Originally, he thought he would have to withdraw from Best of the Super Juniors.
On episode #10 of ROH on HonorClub, Robbie Eagles faced Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship. Castagnoli retained his title.
Eagles shared on Keepin’ It Strong Style that he almost tore his AC joint during that match and thought he would have to withdraw from New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors 30.
“I just wanna point out that my mental strategy for NJPW BOSJ 30 was to start with tape and lessen it as the tournament went on. People had noticed my shoulder injury in Ring of Honor, so I wanted to throw them off. I almost tore my AC joint going into Super Juniors, but the trainers in New Japan and physicotherapists in Australia managed to tape it up. By match three there was no tape, leaving opponents second guessing their strategy. That’s all! Let me pull back the curtain a little bit for you there”
As Eagles spoke about his experience in the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors, he discussed how exhausting the schedule was. He hopes next year’s schedule will be easier.
“The NJPW BOSJ 30 tournament was a true test of endurance, as there was literally only one day off during the entire competition. Others were travel days, and if you were lucky enough to have booked your own flight (like I did), then you could squeeze in extra rest periods or workout time. I’m sure it all took its toll on the competitors, especially when those that made it to the finals faced additional pressure in their title matches – like Hiromu Takahashi versus Master Wato at Dominion. When you entered the locker room afterwards, you could tell that everyone had been pushed to their limits. This tournament will live long in our memories for its unique schedule alone. I sincerely hope that 2021’s event is easier on the wrestlers and we are granted more recovery time between bouts. For now, I cannot help but be in awe of athletes such as Wato and Titán who managed 11 singles matches within the tournament’s constraints.”
At Dominion, Master Wato failed to become IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion despite winning this year’s Best of the Super Juniors.
