By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors – Night 13”
June 1, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Ota-City General Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
The venue is a small arena. Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. The crowd was fairly sparse as the show began, but attendance must be 1,200 to 1,500. (It appears by the time the main show was fully going, the crowd could be 3,000 to 4,000).
* We have reached the finale! Kosei Fujita won the A Block on Tuesday at 5-4 via tiebreakers over four other wrestlers who also finished at 5-4, while Yoh won the B Block by finishing 6-3 on Thursday. The lineup for the rest of this show was announced Friday, and all 20 BoSJ competitors are in action. While there were some ups and downs of this year’s tournament (having five guys finish at 5-4 and not putting Fujita over decisively is certainly a choice), the good news is we had no injuries serious enough for any wrestlers to miss a show.
1. Shoma Kato vs. Robbie X. Robbie hit a punt kick to the chest that sent Kato to the floor. He followed to ringside and kept beating up the Young Lion on the floor. In the ring, Kato hit a dropkick at 2:30, then a bodyslam, and he put Robbie in a Boston Crab. Robbie hit a spin kick to the head, a Lethal Injection, and the X Express (top-rope corkscrew splash) for the pin. Passable.
Robbie X defeated Shoma Kato at 4:50.
2. “House of Torture” Sho, Ren Narita, Sanada, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Toru Yano, Kushida, Kevin Knight, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato. All 10 immediately brawled. Sho and Kushida were alone in the ring and fought each other, but other HoT guys jumped in and stomped on Kushida. Knight hit an impressive dropkick, then a jumping bodyslam. The HoT pulled Yano to the floor and beat him up; Sho got a nearfall in the ring at 3:00. Bolton got the hot tag, and he hit a shoulder tackle that sent Sanada flying.
Bolton hit a double suplex at 5:30. He flipped Sanada around in his arms and hit a gut-wrench suplex. Sanada applied a Skull End dragon sleeper. Oleg went for the Kamikaze, but Sanada escaped and hit a dropkick. (I suddenly want a singles match between these two!) Wato and Kanemaru tagged in. Knight hit his jump-up Frankensteiner!. Wato mousetrapped Kanemaru’s arms, got a seatbelt cover, and a believable nearfall. Sho hit Wato from behind; Kanemaru immediately put Wato in a Figure Four, and Wato tapped out. The Sanada-Oleg exchange was the clear highlight of this one.
Sho and Ren Narita and Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Toru Yano and Kushida and Kevin Knight and Boltin Oleg and Master Wato at 8:26.
3. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira vs. Taichi, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tomoaki Honma. I’ve noted that erasing the lines between babyface factions is, under the radar, one of the best things NJPW has done this year; you wouldn’t have seen Taichi of “Just 4 Guys” teaming with Yoshi-Hashi and Honma in the past. Taichi and O-Khan opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. Akira fought Yoshi-Hashi, and he hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 3:30. Newman entered, and he kept Y-H grounded. Taichi tagged in at 5:00 and hit a Helluva Kick on Callum, then a Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall.
Newman hit a dropkick on Taichi, and both were down. Taichi hit a clothesline, and they were both down again. Honma tagged in for the first time at 7:30; O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops on Honma. Newman hit a spin kick to Honma’s head. Honma hit a headbutt on O-Khan, and he nailed the Kokeshi falling headbutt for a nearfall at 9:30. Akira hit a plancha to the floor on Yoshi-Hashi. Meanwhile, O-Khan hit a scoop bodyslam and a twisting uranage move to pin Honma. Basic but fine.
Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira defeated Taichi, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tomoaki Honma at 10:29.
4. Mao, Nick Wayne, El Phantasmo, and Shota Umino vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa, and Robbie Eagles. Oiwa’s thickness and muscle mass really stands out when nearly all his opponents are juniors. Sabre and Umino opened in a knuckle lock. Some quick reversals with neither man really landing anything. Hartley tagged in at 2:00, but all of TMDK took turns striking Umino in a corner. Hartley hit a suplex. Eagles tagged in and hit a stiff kick to Shota’s back.
TMDK got in and all put a submission hold on one of Eagles’ limbs. The ref finally turned around and saw it and ordered them out. Humorous. Oiwa worked over Umino’s arm and kept him grounded. Mao finally got in at 5:00 and he dropped Sabre with a punch, then he dropkicked Oiwa. Mao leapt over the ref and hit a stunner on Oiwa. Wayne entered for the first time and hit a Lethal Injection. Eagles hit a running roundhouse kick to Wayne’s chest. Wayne hit a stunner and a mid-ring Sliced Bread on Eagles, and they were both down at 7:30.
ELP entered for the first time and traded rollups with Eagles. Eagles hit a spin kick to the head. Hartley tagged in and hit a running splash in the corner on Phantasmo at 9:00. Eagles hit a senton, Zack and Oiwa hit sentons, then Hartley hit his massive senton on ELP for a nearfall. Wayne hit a spin kick to Eagles’ head, and he hit the Waynes World. Hartley hit a double clothesline. Shota dropped Hartley with a clothesline. ELP hit the CR2 (modified Styles Clash) and pinned Hartley. That was fun; easily the best match of the night so far.
Mao, Nick Wayne, El Phantasmo, and Shota Umino defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa, and Robbie Eagles at 10:38.
5. Titan and Yota Tsuji vs. “Bullet Club” Clark Connors and Taiji Ishimori. Titan and Connors opened. (The commentators say that Los Ingobernables de Japon are no longer a faction, yet they continue to team up with each other.) Taiji pushed Yota head-first into the ring post. Connors went under the ring and got the vehicle tire he’s used all tour, and he hit Yota in the gut with it at 2:00. In the ring, Ishimori snapped Yota’s neck between his ankles for a nearfall, and he kept Tsuji grounded.
Yota hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee. Titan tagged back in, and he hit a Pele Kick. Ishimori hit a Lumbar Check move to the ribs. Yota got a hot tag at 5:00 and knocked down Connors. Connors hit a Pounce on Yota, then a powerslam for a nearfall. Titan hit a springboard crossbody block, then a dive through the ropes and crashed onto Ishimori at 7:30. Meanwhile, Connors and Yota traded forearm strikes. They charged at each other, with Yota nailing the Gene Blaster (spear) for the pin. That was really good.
Titan and Yota Tsuji defeated Taiji Ishimori and Clark Connors at 7:56.
6. EVIL vs. Gedo. A match no one asked for and no one wanted, so let’s see how this goes. EVIL came out first. Gedo revealed he had tied up Dick Togo. EVIL charged after Gedo, but Gedo hit him with cookie sheets and a kendo stick, and they brawled through the crowd. No bell yet, but I started my stopwatch at first contact. They fought over by Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton, with the commentators begging not to be in the line of fire. Gedo had repeatedly struck EVIL with the kendo stick. They finally got in the ring and we had a bell at 2:08 to begin.
EVIL pushed the ref into the ropes, causing Gedo to fall and be crotched in the corner. EVIL whipped Gedo into an exposed corner. EVIL hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 4:00; this feels like this should already be over. EVIL hit a running clothesline for a nearfall, but he picked Gedo up at the two-count. He instead put Gedo in a Sharpshooter, and Gedo tapped out. This was 100% pointless.
EVIL defeated Gedo at 4:59/official time 2:51.
* All of the House of Torture hit the ring and stomped on Gedo. EVIL wrapped a dog collar around Gedo’s neck. Robbie X and Ishimori ran in and tried to make the save, but they too were overpowered. (Maybe they could have canceled the opener and just had EVIL fight Robbie X? At least that would have been decent action.)
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ninja Mack, and Dragon Dia vs. Yuya Uemura, Taka Michinoku, and El Desperado. Hiroshi and Yuya opened and traded armbars and standing switches. Mack and Desperado tagged in at 2:00; they fought to the floor, where Mack hit a superkick. Despe went for a Stretch Muffler as Mack was on the apron. In the ring, Yuya’s team took turns chopping Mack and working him over.
Dia finally entered at 6:30 and battled Taka (these two are roughly the same height and body size!) Dia hit a standing moonsault on Desperado. Despe hit a suplex on Dragon Dia for a nearfall. Dia hit some chops, then a 619 move. He tried a springboard move, but Despe caught him and hit a Spinebuster, then the Pinche Loco (Angel’s Wings), and they were both down. Yuya and Hiroshi tagged back in at 9:00, and Uemura hit a series of chops in the corner.
Yuya hit a dropkick, and he was fired up. He hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Taka tagged back in at 11:00 and hit a pump kick on Hiroshi for a nearfall. Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he applied a Texas Cloverleaf, but Despe made the save. Dia hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor on Despe. Mack hit a superkick that dropped Yua, then the Sasuke Special to the floor on Yuya! Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow (frogsplash) on Taka for the pin. That was fun.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ninja Mack, and Dragon Dia defeated Yuya Uemura, Taka Michinoku, and El Desperado at 12:57.
8. Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Hirooki Goto. Again, LIJ are, in theory, “no more” but they continue to team up. Goto and Shingo opened, and they soon were trading forearm strikes. Goto and Taguchi hit a team shoulder tackle on Hiromu. Taguchi and Hiromu traded offense. Goto and Shingo locked up again at 4:30 and traded more forearm strikes. Goto hit a back suplex for a nearfall. They hit stereo clotheslines. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee, and they were both down at 6:30.
Taguchi got in and hit some running buttbumps on Shingo; Shingo clubbed him in the back of the head. Taguchi applied an ankle lock. Shingo dropped him with a clothesline. Shingo hit his own neckbreaker over his knee on Taguchi, then he hit the Last of the Dragon (modified DVD) on Taguchi for the pin. He was glaring at Goto as he hit that neckbreaker over the knee. Decent match.
Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Hirooki Goto at 9:08.
9. Yoh vs. Kosei Fujita (w/TMDK) in the Best of Super Juniors finals. A feeling-out process to open; they broke free and had a standoff at 1:30. They traded forearm strikes. Charlton talked about how Fujita was a “complete package,” even as a Young Lion, as Kosei hit a moonsault off the apron to the floor. In the ring, Kosei applied a half-crab at 5:30. Yoh hit a running Blockbuster, and he worked over Fujita’s left arm. Yoh hit a plancha to the floor at 9:00; he dragged Fujita back into the ring and hit a neckbreaker and kept him tied up on the mat.
Kosei hit a spin kick across the chest at 10:30. He hit a springboard somersault dive to the floor on Yoh, landing on his feet, but he sold the pain in his shoulder. Fujita hit a springboard dropkick into the ring for a nearfall, and he tied up Yoh’s arm. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow at 13:00. Fujita applied the Jungle Boy Snare Trap leg lock, and Yoh teased tapping out. Fujita switched to tying up one leg and one arm and cranking back. This crowd was insanely hot now. Yoh got a foot on the ropes at 15:30; the official time check was 30 seconds late.
Fujita hit a German Suplex, then another for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops. Yoh placed his own hands behind his back to let Fujita hit some more chops! Yoh nailed a clothesline, and they were both down at 18:30. Yoh hit a second-rope superplex and got a nearfall at 21:00, and he locked in an Anaconda Vice on the mat. Fujita tried to get up, but Yoh threw him back to the mat with the submission hold still locked on. Kosei rolled him over and got a nearfall! They popped to their feet, and Kosei hit a stunner! They were both down again. This crowd was going nuts.
They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Kosei hit a German Suplex; Yoh hit a Dragon Suplex. Fujita got an O’Connor Roll for a believable nearfall at 25:00. Yoh hit a neckbreaker over his knee, and they were both down. Yoh hit a one-man Shoto slam out of the corner for a nearfall. Yoh set up for Direct Drive, but Fujita blocked it! Yoh hit a jumping knee that dropped Fujita. Kosei hit a Zack Driver at 27:00! He hit the Abandon Hope (pop-up stunner) for a believable nearfall! Kosei hit a Thrill Ride (modified Death Valley Driver) and scored the pin! WOW, what a match!
Kosei Fujita defeated Yoh to win the Best of Super Juniors Trophy at 28:04.
* Fujita spoke on the mic, saying he’s opening the door to a new era. He vowed that fans would see even more incredible things. He noted he’s the youngest to ever do this, and he told fans not to take their eyes off of him. All of TMDK got in the ring and celebrated with him as they were covered in confetti. The signature TMDK tune played as the five of them posed together, with Fujita clutching his newly won trophy. Kosei went through the crowd and celebrated with the fans.
Final Thoughts: What a stellar main event. Charlton said Fujita, at age 22, is the youngest-ever man to win BoSJ. You could tell they were going long by the pacing early on, but they turned it up to a frenetic pace for the final 15 or so minutes and just kept going and going. I had predicted Yoh was winning, but I don’t mind this outcome at all. Fujita was such a dull Young Lion, but once he graduated,’ he was able to show off his charisma and his high-flying skills, and he just took off. Good for NJPW for giving him this big win and hopefully a really good, sustainable push.
The rest of the show was merely okay. Titan/Yota’s tag match takes second, and the TMDK eight-man tag takes third. I enjoyed Hiroshi’s match, too. I’m still not on board the Goto train like everyone else is, and his preview tag was merely okay. And we really didn’t need an EVIL-Gedo match where it was guaranteed neither man would be cheered.
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