SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NJPW BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS NIGHT 8 RESULTS
MAY 22, 2025
EDION ARENA OSAKA 2ND STADIUM
OSAKA, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
It was B Block’s turn in the spotlight for tonight’s event, with Walker Stewart starting the night on his own in the booth.
(1) Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson defeated Dragon Dia & Shoma Kato via pinfall at 5:59 when Jackson hit Kato with a Death Valley driver. The preview part of this was high-octane movement mixed with some very loud chops, so expect some red chests after their tournament match. Of note, Kato slammed Jackson and had some impressive crowd reactions.
(2) Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young defeated Robbie X & Gedo via submission at 6:46 with a ground tarantula on Gedo. I didn’t feel like Robbie and Akira had a lot of chemistry during their interactions; hopefully that improves when they go one-on-one. Akira badly needs a win in that match to stay in contention. An interesting commentary note: Stewart said that TJP was “out of the picture right now” for United Empire.
(3) Yota Tsuji & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru via pinfall at 6:01 when Tsuji pinned Yujiro after a Gene Blaster. We didn’t really need a preview of Kanemaru and Hiromu, they have wrestled four times before in singles and plenty more in tag matches. Kanemaru poured whisky down Hiromu’s throat during the finishing sequence, which I can see being relevant in their tournament match.
(4) Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano defeated Kushida & Yuya Uemura & Katsuya Murashima via pinfall at 7:15 after Yano hit a powerbomb on Murashima.. In addition to Wato and Kushida facing off, Uemura and Tanahashi are scheduled to wrestle at Dominion on June 15. Not much to see here, though.
- Francesco Akira joined Walker Stewart on commentary. I didn’t know his English was that good!
(5) Mao (6 points) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (6 points) by pinfall at 8:33 with a Styles Clash. This was…hard to watch. Eight minutes of butt jokes, homoeroticism, and some mild homophobia. Mao seems to be a multi talented guy who can do the comedy just as well as he can fly around, but this crossed the bounds of taste for me.
(6) Kevin Knight (6) defeated Sho (4) by pinfall at 9:45 after the UFO Splash. Another comedy match, the highlight of which was Knight dropping Sho in a dumpster. Kanemaru tried to interfere but it backfired. Knight’s slow start has been rescued with three straight wins, but the loss here leaves Sho hanging on by a thread. We would all be devastated if Sho didn’t advance, of course.
(7) Robbie Eagles (6) defeated Titan (6) by submission at 12:34 with the Ron Miller Special. This was the first match all night that actually felt GOOD. Lots of back-and-forth, plenty of submission attempts and reversals. Some of that is down to familiarity and chemistry between the two, but experience and knowing your character are factors as well. With only one person advancing from each group I don’t expect either of these two to be factors as we get closer to the end of the group stage.
(8) Taiji Ishimori (6) defeated Nick Wayne (8) by pinfall at 10:36 with the Bloody Cross after countering Wayne’s World into a lungblower. This was a very good match, and more than anything it showed me just how good Nick Wayne is and will be. He has all the moves, he has a presence, he just needs to put some confidence behind his mic skills. Ishimori is a great opponent for basically anyone, but he did not have to carry the youngster here. Wayne is still well-positioned at the top of the group, though I think it unlikely he makes the finals.
(9) Yoh (6) defeated El Desperado (6) by submission at 14:12 with the Anaconda Vice. Desperado is going to be a busy man, with three people now lined up for title shots aside from whoever wins the BOSJ final. Unlike the Mao-Taguchi match earlier, Yoh was able to weave the comedy spots in with some solid wrestling, and of course Desperado was as reliable as ever. Yoh has always had talent, but it’s been a while since he was able to show out like this.
Both blocks now mirror each other: one person on eight points, one person on four, and everyone else on six. The last 4 matches for each person are going to be very interesting – with so many people tied, tiebreakers become all-important. I can’t recall a tournament that was booked this way in New Japan, but it will make for enthralling viewing down the stretch.
We’ll be back on Saturday to keep you up-to-date on the results and standings. As always, thanks for joining us!
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