On December 12th, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) presented the finals of Best of the Super Juniors 27 (BOSJ 27) and World Tag League 2020 (WTL 2020) from the legendary Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in front of 3,564 fans. COVID-19 (Coronavirus, 2019) safety restrictions were responsible for the reduced crowd size, yet the crowd was lively throughout the event, especially during the dual marquee matches.
The second marquee match showcased the BOSJ 27 Finals between former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, BOSJ 25 (2015) winner, and Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member “Time Bomb” Hiromu Takahashi against Suzuki-Gun member El Desperado.
El Desperado was competing in his first-ever singles trophy match, while Hiromu was looking to win his second BOSJ trophy in his quest to challenge Bullet Club member and reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion “Bone Soldier” Taiji Ishimori for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 15.
The match made El Desperado a legitimate top draw in the Junior Heavyweight division as the emotion, heart, and ability displayed by him against the person considered the Ace of the Junior Heavyweight division.
During a high point in the match, a frustrated Hiromu ripped at Deserpado special white mask (wearing white ring gear in Japan is a symbol of an important match for a wrestler) leading to El Desperado unmasking himself and continuing to show his fighting spirit against the former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
However, Hiromu was able to take the fall at the 30 minutes and 13 seconds match after using his Time Bomb II technique, to win his second trophy in NJPW. After the match, Hiromu said he wanted to fast the winner of the Super J Cup happening on December 12th before requesting his match against Ishimori for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Despite the loss, Desperado made a name for himself in what is the first time the BOSJ Finals took place at the historic Nippon Budokan.
