Seven top table with six matches to go

After three matches wrestled in best of the Super Jr. 27, the last bell in Korakuen Hall sounded on November 20 with seven wrestlers at the top of the point standings with four, while Yuya Uemura and DOUKI remained at zero. 

Uemura started proceedings with El Desperado, who frustrated the Young Lion’s attempts to get a jump start, only to find himself worked over on the mat. Frustrated, Desperado pulled Uemura to the floor, only to take damage there as Uemura fired up. 

The Suzuki-Gun member got the upper hand by kicking the middle rope between Uemura’s legs, and piled on the pressure in and out the ring. Uemura found a dropkick and had his masked foe in deep trouble with an armdrag and cross armbar, but Desperado found the ropes, and then the eyes of the Young Lion to pin him with El Es Clero. 

DOUKI flew at Taiji Ishimori  to start their league encounter, landing a tope suicida and a DDT on the floor to the IWGP junior champion. Ishimori was just as spectacular in response, however, with a quebrada to the floor. DOUKI managed to stay at the same pace as his BULLET CLUB opponent, getting into Italian Stretch 32 and Doton no Jutsu as Ishimori found himself in trouble. The Daybreak DDT scored a very nearfall for DOUKI, and when Ishimori was sent into the referee, a steel pipe found the champion’s midsection, but a belt shot to the skull came in response, and Bloody Cross connected for three. 

When Master Wato headed to the ring back from intermission, he found a very serious Ryusuke Taguchi opposite him, and the two engaged in some evenly contested mat work, before evolving into exchanges of strikes, Wato eventually gaining the upper hand as the pace quickened with a dropkick and tornillo to the floor.

The hip attack from Taguchi was not an adequate response for the Coach, but a triangle dropkick and follow-up plancha did find its mark. Realising he was being outstruck by Wato, the Coach went for Oh My and Grankle, countered by Wato into an ankle hold of his own, and the hobbled Taguchi fell prey to a buzzsaw kick and Recientemente for two. Wato looked for the win with a sunset flip, but when Taguchi’s tights fell south of the equator, he found himself victim of a deeply unpleasant counter to eat his first loss of the tournament. 

BoSJ’s CHAOS derby saw Robbie Eagles meet SHO in the semi main event. Eagles looked for the Ron Miller Special early, but found himself on the receiving end of a stiff knee and kick to the back in response before SHO targeted the Australian’s arm. 

Eagles did his own damage with a lowpe con giro and then set to work on SHO’s knee, an Indian Deathlock having SHO reeling. A spear created space for SHO, but a springboard dropkick from Eagles further exacerbated the left knee damage. Eagles followed with a 619 from the floor to SHO’s knee on the apron, and the Asai DDT landed from ring post to ringside mats, putting SHO close to a countout loss. 

Back inside, SHO refused to fall from Eagles’ lariats, but did go down to an enzuigiri, only to block a follow-up hurricanrana into a brutal Powerbreaker. Eagles dug deep to hit the Turbo Backpack for two. Testing wills, Eagles and SHO exchanged elbows, before a middle kick from Eagles sent SHO down; SHO evaded the 450 to the knee, and even a kick in mid motion from Eagles didn’t prevent a lariat and cross arm piledriver. Eagles fought tooth and nail to prevent the Shock Arrow, and an innovative reverse DDT found the mark, the 450 and Ron Miller Special locked in for the submission victory. 

The main event followed the CHAOS derby with an LIJ one. Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI showed their knowledge of one another as teammates early, both evenly matched in attempts to take to the air, and pound on the other man with strikes, before BUSHI gained the upperhand with a dropkick to the knees damaged two days earlier, and a tijeras out to the floor. 

BUSHI continued with full control of the former BoSJ winner, sending Hiromu into the ringside steel, and wearing him down with a neckbreaker and STF. Hiromu battled back, and did so with a shotgun dropkick and a second off the apron before a Falcon Arrow got him a two count. 

The pace quickening, BUSHI stopped Hiromu’s momentum with a DDT, but a codebreaker attempt was countered, leading to a pop-up powerbomb from Hiromu. The Dynamite Plunger followed, but BUSHI again stopped Hiromu short of victory, landing a backcracker and apron DDT before taking to the air with a tope suicida. 

In the ring, BUSHI went for the MX but was caught with a Hiromu Codebreaker, BUSHI landing his signature version a moment later for a very near two count. BUSHI followed with an MX which scored but Takahashi remarkably kicked out as the Korakuen crowd let out a gasp despite themselves; BUSHI went for the move again but was this time caught with a belly to belly into the corner. 

Willing himself back from the brink of defeat, Hiromu landed Victory Royal for a two. Countering Time Bomb II, BUSHI scored a nearfall with a BUSHI Roll, but the dogged Hiromu connected with Death Valley Drivers into the corner and the middle of the ring, Time Bomb following for the three.