6 Ups And 2 Downs From NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 24

Downs...

2. Too Much Suzuki-Gun

When the blocks were announced for BOSJ 24, fans raved about the prospect of Marty Scurll's debut, Ospreay/Ricochet II, and the promise of Dragon Lee getting another chance to take it to Hiromu. What failed to ignite the enthusiasm of the fans was the announcement of four Suzuki-gun competitors entering the tournament.

Minoru Suzuki's stable is the definition of 'strength in numbers,' but when his goons are exposed to singles competition, they often struggle. Their best work is as scumbag henchmen, but only Taichi has managed to secure a distinct role for himself. That said, his distinguishing feature is nothing to do with his in-ring capabilities, but the nuclear heat that surrounds his despicable character.

Kanemaru and Michinoku are veterans of the Japanese scene, but combining with Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV, they brought a little too much 'old guard' to the field. Neither they nor El Desperado had any truly memorable contests.

I appreciate New Japan wanting to reward their own guys, but Suzuki-gun held down four spots in one of the most prestigious tournaments in wrestling. Guys like ACH and Dragon Lee benefited hugely just from participating, and you can bet there was plenty more amazing international talent hoping and praying they would get the call.