NJPW began running its annual Best of the Super Jr tournement this weekend, the 11th since its name change and the 15th such junior event… The first day saw old rivals and older generation leaders Koji and Liger face of and also good friends Heat (the IWGP Jr champ) and Tiger Mask (IV) face off as well. In the main event Lion Maru also faced Nakanishi after his eariler match in All Japan.
The second day saw last years surprise winner Kakihara face Koji in a repeat of last years final as well as Liger and Heat take on rookies Taguchi and Nakajima respectively. It also see’s a return to the tournement for former NJPW wrestler Ultimo Dragon who takes on Tiger Mask and the return of a reformed Tadao Yasuda.
Here are the full results….
NJPW, 5/22/04
Yamato Sports Center
2,500 Fans
1. Ryusuke Taguchi beat Akiya Anzawa (9:37) with a crab hold.
2. Garuda beat Hirooki Goto (10:14) with an armlock.
3. Mitsuya Nagai & Ryushi Yanagisawa beat Yutaka Yoshie & Shinya Makabe (10:56) when Yanagisawa used a knee kick on Makabe.
4. Ultimo Dragon , American Dragon & Curry Man beat Jado, Gedo & Katsushi Takemura (17:32) when Ultimo used an Asai DDT on Takemura.
5. Minoru Suzuki & Masahito Kakihara beat Osamu Nishimura & El Samurai (13:33) when Suzuki used an Octopus hold on Samurai.
6. Best of the Super Jr. – Block B: Tiger Mask [2] beat Heat [0] (14:08) with a Tiger suplex hold.
7. Best of the Super Jr. – Block A: Koji Kanemoto [2] beat Jushin Thunder Liger [0] (16:33) with an ankle hold.
8. Masahiro Chono & Kazunari Murakami beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Hiroshi Tanahashi (17:37) when Murakami used a straight left punch on Tanahashi.
9. Lion Maru beat Manabu Nakanishi (6:08) by DQ.
NJPW, 5/23/04
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,522 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Makai #1 beat Toru Yano (6:36) by DQ.
2. American Dragon beat Katsushi Takemura (12:22) with a wakigatame.
3. Jado & Gedo beat Curry Man & Rocky Romero (11:12) when Gedo used a Superfly splash on Romero.
4. Best of the Super Jr. – Block A: Ryusuke Taguchi [2] beat Jushin Thunder Liger [0] (0:45) with a dropkick.
5. Best of the Super Jr. – Block B: Heat [2] beat Katsuhiko Nakajima [0] (11:26) with a cross armbreaker.
6. Kazunari Murakami & Mitsuya Nagai beat Minoru Suzuki & Masayuki Naruse (10:01) when Nagai used a Makai Driver on Naruse.
7. Best of the Super Jr. – Block B: Ultimo Dragon [2] beat Tiger Mask [2] (12:01) with an Asai DDT.
8. Best of the Super Jr. – Block A: Masahito Kakihara [2] beat Koji Kanemoto [2] (10:55) with a grounded headlock.
9. Osamu Nishimura beat Tadao Yasuda (7:30) with a ground Cobra Twist.
10. Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Genichiro Tenryu, Manabu Nakanishi & Kensuke Sasaki (19:23) when Tanahashi used an inside cradle on Nakanishi.