10 Things You Need To Know About NJPW Best Of Super Juniors 2017
9. Previous Winners
The list of previous Best Of The Super Juniors winners reads like a “who’s who” of legendary lightweight wrestlers. Last year’s competition was won by England’s Will Ospreay, who failed in his attempt at wresting the Junior Heavyweight Title from KUSHIDA’s clutches. Fellow indie notables Ricochet (2014) and Kota Ibushi (2011) have also won BOSJ, as has Finn Balor, who took the trophy as Prince Devitt in 2010 and 2013.
Going further back, Chris Benoit has two BOSJ victories as Wild Pegasus (1993, 1995), while Jushin Thunder Liger and Koji Kanemoto have both won the competition thrice. Former victors are extremely well-represented in this year’s tournament, with Liger, Ricochet, Ospreay, Tiger Mask IV, and Ryusuke Taguchi all participating.
Tiger Mask IV is the only wrestler to ever win BOSJ in two consecutive years - a feat Ospreay will be out to match this year. They’re located in opposite brackets, however, so if Tiger wants to stop ‘The Aerial Assassin’ himself, he’ll have to make it all the way to the final. Given his lowly status in the company, this is extremely unlikely, and Tiger will be forced to rely on others to keep his record intact.