By Jhester Metchado@SuperMastodon
The G1 Climax may be over but the action never stops with New Japan Pro Wrestling! This month alone we will be getting two big events outside of the border with the return of the Super J-Cup Tournament taking place in the US and New Japan’s first official event in the UK: Royal Quest.
I’ll be taking a look at all the matches and other interesting stuff going on in these upcoming shows and possibly fill you in with some information if you’re going to be watching for the first time.
History of the Super J-Cup
The Super J-Cup tournament was founded by the greatest junior heavyweight of all time Jushin “Thunder” Liger in hopes of showcasing the best junior wrestlers around the world. Originally established in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1994, other wrestlers from different promotions mainly in the US and Mexico could also participate. NJPW has hosted four different Super J-Cup tournaments including this year’s which is returning after a 3 year hiatus. Tenryu’s promotion WAR, Great Sasuke’s Michinoku Pro, and Super Delfin’s Osaka Pro also hosted the J-Cup in three different occasions.
Many of the participants through the years went on to become legends and icons themselves of the professional wrestling industry. With Liger nearing retirement comes next year at Wrestle Kingdom, it has been announced couple of months ago that the J-Cup will be returning to honor the man himself.
What’s the difference of J-Cup and BOSJ?
The format is the main difference of the two. J-Cup is a single elimination tournament compromised of 16 wrestlers while the BOSJ is a round robin tournament similar to the G1, compromised of 20 wrestlers divided into two blocks.
Check out the official tournament bracket here
Past Winners:
1994 – Wild Pegasus (aka Chris Benoit)
1995, 2000 – Jushin “Thunder” Liger
2004, 2009 – Naomichi Marufuji
2016 – KUSHIDA
2019 1st Round Matches Previews & Predictions:
Will Ospreay vs. Amazing Red
The first matchup that we will cover is a pretty big one. Will Ospreay as we know is the reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and since the beginning has had an amazing year! Arguably the “Wrestler of the Year” in terms of match quality alone. From Wrestle Kingdom up until the recently concluded G1, Ospreay has continued to amaze the fans. Also Ospreay makes history at being the first wrestler to participate in the G1, NJ Cup, BOSJ, and Super J-Cup! But he is going up against someone equally amazing that is of course the Amazing Red. To younger fans who may not be familiar of him, I have personally followed Red since his TNA days. He is a “trail blazer” of the indie scene in America and would become influential in the careers of many that came after him. He has wrestled all over the world and held different championships as well, one of the few unsung heroes I feel like of independent wrestling during the 2000’s.
Red has already announced his retirement from active competition this year but it seems like he has one more match left in him and it is against someone who always viewed him as a “dream opponent.” It should be a great battle of the past vs. present, despite his age, Red is still a pretty good wrestler, check out some of his latest work at House of Glory. Should be a great match between these two.
Prediction: Will Ospreay Wins
SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori
Ever since making his debut in New Japan, “The Bone Soldier” Taiji Ishimori has become one of the staples of the junior heavyweights division. In Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year he defeated KUSHIDA in his final match in Tokyo Dome and captured the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career, which he would lose later on at Madison Square Garden at the G1 Supercard event. Now Ishimori is still a champion, reigning as 1/2 of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions with fellow Bullet Club member El Phantasmo. They defeated the team of Roppongi 3K. SHO had a fantastic showing at this year’s BOSJ especially in his opening match against Shingo Takagi. Despite on the losing end, he has shown a heart that fans could get behind and when the time comes, he can potentially be at the top of the division himself. These two will meet again but this time it’s just 1 on 1 action. Ishimori is a favorite of many to win the whole thing but SHO could easily just upset those fans as well.
Prediction: Taiji Ishimori Wins
Clark Connors vs. TJP
The most surprising entrant in this year’s J-Cup is TJP (aka TJ Perkins) former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and the winner of the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic. TJP has been around for a while now, being a veteran of 2 decades in professional wrestling. He has wrestled everywhere around the world and was even a part of the original LA Dojo way back. Things didn’t go smoothly in his WWE run but he is now back in the independents and has recently returned to IMPACT. When he was announced I was appalled by some of the backlash online. TJP may have been hindered in the WWE, but he is still one of the best wrestlers out there and admittedly I’ll always be bias and rooting for him because of his Filipino roots but I digress. Speaking of LA Dojo, one of the top young prospects of Katsuyori Shibata is Clark Connors. He is still a young lion but clearly has a lot of potential and could one day be one of the top gaijins of the main junior heavyweights. He should gain plenty of knowledge wrestling against a proven veteran.
Prediction: TJP Wins
Robbie Eagles vs. El Phantasmo
A revenge match that’s been brewing for quite a while. Robbie Eagles, easily one of the top Australian wrestlers in the world right now has become a great part of New Japan’s junior heavyweight division ever since joining the Bullet Club. However another member turned up joining the group and sort of “overshadowing” Eagles and that is El Phantasmo. Some fans were intrigued on why would Eagles join BC in the first place? After all he is a good guy at heart and that proved true in the end. Phantasmo would exploit that kindness of Eagles and it got to the point where he was over the edge and ended up betraying BC to join CHAOS and be with one of his rivals/friends Will Ospreay at New Japan’s latest Australian tour. Now the two will faceoff once again with their last encounter, Phantasmo winning in the BOSJ. Should be one of the best matches on the entire first round considering the caliber of their match months earlier.
Prediction: Robbie Eagles Wins
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jonathan Gresham
An odd match on paper but should be a fun clash of styles. Taguchi at this point of his career is a veteran of the junior heavyweights, having an already accomplished and decorated career. He is going up against a young up and coming star in Jonathan Gresham, representing ROH. I’ve been really impressed with the body of work of Gresham in 2019 both in NJPW and ROH. I think he’s one of the most underrated wrestlers going on today, he wrestles an old school style which is heavily influenced by the World of Sport. Think of him as like a mini Zack Sabre Jr. The only knack most people have on him is his lack of attitude but recently if you’ve been watching his progress (honestly he’s one of the few good things remaining in ROH) he has gained that especially after the match with Silas Young and Dragon Lee which I recommend by the way. Taguchi on the other hand, may be a comedic wrestler mostly nowadays but if he wants to go serious mode, he could still go at it with the very best the world has to offer.
Prediction: Jonathan Gresham Wins
YOH vs. Dragon Lee
Not a lot of history here, just two babyfaces who I’m sure will have a fantastic match. YOH is 1/2 of the Roppongi 3K tag-team, while SHO is seen as the workhorse of the two, YOH is the “pretty boy” if you will, the Ricky Morton to his partner’s Robert Gibson. But he ain’t no slouch himself and could go just as well in the ring. Meanwhile Dragon Lee has become one of the top rising stars of this year, gaining bookings across the world. The biggest highlight of his career yet is becoming IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion on Madison Square Garden winning a triple threat match with Ishimori and Bandido. He entered this year’s BOSJ as champion and while he had a nice run, wasn’t enough to win the whole thing. The eventual winner Will Ospreay would defeat Dragon Lee in Dominion in what was easily an instant classic! There are many great second and third generation luchadors today, but Dragon Lee is certainly above a lot of them in terms of skill. He’s probably the favorite to win his entire block.
Prediction: Dragon Lee Wins
Caristico vs. BUSHI
Jushin “Thunder” Liger’s final match in Arena Mexico was in a four way with legends as well: Ultimo Guerrero, Negro Casas, and Caristico. For the unaware, Caristico is the original Sin Cara in the WWE. Before that he was Mistico, arguably the greatest luchador during his time. As we know things didn’t pan out for him in the WWE but most fans only remember him from that run which is sad because Caristico is actually a great wrestler. For some, their careers isn’t just made for the WWE and found success elsewhere, which he did upon returning to Mexico. He is now one of the top stars in CMLL and remains a respected big name there. I’m an LIJ fan through and through so of course, I’m bias in saying that BUSHI is one of my favorites right now. I know he’s a polarizing wrestler but if motivated enough and pitted against the right opponents, BUSHI can easily be a top tier performer! He’s actually been around for a while now, wrestling since 2007 and was originally a graduate of the All Japan dojo but since returning from Mexico decided to become a part of New Japan. Two masked wrestlers going at it, we could very well witness some good lucha things.
Prediction: BUSHI Wins
Rocky Romero vs. Soberano Jr.
In this year’s BOSJ, Rocky really solidified himself as one of the greatest juniors in New Japan history with solid performances one after another! Some fans were surprised, but I wasn’t since I always knew if given the right platform, Rocky could always go and show what he truly is made of. Yes he is a decorated junior tag-team champion but we must not discount his solo work as well going all the way back to his Black Tiger days. While Rocky may be a respected veteran of the locker room now, Soberano Jr. is still on the rise as one of the young prospects of CMLL. He is the reigning Mexican National Welterweight Champion and has competed in New Japan before already mainly in FantasticaMania events and also just recently in the junior heavyweight tag league tournament. I like Soberano but I am personally rooting for Rocky as if he wins and BUSHI on the other side, the long awaited grudge match between the two will finally take place!
Prediction: Rocky Romero Wins
