5 must-see NJPW Best of Super Juniors 27 matches
The Best of Super Juniors 27 is one of NJPW's biggest tournaments of the year and kicks off this week. After being postponed during the beginning stages of the pandemic, the month-long block league with the premier junior heavyweight competitors will finally take place, with a huge prize awaiting the winner.
The man who comes out of the tournament with the trophy will challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th or 5th.
Due to the current travel restrictions in Japan, the Best of Super Juniors 27 will only be a 10-man block league, instead of featuring the traditional 20 competitors. The two men with the most points will battle on December 11th to determine the victor.
With the tournament going on in conjunction with the World Tag League 2020, the competition will occur every other day. Some of the best junior heavyweights that NJPW have to offer will battle against one another, giving the fans plenty of tantalizing encounters.
In this article, read about the five must-see Best of Super Juniors 27 matches.
Honorable mentions:
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori (Night 1 - November 15th)
- Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO (Night 4 - November 23rd)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles (Night 6 - November 29th)
#5 Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (Best of Super Juniors 27 Day 2 - November 18th)
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori comes into the Best of Super Juniors 27 as a favorite to win. Even though any tournament in NJPW has rarely seen the champion win, Ishimori is among the very best that the promotion has to offer. He will regularly be in one of the best matches on any given night.
Ryusuke Taguchi has transitioned into one of the New Japan dads in the junior heavyweight division. The 2012 Best of Super Juniors winner provides mostly comedy with his butt driven offense. However, he has also been known to step up in his bigger encounters, earning the moniker of "Big Match Taguchi".
This contest will the semi-main event on Night 2 of the Best of Super Juniors 27 tournament. There will be a contrast of styles, with Ishimori's speed and high octane arsenal mixing it up with Taguchi's humor and technical precision.
This will most definitely get enough time to deliver a match that will surprise many with the high quality these two will give the fans.