00:09You talk about a measuring stick in the junior heavyweight division.
00:12This is that guy.
00:14Seven-time champion.
00:16Multi-time tag team champion.
00:18He's done it all in ring of honor.
00:21New Japan, WWE, all over the world.
00:24He is a jet setter himself.
00:30The man, the best, the legend, Kushida-san.
00:47Incredible overall record in this tournament, 49 and 39.
00:53Check the watch.
00:54Check the watch, Chris.
00:57You already know what time it is.
00:58Now, I think it's always the same time with Kushida.
01:01And what time was that?
01:04About 532 right now.
01:05Time is clear, Kushida.
01:14Now to wrestle his 85th matchup in this tournament.
01:18Let's go, Kushida-san.
01:22And, well, as Hiromi yesterday talked about in the press conference, a lot of buzz about the men we just saw.
01:47Well, Kosei Fuchida and Francesco Acura.
01:51People like yourself, kid.
01:52The young generation in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
01:56And Hiromi is very definitely not in the old generation.
02:00Right.
02:01But he's in the middle point.
02:02I want to have a sit-down talk, a sit-down interview with this man right here because the way his mind works, did you see what he wore at wrestling TV?
02:12Yep.
02:12Well, who thinks of that?
02:14Countless psychologists have tried and failed.
02:17Okay.
02:17Makes sense.
02:18Makes sense.
02:18But once upon a time, Hiromi Takahashi was in that young generation mix.
02:24Oh, and looking to make a mark against the established ace that was Kushida.
02:29There it is.
02:30There it is.
02:31There's anybody that knows Takahashi better than anybody.
02:33He's going to fight.
02:35It's going to be Kushida-san.
02:37It was Hiromi's first ever match back from Excursion.
02:41He beat Kushida for the IWGP Junior Abbey title.
02:44Hey, look, you keep bringing up the negatives in the past.
02:47You've got to talk about the history.
02:49Well, the most recent past was Kushida beating Hiromi on the first side of Best of the Super Juniors last year.
02:56Right, right.
02:56And he's trying for it right now.
02:58Getting that double wrist lock on over the top rope.
03:03He's still got that jacket on.
03:06Here we go.
03:07That's what I like to see.
03:10Oh, Hiromi was caught on no man's land.
03:13Kushida going to fly.
03:14No, he's not.
03:17Oh, look out, Sunset, Sunset.
03:19Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
03:21Whoa, dang on, Kushida.
03:23Whoa, and straight to the leg.
03:36And, well.
03:38Hey, they got to check that.
03:40I don't know if that was his thigh.
03:41I might have been a little close to the groin area.
03:44And it seems to be the knee that's hurting Kushida right now.
03:47And maybe Hiromi, out of his periphery, saw that tape wrapping the knees of Kushida underneath that knee pad.
03:53You remember, Takahashi is representing, as he says in this tournament, as unaffiliated.
04:04No, no, no.
04:04Lost in God, Benaville is there upon.
04:06Not really a going concern right now.
04:10And there's a lot going on.
04:13There's a lot going on.
04:14Hiromi, a four-time winner of this tournament to NT18, and then three years in a row, 2020, 2021, 2022.
04:33Every time, Kevin, Hiromi, Takahashi has won best in Super Juniors, it came from a win on his opening night.
04:44So, Hiromi likes to make the most of a win on match one, make the most of a fast start, and Kushida's going to try and cut him off at the pass.
04:55But, well, he's got to work all he can to stay on his feet right now.
04:59If it's anything, Kushida's going to make him work.
05:03Come on, Kushida!
05:04Hmm, I'll get it.
05:06Kushida, a two-time winner, 2015 and 2017.
05:11Oh, my God!
05:12Oh, my God!
05:14See, missed Best of the Super Juniors over in the U.S. between 2019 and 23.
05:22It was really a couple of years ago, Kevin, that Kushida really, really badly struggled in Best of the Super Juniors.
05:29So much so, we weren't sure he was going to make the cut last year.
05:33Came in as a substitute and then blew the doors off, and it was really that tough time he had a couple years ago that put him on the right path last year.
05:41Right, right, right.
05:42You know, Kushida's not somebody to give up easily.
05:44He's somebody that anybody that sleeps on him, he hears the whispers.
05:48He knows exactly what everybody's saying, but he's going to show up and show up every single time.
05:53So people are talking about he's struggling or he's not what he used to be, but he hears that and he's been in the lab.
05:58Trust me, he's been good on the diet.
06:01Look, he's a little bit perturbed right now, but watch these things turn around soon.
06:06Watch the TimeSplitter do his thing.
06:08Hey, Kushida!
06:11Makes the ropes with Kushida very, very active over in the States, over with their friends over at Maple Leaf Wrestling as well.
06:20Of course, of course.
06:21And especially in the NJPW Academy, with our pal Zane J, who is working out in Nogue right now.
06:30And taking a lot of those, you know, alternate training routes, you know, I mean, Kushida has a past in mixed martial arts.
06:38Of course.
06:39Kevin trained with MMA star Masakazu Imanari to get ready for this tournament, improve his grappling.
06:46Yes, sir.
06:46And he just came off a tour in Mexico doing 10 shows a week.
06:5010 shows in two weeks.
06:53So Kushida-san, he's a little bit beat up right now, and I think Tana Hakahashi is trying to take advantage of that.
06:59Tana Hakahashi is trying to take his easy way out on his win.
07:02And against those slouches either, Kushida working, Ultimo Guerrero, Mystico.
07:08Took stars of CMLL on a day-in, day-out basis.
07:24Here we go, here we go, Kushida.
07:29And Kushida trying to get some distance and try and call out to the apron there, but it's Hiromi Takahashi in control.
07:38Come on, man.
07:40It was all the way back when, when Hiromi Takahashi was a brass youngster trying to overthrow Kushida, who is riding high as the ace of this division.
07:50It was a lot of bang, bang, bang, bang, fast as you can, get in, get out, high impact offense.
07:57If you're ever taking his time, and now with a veteran's mind.
08:01Hey, man, relax, relax.
08:04Hey, ref, get in there.
08:10Unfortunately, there's the years and the miles.
08:25Right now, there is no wrestler that has good knees, and Kushida feeling every bit of that right now.
08:33Now, Kushida's smart.
08:34He's...
08:37There he is.
08:38He's getting it right back to him.
08:41That's the handspring.
08:43Vintage, vintage.
08:45Now, the student of Tajiri's.
08:49Kushida rocks in with that elbow, and now...
08:53If you're in Kushida's position, Kev, do you try and push that advantage, or just take the time to breathe?
09:00Take time to rest.
09:00We gotta take that time to breathe.
09:01Kushida's been through a lot.
09:02You see, he got the double taped up knees.
09:05You know, I'm not sure if it's for decoration or if it's part of his gear design.
09:09But you know, we gotta take any precautions that we can.
09:12Here we go, he's giving it right back to him.
09:15Trying for an ankle lock.
09:20And...
09:21Wow.
09:23There he is.
09:24Three, two, three, one.
09:26I'm gonna try and hold Ked to get free, but he's put himself in danger here.
09:36Yes, take your time, Kushida.
09:37Take your time.
09:41Okay, you're mad.
09:49Distance.
09:50Oh, brother.
09:51Oh, man.
09:53I like it.
09:56Come on, come on, come on, come on.
09:58I like it.
10:00And now, he's pushing out of varnish.
10:03Rolls through.
10:03Oh, there he is.
10:05And onto the arm.
10:06And onto the arm.
10:08From the base now to the arm of Yomir Takahashi, who very, very quickly to the bottom rope.
10:14Now, for apron, a lot of times, okay, have we seen Kushida use a punt or a drop kick off the apron?
10:20And really took him over by surprise with that.
10:24He got a bag of fish.
10:26He busted out the rolling DDT.
10:28And now, this is where, this is his wheelhouse, trying to go for that left arm.
10:34Yomir knows it.
10:36Yes sir, come on.
10:37Yeah.
10:41And back to the knees.
10:43Maximum the holding.
10:45Come on.
10:47Give up.
10:48No sir, give up.
10:49No sir, give up.
10:50No sir, no sir.
10:58See, the ref gotta get in there.
10:59He's been letting a lot slide on Hiromu's side.
11:02I'm not sure if he slid him a couple yen on the side before this match or whatever,
11:06but we gotta check this out.
11:07We gotta investigate.
11:08How dare you, Kevin?
11:09This is the first night of the tournament.
11:12Just like you said, Hiromu's won on the first night on his tournament, so he knows exactly what
11:17he's doing.
11:18History repeats itself, so we got to check into that.
11:28Sizing up Kushida.
11:30Oh, it likes that time...
11:32That DVD in the corner would set up a time bomb.
11:34Kushida fights away.
11:39Right underneath.
11:40Oh, look out! Look out, look out!
11:43Oh!
11:44Well, like we said, that time in Mexico, wrestling Mystica, La Mistica.
11:49The Lucha Libre, at least with the MMA, come on.
11:53Now into that double wrist lock.
12:00Kushida's version of the Camara Lock.
12:04And La Mistica variant right into it.
12:09Now...
12:10Oh, I might have seen them chat, hold on.
12:12Hold on.
12:14He might not have a choice.
12:19Now trying to...
12:23He's trying to bring that arm to his front.
12:34He's trying to block that hold, Kev lacing those fingers behind his back.
12:38So you see the technique.
12:45Well, like a perverse tango.
12:48Mihiroma and Kushida.
12:53Here we go, Kushida, come on.
12:55Still trying to hamlock that arm is Kushida.
12:57Come on, Kushida.
12:59Come on, Kushida.
13:01And finally free.
13:10And again.
13:12Nothing if not tenacious.
13:14Oh, you could say the same if you're over.
13:17Hold on, chill.
13:18Oh, I'm rolling.
13:23All right, time bomb 1.5 tonight.
13:25So is Victory Royal.
13:27Oh, switching levels.
13:32Oh, jeez.
13:33There we...
13:35Oh, it is Hiromi-chan bomb it.
13:40Come on, Okuro.
13:43Come on, Kushida-san.
13:44Get up.
13:46And Mark, Kevin Kushida's experience.
13:50Tried all he could to get that double wrist slot to tap out Hiromi.
13:54And when he figured that wasn't working, switched levels and took away the base.
13:59Hiromi and Takahashi.
14:01You know, they go high, we go low.
14:02We go low, we go high.
14:03So Kushida-san isn't doing what we do.
14:06Come on, Kushida!
14:17Oh, look out for his fix.
14:19This two keeps him right there, gonna try again.
14:24Now his jaw stuffed, stuffed, stuffed Hiromi.
14:31Back and forth we go.
14:32Oh, the unnamed you ever roll.
14:34Oh, count it, count it.
14:36Bridge, Kushida, Solda's down.
14:39Nearly got it.
14:40Nearly got it.
14:41It was at three.
14:47Nearly over here.
14:48Hiromi follows in, ducks the bummer, Kushida.
14:57Oh, man.
15:01Bushi-esque code breaker there.
15:05And now, back into Max on the holding hold.
15:09All the way over.
15:10Come on, Kushida, get to those ropes, get to those ropes.
15:13Globally version that hold.
15:16Oh, man.
15:17Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
15:18Is that legal?
15:19Is that legal, Chris?
15:20Well, it was something very, very, very similar.
15:21Come on, Kushida!
15:22That put Francesca Acura on the shelf.
15:25Yeah, and there's the tap.
15:26He's seen that lead to severe knee interest in the past.
15:27You see, Kushida Sun has been working all past couple weeks in Arena Mexico.
15:29He's seen that lead to severe knee interest in the past.
15:31Kushida Sun has been working all past couple weeks in Arena Mexico.
15:38The fatigue might have caught up with him, because Kushida Sun doesn't do that.
15:45Kushida Sun doesn't do that.
15:46Kushida Sun doesn't do that.
15:47You don't want to tap out.
15:48You're right.
15:49But, I mean, under the brunt of that, Maxson and the holding, and especially the knee snap,
15:56might not have had a choice.
15:57You'll be okay.
15:58It doesn't move.
15:59It doesn't move.
16:00I'm going to check on him.
16:01I'm going to check on him.
16:02Hold on.
16:03Hold on.
16:05I'm going to check on him.
16:06Hold on.
16:29All right.
16:30Well, 5-2 becomes a score for Yoromi Takahashi against Kushida post excursion.
16:43That's all part of the game.
17:19Every time Yoromi Takahashi has won the first match of his campaign, he's gone on to win Best of the Super Juniors.
17:31And let's see if that will lead to trophy number 5.
17:36Up next, Kosei Fugida, Wednesday night in our main event in Corcoran Hall.
17:41And speaking of main events, your main event is coming up next.
17:45In the book, El Desperado, cheat time.
17:48I'm sorry, Chris. I just had to check on my mans real quick.
17:52Okay, Takahashi, when I make it to these finals, I'm going to do the same thing to him.
