Master Wato Wins NJPW Best Of Super Juniors 30

The 30th annual Best of Super Juniors is in the books, and after a blistering contest and a punishing tournament, Master Wato has emerged victorious.

Wato defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon's Titán in the tournament finals on Sunday and will face IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi at NJPW Dominion on June 4. As is tradition in NJPW tournaments, Takahashi went down to the ring to respectfully confront the BOSJ 30 winner and size up his June 4 challenger. This is Wato's first Super Juniors win, with the finals marking the first time since 2015 that both Best of Super Juniors finalists had never won a previous tournament.

This year's tournament had an extra step for the finalists, as it was the first tournament since 2014 to include a semi-final round. Wato defeated former tournament winner El Desperado to advance to the finals, while Titán battled Super Juniors debutante and former-Impact X Division Champion "Speedball" Mike Bailey.

The win marks the culmination of Wato's rise to stardom since returning to the company from excursion in 2020. Since his return Wato has been a perennial contender, but outside of a lone IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship reign, had been largely without success.

Advancing to the finals helps Titán's case as the newest member of Los Ingobernables de Japon. The CMLL star joined the faction in October of last year becoming the group's first non-Japanese member.

NJPW Dominion is set to take place on June 4 at 3am ET on NJPWWorld.com