Date: May 31st and June 2nd, 2015
Location: Kira Messe Numazu and Ibaraki Prefectural Sports Center
Announced Attendance: 1,140 and 764 (respectively)

Another day, another New Japan BOSJ review. I am not going to pretend this show is at the top of my list of ones I want to watch right now, but I want to get through the entire tournament just to make sure I don't miss anything and the sooner I get it done the more topical it is. So here we are. Following the same theme we will be looking at the BOSJ matches from the next two days on the tour, from May 31st and June 2nd. Here are the standings going into the events:

And the matches being reviewed:

- Best of the Super Jr. - Block A: Chase Owens vs. Gedo
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block A: Barreta vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block B: KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block B: David Finlay Jr. vs. Rocky Romero
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block A: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yohei Komatsu
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block A: El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Kyle O'Reilly
- Best of the Super Jr. - Block B: Bobby Fish vs. Máscara Dorada

Nick Jackson gets a break as Shelley was his scheduled opponent, so he gets two points due to Shelley being out of the tournament. Let's get to it.

Chase Owens vs. Gedo
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. They waste some time as the match starts, which is just what an eight minute match needs, before they go into trading holds. Owens gets into the ropes to force a break and he jaws with the crowd some more, side headlock by Gedo, Owens Irish whips out of it but Gedo stomps him in the face. Owens uses the referee as a shield and then dropkicks Gedo, mounted punches by Owens and he chokes Gedo in the corner. Irish whip by Owens and Gedo collapses in the corner. Headlock by Owens on the mat and he punches Gedo into the corner. Irish whip by Owens, reversed, but Owens kicks Gedo back. Owens misses the blockbuster, punches by Gedo and he delivers the Complete Shot. Mounted punches by Gedo and he rakes Owens's face with his boot. Dropkick to the leg by Gedo but Owens avoids the Gedo Clutch before hitting a backbreaker. Kick by Owens, he goes for the Package Piledriver, but Gedo back bodydrops out of it. The referee is accidentally knocked down, low blow by Gedo and he sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Inside cradle doesn't work either, and Owens blocks the superkick. Gedo punches Owens but Owens punches him back and both wrestlers are groggy. Owens gets up on the top turnbuckle and he hits the Blockbuster, he drags Gedo to his feet and he nails the Package Piledriver for the three count. This was a pretty nothing match through and through. It started slow and generally was pretty predictable. No real reason to watch this one.

Barreta vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. They end up in the ropes to begin the match but Barreta gives a clean break. Liger gets Barreta to the mat and applies a stretch hold, Barreta gets back up and Irish whips Liger off of him, shoulderblock by Liger but Barreta doesn't go down. He tries again with no luck, kick by Liger but Barreta shoulderblocks him to the mat. Barreta charges Liger but Liger moves, sending Barreta crashing out of the ring. Liger goes for a baseball slide but Barreta moves and throws Liger into the ring post. Barreta slides back in with Liger slowly following, cover by Barreta but it gets two. Jumping knee by Barreta in the corner and he hits a lariat for a two count. Headlock by Barreta on the mat, Liger struggles back up but Barreta hits the Kitchen Sink. Kneedrop by Barreta, cover, but it gets two. Barreta charges Liger in the corner but Liger moves, and Barreta crashes down to the floor. Baseball slide by Liger and he hits the cannonball off the apron. Liger puts Barreta on the top turnbuckle and he nails the Frankensteiner, but Barreta rolls through it for a two count. Enziguri by Barreta and he hits a jumping elbow in the corner followed by a tornado DDT for a two count. Barreta waits for Liger to get up but Liger levels him with a Shotei. Liger goes up top but Barreta is up, he joins Liger but Liger knocks him back off. Liger jumps off but Barreta kicks him on the way down. Running Knee by Barreta, cover, but Liger gets a shoulder up. Barreta picks up Liger, Liger gets away and as Barreta goes for a pin Liger reverses it into a cover for the three count! This was the opposite of the last match, as while they had the same amount of time this one was actually fun and exciting to watch. They packed a lot in with solid nearfalls, a few big moves, and a surprise ending that works well in a tournament setting. Really solid match. Mildly Recommended

KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. After some introductory hold trading, Tiger Mask hits a shoulderblock, leapfrog but KUSHIDA but he hurts his knee on the landing and rolls out of the ring. He returns after a moment and Tiger Mask starts working over the injured leg with kicks. Tiger Mask applies a kneelock but KUSHIDA gets a hand on the bottom rope to break the hold. Tiger Mask gets the kneelock re-applied and reverts it into a single leg crab hold, but KUSHIDA gets to the ropes again. Dropkick to the knee by Tiger Mask and he kicks KUSHIDA in the leg some more. Chops by Tiger Mask, Irish whip, but KUSHIDA collapses before he reaches the far ropes. Tiger Mask charges KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA kicks him back and flips himself out to the apron. He gets back in but Tiger Mask dropkicks him as he does so and KUSHIDA falls back out of the ring. Tiger Mask goes off the ropes for a dive but KUSHIDA limps too far away so Tiger Mask exits the ring and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Back in the ring, kicks by Tiger Mask but KUSHIDA gets the Hoverboard Lock applied. He switches to a cross armbreaker but Tiger Mask gets a foot on the ropes. Armbreaker by KUSHIDA but Tiger Mask ducks a kick, elbow by KUSHIDA and both wrestlers hit high kicks on each other. They slowly get back up as they trade elbows, Irish whip by KUSHIDA, reversed, but Tiger Mask hits the handspring back elbow. KUSHIDA kicks Tiger Mask, he goes off the ropes and goes for the tilt-a-whirl into a Hoverboard Lock, but Tiger Mask blocks it and hits a tombstone piledriver. High kick by Tiger Mask in the corner, he puts KUSHIDA on the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting an avalanche butterfly suplex. Cover, but it gets two. Tiger Mask picks up KUSHIDA and hits a tiger suplex hold, but KUSHIDA is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on it to break the count. Tiger Mask charges KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA trips him and applies the Hoverboard Lock. Tiger Mask wiggles to the ropes but KUSHIDA rolls him back into the middle of the ring and he gets the submission victory! This was a bit basic but still solid. The leg work by Tiger Mask was good throughout and KUSHIDA sold it the bulk of the time, and KUSHIDA did enough on the arm that it wasn't a stretch that Tiger Mask was weak enough for the Hoverboard Lock to work. Nothing that will blow you away but still a good match. Mildly Recommended

David Finlay Jr. vs. Rocky Romero
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. Waistlock by Romero to start but Finlay reverses it into a wristlock as he pushes Romero to the mat. Back up, side headlock by Romero and he hits a shoulderblock, he goes off the ropes but Finlay hits a hiptoss followed by a dropkick. Romero crawls to the referee and hides behind him, he then kicks Finlay, Romero poses between the ropes and moves when Finlay charges in so Finlay tumbles out of the ring. Romero then goes out to the apron and hits a jumping knee down to the floor. Back in the ring, Finlay hits a monkey flip out of the corner and Romero rolls out of the ring. Romero sells his ankle hard as the referee goes out to check on him but Finlay gets Romero back in the ring and stands on his leg. Finlay trips Romero but the referee gets him back, Finlay picks up Romero slides away. Finlay gets a single leg crab hold applied, but Romero gets to the ropes. Kick to the leg by Finlay and he drops elbows onto Romero's injured leg. Finlay kicks Romero in the leg, he goes for a backdrop suplex but Romero lands on his feet. Kick by Romero but he hurts his own leg so both wrestlers are on the mat. Back up, punches by Romero, he throws Finlay into the corner but Finlay avoids his charge and hits a lariat. Finlay charges Romero but Romero comes back with a lariat of his own. Romero goes up top and he hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Romero goes for a Shiranui but Finlay pushes him off and kicks Romero in the leg. Finlay picks up Romero and he applies the Stretch Muffler but Romero makes it to the ropes. Finlay twists Romero's leg in the second rope and kicks it repeatedly, he goes off the ropes but Romero catches him with an uppercut. Rolling fireman's carry by Finlay, cover, but Romero gets a shoulder up. Finlay picks up Romero and they trade elbows, eye poke by Romero but Finlay hits an uppercut. Finlay goes for a suplex but Romero knees out of it and drops Finlay on the top rope. Romero goes out to the apron and he hits the swandive dropkick, cover, but it gets two. Waistlock by Romero but Finlay rolls him to the mat for a two count. Head kick by Romero, he picks up Finlay and he nails the Black Tiger Tombstone Piledriver for the three count! The story of this one was fine, but the action was just a bit awkward at times. Finlay and Romero weren't always on the same page which led to a few pauses that could even be seen from the far away camera. This is a hell of a crash course that Finlay is getting in New Japan but his matches tend to just be average, nothing much more than that. Good leg work though.

Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yohei Komatsu
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. Komatsu gets Taguchi's back to start the match but Taguchi gets out of it and they return to their feet. Back to the mat they go as Taguchi gets Komatsu's leg but Komatsu breaks away, side headlock by Komatsu, Taguchi Irish whips out of it but Komatsu eventually hits a hurricanrana. Dropkick by Komatsu and he stomps on Taguchi, Irish whip by Komatsu but Taguchi reverses it. Komatsu goes for a sunset flip, Taguchi blocks it and goes to sit on Komatsu but Komatsu moves. Komatsu goes off the ropes but Taguchi hits a hip attack and Komatsu falls out of the ring. Taguchi goes out to the apron and he hits a diving hip attack down to the floor before returning and waiting for Komatsu. Komatsu eventually does return, snapmare by Taguchi and he hits a few quick hip attacks. Reverse chinlock by Taguchi but Komatsu gets a foot on the ropes. Scoop slam by Taguchi hear the ropes and he sits down onto Komatsu's chest. He goes for a springboard version but Komatsu gets his feet up, Irish whip by Komatsu and he delivers a dropkick. Komatsu elbows Taguchi into the corner, Irish whip, and Komatsu hits a jumping elbow strike. Komatsu goes up top and he hits a cannonball, he picks up Taguchi and delivers a bridging single arm suplex for a two count. Komatsu picks up Taguchi, hip attack by Taguchi and he hits a second one. Komatsu slouches against the ropes and Taguchi hits a pair of hip attacks. Komatsu dropkicks him when he goes for a third but Taguchi is still up first and he elbows Komatsu. Komatsu elbows him back as they trade blows, hurricanrana by Komatsu but it only gets a two count. Taguchi goes off the ropes but Komatsu hits a rolling single leg crab hold. Taguchi makes it to the ropes to force the break, Komatsu picks up Taguchi but Taguchi slides away. Roll-up by Komatsu but it only gets two, as does the schoolboy attempt. Jumping kick by Taguchi, he picks up Komatsu and he hits a front suplex for a two count. Taguchi goes up top and he hits a diving hip attack, he picks up Komatsu and he goes for the Dodon but Komatsu reverses it into a pin for two. Ankle hold by Taguchi, he picks up Komatsu and he nails the Dodon's Throne, but Komatsu barely gets a shoulder up. Taguchi picks up Komatsu and he hits the Dodon, and he gets the three count! Aside from Komatsu kicking out of the Dodon's Throne, which was cool, nothing else here particularly amused me. Taguchi was in full Taguchi mode, this is what happens I guess when he is wrestling a young lion and can just do whatever he wants. Komatsu had a few roll-up hope spots but the end result was never in doubt here. Below average match overall.

El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Kyle O'Reilly
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. O'Reilly attacks Cavernario to start the match, O'Reilly kicks Cavernario in the chest but Cavernario hits a hurricanrana. O'Reilly lands outside of the ring and Cavernario sails out onto him with a springboard plancha suicida. Cavernario rolls O'Reilly back in, DDT by Cavernario and he covers O'Reilly for two. Jumping forearm by Cavernario in the corner and he hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle for two. Cavernario does the Worm before dropkicking O'Reilly again, chops by Cavernario in the corner and he headbutts O'Reilly. O'Reilly kicks Cavernario in the leg and hits a knee followed by a leg sweep. Cover by O'Reilly but it gets a two count. O'Reilly picks up Cavernario and he hits a backbreaker, he jumps up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving knee to Cavernario's back for two. Snap vertical suplex by O'Reilly, he does a poor man's Worm and knees Cavernario in the ribs. O'Reilly kicks Cavernario, Cavernario goes for a sunset flip but O'Reilly blocks it and applies a cross armbreaker. Cavernario gets to the ropes, elbows to the back by O'Reilly but Cavernario elbows him away. Cavernario goes off the ropes and both wrestlers lariat each other to the mat. Kick by Cavernario, he picks up O'Reilly and he tosses him into the corner. Another Worm by Cavernario and he hits a reverse splash off the ropes for a two count. Cavernario kicks O'Reilly into the corner, Cavernario dives off the top turnbuckle but O'Reilly catches him with a powerbomb. Scorpion Deathlock by O'Reilly but Cavernario gets into the ropes, back kick by O'Reilly but Cavernario catches him with a superkick. Rebound lariat by O'Reilly, cover, but it gets two. Capture Backdrop Suplex Hold by O'Reilly, and he picks up the three count! The best thing about this match is they went straight to the point, if you are going to have short matches you can't waste 25% of it trading waistlocks. Cavernario is a bit goofier than I'd like but that's kinda his gimmick, and he is generally entertaining. A solid match, not memorable in any way but certainly watchable.

Bobby Fish vs. Máscara Dorada
This match is part of the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament. Dorada starts working over Fish's straight away, Fish throws him off but Dorada hits a shoulderblock to Fish's arm. Dorada goes off the ropes but he avoids a dropkick and hits a standing moonsault for two. Fish rolls out of the ring to re-group but he returns after a moment, kick by Fish and he punches Dorada down near the ropes. Irish whip by Fish, Dorada goes for a handspring move but Fish moves. Hurricanrana by Dorada, Fish rolls down to the floor and knocks Dorada's legs out from under him when he flips to the apron. Fish punches Dorada and rolls him back into the ring, and Fish attacks Dorada in the leg. Fish picks up Dorada and he hits a vertical suplex before hitting a senton atomico. Bodyscissors by Fish but Dorada gets into the ropes, Fish picks him up and punches Dorada in the stomach. Fish kicks Dorada into the corner, Irish whip and he hits a lariat. Dorada fires back with his own lariat and he hits a back kick followed by a rebound dropkick out of the corner. Fish goes outside of the ring but Dorada sails out onto him with a tope con hilo. Dorada slides Fish back in and he covers him for a two count. Irish whip by Dorada, reversed, but Dorada hits a rebound back elbow strike for a two count. Dorada puts Fish on the top turnbuckle and joins him, Fish slides away but Dorada hits a moonsault to a standing Fish for a two count. Dorada goes up top but Fish kicks him a few times in the leg, backdrop suplex by Fish and he kicks Dorada into the corner. Elbow by Fish and he hits an exploder into the turnbuckles, cover, but Dorada gets a shoulder up. Fish picks up Dorada, he goes off the ropes and he hits a Samoan Drop. Snapmare by Fish in front of the corner, he goes up top but Dorada gets his feet up when Fish jumps off. Dorada picks up Fish but Fish elbows him and hits a dragon screw. Fish goes off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow, he grabs Dorada and nails the Falcon Arrow for the three count! This was probably my favorite match of the bunch. It had a good blend of big spots, limb work, and striking all squeezed into a match that was only around ten minutes. A few small miscommunications hurt it a bit but otherwise it flowed well and never had a dull moment. A good way to end this set of shows, even if it wasn't earth-shattering. Mildly Recommended

Final Thoughts:

It takes a special wrestler to be able to pump out really entertaining matches that are under ten minutes. By the time they do the intro limb work, some outside stalling, and then the stretch run that only leaves a few minutes to make a match stand out. Most of the wrestlers in this tournament just aren't that type of wrestler, they either need more time in a match to flesh things out or they are too inexperienced. I didn't love most of this, nothing was awful but nothing was really great either. As a set of shows this is skippable, some good effort and moments spread out but nothing that really needs to be tracked down.

Grade: D

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event reviewed on 6/8/15