#5 B Block – El Desperado def. KUSHIDA
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To some, this might read as a shock result, but this could be considered par for the course when it comes to New Japan and tournaments. El Desperado is hugely underrated as a worker, and only a fool would sleep on the masked man’s matches in this tournament.
KUSHIDA put in a typically top tier performance, but it wasn’t enough. Despy picked up the win after a belt shot and a Guitarra de Angel.
#6 A Block – Marty Scurll def. Will Ospreay
IWGP2…@WillOspreay vs@MartyScurll #njbosj https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#njpw #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/7syBKU8eQy
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) May 17, 2017
Scurll made his New Japan debut against the winner of the 2016 Best of the Super Juniors, and the two put on a great match. Scurll vs. Ospreay is one of the great rivalries of our time, and this was another excellent chapter in that far from finished book.
Scurll proved immensely popular with the Japanese crowd too, which bodes well for him moving forward. The Villain picked up the win via tap out, when Ospreay couldn’t survive the Chicken Wing. The finger breaking spot needs to go though.
#7 B Block – Ryusuke Taguchi def. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This was probably the weakest match of the evening, but that isn’t to say it was bad. Far from it, Taguchi and Kanemaru are two of the most experienced juniors in the promotion and as such, they were both wise to their place on the card.
This bout was heavy on Taguchi’s hip-based offence, but it was successive low blows that ultimately brought victory to the Funky Weapon.
#8 A Block – Dragon Lee def. Hiromu Takahashi
Hiromu Takahashi suffered his first singles defeat in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2017 to his old rival Dragon Lee, in what was a barnstorming main event. These two have put on countless wonderful matches in recent history and this was more of the same.
The story was that the two knew each other so well that they already have counters to each other’s counters, but ultimately it was Dragon Lee who managed to get one step ahead of the Ticking Time Bomb.
@TIMEBOMB1105 vs @dragon_leecmll2#njbosjFREEhttps://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#njpw #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/oVALG66T5Q
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) May 17, 2017
Lee got the three count after hitting Hiromu with a vicious looking Phoenix Plex (Steenalizer with a bridge), setting himself up for another IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship shot down the line.
An incredible first night of action that should be considered yet another must-see show from New Japan in 2017. Night two will be headlined by Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger.
