Hiromu, Taguchi, SHO, Eagles, Wato atop junior table

Best of the Super Jr. 27 got underway in Aichi on November 15, BoSJ league matches alternating with the start of World Tag League 2020. 

The first match of the tournament was between two debutants, super sub Yuya Uemura facing Master Wato. Eager to make a mark right out of the gate, Uemura struck early and locked in a Boston Crab, only to see Wato find the ropes and take control with strikes. Uemura fired right back with an impressive dropkick, and a German Suplex, but the Overhook was countered by Wato into Recientemente and the TTD. 

DOUKI took a similarly high pace approach to Robbie Eagles in their bout, attacking the Sniper out of the gate before Eagles brought high speed offense of his own with a Lope Con Giro. DOUKI wernt rudo to counter Eagles, slinging referee Kenta Sato down when he prevented a chair shot and choking Eagles with his steel pipe. 

Eagles maintained the pace though, and found a springboard dropkick to the knee that set the path to victory. On a second attempt, DOUKI landed the Daybreak DDT on Eagles, but the Australian countered Suplex De La Luna, and the Turbo Backpack was followed by a 450 across the knee and the Ron Miller Special for the win after a spectacular bout. 

After intermission, it was BUSHI taking on SHO. Though the two have had no singles matchups in Best of the Super Jr. before, they knew each other full well from tag team competition, and BUSHI read a charging SHO on the apron and sent him crashing into the steel outside. SHO responded with a spear and some heavy kicks, slowing the masked man, but not preventing a tope suicida. 

Quick thinking and quick maneuvers prevented SHO’s PowerBreaker, but BUSHI was caught going for a Codebreaker, countered into an armbar and then a German Suplex. PowerBreaker connected for two, and SHO quickly followed with Shock Arrow for the win. 

Ryusuke Taguchi, a dark horse pick for Best of the Super Jr. glory was in fine shape on his entrance, but a little overconfident against El Desperado early, mocking his opponent before Despe took control in the ring and out. Homing in on Taguchi’s knee, an Indian Death Lock paid dividends for Desperado,  who was able to avoid the rearward offense from the Coach for a while until a rolling hip attack sent Desperado out the ring, into a plancha. 

Desperado was able to sprawl out of the way of a Bummer Ye though, and caught Taguchi in Numero Dos, closing on victory but being met with a dropkick. As the match grew harder and harder to read, Taguchi attempted the Dodon, countered into a roll-up from Desperado, but Taguchi reversed the reversal and got his first two points. 

Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori went pedal to the metal early in their main event contest, each looking for a killing blow before Hiromu gained an edge with a low dropkick and a second pair of boots off the apron. Hiromu seemed to have the upper hand as he read Ishimori’s counter to his sunset flip powerbomb, but Ishimori still had the strength edge, preventing a headscissors on the floor and dropping Hiromu back first on the apron. 

Both men continued to match reversal for reversal and blow for blow as chops and forearms escalated to poison ranas and belly to belly suplexes. It was Ishimori with a huge blow scored though as a piledriver connected directly onto the apron; Hiromu’s adrenaline burning through the pain in his surgically repaired neck as he countered a Quebrada into a Falcon Arrow on the floor.

The fire kept burning for Hiromu with an incredible dropkick through the ropes and Dynamite Plunger, but that wasn’t enough to stop IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Ishimori. A shoulder breaker and Cipher Utaki scored big for Ishimori, and La Mistica followed into the Yes Lock. A miraculous counter to the Bloody Cross though, and Hiromu was able to connect with Victory Royal for a two count. The pugnacious Hiromu held on to a Firemen’s Carry as he sent Ishimori into the turnbuckles and hita running DVD,  before Time Bomb scored Hiromu a clear and clean three count.