El Desperado Reveals Nick Wayne And MAO Concern Him The Most In The NJPW BOSJ 32 Tournament

By: Lewis Carlan

The New Japan Pro-Wrestling Best of the Super Juniors 32 tournament is in full swing with two events now in the books.

The talent pool in this year’s tournament is very impressive and has no doubt earned the attention of the current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion El Desperado.

The winner of the tournament will get the opportunity to face Desperado for his title unless, of course, he wins himself in which case Desperado will choose his challenger.

Desperado has had one tournament match to date and emerged victorious against Titan to earn his first two points. He will next face AEW’s Nick Wayne on May 14rh.

In a new interview now on the NJPW website, Desperado indicated that he has to win the BOSJ 32 tournament. He stated he plans on treating every tournament match like it’s a title defence.

From El Desperado:

“I’ve got to win it, and since I am the champion, I have to treat every match as a title defence. On the other hand, I want all my opponents to come at me as if the title’s on the line.”

Desperado was asked for his thoughts on his next tournament opponent, Nick Wayne:

“When Wayne was a kid on the indies, Darby Allin gave him a contract in AEW for when he turned 18. That speaks to the talent he is. Three years ago, I saw him when he came to Japan for GCW. After the show I was going with a friend of mine to dinner, and we saw Nick getting into a taxi. I went over and told him ‘you should be in BOSJ one day’. I remember like it was yesterday. His dad trained Allin and AR Fox, a bunch of guys. He can fly a lot, but he has the orthodox skills as well.”

When asked who concerns him the most in the B Block, Desperado revealed it was Wayne and DDT Pro star MAO:

“Wayne, or MAO. I think Hiromu’s jealous he doesn’t have them in his block. I always love first time matchups. Getting HAYATA last year was great. I love having to think ‘what can I do here’, having that first ‘conversation’ with someone in the ring.”

At the conclusion of the interview, Desperado gave his final BOSJ 32 thoughts:

“You really have to give everything you have, physical and mental to compete in this tournament. That’s why the world watched, and that’s why it’s great. I know some of you are thinking there’s no way I can go back to back, or that the champion won’t win the tournament. Think what you will, but I can guarantee I’ll have the best matches, and I’ll take the trophy home again.”

Desperado is attempting to win the NJPW BOSJ tournament for the second year in a row. He has held the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship since Jan. 4 and is in his fifth reign as titleholder.

(Featured Photo Credit: NJPW)