Time to talk about the Best Of The Super Juniors 27! I’ll take a look at all the participants and their chances of winning the tournament. Let’s get into it.
Taiji Ishimori
Accolades: 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion (Current), 1x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 1x NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champion, 1x Impact X-Division Champion, 3x GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, 6x GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 1x AAA Tag Team Champion, NOAH Junior League Winner (2012), NOAH Junior Tag League Winner (2007, 2008, 2016)
Best Finish: Finalist (2018)
Worst Finish: 2nd Out of 10th (14pts, 2019)
Starting off the tournament big with our reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and member of the Bullet Club, the “Bone Soldier” Taiji Ishimori. The champ has mainly been absent since winning the title at Summer Struggle against Hiromu Takahashi. The Champion is not someone to underestimate and has performed great in all his BOSJ appearances. Despite being champion, Ishimori has to be considered a favorite to win the tournament.
Key matches to watch out for: Hiromu Takahashi, Master Wato, and Robbie Eagles
Prediction: 10-12 points
El Desperado
Accolades: 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 1x GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion, 1x CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Champion
Best Finish: 6th out of 8th (6pts) (2018)
Worst Finish: 8th out of 8th (6pts) (2017)
El Desperado sadly missed out on last year’s tournament due to a broken jaw. Now he enters this year’s tournament as one half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Despi will be hoping to make a big impact. There are many signaling him out to be a dark horse for the tournament. I don’t think he’ll be winning the tournament but I feel he is someone who could reach the finals.
Key Matches To Watch Out For: against Hiromu Takahashi, SHO, and DOUKI
Prediction: 8-10 points
Hiromu Takahashi
Accolades: 3x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 1x CMLL World Lightweight Champion, Best Of The Super Junior Winner (2018)
Best Finish: Winner (2018)
Worst Finish: 9th out of 9th (0pts) (2013)
2018’s BOSJ Winner returns after his neck injury forced him to miss last year’s tournament. Since losing the IWGP Junior Title to Taiji, he was dead set on entering BOSJ as a champion. However, he failed to win the Junior Tag belts with BUSHI. With no title on him, Hiromu has a bigger chance of winning and becoming the 8th person to win two Best Of The Super Juniors (joining a list that includes Liger, Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, Prince Devitt, KUSHIDA, and Will Ospreay).
Key Matches To Watch: against Taiji Ishimori, El Desperado, and Robbie Eagles
Prediction: 10-12 points
Ryusuke Taguchi
Accolades: 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 6x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 3x NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion, 1x CMLL World Welterweight Champion, Best Of The Super Junior Winner (2012), Young Lion Cup Winner (2004), J Sports Crown Openweight Six Man Tag Team Tournament Winner (2010, 2011)
Best Finish: Winner (2012)
Worst Finish: 7th out of 7th (0pts) (2003)
The Coach enters his 17th BOSJ tournament. With Tiger Mask missing out, this makes him the longest-running competitor. Nowadays Taguchi is more a comedy wrestler. However, when BOSJ comes around we get serious Taguchi who is one of the better juniors around. He is in the sense the Junior Yano with a serious streak. We can look back to 2018 when he beat KUSHIDA in under 2 minutes. Taguchi is past his prime, but is still someone to consider as a threat in this tournament/
Key Matches to watch: against Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi, and SHO
Prediction: 8 points
Master Wato
Accolades: 1x CMLL World Lightweight Champion
Master Wato has been on a bit of a cold spell since his debut against DOUKI. After the match with DOUKI, he entered a feud with Kanemaru which he lost. Now Wato seems to be a aimless midcarder. He has had some good matches most noticeably the DOUKI Match and in the NEVER Six-Man Tournament. Despite the less then great start, BOSJ may just be what Wato needs to show everyone that he means buisness and be the first person since Milano Collection AT to win on his first try.
Key Matches To Watch: against Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and DOUKI
Prediction: 8 points
SHO
Accolades: 4x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, Super Junior Tag Tournament/League Winner (2017/2018/2019)
Best Finish: 4th out of 10th (10pts) (2019)
Worst Finish: 8th out of 8th (6pts) (2018)
With YOH out injured, SHO enters BOSJ as one of the favorites to win this tournament. This year SHO has been feuding with mostly heavyweights like Shingo Takagi and SANADA,. In those matches with Shingo and SANADA, we’ve seen SHO attempt to use an armbar as a finisher. SHO has been a big favorite of mine and is someone I would love to see win BOSJ. I believe he will break out into a huge singles star and this BOSJ being a starting point.
Key Matches To Watch: against Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado, DOUKI
Prediction: 8-10 points
Robbie Eagles
Accolades: 1x WSW World Heavyweight Champion, 1x MCW Intercommonwealth Champion
Best Finish: 6th out of 10th (10pts) (2019)
Worst Finish: 6th out of 10th (10pts) (2019)
“The Sniper Of The Skies” is yet another favorite to win to BOSJ, Eagles has been waiting to get a shot at former stablemate Taiji Ishimori, Eagles also may be distracted by former stable mate and best friend/rival Will Ospreay who has left Chaos and formed The Empire, could Eagles turn on CHAOS to join The Empire?
Key Matches To Watch: Against Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, DOUKI
Prediction: 10-12pts
BUSHI
Accolades: 1x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 1x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 4x NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champion, 1x CMLL World Welterweight Champion, AJPW Junior Tag League Winner (2010)
Best Finish: 2nd out of 8th (8pts) (2017)
Worst Finish: 8th out of 9th (6pts) (2012/2013)
BUSHI is a man everyone underestimates in BOSJ. BUSHI is typically seen as the pin eater of LIJ. Even though he doesn’t have the best won-loss record, he usually produces some banger matches. I think BUSHI will have great showings in matches against Hiromu Takahashi and Robbie Eagles.
Key Matches To Watch: against Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi, Robbie Eagles
Prediction: 6-8 points
DOUKI
Accolades: N/A
Best Finish: 9th out of 10th (2pts) (2019)
Worst Finish: 9th out of 10th (2pts) (2019)
DOUKI has made strides and improvements since his debut in last year’s BOSJ, He had a good showing against Master Wato and against YOSHI-HASHI during a NEVER Six-Man tag title match at Road To Power Struggle. Now I’m excited to see what DOUKI will bring to this BOSJ this year. A motivated DOUKI can be dangerous. While he won’t pick up many wins he will be dangerous to anyone and everyone in this tournament. Watch out for his pipe as well.
Key Matches To Watch: against Master Wato, SHO, and Hiromu Takahashi
Prediction: 4-6 points
Yuya Uemura
Accolades: N/A
A last-minute replacement for the injured Kanemaru, Young Lion Uemura enters his first BOSJ. He has been waiting for this moment. He seems confident he will do well but as we all know Young Lions very rarely get wins but it’s not impossible. All it can take is one roll-up for him to get a win. He will go all out to impress in these matches. I look forward to seeing him against Ishimori who he has faced a couple of times during this year in losing efforts.
Key Matches To Watch: against Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahash, and /DOUKI
Prediction: 0pts
That’s all for this tournament preview. I hope you enjoy Best Of The Super Juniors
