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Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/13/23)

Round two, fight!

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BOSJ 30

Will Hiromu Takahashi make a recovery?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, lost his opening match in Best of the Super Juniors 30, but can he turn it back around in the second round?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: KUSHIDA VS TJP; TJP wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru VS Dan Moloney; Kanemaru wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi VS Lio Rush; Lio wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Robbie Eagles VS Clark Connors; Eagles wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: SHO VS Mike Bailey; Mike wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Kevin Knight VS Francesco Akira; Akira wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Titán VS Taiji Ishimori; Taiji wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: El Desperado VS BUSHI; Desperado wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Hiromu Takahashi VS DOUKI; Hiromu wins.
  • Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: YOH VS Master Wato; Yoh wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Here are the current A Block standings.

Mike Bailey: 1-0, 2 points
Taiji Ishimori: 1-0, 2 points
DOUKI: 1-0, 2 points
Lio Rush: 1-0, 2 points
Titán: 1-0, 2 points
Hiromu Takahashi: 0-1, 0 points
TJP: 0-1, 0 points
SHO: 0-1, 0 points
KUSHIDA: 0-1, 0 points
Ryusuke Taguchi: 0-1, 0 points

 

Here are the current B Block standings.

Clark Connors: 1-0, 2 points
Dan Moloney: 1-0, 2 points
Master Wato: 1-0, 2 points
Robbie Eagles: 1-0, 2 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru: 1-0, 2 points
El Desperado: 0-1, 0 points
YOH: 0-1, 0 points
Francesco Akira: 0-1, 0 points
BUSHI: 0-1, 0 points
Kevin Knight: 0-1, 0 points

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: KUSHIDA VS TJP!

The Timesplitter got caught off guard by Douki, and Public Enemy Number One got caught off guard by Titán. But that only adds to the aggression boiling up in both men. Who will prove their technical ability is superior in this second round opener?

The bell rings and fans rally up. TJP and Kushida circle, feel things out, and knuckle lock. Kushida wrenches, trips TJP, then has a leg for a standing toehold. TJP moves around but Kushida drops an elbow on the leg to have the toehold. TJP works on an escape so Kushida rolls TJP, snapmares and chinlocks, but TJP slips out to have a wristlock. Kushida slips through, wristlocks back, and brings TJP to his knees. TJP stands, snapmares free, and avoids Kushida’s grip. Fans cheer as both men reset. They go again, TJP headlocks then cravats for a neck wrench. TJP then wrenches an arm, hooks a leg, and spins Kushida to wrangle him.

Kushida headscissors to bring TJP down, and he pushes up to put on the pressure. TJP endures, Kushida thrashes around then pushes up again. TJP pushes back with a bridge but Kushida grabs an arm. Kushida wrenches but TJP rolls, hooks the leg again, and even has a chinbar. TJP brings Kushida to his knees, fishhooks Kushida’s face, but Kushida wrenches back. TJP rolls, spins, cartwheels, drops, but Kushida denies the headscissors. Kushida whips, TJP goes up and over, then things speed up, but Kushida catches TJP! They spin around, Kushida shoves TJP away then catches him into the IRON OCTOPUS!

TJP fights out, trips Kushida and has a standing toehold, then drops back for a HEEL HOOK! But Kushida stands up to have the same HEEL HOOK! They seesaw back and forth, and fans cheer. The two stop rocking, they stare down, and then they start throwing SLAPS! Then they both pull hair! The ref reprimands, both men let go at 4, and they reset. Fans applaud and the two circle again. They feel things out, Kushida shoots in to drop toehold but TJP stays up. Kushida slips around to a waistlock, he drags TJP down, and then floats to a facelock. TJP pushes up, Kushida pushes back, and then Kushida floats to a headlock.

TJP rolls to a cover, ONE, and TJP has the headlock now. Kushida fights up, powers out, but TJP stops himself to turn Kushida’s dropdown around on him! TJP traps an arm, then pulls Kushida into a SNAP BOW ‘N’ ARROW! Fans applaud while Kushida clutches his shoulder. TJP stalks Kushida to a corner but Kushida CHOPS! TJP UPPERCUTS! TJP brings Kushida around to snapmare, turn him over, tie up the legs, and then pull on them. Kushida reaches back to get a headlock but TJP fights free to keep on the legs. Kushida tries the headlock again but TJP just slips out and gets the legs again.

Fans rally as Kushida tries another headlock, but TJP slips through to now deathlock! And SNAP it! And SNAP it! And bridge back for a MUTA LOCK! Kushida endures, fights out of the facelock, and reaches out to the ROPEBREAK! Fans cheer while TJP lets go in frustration. Kushida hobbles up, but he drop toeholds. TJP stays up again, stomps Kushida’s leg, then puts him in a corner. TJP stomps Kushida into sitting down, then he rallies the fans up. TJP scrapes laces on Kushida’s face, then goes side to side, but Kushida gets up! TJP dodges the shotei to tilt-o-whirl into the CHRISTO OCTOPUS!

Kushida fights his way over, and then falls onto the ROPEBREAK! TJP lets go, and he drags Kushida up. Fans rally and duel, TJP throws hands but Kushida throws them back. TJP UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS, and whips to the corner. TJP runs in but Kushida dodges to then put a leg in the ropes. Kushida uses the ropes to help in the COBRA TWIST! The ref counts, Kushida lets off at 4. Kushida then climbs up the ropes to leap into the COBRA TWIST! TJP endures, moves over, reaches out, and gets the ROPEBREAK! Kushida lets go quickly while fans applaud. Kushida then runs corner to corner to DROPKICK the arm!

TJP stumbles, Kushida runs, but into the ROLLING SOBAT! TJP runs, but into a hip toss! Cartwheel and dropkick! Fans fire up as Kushida says it’s time! Kushida watches TJP, then runs in to get the arm! TJP resists the Hoverboard, waistlocks, but Kushida switches. TJP switches back but Kushida switches again to get the arm and wrangle TJP into a HAMMERLOCK CRADLE! TWO!! TJP swings but misses, Kushida PELES! But TJP SUPERKICKS! Kushida swings but misses, TJP backslides! TWO! Fans rally up and TJP whips Kushida to ropes. Kushida handsprings, TJP dodges to springboard, but into an ARMBAR!!!

Kushida pulls on the arm, TJP rolls him through to get the stepover! Kushida avoids the STF to have the arm! TJP rolls, stands, cradles, TJP WINS!!

Winner: TJP, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Kushida earns 0)

The Public Enemy snatches one away from the Timesplitter! TJP is on the board, and perhaps more importantly, has a win over a IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion! Will Akira come through and pin Knight to give Catch 2/2 those golden tickets? As for Kushida, he’s shockingly 0-2, will the third round be the charm?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru VS Dan Moloney!

The Heel Master bested his former teammate in El Desperado, while #DaDrilla made quite the impact in his BOSJ debut against Bushi. Who continues their winning ways through the second round?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally, the two tie up, and Moloney shoves Kanemaru down. Kanemaru gets up, steadies himself, and Moloney picks up the whiskey! The ref says don’t, they’re in a match. But Moloney says this is English Whiskey, HIS whiskey! The ref still convinces Moloney to put the bottle down, and Moloney approaches Kanemaru. Kanemaru kicks low, headlocks, but Moloney powers out. They RAM shoulders and Moloney fires up! Fans fire up, too, and Kanemaru goes again. Kanemaru and Moloney RAM shoulders again, and Moloney eggs Kanemaru on. Kanemaru throws UPPERCUTS!

Moloney swings, misses, and Kanemaru throws more UPPERCUTS! Kanemaru ducks another chop, kicks low, and whips Moloney to a corner. But Moloney comes back to run Kanemaru over! Fans fire up and Moloney throws up the crown. Moloney headlocks Kanemaru, hits the takeover, but Kanemaru headscissors. Moloney kips free, but Kanemaru ducks another chop. Moloney stands Kanemaru up to CHOP him down! Cover, TWO! Moloney keeps cool, he drags Kanemaru back up and CLUBS him back down. Moloney stands Kanemaru again to snapmare and KICK in the back! Cover, TWO!

Moloney keeps cool while the fans rally up. Kanemaru grits his teeth but Moloney brings him up. Moloney snap suplexes, covers, TWO! Kanemaru kicks from below but Moloney eggs Kanemaru on. Kanemaru throws more kicks, but Moloney stands him up to CHOP back down! Moloney KICKS Kanemaru in the back, then wants the whiskey. The ref again says no so Moloney goes back to Kanemaru. Moloney stomps Kanemaru’s feet, puts him in a corner, and then whips corner to corner. Fans rally, Moloney runs corner to corner but Kanemaru BOOTS him! And BOOTS him again! Kanemaru runs, sunset flips, but Moloney stays up!

Moloney DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO! Kanemaru hangs tough but Moloney aims from a corner. Moloney runs in but Kanemaru dropkicks the leg out! Kanemaru hurries after and gets the leg, for a SHIN BREAKER! And then a trip, into the FIGURE- NO, Moloney CHOPS Kanemaru! And CHOPS! And then CHOPS him down! Fans rally up while Moloney shakes out the bad leg. Kanemaru crawls away to a corner, Moloney runs in, but into another BOOT! Kanemaru runs in, tilt-o-whirls, but Moloney turns that into a suplex! Kanemaru slips out, waistlocks, but Moloney switches and spins to CHOP!

Fans rally, Moloney runs the ropes, but into another dropkick to the leg! Fans rally as Kanemaru SMASHES Moloney’s knee! Moloney writhes, Kanemaru steps through but Moloney kicks him away. Kanemaru returns to jackknife bridge! TWO and Moloney rolls through to Canadian Rack! Kanemaru slips off, shoves and victory rolls, TWO! Into the FIGURE FOUR!! Moloney endures, reaches out for ropes, but Kanemaru is in the way! Kanemaru thrashes around, puts on the pressure, and MOLONEY TAPS! Kanemaru wins!!

Winner: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, by submission (gains 2 points; Moloney earns 0)

The Heel Master is 2-0 to start the tournament, and he’s tapped both opponents out! Will the BOSJ soon belong to Just5Guys?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi VS Lio Rush!

The Funky Weapon was fighting seriously against Taiji Ishimori but he lost, while the Bad Child overcame the House of Torture’s tricks. Will Taguchi stay serious and start winning? Or will Lio still be the Man of the Hour?

The bell rings and Taguchi rushes in! Lio avoids the dropkick, but Taguchi blocks Lio’s kick. Taguchi flips Lio, Lio lands on his feet, and things speed up. Lio redirects, redirects, and redirects! Taguchi gets tired already but Lio stops. Fans applaud as Taguchi sputters and catches his breath. Taguchi then HIP ATTACKS Lio out of the ring! And then triangle jump PLANCHAS! Direct hit and fans fire up while Lio tumbles away! Taguchi hurries after Lio, kicks him, puts him in the ring, and then slides in. Lio goes to a corner, Taguchi runs in, but into a BOOT! Lio runs at Taguchi, but into a HIP ATTACK! Cover, TWO!

Taguchi drags Lio up, chicken wings, but Lio fights the lift. Lio spins out, ROCKS Taguchi, ROCKS him again, then whips. Taguchi reverses but Lio dodges the hip attack! Lio goes Matrix to dodge more, then kicks and ENZIGURIS! Taguchi bails out and fans rally up as Lio builds speed. Lio DIVES to take Taguchi out at the ramp! Lio hurries back into the ring and fans rally again. Lio builds speed again, to DIVE! Another direct hit and Lio fires up! Lio puts Taguchi in the ring and says it is time! Lio climbs the corner, FINAL HOUR onto knees!! Taguchi saves himself, then chicken wings, but Lio victory rolls! TWO!!

Lio ROCKS Taguchi, Taguchi LARIATS Lio!! Fans fire up and Taguchi chicken wings, DODON TO THE THRONE! Cover, TWO!! Lio survives and Taguchi is shocked! Fans fire up as Taguchi puts Lio in a drop zone. Taguchi climbs, and he FROG SPLASHES but flops!! Lio hurries to get Taguchi up, fisherman and SPINNING BUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Fans fire up while both men are down! Lio sits up, Taguchi sputters some more, and Lio stands Taguchi up to ROCK him with a forearm! Taguchi ROCKS Lio back! Lio ROCKS Taguchi, Taguchi ROCKS Lio, repeat! But then Taguchi fakes Lio out to dropkick the legs!

Taguchi throws point blank hips! Taguchi runs, Lio redirects and then dodges Taguchi to send him to the apron! But Taguchi avoids the handspring attack! Taguchi springboards to MISSILE HIP! But Lio comes right back to HIP ATTACK?! Fans fire up with Lio and he drags Taguchi up! But Taguchi cradles! TWO!! Lio dodges to rebound, RUSH HOUR! Taguchi flops into the drop zone and Lio hurries up top! FINAL HOUR!! Cover, Lio wins!

Winner: Lio Rush, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Taguchi earns 0)

Another fast ‘n’ furious match from serious Taguchi, but again he loses out! Will the Funky Weapon continue to misfire in the tournament? Will Lio continue to make this tournament run on his time?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Robbie Eagles w/ Kosei Fujita VS Clark Connors w/ Gedo!

TMDK’s Sniper shot down Yoh while Bullet Club’s 100 Proof gave Kevin Knight quite the stiff shot. Will Eagles fly over the Wild Rhino? Or will there be No Chaser tonight?

The bell rings and Eagles rallies the fans with “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” “OI OI OI!” Then he dropkicks Connors’ leg! Eagles KICKS away on the leg, CHOPS him, then whips. Connors reverses, but Eagles turns arm-drag into wheelbarrow and victory roll, and then a roll through into the EAGLES LOCK!! Connors flails and Gedo freaks out while fans fire up! Connors crawls, reaches out, ROPEBREAK! Eagles lets Connors go and fans rally up again. Eagles runs in but Connors blocks the leg lariat! And then he CLOBBERS Eagles! Connors roars, stomps his foot to get his leg working, and he DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEXES!

Eagles flops out of the ring and Connors hobbles after him. Connors drags Eagles up, POSTS him, and Eagles writhes as he clutches the bad shoulder! Connors looms over Eagles, hauls him up, and snap suplexes him to the floor! Connors Too Sweets with Gedo then puts Eagles in the ring. Connors watches Eagles crawl and the fans rally up. Eagles chops but it doesn’t have much to it. Eagles chops again, and chops again, but Connors DECKS him! Connors stalks Eagles to the corner, drags him up, and whips him corner to corner. Eagles bounces off buckles, into Connors’ LARIAT! Connors then sits Eagles up for a full nelson!

Eagles endures as Connors thrashes him around. Fans rally up, Eagles fights up, and Eagles throws body shots. Connors knees low, whips Eagles corner to corner, but Eagles goes up and over to SNAP GERMAN! Fans fire up while both men are down. Eagles stands, and he KICKS Connors again and again! Eagles runs to LEG LARIAT! Fans rally and Eagles keeps going, but Connors elbows him away. Eagles basement 619s the legs! Eagles springboards around Connors, and gets him for an ASAI DDT! Cover, TWO! Eagles holds the legs but Connors kicks him away! SPEAR!! Fans rally while Eagles writhes.

Connors aims from a corner as Eagles stands, and hits another SPEAR!! Connors doesn’t cover, he drags Eagles up and in, puts one out, but Eagles slaps Connors before falling over! Connors scowls, drags Eagles back up, but Eagles wrenches and gets around, schoolboy with bridge! EAGLES WINS!!

Winner: Robbie Eagles, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Connors earns 0)

Connors is furious but it’s his own fault for thinking 100 Proof meant bulletproof! Eagles is heading for the top of the block, will the BOSJ be mighty?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: SHO VS Mike Bailey!

The Murder Machine couldn’t cheat Lio last round, but Speedball better watch out. Will the House of Torture find a way to stack the deck? Or will Mike Bailey build on the momentum from beating IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi?

But as Mike makes his entrance, Sho grabs a chair and rushes him at the ramp! Sho JAMS Mike, JAMS him again, and fans boo as Sho stomps Mike around. The ref reprimands but Sho shoves him away, it isn’t a match yet. Sho rips Mike’s jacket off, and JAMS Mike’s bare toes with the chair! The ref reprimands, warning Sho he can still be disqualified, so Sho says okay. Sho puts Mike in the ring, puts the chair aside, and the bell rings. Sho grins as he stands over Mike and stomps him down. Sho chinlocks but he also pulls the ears! The ref reprimands, Sho lets go, to then fishhook Mike!

The ref counts, Sho lets go of the nose, to bend the toes! The ref reprimands again, Sho lets go, and he taunts Mike. Mike shoves Sho, things speed up as Mike hurdles, but Sho avoids the monkey flip. But then Mike kips up to avoid the low kick! Then Mike feints Sho out to THRUST KICK! Sho bails out, Mike hurries out after him, but Sho takes a swing! Mike dodges, and he fires off that flurry of kicks from all sides! Fans fire up as Mike tops it off with an ENZIGURI! Mike hobbles, but he fires up with a “WOO!” Mike puts Sho in the ring, then climbs the corner, but Sho distracts the ref about his face, and EVIL appears!

Evil trips Mike and shoves him down! Fans boo, we all should’ve known this would happen! Sho stops distracting the ref and he CHOKES Mike on the ropes. The ref counts, Sho lets off at 4, and he stalks Mike to the other side. Sho fishhooks Mike again, the ref counts, and Sho stops at 4. Sho bends the toes again! The ref counts, Sho lets go, and then he drags Mike up. Mike CHOPS! Sho eggs him on so Mike CHOPS again! Sho keeps egging Mike on, so Mike CHOPS! Sho stomps the toes! Sho throws Mike out, and Evil has the chair! Sho distracts the ref so Evil can JAM Mike! Evil puts Mike back in, Sho covers, TWO!!

Sho is upset, and so is Evil! The ref realizes Evil’s here! Fans rally for Mike as he goes to ropes. Mike drags himself up, but Sho ROCKS him with a forearm! Sho stands Mike up for boxing elbows! Sho taunts Mike, but Mike blocks the whip! Sho stomps the toes again! Sho whips, Mike holds ropes to stop himself, and he BOOTS back! Sho runs in, but Mike throws him out! Fans fire up as Sho staggers around, and Mike builds speed, but Evil trips him! Fans boo but Evil shrugs. Sho gets back in, and he knuckle locks Mike’s arm to wrench and twist. And he steps on Mike’s toes, literally! Sho kicks, KICKS and SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO!

Fans fire up as Mike hangs tough! Sho is frustrated but he stalks Mike to a corner. Sho drags Mike up, pulls the ears, then knuckle locks. Sho wrenches and whips but Mike reverses. Sho ducks the kick, Mike ducks the punch and Mike goes up to MISSILE DROPKICK! Sho bails out and fans fire up again. Mike builds speed, but he BOOTS Evil this time! Sho gets in but Mike BOOTS him back out! Mike goes up, TRIANGLE JUMP QUEBRADA! Direct hit and fans fire up! Sho is stuck all folded up for a second, but eventually flops over. The fans rally behind Mike as he hobbles over and drags Sho into the ring.

Mike stalks Sho, takes aim, and SPINNING SOBATS! And AX KICKS! And ROUNDHOUSES! Fans fire up again and Mike SHOOTING STARS! Cover, TWO! Sho hangs tough but Mike keeps cool. Mike takes aim as Sho sits up, but Evil distracts! Mike tells Evil to get down, then he rushes over. Evil gets away, but Sho waistlocks! GERMAN SUPLEX! Sho drags Mike back up, runs, and LARIATS! Cover, TWO!! Mike is still in this and fans fire up! Sho hurries to bring Mike in and tuck the arms, STRAITJACKET PILEDRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Mike survives and fans fire up again! Sho is furious, and he drags Mike back up.

Sho lifts Mike but Mike RANAS! Cover, TWO! Mike PENALTY KICKS! And then MOONSAULT DOUBLE KNEE DROP! Fans fire up while Sho sputters and writhes. Mike feeds off the energy, grits his teeth and aims at Sho. Sho ducks the roundhouse, gets around to a waistlock but Mike switches. Sho grabs at the ref but the ref stays back. Evil grabs at the ref to distract him! Sho stomps Mike’s toes again! And then RAMS Mike into the ref!! Fans boo but Sho gets his “torture tool!” Sho aims, swings, but Mike ducks! Mike kicks but Sho ducks it, and he SMASHES Mike’s toes with the wrench!!

Sho grabs Mike’s foot and twists the toes! But Mike victory rolls! EVIL YANKS THE REF OUT!! Fans boo more as Evil stomps Mike! Sho stomps Mike, too! Fans tell Evil to go away, but the House of Torture puts one out. Evil has Mike’s foot, Sho gets the wrench, but Mike BOOTS Evil away! Sho runs in, but Mike takes the crane stance! CRANE KICK!! Fans fire up as Mike hops around. Mike focuses his power, spins, but hits EVIL with the roundhouse! Then he SUPERKICKS Sho! Fans fire up, Mike powers up again, ROLLING ROUNDHOUSE! Mike shoves Sho down into the drop zone, goes up, ULTIMA WEAPON!! Cover, Mike wins!!

Winner: Mike Baily, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Sho earns 0)

Speedball is 2-0, also overcoming the tactics of the House of Torture! Will nothing stop Mike Bailey from being the Best of the Super Juniors?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: Kevin Knight VS Francesco Akira!

The Jet and the Nova Fireball may have both lost last round, but none of that will matter here. The Intergalactic Jet Setters took the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from Catch 2/2, and we already saw TJP avenge that loss. Will Akira also get payback on Knight? Or will the teams go 1-1 on the night?

Akira shoves Knight over the tag title win but the ref has them back up. The bell rings and Akira runs in to SHOTGUN Knight! Akira fires off forearms in the corner but Knight shoves him back. Akira fires off more forearms, Knight shoves him again, then scoops. Akira slips free, things speed up and Akira RANAS Knight out! Fans rally with “A! KI-RA!” and Akira builds speed. Knight slides in then PLANCHAS Akira down! Fans fire up, Knight puts Akira back in the ring, and Knight stomps him around. Akira goes to a corner, Knight brings him out to UPPERCUT! Knight snapmares Akira, runs, and BASEMENT SHOULDER TACKLES!

Fans fire up and Knight flexes, then Knight covers. TWO, but Knight keeps cool. Knight brings Akira up, but Akira CHOPS! Knight CHOPS back! Akira goes to a corner, Knight whips him corner to corner, but Akira avoids the splash! Akira runs in but Knight puts him up top, to COHP! Knight then jumps right up, only for Akira to slip under! Akira trips Knight into the Tree of Woe! Akira goes corner to corner to basement dropkick! Knight falls out of the Tree, Akira covers, TWO! Fans rally but Akira drags Knight back up. Akira turns Knight for a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Fans applaud as Knight is still in this.

Akira brings Knight up, wrenches his arm, and then hammerlocks. Akira traps an arm, drop toeholds and hooks him into a GROUND OCTOPUS! Fans rally while Knight endures and moves around. Knight reaches out to the ROPEBREAK! Akira holds until the ref counts, and the fans rally up. Akira CLUBS Knight down, talks trash, then CLUBS him again. Knight crawls but Akira brings him up to CHOP! Knight gets in Akira’s face, then CHOPS back! Akira DOUBLE CHOPS! Akira whips, and CALF KICKS! Cover, TWO! Akira grows frustrated but the fans still rally. Akira drags Knight up but Knight throws body shots.

Knight UPPERCUTS Akira, ROCKS him with forearm after forearm, then whips. Akira avoids the dropkick! Akira stomps Knight, runs, but Knight scoops him for a BACKBREAKER! Both men are down and fans rally again. Akira goes to a corner, Knight hurries over, and Knight stomps and UPPERCUTS on repeat! Knight stomps a mudhole in but lets off as the ref counts. Knight then whips corner to corner, runs in and STINGER SPLASHES! Knight puts Akira up top, and says it’s time! But Akira jumps over Knight! Things speed up, but Knight DROPKICKS Akira down! Fans fire up again while both men are down.

Knight kips up and roars! He brings Akira up, whips him to ropes, and pops him up, SKY HIGH SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Akira is still in this and Knight grows frustrated. Knight pounds the mat and the fans clap along. Knight waits on Akira to stand, and then he runs in, but Akira denies the satellite! SUPERKICK! But Knight SUPERKICKS back! Knight whips, Akira rolls and SATELLITE DDTS Knight! Akira crawls to the cover, TWO!! Akira can’t believe Knight survives! The fans rally again, “A! KI-RA!” and Akira aims from the corner. Akira runs in, but Knight ducks the fireball! To pop-up, only for Akira to sunset flip! TWO!

Akira stands, Knight scoops him, but Akira cradles! TWO!! Knight ROLLING ELBOWS! Knight runs in at the corner but Akira BOOTS him! Akira goes up, but Knight JUMP STEINERS! And then STANDING SPLASH but onto knees! Akira gest going, and he SLIDING KNEES! Cover, TWO!! Knight survives again and shocks Akira! But Akira fires back up and the fans are with him. Akira brings Knight up, SPEEDFIRE!! Akira isn’t done there, he aims from the corner again. Knight sits up, into the NOVA FIREBALL!! Cover, Akira wins!

Winner: Francesco Akira, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Knight earns 0)

The flight was delayed again, and now Knight is 0-2! Akira goes 1-1, and Catch 2/2 sweep the Intergalactic Jet Setters! Will The United Empire win back the Junior Heavyweight Tag titles on the other side of the BOSJ?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Titán VS Taiji Ishimori!

El Inmortal tapped out the technical genius in TJP while the Bone Soldier tapped out a much more fired up Ryusuke Taguchi. Will it come down to technique or speed in this showdown between LIJ and Bullet Club?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans build to a rally for “TITAN! TITAN!” Titan and Taiji tie up, Taiji waistlocks but Titan switches. Taiji wrenches to a wristlock, keeps Titan from ropes, but Titan rolls, handsprings and arm-drags, but Taiji kips up and arm-drags back. Titan sweeps to cover, ONE! Titan avoids the sweep but Taiji avoids the buzzsaw. Fans cheer as the two stand off, and even Taiji applauds. Taiji offers a handshake, but Titan is wary. Titan accepts it, but then Taiji rakes the eyes! The ref reprimands but Taiji CLUBS Titan to a corner. Taiji whips corner to corner, Titan reverses, but Taiji slips out to the apron.

Titan runs in, Taiji slips under, then back out to shoulder in. Taiji springboards but Titan gets under. Titan runs in, Taiji waistlocks and shoves, but Titan goes up and over to handspring away! Taiji runs in, Titan dodges to then RANA Taiji out of the ring! Fans fire up and Titan builds speed, but Taiji moves so Titan rolls and flips out of the ring. Titan then runs at Taiji, but into a scoop! LAWN DART into the post! The ref reprimands while Titan writhes, but Taiji grins as he leaves Titan behind. Taiji undoes the blue buckle pad, the Bullet Club Special is now in play. Titan staggers up, slides in, but Taiji storms up to him.

Taiji brings Titan up, snapmares, and then wraps up the arms, to go after the mask! Everyone seems to do this to Titan! The ref reprimands, counts, and Taiji lets off at 4. Taiji grabs the arm, wristlocks, and then drags Titan up to wrench the arm. Taiji hammerlocks the arm and RAMS Titan into the bare buckles! Titan writhes, the ref reprimands, but the damage is done. Taiji stomps Titan in the corner, the ref reprimands, so Taiji drags Titan up. Taiji wraps the arm around ropes and pulls! The ref counts, Taiji stops, and Taiji wrenches to whip and WRING Titan’s arm! Titan writhes while Taiji looms over him.

Taiji sits Titan up into a cobra clutch! Titan endures, kicks around, fights up to his feet, but Taiji ripcords to RAM the shoulder, then hammerlock and BACKSTABBER! Cover, ROPEBREAK! Titan’s long leg helps him there! Taiji is annoyed but he CLUBS Titan. Titan SOBATS, but Taiji CLUBS Titan down! Taiji drags Titan up, whips him to ropes, but Titan holds ropes. Titan BOOTS Taiji, but Taiji ELBOWS Titan! Taiji whips, Titan reverses to TORNADO DDT! Taiji staggers up, and Titan dropkicks him out of the ring! Fans fire up with Titan and he builds speed, to DIVE! Direct hit near commentary!

Fans fire up and Titan KICKS Taiji. The ring count climbs, Titan drags Taiji up and into the ring at 8 of 20. Cover, TWO! Titan wants Taiji to get up, but he stomps him down. Fans rally, Titan stands Taiji up for a strike fest! Titan powers up but Taiji BOOTS him! Taiji runs but Titan goes Matrix to avoid the lariat! Then he CALF KICKS Taiji down! Titan hurries to whip, but Taiji handsprings to NEURALIZER! Fans rally up again while both men are down. Taiji stands, he brings Titan up, and he wrenches to then POST Titan! The ref reprimands but again the damage is done. Taiji hammerlocks, half nelsons and scoops, for a SHOULDER BUSTER!

Fans rally as Taiji aims from the corner. Titan rises, Taiji runs in, but into a SUPERKICK! Titan runs in, LA MYSTICA! Roll into DRAGON’S LAIR! TWO!! Taiji hurries up but into a fireman’s carry, LANDSLIDE!! Cover, TWO!! Taiji survives again and fans rally up! Titan goes to a corner, skins the cat to the top, and then DIVING- NO, Taiji avoids the stomps! Taiji wrenches, LA MYSTICA in return, and has the arm! BONE LOCK!!! Titan crawls, reaches out, but Taiji rolls him away! Titan TAPS, Taiji wins!!

Winner: Taiji Ishimori, by submission (gains 2 points; Titan earns 0)

Another match, another win by tap-out! Will no one survive the Bone Soldier make sure #ItsReborn in the BOSJ?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: El Desperado VS BUSHI!

The Rogue Luchador and the Black Mask each took a loss in the opening round, but there’s still a long way to go in the tournament! Will Desperado stay strong for Team Strong Style? Or will Bushi make things tranquilo?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally up and duel, “DESPY!” “BUSHI!” The two tie up, Desperado headlocks but Bushi wrenches out. Desperado wrenches back, but Bushi wrenches again. Bushi keeps on the wristlock to hammerlock then headlock. Desperado spins him around to a facelock but Bushi slips around to a waistlock. Desperado wrenches out and headlocks. Bushi throws body shots and powers out, but Desperado runs him over. Things speed up, Bushi fakes Desperado out to kick him, then dropkick the leg! Desperado goes to ropes and Bushi kicks the leg out! Bushi’s building off Kanemaru’s work!

Bushi stomps Desperado, then SMASHES the knee! Fans cheer and Desperado bails out. The ref checks but Desperado says he’s still in this. Bushi goes out to stomp the bad leg! Bushi brings Desperado up, puts him in the ring, and fans applaud. Bushi takes off his shirt, and uses it to CHOKE Desperado! The ref reprimands, Bushi stops, and he kicks Desperado’s bad leg again. Desperado goes to a corner, asks for mercy, but Bushi just stomps him more. Bushi whips corner to corner, Desperado reverses and runs in, but into an elbow. Bushi goes up, leaps, and missile dropkicks the leg out!

Fans rally up as Bushi gets the legs. Bushi ties Desperado up in a modified Cloverleaf! Desperado endures, but Bushi puts on more pressure! Fans rally, Desperado reaches out, and he gets the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts and Bushi lets go at 4. Desperado crawls to the apron, Bushi kicks the bad leg, then he drags Desperado back in. Bushi drops an elbow on the knee, then stomps it. Desperado throws hands but Bushi knees low. Bushi CLUBS Desperado and has him in the corner. Desperado CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS, but Bushi kicks the bad leg again! Bushi whips corner to corner, but Desperado falls over!

Fans rally, Desperado hobbles up, and Bushi runs in. Desperado picks Bushi up but Bushi fights off the spinebuster! Bushi runs but Desperado scoops for a BIG back suplex! Fans rally while both men are down. Desperado shakes out the bad leg, and he hobbles up. Bushi is in the corner, Desperado runs in, and elbows Bushi! Desperado then suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Fans rally while Desperado brings Bushi back up. Desperado gut wrenches but Bushi fights free. Bushi goes to dropkick the leg but Desperado avoids it! Desperado CHOPS Bushi, but Bushi kicks the bad leg! BASEMENT DDT!

Desperado staggers, into a CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Desperado is still in this but Bushi gets the leg! Bushi SMASHES the knee into the mat again! And then sits down with a CALF KILLER! Desperado crawls, reaches out, but Bushi adds a facelock! Not quite an STF but good enough for this! Desperado still fights forward to a ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Bushi lets go at 4. Bushi grows frustrated with Desperado’s toughness, but he stomps Desperado at the ropes. Desperado stands to bump Bushi, but Bushi ROCKS him back. Bushi puts the bad leg in the ropes to DROPKICK it! And then DRAPING BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally as Desperado stays in this. Bushi drags Desperado back up, but Desperado wrenches out to roll him up, TWO, into the STRETCH MUFFLER! Bushi endures as Desperado thrashes the leg! Bushi rolls Desperado to a cradle, TWO!! Bushi rushes in, Desperado spins him around, GUITARRA DEL ANGEL! Cover, TWO! Bushi survives and the fans rally up. Desperado shouts, stands up, and fans fire up with him. Desperado drags Bushi up, underhooks the arms, but Bushi fights off Pinche. Bushi shoves Desperado to DROPKICK him down! Bushi roars now and fans fire up again!

Bushi hobbles after Desperado, brings him up, and reels him in, but Desperado slips around! EL ES CULERO! Desperado wins!!

Winner: El Desperado, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Bushi earns 0)

Desperado snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! He avoids going 0-2 but Bushi doesn’t, will Desperado bring Strong Style back to the BOSJ?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, A Block: Hiromu Takahashi VS DOUKI!

The Ticking Timebomb had a fiery main event match with Mike Bailey but came out on the losing end. Meanwhile, Japones Del Mal shocked everyone by pinning Kushida. Will Douki pull off another shocker here? Or will Hiromu get back on track towards a fifth BOSJ tournament win?

Hiromu’s picture diary entry for Douki is that he looks like something bought on Amazon. But then Douki WRECKS Hiromu with a dropkick at the apron! The bell rings and Douki builds speed, but Hiormu gets in to fireman’s carry! Douki slips fere, Hiromu wheelbarrows him, but Douki turns that into a full nelson! Hiromu arm-drags free and pops Douki up but Douki RANAS Hiromu back out! Douki builds speed but Hiromu ducks the slide. Hiromu pops Douki up to the apron, but Douki rebounds to DDT Hiromu to the floor! Fans rally up, Douki drags Hiromu up and puts him back in the ring.

Douki hurries after Hiromu but Hiromu bails back out. Douki stomps Hiromu, stands him up, and DDTs him to the floor again! Red Shoes checks on Hiromu but he’s okay to continue, so the ring count starts. Fans rally up as Hiromu stirs. Hiromu sits up at 8, stands at 11 and slides in at 12. Douki drags Hiromu up, turns him and hits a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Hiromu hangs tough but Douki chinlocks and bends Hiromu against his knee. Hiromu endures, fans rally up again, and Hiromu crawls his way forward to the ROPEBREAK! Red Shoes counts and Hiromu even grabs at Douki, but Douki lets go at 4.

Douki brings Hiromu up but Hiromu CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Douki rakes the eyes! Douki suplexes Hiromu but Hiromu slips out to waistlock. Douki elbows free, runs, but Hiromu follows to RANA Douki now! Fans applaud while both men are down. The fans rally for “HI-RO-MU!” as he goes to a corner. Douki runs in, only gets buckles, and Hiromu clotheslines Douki to then snapmare and basement dropkick! Hiromu brings Douki up, fireman’s carries, but Douki fights free again. Douki shoves Hiormu to a corner but Hiromu BOOTS him! Hiromu runs, but Douki dodges! Douki swings, Hiromu spins him, FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally again and Hiromu sits up, clutching a shoulder. Hiromu fires up and the fans fire up with him. Hiromu brings Douki up, fireman’s carries, but Douki fights free to a waistlock. Hiromu switches, Douki throws elbows, and Douki runs, but Hiromu reels him in. Douki breaks free, kicks and ENZIGURIS, then clinches for a swing and SAHAWARI! Bridging cover, TWO! Hiromu escapes and the fans rally up. Hiromu goes to a corner but Douki runs in, and he blocks Hiromu’s boots to pop him into a Gory Especial! But Hiromu fights free and arm-drags Douki. Douki knees low, runs, but into a POP-UP-

NO, Douki turns things around into ITALIAN STRETCH #32! Hiromu moves around, drags Douki along, and gets the ROPEBREAK! Douki holds until Red Shoes counts, and fans rally back up. Douki goes to the apron, takes aim, and slingshots, but Hiromu denies Daybreak! Hiromu powers Douki to a fireman’s carry, for a CORNER DEATH VALLEY! Both men are down again and fans rally back up. Hiromu rises, drags Douki up, but Douki fights the fireman’s carry. Hiromu powers through again, throws Douki into a dragon sleeper, but Douki spins around. Hiromu still suplexes Douki, but Douki fights that!

Hiromu keeps trying, he fireman’s carries again, for DYNAMITE PLUNGER! Cover, TWO! Douki survives but Hiromu and the fans fire up! Hiromu drags Douki back up, fireman’s carries again, but Douki sunset flips! TWO, into ITALIAN STRETCH #32!! Hiromu endures, drags Douki along again, but Douki rolls him from ropes! But Hiromu fights out to jackknife, TWO! Douki manages to bridge up and spin Hiromu into the Gory Especial! DOTON NO JUTSU!! Cover, TWO!! But back into ITALIAN STRETCH 32!! Hiromu endures, but Douki pulls on the arms! Hiromu fights back up, but Douki just pulls harder!

Hiromu is fading! He’s tipping over! But Hiromu gets a second wind, brings Douki along, reaches out and gets the ROPEBREAK with a foot! Fans cheer and Red Shoes counts, Douki lets go at 4. Douki shakes his head, he goes back to the apron. Douki takes aim as Hiromu rises, for DAYBREAK!! Cover, TWO!!! Hiromu survives and Douki can’t believe it! Fans fire up and Douki roars! Douki brings Hiromu into the wheelbarrow, lifts, but Hiromu uses that to hit a COMPLETE SHOT! Both men are down again and the fans fire up! Douki drags Hiromu up, but Hiromu pushes him back! Douki ducks the superkick! Hiromu ducks the enziguri!

Hiromu waistlocks Douki, Douki switches, Hiromu throws an elbow but Douki ducks it to HELL STAB! Douki runs, but Hiromu dodges to HIROMU- DOUKI-CHAN BOMBER?!? Fans are thunderous as Douki watches Hiromu rise. Douki runs, to DOUKI-CHAN BOMBER AGAIN!!! Cover, TWO!?!?! Hiromu survives and the fans fire up while Douki slashes his throat! Douki torture racks, swings, MARISHITE!!! Cover, TWO!?!?!? Douki can’t believe that Hiromu survives! But Douki roars and he brings Hiromu back around. Wheelbarrow, but Hiromu arm-drags and rolls to fireman’s carry! TIMEBOMB!!! Cover, HIROMU WINS!!!

Winner: Hiromu Takahashi, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Douki earns 0)

Douki came so, so close, but the champion manages to turn things around in the end! Will Hiromu be able to make it to the end of BOSJ 30 and go for number five?

 

Best of the Super Juniors 30, B Block: YOH VS Master Wato!

Mr. Direct Drive couldn’t avoid Robbie Eagles’ eagle eye and is down one. But the Way of the Grandmaster made it through the fire against Francesco Akira. Will Yoh rev back up and get on track? Or will he also be extinguished by Wato?

The bell rings and the fans duel. “WATO! WATO!” “YO-OH! YO-OH!” Wato and Yoh circle, feel things out, and Wato gives a testing kick. Yoh walks it off, comes back, and knuckle locks with Wato. They go shoulder to shoulder in a test of strength, and Wato makes Yoh bridge back. Yoh powers back up, and he now makes Wato bridge back! Cover, ONE as Wato bridges again. Yoh brings Wato up, wrenches and hammerlocks, but Wato reaches back to wrench and wristlock. Yoh rolls, kips and cartwheels to handspring and arm-drag! The two stand off, and fans cheer as Yoh copies Wato’s pose. Wato shows Yoh how it’s done, and the two circle again.

They tie up, Wato headlocks, but Yoh pulls hair. Red Shoes reprimands so Yoh lets go to throw body shots. Yoh powers out but Wato runs him over! Things speed up, Yoh hurdles, Wato leaps over, and then Wato comes back. Yoh dodges, BOOTS Wato, then shoves him to drop and bypass, then drop toehold! Yoh keeps moving but Wato avoids the basement dropkick! Wato rolls Yoh but Yoh scrambles away before Wato can lock on Vendaval. Fans applaud and Wato smirks. Wato builds speed, but Yoh gets away to the back corner of the arena. Fans cheer as Yoh dares Wato to join him. Wato says Yoh needs to come back.

Yoh takes his time, and he starts a “WATO! WATO!” chant. Wato doesn’t fall for the games so Yoh has no choice but to return to ringside. Yoh slides in, Wato KICKS Yoh, then whips him to a corner. Yoh goes up and over, things keep moving, and Yoh RANAS Wato out! Yoh then PLANCHAS Wato down! Fans fire up with Yoh as he struts up the ramp. Yoh comes back, stomps Wato, then brings Wato up to put him in the ring. Fans rally, Yoh climbs, and Wato stands for the CANNONBALL! Cover, TWO! Yoh drags Wato up, ROCKS him with a forearm, then whips him to ropes. Yoh ELBOWS Wato down, brings him back up, and turns him for a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!

Yoh keeps going and has a headscissor squeeze on Wato! Fans rally as Wato endures and Yoh thrashes around. Wato rolls towards ropes but Yoh rolls him away. Yoh thrashes more but Wato rolls and rolls into the ROPEBREAK. The fans applaud as Yoh lets go, but with some toying kicks. Yoh gives more toying kicks as he stands over Wato. Wato sits up and Yoh eggs him on. Wato CHOPS back! Yoh grits his teeth so Wato throws forearms! Yoh kicks low, bumps Wato off buckles, and wrenches an arm to whip corner to corner. Yoh runs in, but into a BOOT! And then another BOOT! Wato runs in to BULLDOG!

Fans rally up and Wato goes to a corner. Wato runs in at Yoh to elbow him down! And then BOOT him! And then whip to ropes, to CALF KICK! Yoh bails out but Wato builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit and down goes Yoh! Fans fire up with Wato and he brings Yoh up. Wato puts Yoh in the ring, aims from the apron, and fans rally up. Yoh stands, Wato springboards, but Yoh dodges! Wato comes back, crucifix takedown, RECIENTEMENTE! Cover, TWO! Yoh escapes the mouse trap but fans rally up more. Wato fires up and he brings Yoh around into VENDAVAL!! Fans rally up while Yoh endures the butterfly stretch!

Yoh kicks around, reaches out, but Wato pulls on the hold! Yoh rolls it to a cover, TWO!! Wato lets Yoh go in time, and Yoh goes to ropes. Wato storms over, to ROUNDHOUSE the bad arm! Yoh staggers, into another ROUNDHOUSE! Wato aims, and ROUNDHOUSES the bad arm again! Wato taunts Yoh, Yoh eggs Wato on, so Wato ROCKS him with a forearm! Wato whips Yoh to ropes, Yoh reverses and DROPKICKS! Fans fire up while both men are back down! Yoh drags Wato up, reels him in, suplexes, but Wato knees free. Yoh ducks a kick, Wato blocks the elbow, but Yoh goes Matrix to dodge!

Wato blocks a kick, but Yoh blocks a kick! Yoh DRAGON SCREWS Wato’s leg! Fans rally up again while both men are down. Wato crawls to a corner, but Yoh watches him closely. Wato stands, Yoh runs in, and Yoh elbows Wato! Yoh hoists Wato up top, climbs up after him, and fires up! Fans fire up with Yoh, but Wato resists the superplex! Wato throws body shots and Yoh steps back. Wato stands but Yoh ROCKS him first! Yoh climbs back up, has Wato again, and he SUPERPLEXES! Yoh rolls through, to the FALCON- NO, Wato slips out! Wato shoves Yoh to a corner, runs in, but Yoh puts him on the apron!

Yoh swings but into Wato’s GAMANGIRI! Wato springboards, FLYING UPPERCUT! Fans rally up again and Wato roars! Wato waits on Yoh, and Yoh rises, into the SCREW HIGH KICK! Wato then drags Yoh up, GERMAN SUPLEX! But Yoh lands on his feet! Yoh dropkicks the legs out! Yoh underhooks Wato, but Wato fights the lift and shoves Yoh away! Yoh rebounds, into the ROLLING SOBAT! Wato fires back up, he reels Yoh in, but Yoh switches to shove Wato. Scoop and GOROSHI! Both men are down again and fans rally back up! Yoh and Wato stir, crawl after each other, and they go forehead to forehead.

Yoh throws a forearm, but Wato throws it back. Yoh throws another forearm, so Wato throws it back. Both men stand, and the forearms keep going! They go faster and faster and the fans rally up! Yoh gets boxing elbows in, then kicks a leg out! Yoh brings Wato up, and DECKS him! Fans fire up and Yoh brings Wato back up. Yoh half nelsons, then full nelsons, but Wato breaks free to victory roll! TWO!! Yoh escapes, runs in and spins Wato around to underhooks! Wato wrenches out, but Yoh blocks his kick, DRAGON- NO, Wato sits on the screw to cover, TWO!!! Yoh escapes and hurries to ropes!

Yoh powers up, but Wato ducks the superkick! ROUNDHOUSE! Wato gets just enough of Yoh, and he fires back up! Wato drags Yoh up, Yoh reaches for ropes, but Wato still waistlocks! But Yoh throws elbows to fight the suplex! Yoh swings, but into the chicken wings! But Yoh slips around to POISON-RANA!! And SUPERKICK!! Wato wobbles and fans fire up as Yoh brings him in! Short arm LARIAT!! Wato is dazed but the fans are thunderous as Yoh roars! Yoh drags Wato back up, reels him back in and underhooks, for DIRECT DRIVE!!! Cover, Yoh wins!!

Winner: Yoh, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Wato earns 0)

Wato beat the Nova Fireball, but he could not withstand Yoh’s electricity! Will Wato be able to turn the tides in the next round?

As for Yoh, tired as he is, he gets the mic to say, “OSHAAA!! Everyone in Nagano, are you stunned?” Fans cheer, so hard to say. But Yoh asks “One more thing: do you like me?” Fans cheer again so that’s a yes. Yoh asks if they love him, and they cheer again. Yoh says, “If you do…! If you do…!! If you do… Let’s stun the world together!” Fans cheer, and then Yoh thanks Wato for the match. Yoh drops the mic, ready to take the block! Will Direct Drive #StunTheWorld by becoming the Best of the Super Juniors?

 

Here are the NEW A Block standings!

Mike Bailey: 2-0, 4 points
Taiji Ishimori: 2-0, 4 points
Lio Rush: 2-0, 4 points
Titán: 1-1, 2 points
Hiromu Takahashi: 1-1, 2 points
DOUKI: 1-1, 2 points
TJP: 1-1, 2 points
SHO: 0-2, 0 points
KUSHIDA: 0-2, 0 points
Ryusuke Taguchi: 0-2, 0 points

 

Here are the NEW B Block standings!

Robbie Eagles: 2-0, 4 points
Yoshinobu Kanemaru: 2-0, 4 points
Clark Connors: 1-1, 2 points
Dan Moloney: 1-1, 2 points
El Desperado: 1-1, 2 points
YOH: 1-1, 2 points
Master Wato: 1-1, 2 points
Francesco Akira: 1-1, 2 points
BUSHI: 0-2, 0 points
Kevin Knight: 0-2, 0 points


My Thoughts:

A great second night for NJPW and BOSJ, though maybe not as many shocking things as there were last night. Great matches all the same, and it makes sense that TJP & Akira each beat Kushida & Knight. That’s easily the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match after the BOSJ. That was a great first match between both teams, the rematch will be even better. Taguchi losing again though he’s being more serious in his style also makes sense, because as great as the matches are, it’s not in his style. The moment Taguchi goes back to his butt based tactics, he will pull off a win and can spoil things for someone in the A Block.

Hiromu rebounding makes sense but Douki still looked great even in defeat. A little surprised he wasn’t the main event, but apparently Yoh and Wato got that nod here tonight. That match could’ve gone either way since we’re still this early in the tournament, but Yoh winning was a nice move. Yoh’s changing up his look a bit, and he’s adding just a bit of edge to his style and personality, so this win is a good way to show he’s growing and adapting to what is needed to get up in the ranks.

My Score: 8.7/10


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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

on

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
  • Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
  • WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
  • Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

 

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

 

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

 

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

 

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

 

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

 

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

 

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

 

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

 

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

 

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

 

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

 

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

 

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

 

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

 

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?


My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10


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Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

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Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

Ratings:

  • Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
  • #1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
  • ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
  • Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
  • Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out. 

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff. 

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage. 

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official. 

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

 

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.


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