Rider that he was not the same 22 year old kid Mox had mentored in Florida years before. Robinson promised a fight, and the match more than delivered.
