On November 25th New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) presented Best of the Super Juniors (BOSJ 27) from the Tokki Messe in Niigata, Japan in front of 887 fans. COVID-19 (Coronavirus, 2019) safety restrictions were responsible for the reduced crowd size, but the crowd was noticeable throughout the event.
The third series match of the event saw former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and BOSJ 19 (2012) “Funky Weapon” Ryusuke Taguchi face former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) member Bushi.
Taguchi came into the match after a loss to CHAOS member “High Voltage” Sho on November 23rd, while Bushi defeated “Sniper of the Skies” Robbie Eagles on the same night. Both wrestlers came into the series match with a (2-2) BOSJ 27 campaign record, meaning the loser would have a difficult time advancing to the finals.
With that in mind, both Taguchi and Bushi brought an added layer of focus to the match. The highly competitive battle saw both bring close to their best form of the series, but they were unable to take the other out of their game plan.
However, after escaping Taguchi’s Oh My Grankle Toe Hold technique, Bushi was able to take the fall at the 10 minutes and 51 seconds mark with the MX technique. The loss for Taguchi makes his chances to make a top two BOSJ 27 finish extremely difficult.
The win for Bushi keeps his hopes alive. He would go on to face reigning two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion “Bone Soldier” Taiji Ishimori on November 25th, while Taguchi NJPW Noge Dojo Young Lion Yuya Uemura on the same night.
Bushi remains in a difficult position if he hopes to win his first NJPW trophy, the victory could set him on the proper form that could allow him to make a run during the BOSJ 27 campaign.
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