Opinion

Which Stories Do You Follow Going Into Best of the Super Juniors 26?

This year’s field of the Best of the Super Juniors has been announced by New Japan Pro Wrestling ! Valentin gives us his take on them!

Published

6 years ago

April 29, 2019

Valentin Humez

Will the Reborn Bone Soldier take back the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship from Dragon Lee ?

This year’s field of the Best of the Super Juniors has been announced by New Japan Pro Wrestling ! Valentin gives us his take on them!

Twenty competitors from all over the world, making this 26th edition the biggest ever, will fight from May 13th to June 5th to determine who will succeed to Hiromu Takahashi. With all the competitors now revealed by New Japan, I suggest we dive into some of the stories which should play in this year’s tournament !

The first thing to point out, of course, is that last year’s winner Hiromu Takahashi will not take part in the tournament this year, giving it a quite unique vibe, as his absence is still felt heavily. However, the Junior division itself hasn’t stopped going forward since Hiromu got sidelined after his match with Dragon Lee last August, as the latter finally became the Junior Heavyweight champion at G1 Supercard. Soon after winning the championship, Lee made a statement : As soon as he returns, Takahashi will be getting a championship match first.

Something to point out is that Dragon Lee is not certain to enter the tournament as the champion, as he will face former champion Taiji Ishimori at Wrestling Dontaku, who lost the championship without being pinned. Therefore, Lee may not be able to make his statement come true, depending on when his rival makes his long awaited return. This upcoming match will likely determine to some extent how the tournament shapes up afterwards, as both Lee and Ishimori will enter as two of the favourites, possibly the two biggest, title around their waist or not.

To quickly touch upon why I believe Lee and Ishimori are the two big favourites entering BOSJ this year, here we have the two most prominent Juniors at the moment with a need to cement themselves just a bit more. There is no better way to do that than by winning the tournament, and both men are needing this win for their own continuity. Lee to confirm he is ready and worthy to hold to the position he has been chasing for a few years now, and Ishimori to follow up on his impressive return to New Japan, from his tremendous 2018 BOSJ performance to his championship win over KUSHIDA at Wrestle Kingdom. The last part playing into this thought is, of course, Hiromu himself. Both Lee and Ishimori have a more or less storied past with Hiromu, waiting for another chapter to be written, which is not the case, at least not as much, with most of the other competitors.

Now that I covered what I think is the main story of this year’s BOSJ tournament, let’s look at something which actually started in the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team division. At King of Pro Wrestling last October, Tetsuya Naito unveiled Los Ingobernables de Japon’s newest Pareja : Dragon Gate’s Shingo Takagi. “The Dragon” quickly formed a team with BUSHI to compete in the Junior Tag League, and it became obvious how much Shingo was dominant over the rest of the Juniors. LI.J’s team rose has a newest obstacle for Roppongi 3K, who won the Tag League for the second time in a row, as they were looking to take back the championships from El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Since the first encounter between Shingo & BUSHI and Roppongi 3K, it is SHO who took the role of the “powerhouse” of the team, in order to match Shingo’s overwhelming strength, which made the difference notably at Wrestle Kingdom, where L.I.J became the new IWGP Junior Tag Team champions. As events went by and the intensity rose up, SHO and Shingo grew to become one of the most captivating rivalries in New Japan at the moment, as both men have developed quite a good chemistry together. All of their encounters in tag matches have been must-see, as SHO grew both stronger and smarter out of each fight with Shingo, finding ways to deflect the Pumping Bomber lariat while being able to inflict damage. However, Takagi has still yet to be pinned in New Japan as he will enter BOSJ this year for the first time, therefore adding the growing feud with SHO, the possibility a singles match between them becomes highly anticipated for anyone who has watched them the last few months.

The very recent Junior Tag Team championship match between the two teams, which happened on the 26th and saw the defending champions SHO & YOH retain the titles for the first time ever, again showcased how much both Shingo and SHO were not only the stars of the match, but the stars of the whole rivalry.

Obviously these are not the only stories going on, as both Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll will make their returns in New Japan’s Junior Heavyweight scene, and we will all witness the upcoming debuts of El Phantasmo, Jonathan Gresham or Bandido in the tournament !

It is on that note that this article comes to a close. Do you look forward to the tournament and where will your focus be on next month ? Who will enter the tournament as Junior Heavyweight champion ? Who will be Hiromu’s successor as the 26th Best of the Super Juniors ?

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1