Best of Super Juniors results & title matches in June

[Luds]

Well group matches are now done. Here are the standings:

GROUP A:
1- AKIRA [10*]
2- Takashi Sugiura [8*] (NOAH)
3- Jushin Thunder Liger [8] (lost to Sugiura)
4- Minoru Fujita [8] (lost to Sugiura & Liger)
5- Ebessan [4]
6- Gedo [4] (lost to Ebessan)
7- Ryusuke Taguchi [0]

GROUP B:
1- Koji Kanemoto [8*]
2- Masahito Kakihara [8*] (lost to Kanemoto)
3- Tiger Mask IV [8] (lost to Kanemoto & Kakihara)
4- Masayuki Naruse [6]
5- Stampede Kid [4]
6- El Samurai [4] (lost to Kid)
7- Jado [4] (lost to Kid & Samurai)

ON 06/10/03
IWGP JR TAG: (C) Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Kotaro Suzuki (NOAH)
IWGP Heavyweight title: (C) Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

FINALS on 06/11/03
Group A Winner AKIRA vs Group B Runner-Up
Masahito Kakihara
Group B Winner Koji Kanemoto vs Group A Runner-Up Takashi Sugiura
FINALS ?AKIRA? vs. ?Koji Kanemoto?

ALSO, on 06/13/03
IWGP JR Heavyweight: (C) Tiger Mask IV vs. Takehiro Murahama (Osaka)
IWGP TAG: (C) Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yutaka Yoshie & Hiroshi Tanahashi
NWF Heavyweight: (C) Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Shinzuke Nakemura

[Luds]

1- AKIRA & Masahito Kakihara & Masayuki Naruse & Ebessan > El Samurai & Jado & Gedo & Minoru Fujita in 11:14 (Ebessan > Samurai)
2- Takashi Iizuka & Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto > Shinya Makabe & Perry Saturn & Dan Devine in 8:54 (Iizuka > Devine)
3- Takashi Sugiura & Stampede Kid > Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi in 8:43 (Sugiura > Taguchi)
4- Osamu Nishimura > Tadao Yasuda in 4:12
5- Enson Inoue > Kazunari Murakami in 3:06
6- Yutaka Yoshie & Hiroshi Tanahashi > Scott Norton & Rick Steiner in 14:35 (Tanahashi > Steiner)
7- Yuji Nagata & Shinsuke Nakamura > Manabu Nakanishi & Blue Wolf in 12:37 (Nakamura > Wolf).
8- IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto (c) > Naomichi Marufuji & Kotaro Suzuki in 20:06 (Kanemoto > Suzuki)
9- IWGP Heavyweight Title: Yoshihiro Takayama (C) > Hiroyoshi Tenzan in 20:00 (German suplex hold)

[edgehead1984]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

[Luds]

Tenzan's failed attempts at the title:

02/04/95 Shinya Hashimoto > Tenzan in 17:02 with his Vertical Drop Brainbuster (2nd reign, 7th defense)
06/14/95 Keiji Mutoh > Tenzan in 19:04 by Moonsault Press (2nd reign, 1st defense)
08/10/97 Shinya Hashimoto > Tenzan in 17:09 with his Vertical Drop Brainbuster (3rd reign, 7th defense)
07/14/98 Tatsumi Fujinami > Tenzan in 16:07 with an Octopus Hold (6th reign, 2nd defense)
03/21/02 Tadao Yasuda > Tenzan in 13:25 by Front Sleeper (1st reign, 1st defense)
06/10/03 Yoshihiro Takayama > Tenzan in 20:00 by German Suplex Hold (1st reign, 1st defense)

Tenzan will win the G1 this year... And the belt at the Dome...

[OldSchoolFan]

If he doesn't i'm going to like, umm, do a diving headbutt to my neighbors from my roof!

[Luds]

Tenzan losing in IWGP Heavyweight title matches is being build up as much as Kawada was losing like 6 times against Misawa for the TC...

[Sofa Kingdom]

Well... maybe all of Tenzan IWGP title dissapointments will make his title victory that much better, or he could have that "greatest wrestler to never win a major title" thing going for him...

...and what about my mans Kakihara being in the Semi Finals of the Jr. tourney.

[Luds]

Well your man just won the tourney over rival Kanemoto...

1- Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto > El Samurai & Toru Yano in 8:47 (Backdrop Suplex)
2- Jushin Thunder Liger & Jado & Gedo > Tiger Mask & Masayuki Naruse & Ebessan in 12:57 (Gedo Clutch)
3- Shinya Makabe & Minoru Fujita > Dan Devine & Stampede Kid in 11:13 (Lariat)
4- BOSJ-Semi Final: Masahito Kakihara > AKIRA in 8:28(Neck Lock)
5- BOSJ-Semi Final: Koji Kanemoto > Takashi Sugiura in 12:48 (Ankle Hold)
6- Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura > Rick Steiner & Perry Saturn in 10:44 (TTD)
7- Yoshihiro Takayama & Scott Norton > Yutaka Yoshie & Hiroshi Tanahashi in 10:51 (Powerbomb)
8- Manabu Nakanishi & Enson Inoue & Blue Wolf > Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka & Shinsuke Nakamura in 11:15 (Cross Armbreaker)
9- BOSJ-Final: Masahito Kakihara > Koji Kanemoto in 15:33 (Kaki Cutter)

[Puroresu_Freak85]

Congrats to Kakihara! Dang. Looks like Kanemoto didn't make history by being a back-to-back BOSJ winner. Bummer.

[edgehead1984]

My prediction failed really badly.

Kudos to Kakihara.

[Peru-Yakuza]

After years of abuse by Anjo, Baba, Misawa and Tenryu, I hope they finally give him a chance to shine. Just give him the IWGP junior tag team title, so he doesn't just fade away.

[Luds]

I agree... Kakihara is a very talented wrestler... I could see him as a heavyweight, but he'd just be putting over other guys...

Their JR division is amazing... I hope Kakihara can have a nice reign and of course, feud with Kanemoto!

[Luds]

1- Masahito Kakihara & AKIRA & Stampede Kid & Ryusuke Taguchi > El Samurai & Jado & Gedo & Minoru Fujita in 12:29 (Kaki Cutter)
2- Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto > Takashi Sugiura & Ebessan in 11:15 (Brainbuster)
3- Scott Norton > Blue Wolf in 3:45 (Powerbomb)
4. Minoru Suzuki > Masayuki Naruse in 6:58 (Sleeper)
5- Enson Inoue > Tadao Yasuda in 1:44 (DQ)
6- Katsuyori Shibata > Yuji Nagata in 7:41 (Countout)
7- Manabu Nakanishi > Mitsuya Nagai in 1:51 (Cross Armbreaker)
8- IWGP JR Title: Tiger Mask (C) > Takehiro Murahama in15:37 (Tiger Suplex Hold)
9- IWGP TAG TEAM Titles: Yutaka Yoshie & Hiroshi Tanahashi > Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan (C) in 26:08 (Top Rope Splash)
10- NWF Title: Yoshihiro Takayama (C) > Shinsuke Nakamura in 11:49 (German Suplex Hold)