Author: Walter Yeates
Walter Yeates
Walter Yeates is an actor, journalist, novelist, and lifelong wrestling fan. He is the co-host of the Kayfabe Brothers' Podcast, and brings his journalism experience to wrestling. He specializes in Lucha Libre and Puroresu.
The second semi-finals match of the single-elimination tournament saw Super J Cup 2019 winner and Bullet Club member El Phantasmo (ELP) take on “All Heart” Blake Christian. ELP came into the match after defeating Lio Rush in the opening round, while Blake Christian gained the upset over Rey Horus.
Both wrestlers were feeling the after-effects of their opening round match, with Chris Bey using the opportunity to work over ACH’s back as the former Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion looked to put his name on the map by winning Super J Cup 2020.
The final opening match to the single-elimination tournament saw Super J Cup 2019 winner and Bullet Club member El Phantasmo (ELP) take on Lio Rush, who was making his NJPW debut. ELP and Rush exchanged words on social media during the build-up to the match, creating a trophy finals atmosphere despite the match taking place in the first round.
The third opening match to the single-elimination tournament saw Luchador Rey Horus take on “All Heart” Blake Christian in a contest to see who takes on defending Super J Cup 2019 and Bullet Club winner El Phantasmo or Lio Rush in the Super J Cup 2020 semi-finals.
The second opening match to the single-elimination tournament saw veterans ACH and original NJPW Los Angeles (LA) Dojo graduate TJP go to battle. The two competitors have been teaming together on NJPW Strong as of late, but the two friends drew each other in the opening round of the Super J Cup 2020 campaign.
The opening match to the single-elimination tournament saw NJPW Los Angeles (LA) Dojo Young Lion and Lion’s Break Crown 2020 winner Clark Connors take on former X Division (Impact Wrestling) Champion Chris Bey.
The headline match of the evening saw a prelude to the marquee match for Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night One on January 4th as the Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) team of reigning IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental ‘Double Champion’ Tetsuya Naito and former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Bushi took on former IWGP Intercontinental Champion and G1 Climax 30 winner “Golden Star” Kota Ibushi and “Way to the Grand Master” Master Wato.
The two teams have become competitive rivals over the past two years, trading victories against one another. While GOD has more experience together as a tag team, FinJuice has gelled quickly due to their close friendship.
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.
Coming into the match Goto/Yoshi-Hashi came off a victory against six-time IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and Bullet Club members Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga/Tanga Loa) [GOD] on November 28th, while Fale/Owens defeated HenarAce (Hiroshi Tanahashi/Toa Henare) on the same night.