NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 2019 Finals Coverage: MOXLEY In Action

Welcome to Fightful’s live coverage of the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals! The show features the finals of the tournament that took center stage in May, as well as the NJPW debut of Jon Moxley! Share your thoughts and predictions in the comment section below!

Best of the Super Juniors Finals
Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay

IWGP United States Championship
Juice Robinson (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. “Switchblade” Jay White

Rocky Romero & Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll & Brody King

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA vs. Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kota Ibushi

DOUKI, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Junior & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Jyushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask

SHO, YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie Eagles, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori

Shota Umino, Titan & Dragon Lee vs. Ren Narita, Jonathan Gresham & Bandido

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Shota Umino, Titan & Dragon Lee vs. Ren Narita, Jonathan Gresham & Bandido

Hot exchange with Bandido and Titan early on. Things broke down and Dragon Lee was triple teamed by Narita, Gresham, and Bandido. Narita got a couple of near falls on Dragon Lee. Narita was triple teamed before the action spilled to the outside, leaving Narita and Lee alone. Lee put Narita away with an exposed knee strike. Everyone embraced after the match.

Shota Umino, Titan & Dragon Lee def. Ren Narita, Jonathan Gresham & Bandido

SHO, YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie Eagles, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori

Phantasmo punts the rugby ball into the crowd after Bullet Club jumps Taguchi 3K. We get a thumb up the butt spot with Phantasmo’s thumb and Taguchi’s butt. Bullet Club takes most of the match, though Ishimori didn’t get involved in much of the action with his shoulder injury. Taguchi 3K got some shine on Eagles. A lot of tension teased between Eagles and Phantasmo, including the end where Eagles had the victory but Phantasmo tagged in and scored the pinfall with a CR II on SHO. Phantasmo and Ishimori grab the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles, teasing a match against Roppongi 3K. Eagles is still upset.

Robbie Eagles, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori def. SHO, YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi

DOUKI, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Junior & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Jyushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask

DOUKI runs wild early on but then misses everyone (or doesn’t get caught) on a dive to the outside. Liger and Suzuki work together followed by Ishii and Taichi in order to add heat their respective singles matches. ZSJ and YOSHI-HASHI also pair off, potentially teasing a future singles match. Things eventually break down and YOSHI-HASHI puts DOUKI away with Karma.

Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Jyushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask def. DOUKI, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Junior & Minoru Suzuki

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA vs. Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kota Ibushi

Ibushi and Naito start, giving everyone a taste of what is to come at Dominion. SANADA and Honma get a little bit of shine before Naito and Ibushi end up back in the ring together. Naito gets the better of the exchange before tagging in EVIL. Henare is tagged in, scores a near fall on EVIL, but is eventually done in by a Magic Killer.

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA def. Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kota Ibushi

Rocky Romero & Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll & Brody King

Long heat segment on Rocky before he makes the hot tag to Okada. Okada runs wild before getting cut off with a double team. Romero evens things up as they break down, leading to King scoring a near fall on Okada with a piledriver. Okada bounces back and puts King away with the Rainmaker.

Rocky Romero & Kazuchika Okada def. Marty Scurll & Brody King

A new Chris Jericho video promo plays. Okada cuts a promo wondering what a “painmaker” is.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. “Switchblade” Jay White

White immediately attacks Tanahashi to get the advantage. White brutalizes Tanahashi on the outside and goes after the injured arm of The Ace. Tanahashi is getting nothing in this match as White dominates back in the ring. White exposes the injured arm of Tanahashi and continues to attack. Tanahashi finally turns the tide with a dragon screw. Series of reversals is won by White with a downward spiral and deadlift german suplex. Tanahashi gets momentum with back-to-back twist-and-shouts but White reverses the third one with a fujiwara armbar. Tanahashi eventually makes the ropes. Dragon screw once again gives Tanahashi the advantage, followed up by a pair of slingblades. Gedo tries to interfere multiple times but Tanahashi cuts him off. White and Tanahashi trade low blows. Tanahashi goes for the clover leaf but White grabs the arm, cradles Tanahashi, and gets the victory.

“Switchblade” Jay White def. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP United States Championship – Juice Robinson (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is wearing trunks. Juice no longer has dreadlocks. This match is already confusing. Strike exchange to start before the fight spills into the crowd. Juice backdrops Moxley in the aisle before heading to the top of the staging. Juice goes for a summersault senton but overshoots a bit. Moxley gets the advantage after Juice missed a cannonball on the outside. Juice gets split open on the eyebrow. Juice gains the advantage following a spinebuster. Moxley shoves Juice off the top turnbuckle, sets up a table, and hits Juice with a chair. Moxley hits the Foley diving elbow with the chair while Juice is on the table. But the table doesn’t break so Moxley suplexes him through it. Juice survives the dreaded countout before getting hit with a scary x-plex. Moxley wraps Juice in a figure four on the ringpost and goes to Pillmanize the leg of Juice but Juice tosses the chair at Moxley. They exchange strikes in the ring befor spilling back to the outside. Moxley sets up another table against the railing. Juice hits the cannonball on the propped up Moxley but the table doesn’t break. So Juice just powerbombs Moxley through the table to break it. Back in the ring, a series of reversals leads to Moxley kicking Juice in the knee and hitting Dirty Deeds. But Juice kicks out. Moxley hits a jumping Dirty Deeds (now called Death Rider) and that’s it for Juice.

Jon Moxley def. Juice Robinson to win the IWGP United States Championship

Best of the Super Juniors Finals – Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay

Slow start as they exchange holds but things almost immediately pick up as Shingo avoids an Oscutter and a stand off ensues. Ospreay uses his speed to get the advantage as Shingo tries to slow the pace a bit. Shingo gets the advantage on the outside with a DDT. Shino hits a summersault senton to the outside and his knee bangs the railing, which didn’t look good. Shingo works over Ospreay but Ospreay finds an opening to swing things in his favor. Shingo once again rolls tot he floor to try and slow the pace but Ospreay shows a willingness to fly, hitting a Sasuke special. Shingo cuts Ospreay off with a series of strikes before flipping Ospreay through the air by the leg. Series of reversals ends with Ospreay hitting a stunner. They battle on the top rope and Shingo hits a top rope DVD. A fast exchange that ends with Shingo hitting Noshigami. But Ospreay fires back with a huge powerbomb. Ospreay hits the Oscutter on the ring apron. Shingo beats the count but gets hit with a springboard dropkick, 630, and shooting star. Shingo still manages to kick out. Oscutter in the ring leads to a big near fall. Strike exchange leads to Shingo countering Stormbreaker with Last of the Dragon but Ospreay kicks out. Back-to-back Pumping Bombers still isn’t enough to put Ospreay away. Ospreay reverses Last of the Dragon with a poisonrana. One man spanish fly gets a near fall for Ospreay. Hidden Blade wipes out Shingo followed by a super Oscutter and then into a Stormbreaker. And finally Shingo has fallen.

Will Ospreay def. Shingo Takagi to win Best of Super Juniors 26