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The Best of Super Juniors 27 is one of NJPW's biggest tournaments of the year and kicks off this week. After being postponed during the beginning stages of the pandemic, the month-long block league with the premier junior heavyweight competitors will finally take place, with a huge prize awaiting the winner.
The man who comes out of the tournament with the trophy will challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th or 5th.
Due to the current travel restrictions in Japan, the Best of Super Juniors 27 will only be a 10-man block league, instead of featuring the traditional 20 competitors. The two men with the most points will battle on December 11th to determine the victor.
With the tournament going on in conjunction with the World Tag League 2020, the competition will occur every other day. Some of the best junior heavyweights that NJPW have to offer will battle against one another, giving the fans plenty of tantalizing encounters.
In this article, read about the five must-see Best of Super Juniors 27 matches.
Honorable mentions:
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori (Night 1 - November 15th)
- Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO (Night 4 - November 23rd)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles (Night 6 - November 29th)
#5 Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 2 - November 18th)
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori comes into the Best of Super Juniors 27 as a favorite to win. Even though any tournament in NJPW has rarely seen the champion win, Ishimori is among the very best that the promotion has to offer. He will regularly be in one of the best matches on any given night.
Ryusuke Taguchi has transitioned into one of the New Japan dads in the junior heavyweight division. The 2012 Best of Super Juniors winner provides mostly comedy with his butt driven offense. However, he has also been known to step up in his bigger encounters, earning the moniker of "Big Match Taguchi".
This contest will the semi-main event on Night 2 of the Best of Super Juniors 27 tournament. There will be a contrast of styles, with Ishimori's speed and high octane arsenal mixing it up with Taguchi's humor and technical precision.
This will most definitely get enough time to deliver a match that will surprise many with the high quality these two will give the fans.
#4 Hiromu Takahashi vs. BUSHI (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 3 - November 20th)
It has been quite the tumultuous year for Los Ingobernables de Japon. Following the betrayal of EVIL, fans have seen the remaining members of LIJ show more loyalty to one another, even though they have done battle against each other as well. In the Best of Super Juniors 27, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI will face off.
The two junior heavyweight members of the group have been frequent partners. They made it to the finals of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles Tournament earlier this year, failing to defeat Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado in the end.
Now with a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title on the line, they will do battle in what is a highly-anticipated encounter.
BUSHI has been known to be a somewhat inconsistent performer. The former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion does not always bring his best, but when he is in there with the aces of the Juniors such as Will Ospreay and KUSHIDA, BUSHI always delivers.
Hiromu is arguably the current ace of the Juniors, being a former three-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and Best of Super Juniors 25 winner.
These two will bring a lot of fire and aggression to this one. Whenever members of LIJ have done battle, they hold nothing back in a challenge to prove who is the superior stablemate. This will be a barnburner that will most likely steal the show on Night 3 of the Best of Super Juniors 27.
#3 El Desperado vs. SHO (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 5 - November 25th)
SHO and El Desperado are both tag team specialists and have had many battles over the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles with their respective partners, YOH and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. With their Roppongi 3K and Suzuki-gun brethren both out injured at the moment, the two competitors will do battle in the Best of Super Juniors 27 on Night 5.
These two men last met one-on-one in the Best of Super Juniors 25 two years ago. On May 25th, 2018, SHO got a huge victory over El Desperado.
It was a competitive contest that could have gone either way, so their rematch in this year's tournament will likely be more of the same. Both men have taken strides in the singles division this year.
SHO and El Desperado have seen opportunities in the heavyweight division since NJPW's return from the lockdown. They were both in the New Japan Cup 2020 tournament, as well as being challengers to Shingo Takagi's NEVER Openweight Championship in the months that followed.
With that experience, fans should prepare themselves for a hard-hitting affair that should be grueling for both individuals.
#2 Taiji Ishimori vs. Robbie Eagles (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 5 - November 25th)
When Robbie Eagles was introduced to the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster, his biggest ally in the Bullet Club was Taiji Ishimori. The two stablemates made the group's best junior heavyweight tag team. Prior to the Best of Super Juniors 26, El Phantasmo debuted and created resentment against Eagles, which eventually led to his dismissal from the Bullet Club.
Over a year later, Eagles and Ishimori will finally meet in singles action in the Best of Super Juniors 27 tournament. These are not only two of the fastest and proficient high flying competitors in the entire junior heavyweight division, but also two of the best when it comes to submissions.
Eagles uses the Ron Miller Special to submit his opponents, while Ishimori has used the Lebell Lock to great success, including to beat Hiromu Takahashi to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship at Summer Struggle in Jingu Stadium.
Their skills are very evenly matched and should provide fans with a brilliant encounter that is among the most memorable of the Best of Super Juniors 27 tournament.
#1 Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 7 - December 2nd)
Although the previous two competitors have to be considered among the contenders to win the Best of Super Juniors 27, Hiromu Takahashi and SHO must be the odds-on favorites.
The Best of Super Juniors 25 winner is highly regarded as the current ace of the division, while one half of Roppongi 3K is often touted as the future ace of the juniors.
These two have faced in tag team action and met one-on-one two years ago in this same tournament. However, with SHO more experienced in singles competition, this rematch should be nothing short of an absolute thriller.
SHO's hard hitting and impactful offense mixing it up with the daredevil antics of Hiromu should deliver the fans in Osaka a stunning showcase on the Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 7.
With this contest taking place on one of the final days, this could be a key deciding battle in the entire tournament. The Best of Super Juniors 27 will offer plenty of compelling encounters, but there might not be any as fascinating and crucial as this one. This will be an awe inspiring clash that may very well be among the most underrated matches of the year.
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