NJPW Best Of Super Juniors 27 Results & Ratings: Night One [Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori, Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI]

It’s time for the junior heavyweights to take the spotlight in NJPW. We’re past the G1 Climax, but due to COVID-19, Best of Super Juniors is happening in the fall instead of spring this year. It’s a one block affair, with ten of the best Junior Heavyweights available to NJPW given the circumstances. With a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom on the line, who will win?

Best Of The Super Junior XXVII Match: Master Wato vs. Yuya Uemura

Master Wato has had a shaky return from excursion, but he has an easy start to BOSJ after Yoshinobu Kanemaru got injured, and Young Lion Yuya Uemera took his place. Who would win the clash of the youngest men in the field?

Uemera came into this one with a traditional young lion fire. In the undercard of the G1 Climax, he proved to be an incredibly promising rookie, but Wato showed that same promise when he was like Uemera. Wato would snuff out that fire with some kicks his lucha libre style learned during his time in CMLL.

It was an easy win for Wato, but fans will have to wait a bit longer to see him get a true showing in this tournament. Master Wato claims his first two points.

Match Rating: 2.5/5 (** ½)

Best Of The Super Junior XXVII Match: Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI

Robbie Eagles has been out of the NJPW ring since February, but The Sniper of The Skies is back. His first challenge is Douki, who he previously met last year in a bloody BOSJ battle, which Eagles won. The landscape of NJPW has changed while he has been gone, can Eagles find his place again?

Eagles showed once again why he’s a star in this match. He’d launch a calculated attack to the leg of DOUKI, aiming his missile dropkicks and 450 splashes there to slow DOUKI down. DOUKI fought back with some underhanded tactics and , but it wasn’t enough to stop Eagles, who claimed his first two points here with a submission victory.

Match Rating: 3.5/5 (*** ½)

Best Of The Super Junior XXVII Match: BUSHI vs. SHO

While they’ve clashed numerous times in tag team matches over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, BUSHI & SHO have never met in singles action. SHO has been focusing on singles this year due to YOH being out, and a series of hard hitting matches with Shingo have shown him as better than ever.

This was a great match from both men. BUSHI was up to his usual tricks, but SHO showed that maybe he will be the one to become the new Junior Heavyweight ace of CHAOS. He fought through everything BUSHI sent his way, hit the Powerbreaker and Shock Arrow, and walked away with his first two points. SHO is going to be one to watch in this tournament.

Match Rating: 3.75/5 (*** ¾)

Best Of The Super Junior XXVII Match: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado

Ryusuke Taguchi might often come off as a comedy wrestler, but never doubt the leader of Taguchi Japan. The moment you doubt him, he will snatch your ankle and make you suffer. Desperado knows this well, having faced Taguchi four times, and lost two of those encounters. Despy has had a helluva 2020 though, and this could be his tournament to win.

While comparisons to Yano at a base level work for Taguchi, at the end of the day, he doesn’t just deliver on comedy. This match had a usual Taguchi start with a lot of in-ring comedy, but as the minutes passed, he picked up the pace in a huge way, and showed that behind the mask of comedy is a constant threat. Desperado nearly had it at a few points with the Stretch Muffler submission, but Taguhchi would escape and nab a roll up and got his first two points of the tournament.

Match Rating: 4/5 (****)

Best Of The Super Junior XXVII Match: Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi

There was no other night one match that could have ended this night. In 2018, Ishimori & Takahashi made the finals and had one of the greatest matches in Junior Heavyweight history. Add in Ishimori taking the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Summer Struggle, and this is going to be a war. Their historical record is 1-1, so this is their tiebreaker.

From the moment the bell rang, this match took a breakneck pace, and rarely let up. Outside of some exhausted double downs and a near submission win for Ishimori, it was go go go! This is exactly what fans wanted from this match, and it delievered. In the end, Takahashi would nail Ishimori with the Timebomb, giving him both his first two points, and a pinfall win over the reigning champion.

Match Rating: 4.5/5 (**** ½)

What was your favorite match from the tournament tonight? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.

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