Hiromu Takahashi & El Desperado Will Fight In NJPW's BOSJ 2022 Finals
Last night, the A and B Block portion of NJPW’s Best of Super Juniors tournament came to a close. The finals will be held on June 3rd. Los Ingobernables de Japon's Hiromu Takahashi emerged the winner of the A Block, while Suzuki-Gun's El Desperado won the B Block.
NJPW BOSJ 29: A Tournament In Review
This year’s tournament was a huge success as it introduced NJPW faithful to newer wrestlers. These competitors, particularly Alex Zayne and IMPACT’s Ace Austin, became fan favorites and will most definitely be back in Japan soon if NJPW knows what’s good for business.
RELATED: 10 Best Junior Heavyweights In NJPW History, RankedOther new names included AEW’s Wheeler Yuta and the newest member of the United Empire, Francesco Akira. Though these two didn’t make the same splash that Zayne and Austin did, they had very impressive showings and proved they can go toe to toe with New Japan’s very best.
Yuta’s presence in this year’s tournament is particularly notable. His entry into the tournament could mean that other AEW stars can be expected to appear in this year’s G1 Climax Tournament, one of NJPW’s flagship events.
Somewhere Between Hate And Love
Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado making it to the finals is not a shock in the least. Arguably, this was the most predictable finish before the tournament even started. The two have been at the top of the junior division for the last year or so. Both are multi-time IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champions. If Hiromu wins this year’s finals, he’ll capture his fourth BOSJ trophy. For Desperado, however, this would be his first BOSJ tournament win.
The rivalry between El Desperado and Hiromu Takahashi is perhaps the most heated rivalry the company has seen since Okada and Omega. Hiromu and Desperado have a strong love-hate relationship wherein Desperado declares his love for Hiromu, and Hiromu declares his absolute hatred for his rival, only for the stances to more or less flip a few weeks later.
Who knows what emotions will come out during their match on June 3rd. Whether it’s love or hatred, their clash is sure to be as intense as all their previous meetings.
