Power Struggle Jr Tag League Moments

Hi guys,

Around a month ago, I had a look at the teams announced for the Power Struggle Super Jr Tag League. This tour all came to an end on Sunday in Osaka and, even though for some reason the tag final was not the main or semi or even semi semi main event of the final date, the entire tour was a great showcase of the calibre of Jr talent not only within NJPW but also CMLL. 

So, here are my top 5 matches in the Power Struggle Jr Tag League, but in no specific order because they were all so amazing - Enjoy!

Roppongi 3k v Mega Coaches
When the line up for the Super Jr Tag League was announced, this was the match that I was most looking forward too in so many ways. With Sho and Yoh going up against their mentor Rocky Romero and fellow coach Taguchi, there was a lot of conflicted fans watching (including myself). From the very start, you knew it was going to be a great match because everyone was already laughing after Sho and Yoh spotted a stain on Taguchi's pants. However, this wasn't just a comedy match (even though there was a whole lot of fun and hip attacks). It really showed how strong all four competitors were and the in-ring chemistry they all had. Because Rocky basically wrote the RPG playbook, he was able to counter their moves effortlessly. After reversing a Shock Arrow from Sho, Rocky surprisingly got the win over his boys with a roll up. It was not only testament to how amazing Rocky is in the ring, but also why he's a junior tag veteran. In the end, all four man stood in the ring and it was a match of pure sportsmanship and respect.

後楽園ホールにいい潮風がふきました。田口さんの無茶振りで少し田口さんが嫌いになりました。でもＴシャツもらったので好きになりました。最高です。負けましたが下をみず上をみてまた上昇気流にのっていきます。 #完全にNEXT 。 pic.twitter.com/KFKjAV3QCg

— YOH (@njpwyohei_k) October 27, 2019

Bullet Club v El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Some critics might not agree with me, but I am a sucker for heel v heel matches and this was the perfect example of this at its finest. Starting off with a typical SG jump start, it set the whole ton of what was going to be a badass match. In the initial minutes, Nobu got absolutely tortured with those back scratches made famous by ELP and Ishimori. However, the tag team chemistry between Nobu and Despy as well as their smarts got the better of the tag team champs with some much needed retribution. Throughout, there were so many times Red Shoes could've easily just stopped the match because I lost count of the number of possible DQ situations. But, Shoes knew better and let the chaos carry on. In the end, surprisingly (but like amazingly) Despy and Nobu got the pin and all it took was a whole lot of cock shots, a hit with the belt followed by Pinche Loco. It was just an amazing match with some amazing and consistent storytelling from NJPW. They carried on with this whole idea that, no matter how good Ishimori is, he can never get the win over Kanemaru. I mean he might actually be allergic to the Heel Master.

Birds of Prey v Titan and Volador Jr

Even from just seeing the possibility of these teams getting in the ring together, it made a lot of people very excited. All four guys in the ring are amazing athletes and have the qualities that we all want in Jr heavyweights. So, as expected, not only was it a clean match, but also an amazing showcase of high risk, lucha libre style offence. As expected, Birds of Prey were on the chase for most of the match with their mix of Ospreay's aerial offence and Eagles's precision and submission speciality. As much as I loved Robbie with Ishimori, Chaos is where he belongs and thrives! For me, Titan and Volador were the surprise of the tournament and it's no fluke that they're the best performing CMLL team in the tournament. They have this amazing chemistry with each other and it's like they can read each other's minds. With Titan's fearless attitude and Volador's pure athleticism and style, combined with Birds of Prey, is it any surprise that this was one of my favourite matches!

El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru v Roppongi 3k - Final
Going into the Osaka show, I was a happy bunny. Both teams I wanted to win got to the final so I was going to be a happy camper either way. Also, on top of this, it was just an amazing match between four of my favourites. Going in, I was very worried because of the state of Sho's back which had continuously been worked on by El Desperado, even two nights prior to the final - it was a clear target. Even before the match started, Despy and Nobu came running out and attacked the back again, leaving Sho on the ramp and basically making Yoh fight a handicapped match. For a lot of it, it seemed as if Suzuki Gun were getting that win because they worked perfectly as a team and made good use of their opponents weaknesses. But, never count out the boys of Roppongi. Sho made it back to his corner and with his strength (which was still evident despite the injury) and Yoh's patended offence, they fought back and hit the 3k on both their opponents.By having Sho not only pin ELP, but having him pin El Desperado on the final, it redeemed all the pins he suffered throughout the tour. It was an amazing finish to the tag tournament and would've made a great main event.

Yuya Uemura and Tiger Mask v TJP and Clark Connors
One of the things that most excited me about this tour was the presence of these Young Lions in the tag league. Although neither had managed to pick up any points throughout the shows, this match was going to give one team their first win and the other a winless tour. As expected, both young lions came all guns blazing and went for each other. There were chops, drop kicks and submissions. It almost felt like these two were the stars of the match and Tiger Mask and TJP were in supporting roles. But, it was great when they did get in the ring considering the respect TJP has for Tiger Mask (he even has a tattoo of Tiger on his forearm). With a detonation kick to Uemura, this meant that his and Tiger Mask's tournament went without any wins. However, they went out with their heads high. TJP pinned Uemura and he is someone with a whole lot more experience, something that can be learnt from. This match shows that the future of this company is in such good hands.

I hope you guys enjoyed Power Struggle as much as I did. For a lot of people, it's a filler tour but it's such an intimate and exciting set of shows throughout October and into November. In the end, Roppongi 3k picked up the trophies for third time in their career, and I'm okay with that. I either wanted them or Despy adn Nobu to win so I was happy either way. With all the adversity Sho went through during this tour, it was a great comeback story and sets up a WK match very nicely. A lot of people might be bored with them winning, but I think it just shows their talent and dominance. We also need to remember that, no matter what happens, Nobu and Despy have earned a shot at those titles so never say never for another triple threat at Wrestle Kingdom!

Because it was so jam packed, I didn't have a chance to talk about everything and all the little details. However, if you keep up to date with my Twitter, I'll be posting a podcast at some point this week looking more in depth at the tour as a whole! (https://www.mixcloud.com/WrestlingChatter)

As always, talk to me, let me know what you think and let me know what you thought of the Jr Tag League and the lead up to Wrestle Kingdom! You can do this, and keep up to date with all things wrestling and be first to know when I post something new on here, and my social media at:

(@Wrestling_Chat on Twitter and Wrestling Chatter on FB and WrestlingChatter96 on IG)! I

Until next time,

Bye