Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori – Best of the Super Juniors (Finals)
This year’s BOSJ saw a revitalized junior heavyweight division firing on all cylinders thanks to extended match lengths and some exciting newcomers. Hiromu making a case for NJPW Wrestler of the year, Ospreay going from being a guy I actively hate to someone I now enjoy , SHO winning over Wrestling Twitter and showing great promise, El Desperado turning out to be some kind of low-key MVP of the whole thing. It’s all been a blast to follow and it could not have ended on a higher note – this match was a total banger.
Everything in this match had the extra oomph of a New Japan tournament final and then some. The execution, bumping and striking were all on another level and the molten pro-Hiromu crowd was there for all of it. Taiji was leaning into all of Hiromu’s dropkicks like a maniac and taking everything full force. Where to even begin with the spots in this bad boy? You had Hiromu considerably shortening his career by taking a rana down a flight of stairs, Taiji Moonsaulting out of the Sunset-flip Powerbomb and Hiromu repeating the insane John Woo in the crowd from his match with Despy. Too many mark-out moments to list.
Funnily enough, for a match with such a high quantity of crazy shit, some of the best parts were submission segments. Taiji working the hell out of his Yes Lock and keeping Hiromu from reaching the ropes was incredibly well done and the crowd fully bought into a possible submission even though it was all happening barely 15 minutes in the match. We also need to talk about Taiji totally saving the dueling reverse Frankensteiner sequence by somehow keeping his balance and taking an absolute death bump to top it all off. A 3 feet tall dude being such an amazing catcher defies all logic.
Up to this point, it was a rough year for Hiromu fans. Seeing him get jobbed out in the crappy Wrestle Kingdom 4-way match, then losing to Ospreay and getting stuck in multiman match purgatory was not a good time. But this whole tournament and the finish to this match made it all worth it. The repeated D submissions, that hellacious turnbuckle Death Valley Bomb, the god damn D-DRIVER~! and finally the Time Bomb for the 3 count. Hiromu’s ecstatic reaction and the nuclear crowd pop were pure wrestling magic.
A great feel-good moment to end a great wrestling match. The NJPW junior division hasn’t been this interesting in forever and I couldn’t be more excited for this Hiromu title reign. ****1/2
WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH FROM THE BOSJ
1- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori (Finals) 6/4/2018 – ****1/2
2- Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado (Block B) 5/22/2018 – ****
3- Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA (Block B) 6/3/2018 – ****
4- Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO (Block B) – 6/2/2018 – ****
5- Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori (Block A) – 5/18/2018 – ***3/4
6- SHO vs. Chris Sabin (Block B) – 5/22/2018 – ***3/4
7- KUSHIDA vs. El Desperado (Block B) – 5/30/2018 – ***3/4
8- YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Block A) – 5/31/2018 – ***3/4
9- Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiromu Takahashi (Block B) – 5/27/2018 – ***3/4
10- Will Ospreay vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Block A) – 5/29/2018 – ***1/2
