Wrestling Wonders: Best of the SUPERIOR Juniors

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Best of the SUPERIOR Juniors

NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors

Tournament concludes

Ryusuke Taguchi won the contest after defeating finalist Low Ki where both dominated the tournament.

This year’s theme was – “The door to the glory.”

Finals took place on 10th June 2012.

The comeption emanated from Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, sold out to 2,050 fans in attendance.

The tournament is built on a points format, where a win receives two points, drawing gains one, and a loss equals nothing. Previous time limits were at twenty minutes, which has since increased to thirty. All participants are divided into two blocks, A and B, of equal numbers from the participants involved. The top two highest scorers proceed to the semifinals.

Ki defeated a former victor (from 2010), Prince Devitt in the semi-finals, while Taguchi, Devitt’s tag team partner also, downed PAC to advance.

Devitt, with 2010's gorgeous trophy

Taguchi went on to earn a title shot at the IWGP Junior heavyweight championship, one of Japan’s finest, and prestigious titles in existence.

Low Ki was the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion at time of entering and participating in the event.

Taguchi nabbed the pinfall to win the tourny after a seventeen minute and one second match up, after Ryusuke, for the last five years in a row, was the runner up every year.

Other combatants in the series were Taichi, Rocky Romero, Jushin Liger, PAC, Gedo, Angel de Oro, Jado, Hiromu Takahashi, Tiger Mask IV, Daisuke Sasaki, Taka Michinoku, Alex Koslov, Kushida, Bushi, Brian Kendrick and Prince Devitt.

Jushin Liger, Japan’s esteemed pinnacle of prestige made this his twenty-first entry to the tournament. Liger also shares the tournament victory with Koji Kanemoto, both at three successes of the contest while Tiger Mask IV is the only star to win twice back to back in consecutive years.

Last year’s reigning champion, Kota Ibushi was unable to defend his honour, due to injury last year.

Some expert matches took place including PAC and Prince Devitt, as well as the final, making the tournament an interesting insight to wrestling once again, with some tantalising images below.

Enjoy!