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Post by henriquesser on Jul 24, 2023 22:25:56 GMT 1
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII
The Format The tournament will be divided in 2 blocks of 10 wrestlers each, under a round-robin format where every wrestler in their block will face all the others. Every match has a 20 minute time limit, with 2 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss, countout or disqualification. The top scorers in each block will advance to the final, with head-to-head results serving as a tiebreaker. The winner of the tournament will recieve a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Dominion on July 1st. The Blocks A Block:- Jushin Liger - 11th appearance, 6th conseutive, Best result: winner (1994, 2001)
- Tiger Mask - 5th appearance, 5th consecutive, Best result: winner (2004, 2005)
- El Samurai -13th appearance, 13th consecutive, Best result: winner (1997)
- Gedo - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 4th appearance, 2nd consecutive, Best result: finalist (2005)
- Black Tiger - 3rd appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: 7 points(2004)
- Wataru Inoue - 5th appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: 6 points(2005)
- Naofumi Yamamoto - 1st appearance
- CIMA - 1st appearance
- Tetsuhiro Kuroda - 1st appearance
- Alex Shelley - 1st appearance
B Block:- Koji Kanemoto -IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 11th appearance, 5th consecutive, Best result: winner (1998, 2002)
- Tatsuhiko Takaiwa - 6th appearance, Best result: winner (2000)
- Jado - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 4th appearance, 2nd consecutive, Best result: 4 points(2003, 2005)
- Minoru Tanaka - 7th appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: finalist (2001, 2002)
- Masayuki Naruse - 4th appearance, Best result: 10 points (2004)
- Ryusuke Taguchi - 3rd appearance, Best result: 4 points (2004)
- Shiro Koshinaka - 1st appearance
- Kintaro Kanemura - 1st appearance
- Yoshinobu Kanemaru - 1st appearance
- Homicide - 1st appearance
The Schedule: Day 1 - A Block - May 27th, Hokkai Kitayell Day 2 - B Block - May 28th, Hokkai Kitayell Day 3 - A Block - May 30th, Yamagata Sports Center Day 4 - B Block - May 31st, Yamagata Sports Center Day 5 - A Block - June 2nd, Aichi Perfectural Gymnasium Day 6 - B Block - June 3rd, Aichi Perfectural Gymnasium Day 7 - A Block - June 4th, Nagoya Raibow Hall Day 8 - B Block - June 5th, Nagoya Rainbow Hall Day 9 - A Block - June 7th, Kobe Green Arena Day 10 - B Block - June 8th, Kobe Green Arena Day 11 - A Block - June 10th, Fukouka Citizens Gymnasium Day 12 - B Block - June 11th, Fukuoka Citizens Gymnasium Day 13 - A Block - June 15th, Korakuen Hall Day 14 - B Block - June 16th, Korakuen Hall Day 15 - A Block - June 18th, Korakuen Hall Day 16 - B Block - June 19th, Korakuen Hall Day 17 - A Block Final - June 23rd, Ryogoku Sumo Hall Day 18 - B Block Final - June 24th, Ryogoku Sumo Hall Day 19 - Final - June 25th, Ryogoku Sumo Hall
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Post by henriquesser on Jul 24, 2023 23:32:09 GMT 1
May 27th 2006, Hokkai Kiatyell
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII - Day 1 - A Block
Wataru Inoue vs Naofumi Yamamoto
CIMA vs El Samurai
Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs Gedo
Alex Shelley vs Jushin Liger
Tiger Mask vs Black Tiger
May 28th 2006, Hokkai Kiatyell
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII - Day 2 - B Block
Tatsuhito Takaiwa vs Homicide
Shiro Koshinaka vs Kintaro Kanemura
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs Masayuki Naruse
Jado vs Minoru Tanaka
Koji Kanemoto vs Ryusuke Taguchi |
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Post by Asaemon on Jul 25, 2023 17:57:36 GMT 1
May 27th 2006, Hokkai Kiatyell
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII - Day 1 - A Block
Wataru Inoue vs Naofumi Yamamoto
CIMA vs El Samurai
Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs Gedo
Alex Shelley vs Jushin Liger
Tiger Mask vs Black Tiger
May 28th 2006, Hokkai Kiatyell
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII - Day 2 - B Block
Tatsuhito Takaiwa vs Homicide
Shiro Koshinaka vs Kintaro Kanemura
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs Masayuki Naruse
Jado vs Minoru Tanaka
Koji Kanemoto vs Ryusuke Taguchi
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Post by henriquesser on Jul 30, 2023 19:08:58 GMT 1
I'm currently writing up a proper preview for the tournament, and after that I'll get going on the first two shows. Meanwhile everyone can feel free to tell me how you see the whole thing going.
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Post by henriquesser on Aug 2, 2023 20:35:33 GMT 1
Best of the Super Juniors XIII Preview
A Block JUSHIN LIGER
11th appearance, 6th consecutive, Best result: winner (1994, 2001)
The legendary Liger headlines the A Block as the leader of the CTU stable, and despite his long career he is still one of the top junior heavyweights in the world. But he hasn’t held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in 6 years, and questions have arisen as to whether he ever will again. He has recently had an opportunity at the title but was unsuccessful, and so the motivation for him is even higher as he wants to redeem himself, secure another shot and get the win for a record 12th reign.
Key match: vs Alex Shelley (May 27th, Hokkai Kitayell)
Liger has faced all of the other A Block competitors multiple times, except the young American Alex Shelley. They will meet for the first time in the tournament opener and while Liger is the favorite, a legendary competitor like him will always need to be on his guard when against a challenge from a rookie outsider.
TIGER MASK
5th appearance, 5th consecutive, Best result: winner (2004, 2005)
Winner of the last two tournaments and the first to win consecutive editions of the BOSJ, Tiger Mask is very much looking towards the threepeat. This also means he might have the biggest target on his back out of everyone in the A Block, with everyone looking to derail the current BOSJ holder. Tiger Mask is the man to beat, but also the overwhelming favorite to get out of the block and reach the final once more.
Key match: vs Wataru Inoue (June 4th, Nagoya Rainbow Hall)
In last year’s tournament Tiger Mask only lost 2 of his block matches. He was able to avenge his loss to Gedo in the final, but the upset loss to Wataru Inoue is still something that is likely to linger on his mind, and it’s a blemish he will want to wipe off the record.
EL SAMURAI
13th appearance, 13th consecutive, Best result: winner (1997)
The only man to appear in every BOSJ, El Samurai is hoping lucky 13 means his second tournament win. While he used to be a regular near the top of the table the last few years have seen him drop in the standings and he hasn’t really been close to getting out of the block phase since 2002. He’s entering the latter stages of his career so this is his best chance to get another shot at the top of the junior division.
Key match: vs Jushin Liger (June 7th, Kobe Green Arena)
El Samurai has had a long career and has history with a lot of the A Block field but none more than Liger, with the two having been partners and rivals before. Samurai has often been second to Liger despite being a pillar of the junior heavyweight division for about 15 years, and with questions over how much gas he really has in the tank this is a good opportunity for him to reaffirm his legacy. Their head to head in the tournament favors Liger heavily, making it all the more meaningful for Samurai to get the better of his most successful peer.
GEDO
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 4th appearance, 2nd consecutive, Best result: finalist (2005)
As decorated of as a tag team wrestler as it gets, last year’s tournament was a breakout moment for Gedo as a singles competitor, where he surprisingly went all the way to the final. He is drawn in the A block against many of the wrestlers he beat in his path last year, and he might very well do it again. If he does, Gedo might very well make his second final in a row.
Key match: vs Tiger Mask (June 7th, Kobe Green Arena)
A rematch of last year’s final will happen in Kobe with Gedo looking to get his win back against the winner of the last 2 tournaments. Last year he did win the block match but was unsuccessful later on in the all important final, so things are far from even between the tag champion and his masked rival.
BLACK TIGER
3rd appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: 7 points (2004)
The fall of Black Tiger has been steep, and the young villain does need to get his act together if he wants to have a good tournament. Now factionless after being ousted from BLACK, he’s looking at this tournament to get back to the good times. Afterall, he was the champion lot very long ago. It will be interesting to see what direction Black Tiger will find, and whether or not he can get out of this slump.
Key match: vs Tiger Mask (May 27th, Hokkai Kitayell)
Unsurprisingly, the key match for Black Tiger is the tale as old as time, no matter how many iterations there are the rivalry between him and Tiger Mask is eternal. Despite his downfall, Black Tiger has beaten Tiger Mask in their last two matches, and will look to make it 3 in a row in the tournament opener.
WATARU INOUE
5th appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: 6 points (2005)
Inoue heads into BOSJ with a lot of expectations, after a great showing last year where he won 3 out of his first 4 matches and appeared set for the final before an injury forced him to withdraw from his final two. It was unfortunate, as he was really looking ready to step up and become one of the top juniors in the company. If he has a similar run this year, he might very well get out of the block and reach the pinnacle of the division.
Key match: Jushin Liger (June 15th, Korakuen Hall)
The one match Inoue dropped last year was the opener against Liger. This year they will face one more time, and if Inoue can beat the big favorites once again, he’s a prime candidate to top the block.
NAOFUMI YAMAMOTO
1st appearance
Yamamoto definitely doesn’t enter this tournament as one of the favorites, but that doesn’t mean you should look past him. It’s his first tournament in NJPW since graduating from the young lion program, and he will be looking to make an impact and some wins against more established names. He is definitely at the bottom of the betting odds but it wouldn’t be the first underdog win of all time.
Key match: vs CIMA (June 4th, Nagoya Rainbow Hall)
CIMA is a member of RISE, and this faction has been having a rivalry with the trio of Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenzo Suzuki and Naofumi Yamamoto himself. And in Nagoya, Yamamoto will be looking for a statement win in this rivalry that has been leaning heavily to RISE’s side.
CIMA
1st appearance
One of the more exciting signings made by NJPW this year, CIMA has had a very good start to his career as part of RISE. This will be his first opportunity to make a big impact in the division, and a lot is expected of him. A BOSJ win on his debut tournament would confirm his position as one of the leading men in the future of the junior heavyweight division as it heads towards a new era.
Key match: vs Gedo (May 30th, Yamagata Sports Center)
Just a few weeks ago at Sakura Genesis CIMA got pinned for the first time in NJPW, with his mistake causing him and Taguchi to miss out on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The man that pinned him is his opponent for his second match, the crafty and dangerous Gedo. CIMA seems more than capable of handling Gedo (or anyone else for that matter), but he’s going to have to be on his toes to avoid any slip ups against a lot of experienced and battle-hardened opponents.
TETSUHIRO KURODA
1st appearance
One of the two representatives of Apache Pro Wrestling, Kuroda will certainly take pleasure in ruining the tournament prospects of all the fan favorites present in the block. His fortunes have turned around a bit lately, coming up short against CTU, but this is a good chance for him to rebound. A skilled wrestler with a mean streak, he might not be one of the favorites but his unique skillset means he won’t be an easy opponent for anyone, and if he strings some wins, he will have a shot at the block win.
Key match: vs Black Tiger (June 23rd, Ryogoku Sumo Hall)
Out of all the block matches in this year’s tournament, this is the only one that actually pits two obvious rule-breakers against each other. While some other participants can occasionally bend the rules, Kuroda (along with his partner Kanemura) and Black Tiger are the only ones that describe themselves as proud heels. Or at least they did, as Black Tiger’s recent actions as well as his ousting from BLACK have put his trajectory into question. This is the final block match for both guys and could very well decide one of the finalists, so it will be interesting to see if it will be a showcase of dirty tactics and trying to get the win by any means necessary.
ALEX SHELLEY
1st appearance
The youngest competitor in the field this year is the young American from Detroit. A surprise inclusion, the ROH and TNA regular has a huge opportunity ahead oh him to measure up with the top junior heavyweights in the world. Shelley will look to bring the fast paced American indy style to NJPW and it’ll be interesting to see how it will match up with the strong style based competition. His potential is undeniable and it remains to be seen if Shelley can make a mark when the spotlight is on him more than ever.
Key match: vs CIMA (June 18th, Korakuen Hall)
As one of the most surprising inclusions in the tournament Shelley doesn’t really have much history with anyone else on the field, but in CIMA he has the opponent that is more similar to himself. The two quick, hungry youngsters are set for a high paced exciting matchup that promises to be one of the tournament highlights.
B Block KOJI KANEMOTO
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 11th appearance, 5th consecutive, Best result: winner (1998, 2002)
The current champion headlines the B block and heads into the tournament with the biggest target on his back, with challengers coming from all directions. The champion is always among the favorites for the tournament win, and last year’s winner Tiger Mask was in fact the reigning champion at the time. Kanemoto has also won the tournament before and he’s considered the ace of the division which makes him one of the overwhelming favorites. Every match for Kanemoto is another opportunity to cement himself as the best junior heavyweight in the world today.
Key match: vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (June 11th, Fukuoka Citizens Gymnasium)
Smack dab in the middle of the tour we will see NJPW’s junior ace face NOAH’s junior ace in a highly anticipated match up. Both promotions have their own pride at stake, and as the champion Kanemoto has the task of dealing with the outside threat. Kanemoto will want to prove himself as superior to Kanemaru, and also the strength of NJPW’s junior heavyweight division over NOAH’s as their standard bearers collide.
TATSUHITO TAKAIWA
6th appearance, Best result: winner (2000)
Takaiwa won the whole thing in his last BOSJ appearance 6 years ago and comes back looking to take the trophy once again. Takaiwa has achieved some success since that win, eventually capturing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and then having success in singles and tag in NOAH and Zero1. He’s back in the field now, and won’t be an easy opponent for anyone as the toughest man in the whole B block.
Key match: vs Jado (June 19th, Korakuen Hall)
While he has had singles success, Takaiwa is probably regarded as the best tag team specialist among the junior heavyweights. With the tournament winding down he will face one half of the top junior heavyweight tag team in the world today.
JADO
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, 4th appearance, 2nd consecutive, Best result: 4 points (2003, 2005)
Jado has had far from a spectacular record in BOSJ, having finished bottom of his block in all 3 of his appearances. But he heads into this year’s tournament with confidence, after a big tag title win and a lot of momentum behind him and Gedo. He might have little singles success to show, but he is still a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and on his best day he can beat anyone.
Key match: vs Minoru Tanaka (May 28th, Hokkai Kitayell)
Intra faction matches are always an interesting part of these tournaments and in the opener we will see two CTU members face off. Jado has the most momentum of the two, with Tanaka having been sitting in the sidelines for the past couple months, and he will be hoping that’s enough to carry him to a good tournament start and bragging rights within CTU.
MINORU TANAKA
7th appearance, 3rd consecutive, Best result: finalist (2001, 2002)
Tanaka is one of the most consistent performers when it comes to the BOSJ. He has gotten out of the block in his last 4 tournaments, but when the decisive moment comes he has always came up short. He’s one of the most decorated wrestlers in the junior heavyweight division but a BOSJ win has eluded him, having tasted defeat in two consecutive finals and made the playoffs two other times since, falling in the semi final both times. Maybe the change in format will benefit Tanaka more than anyone else with the knockout format being scrapped in favor of a final between the block winners, but he will still need to show up in the big match if he wants to finally get his win.
Key match: vs Koji Kanemoto (June 24th, Ryogoku Sumo Hall)
Minoru will face many challenges, but the one standing in his way on the final day of the B Block is perhaps his biggest one. It’s the junior heavyweight equivalent of Senna vs Prost, Federer vs Nadal, Frazier vs Ali. Tanaka faces his former team mate turned biggest career rival, the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Koji Kanemoto on the day where the pressure is highest and a spot in the finals might very well be riding in the outcome of this match.
MASAYUKI NARUSE
4th appearance, Best result: 10 points (2004)
Naruse comes into this tournament having missed it last year, but the year before that he achieved his best preformance and was close to making it to the finals. While he hasn't been able to replicate the success he had when he first arrived in NJPW, Naruse is still someone that can't be looked past. His shoot style offence is dangerous and he can end any match at any moment, and if he can get a good start to te tournament it's possible to see him gain momentum and score a few upsets and major wins, and maybe get out of the block for the first time.
Key match: vs Minoru Tanaka (June 19th, Korakuen Hall)
Ever since his NJPW debut Naruse has had a target on one man over anyone else: Minoru Tanaka. The two MMA influenced competitors renew their feud late in the tournament at Korakuen, in a match that could very well be decisive in their campaigns.
RYUSUKE TAGUCHI
3rd appearance, Best result: 4 points (2004)
After missing out on last year’s tournament, Taguchi is back on the field with a lot of expectations. His two other entries were unsuccessful and saw him finish at the bottom of his block both times, but he has improved since and he’s hoping to produce some results. Now a member of RISE, Taguchi’s higher status and newfound confidence might help him make this his best performance so far.
Key match: vs Shiro Koshinaka (June 16th, Korakuen Hall)
In terms of age difference, this is the most lobsided match in the tournament with 27-year-old Taguchi up against 48-year-old veteran Koshinaka. He’s up against a true legend, and one of the veterans RISE started feuding with after their formation. We will see if Taguchi can keep the youth movement going strong, and if he’s improved enough to beat an all-time great.
SHIRO KOSHINAKA
1st appearance
While this is technically his BOSJ debut, that’s only because we’re not counting the tournament’s predecessor, the Top of the Super Juniors. Koshinaka participated in only one of those, the inaugural edition in 1988, and only won the whole thing. His absence from any of the other tournaments is explained by his move to the heavyweight division, but now he’s moved back down to junior and he stands out as the division’s legend. The first ever IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Koshinaka is looking to win the title for a fourth time, over 17 years since the last time he held it. His career might be winding down, but the all time great Koshinaka hopes to have just enough to get through this tournament and add one more title to his storied career.
Key match: vs Koji Kanemoto (June 8th, Kobe Green Arena)
The first ever ace of the junior heavyweight division faces its current ace and champion in Kobe. It was actually a loss to Kanemoto last January 4th at the Tokyo Dome last January that eventually caused Koshinaka to decide to rejoin the junior heavyweight division. They face off one more time, and Koshinaka will be looking to avenge that loss and prove he can still beat the best.
KINTARO KANEMURA
1st appearance
In his debut appearance, Apache’s Kanemura comes to BOSJ to dish out his group’s brand of violence on all the other participants. One of the bigger men in the tournament, Kanemura will use his power, size and also his hardcore expertise to make his mark and to try to get a landmark BOSJ win. He’ll be a very different opponent that everyone will need to watch out for, and it could be a big advantage in his corner.
Key match: vs Jado (June 24th, Ryogoku Sumo Hall)
Kanemura’s closer sees him face Jado in one more chapter of the violent rivalry between CTU and the Apache Army. Apache have definetly been losing steam lately, after brutalizing CTU in the beginning of the feud, but Kanemura hopes his tournament closer vs Jado turns their fortunes around and gets him some revenge after losing the tag team titles to his opponent.
YOSHINOBU KANEMARU
1st appearance
There was an audible gasp in Fukuoka when the BOSJ video package ended with the announcement that Kanemaru would be participating. Pro Wrestling NOAH’s junior ace makes a surprise trip to the blue canvas where he will be looking to make his mark against the rival promotion’s best. The NOAH officials certainly have big expectations of Kanemaru and hope he can come back with the trophy, but on NJPW’s side there’s a locker room full of junior heavyweights that would love nothing more than to send him back empty handed.
Key match: vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa (June 8th, Kobe Green Arena)
Kanemaru has wrestled a few big names in his short career, but out of all the people in this field there’s no one he’s more familiar with than Takaiwa. Kanemaru got one of the biggest defeats of his career against Takaiwa, losing the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to him only a few months after becoming the inaugural champion. A few years have passed but Kanemaru surely hasn’t forgotten this big loss, and will be looking for payback in Kobe.
HOMICIDE
1st appearance
Homicide makes his return to NJPW following his debut in the New Beginning tour where he went up against Tanahashi. He was unsuccessful before but also impressive, and that great IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship match was enough to convince the NJPW officials to bring him back for BOSJ. He will be representing TNA and ROH as he is a regular in both promotions, as well as the LAX faction. The tough Puerto-rican is in the peak of his career right now, and all his momentum makes a BOSJ win a likely scenario despite him being new to puroresu. His style presents a difficult task for the other wrestlers in the B Block and the Latin Terror could very well use this for his advantage and reach the final.
Key match: vs Kintaro Kanemura (June 11th, Fukuoka Citizens Gymnasium)
Much like Shelley, there’s really no relevant history between Homicide and his opposition, but Kanemura does present a stylistic match. Homicide is well known for his violent matches and brutal offense in spite of his size, and a war against a deathmatch specialist like Kanemura will surely be interesting to watch as the most violent match of the tournament could happen in Fukuoka. |
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Post by henriquesser on Jan 4, 2024 23:43:51 GMT 1
minor update: watching Wrestle Kingdom today got me in the mood to pick this up again. Problem is, I have a new computer now and all the stuff I had is on the old one, including all the BOSJ results, so if I still have the itch during the weekend I'll copy what I had and write up a few shows.
Also yes, Wrestle Kingdom was awesome.
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Post by pg88 on Jan 5, 2024 17:33:56 GMT 1
First of all as a fairly new member to this board in-between doing my own shows I am going to read some of the other feeds on here and this was the first I started to look at as Japan is something I've nit had that much to do with so I can look at this and enjoy it because I don't know what happened in the real world. Please forgive for making comments on the shows that are all the way on page 1 of this thread but like I said I'm fairly new here and wanted to start at the beginning.
I love how you set the scene if how you got the job and laid out who was there and your thoughts on them before the first show.
Your first show looked solid had a few names I had heard of both at the time and since so that makes me want to keep following along and drew me in. I also like how you had the traditional post show press conference comments as well. To give it a true feel of New Japan.
In close all I will say is I'm going to keep reading your shows and will make notes and post comments on several shows at once given how far behind I am.
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Post by henriquesser on Jan 6, 2024 1:13:57 GMT 1
First of all as a fairly new member to this board in-between doing my own shows I am going to read some of the other feeds on here and this was the first I started to look at as Japan is something I've nit had that much to do with so I can look at this and enjoy it because I don't know what happened in the real world. Please forgive for making comments on the shows that are all the way on page 1 of this thread but like I said I'm fairly new here and wanted to start at the beginning. I love how you set the scene if how you got the job and laid out who was there and your thoughts on them before the first show. Your first show looked solid had a few names I had heard of both at the time and since so that makes me want to keep following along and drew me in. I also like how you had the traditional post show press conference comments as well. To give it a true feel of New Japan. In close all I will say is I'm going to keep reading your shows and will make notes and post comments on several shows at once given how far behind I am. Please do keep reading and comment all you want, feedback is appreciated. Basically this diary with me thinking "What if Brock Lesnar's NJPW run was good?" and eventually it evolved into me building a whole new NJPW. It's a lot of fun to write but I do take a lot of time between posts, so I'm sure you'll be able to catch up. Also I should start doing the press conference highlights again, it does add a bit. |
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