1997
The 1997 Best of the Super Juniors was a two-block, 14-man tournament held from May 16 to June 5. This and the following tournament in 1998 would utilize a points system that involved simply 1 point for a win, and 0 for a loss or draw. The winner, El Samurai, went on to defeat Jushin Liger for the championship on July 6. Guest natives included Gran Naniwa and Hanzo Nakajima from Michinoku Pro Wrestling and Yoshihiro Tajiri from Big Japan Pro Wrestling.
| Block A | Block B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Koji Kanemoto | 5 | El Samurai | 5 |
| Jushin Liger | 4 | Shinjiro Otani | 4 |
| Tatsuhito Takaiwa | 4 | Chris Jericho | 4 |
| Gran Naniwa | 3 | Hanzo Nakajima | 3 |
| Dr. Wagner, Jr. | 2 | Yoshihiro Tajiri | 3 |
| Doc Dean | 2 | Scorpio, Jr. | 1 |
| Chavo Guerrero, Jr. | 1 | Robbie Brookside | 1 |
| Block A | Dean | Guerrero | Kanemoto | Liger | Naniwa | Takaiwa | Wagner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean | X | Dean (16:04) | Kanemoto (10:27) | Dean (11:51) | Naniwa (12:29) | Takaiwa (11:36) | Wagner (7:29) |
| Guerrero | Dean (16:04) | X | Kanemoto (15:12) | Liger (10:20) | Guerrero (11:05) | Takaiwa (12:14) | Wagner (11:13) |
| Kanemoto | Kan. (10:27) | Kan. (15:12) | X | Kan. (16:32) | Kan. (14:53) | Takaiwa (18:09) | Kan. (12:11) |
| Liger | Dean (11:51) | Liger (10:20) | Kanemoto (16:32) | X | Liger (16:32) | Liger (15:53) | Liger (12:59) |
| Naniwa | Naniwa (12:29) | Guerrero (11:05) | Kanemoto (14:53) | Liger (16:32) | X | Naniwa (15:41) | Naniwa (12:39) |
| Takaiwa | Takaiwa (11:36) | Takaiwa (12:14) | Takaiwa (18:09) | Liger (15:53) | Naniwa (15:41) | X | Takaiwa (9:53) |
| Wagner | Wagner (7:29) | Wagner (11:13) | Kanemoto (12:11) | Liger (12:59) | Naniwa (12:39) | Takaiwa (9:53) | X |
| Block B | Brookside | Jericho | Nakajima | Otani | El Samurai | Scorpio | Tajiri |
| Brookside | X | Brookside (13:43) | Nakajima (12:23) | Otani (15:31) | Samurai (11:32) | Scorpio (10:07) | Tajiri (11:34) |
| Jericho | Brookside (13:43) | X | Jericho (10:53) | Otani (12:59) | Jericho (15:12) | Jericho (11:16) | Jericho (13:36) |
| Nakajima | Nakajima (12:23) | Jericho (10:53) | X | Otani (12:26) | Samurai (14:30) | Nakajima (8:05) | Nakajima (9:18) |
| Otani | Otani (15:31) | Otani (12:59) | Otani (12:26) | X | Samurai (18:35) | Otani (7:55) | Tajiri (11:44) |
| Samurai | Samurai (11:32) | Jericho (15:12) | Samurai (14:30) | Samurai (18:35) | X | Samurai (9:00) | Samurai (13:42) |
| Scorpio | Scorpio (10:07) | Jericho (11:16) | Nakajima (8:05) | Otani (7:55) | Samurai (9:00) | X | Tajiri (9:16) |
| Tajiri | Tajiri (11:34) | Jericho (13:36) | Nakajima (9:18) | Tajiri (11:44) | Samurai (13:42) | Tajiri (9:16) | X |
| Final | |||
| A1 | Koji Kanemoto | Pin | |
| B1 | El Samurai | 23:51 | |
Read more about this topic: Best Of The Super Juniors