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NOV.18.2020

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Best of the Super Jr. 27 night 3 preview

Best of the Super Jr. 27 ends three day Korakuen stretch

The third of three consecutive nights in Korakuen Hall sees the third matches in Best of the Super Jr. 27. At the close of the opening leg, who will set themselves up to control the middle stretch?

Hiromu Takahashi (1-1) vs BUSHI (1-1)

The theme of the evening is one of civil war, with intra factional matchups taking center stage; nowhere is that more evident than in Hiromu Takahashi facing BUSHI. While these two have faced off once in the past, their 2012 meeting when Los Ingobernables De Japon  was not even an idea in anyone’s mind, and this is effectively a first time meeting. 

What can we expect from it? Hiromu has often spoken in the past about how BUSHI is the glue of any tag team he’s on within LIJ; that while Hiromu will go hell for leather, BUSHI is able to take a distanced and strategic approach. That almost certainly means he’ll be able to see Hiromu’s offense coming, and could well make the Time Bomb pay dearly for any high risk offense. That could be the key to BUSHI’s second win and Hiromu’s second defeat, especially after Desperado laid into Hiromu’s knee with heavy chair shots Wendesday in Korakuen Hall, an attack that could well put the rest of his campaign in jeopardy.

5th Match: SHO (2-0) vs Robbie Eagles (1-1)

Before the LIJ derby in the main event, it’s all CHAOS when SHO meets Robbie Eagles. Firm friends, Eagles and SHO are nonetheless deeply competitive, and could be at a similar turning point in their careers, perceived as being tag team wrestlers in NJPW that have the biggest singles opportunities of their careers in front of them in the form of this tournament. 

Thus far, SHO is making the best of that opportunity, staying perfect against both members of Suzuki-Gun in El Desperado and DOUKI to share the top of the table with Master Wato. For Eagles, a loss to Wato on Wednesday night still stings, and his priority will be to get right back to a winning form. 

4th Match: Ryusuke Taguchi (1-1) vs Master Wato (2-0)

The in-fighting theme continues as former tag partners from the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship league in September, Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato face off. Having beaten both Yuya Uemura and Robbie Eagles in a Korakuen thriller, Wato’s results have been impressive so far, but veteran Ryusuke Taguchi will likely give the truest test yet of the young Wato’s capabilities. What will happen when Wato experiences ‘Big Match Taguch’ in the flesh?

3rd Match: Taiji Ishimori (2-0) vs DOUKI (0-2)

In what could be a dark horse contender for match of the night, or even the entire tournament, DOUKI will face IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori in the third bout of the evening. While Ishimori’s active time in Japan greatly outstrips DOUKI’s, the two have had similar career paths; wrestlers who started their in-ring careers having taken the gamble to head to Mexico as young men. While DOUKI has littel respect for anyone at all, there might be some elements in the junior heavyweight champion for the masked man to find esteem in; more likely though is that DOUKI will focus on the championship Ishimori will take to the ring. 

With DOUKI only being one win behind the champion and seven matches still to wrestle, there’s still all to play for, and the champion in any tournament has a significant target on his back. If he scores his biggest win in NJPW to date, DOUKI will set himself up for a big December and potentially an even bigger 2021. 

2nd Match: Yuya Uemura (0-2) vs El Desperado ( – )

The first tournament match of the evening will see Yuya Uemura step up to El Desperado. Uemura is familiar with the masked man; last year during the Super Jr. Tag League, he and Tiger Mask came within a hair of upsetting Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. With Desperado full of swagger and potential overconfidence after assaulting rival Hiromu Takahashi Wednesday with a steel chair assisted victory, could this be the night that sees a miracle for the Young Lion? Time will tell. 

1st Match: Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs Yuji Nagata & Gabriel Kidd

A tag team rematch from Wednesday’s Korakuen event sees Gabriel Kidd team with Yuji Nagata opposite Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma. After Wednesday saw Kidd pinned after a Kojima lariat, will he be able to change his gameplan tonight?

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