6 Ups And 2 Downs From NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 24
4. Diversity Of Wrestling
Best of the Super Juniors is a high-flying showcase, no doubt about it. Ospreay and Ricochet's contest from last year encapsulates the ever-rising bar in terms of athleticism on display in this tournament. This year, guys like Volador Jr. and Dragon Lee added to the impressive in-ring acrobatics, but crucially, the tournament was not an end-to-end spot-fest.
Dastardly heels like Marty Scurll and the Suzuki-gun boys decided to forgo the crowd-pleasing high-risk strategy in favour of back-handed tactics and playing the numbers game. Scurll was snapping fingers every chance he got, and KUSHIDA sought to ground his high-flying opponents through targeting limbs. Adding a variety of wrestling styles helped to make the BOSJ a more all-round enjoyable experience, while also helping to maintain a degree of mystique to the high-flying antics.
On top of this, the tournament field featured a welcome pinch of lightheartedness with the inclusion of ACH and Taguchi. ACH especially carved a valuable niche for himself, giving the audience a different kind of competitor to cheer for through his over-the-top expressions and mannerisms.
Those expecting jaw-dropping spots likely got their money's worth in BOSJ 24, but for those of us who wanted to follow the tournament start to finish, breaking up the high-flying with other styles helped make the journey that much more entertaining.