By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors, Night 8”
May 27, 2026, in Shizuoka, Japan, at Kiramesse Numazu
Streamed live on New Japan World
The venue is a large room with white-and-gold walls and a high ceiling. The crowd is maybe 800-1,000, all seated on the floor. Strangely, no on-screen graphics.
* This year’s field has 20 competitors, divided into TWO blocks. Thus, each wrestler has nine tournament matches in a round-robin format. Wins are worth two points, and a (rare) tie is one point for each wrestler. The top TWO point-scorers in each Block will advance to a four-man playoff. For the first time, we have just the B Block in tournament action.
* As is tradition, there are no guardrails for the BoSJ.
1. Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Taisei Nakahata. A Young Lion singles match! Nakahata only has a few matches under his belt. They basically tied up on the mat for the bulk of the match. Matsumoto finally grapevined the leg and twisted the ankle, and Nakahata tapped out. What you’d expect.
Tetsuya Matsumoto defeated Taisei Nakahata at 7:09.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson vs. Toru Yano, Masatora Yasuda, and Valiente Jr. Kosei and Valiente Jr. opened and traded cautious standing switches. Kosei hit a huracanrana. Oiwa and Yano entered at 2:00. Oiwa and Hartley hit a double shoulder tackle to drop Yano. Yasuda entered and hit a dropkick at 4:00 on Oiwa. Valiente hit a senton on Oiwa. Kosei hit a springboard dropkick on Valiente Jr. for a nearfall at 5:30.
Hartley and Yasuda got in. Yasuda hit two dropkicks, but Jackson didn’t budge! Yasuda tried to lift Hartley but could not. Hartley easily hit a scoop bodyslam, then a running splash in the corner and a clothesline for a nearfall. Yasuda finally hit a bodyslam on Hartley, barely getting him off the ground. He applied a Boston Crab, but Hartley kicked free. Hartley hit a massive senton for the pin. (That’s usually a set-up move for the DVD, not a finisher.)
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson defeated Toru Yano, Masatora Yasuda, and Valiente Jr. at 8:22.
3. “The Unbound Co.” Robbie X and Daiki Nagai and Gedo and Titan vs. Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi and Nick Wayne and Tiger Mask. Everyone was jawing, and this took forever to get going. Taguchi and Robbie opened; Walker said this is the first time these two have shared a ring! (They’ll have their first-ever singles match in two days.) Taguchi mockingly rubbed Robbie’s bald head. Some basic reversals, and Robbie played with Taguchi’s hair. Tiger Mask and Gedo entered at 2:00. Gedo raked the eyes. Those two rolled to the floor, and Titan kicked Tiger Mask.
Nagai entered and unloaded some forearm strikes on Tiger Mask. TM fired back with a DDT at 5:30. Wato tagged in for the first time, and he traded forearm strikes with Nagai, and Wato hit a hard roundhouse kick to the chest. Wato hit some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers over his knee, and he was fired up. Nagai hit a Pounce. Wayne entered at 8:00 and hit a flying back elbow on Titan, then a superkick. Titan hit a spin kick to Nick’s jaw. Wayne hit a suplex. Gedo got in. Wayne and Taguchi hit stereo buttbumps. Nick hit the Wayne’s World (corner fadeaway stunner) on Gedo for the pin. Alright.
Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Nick Wayne, and Tiger Mask defeated “The Unbound Co.” Robbie X, Daiki Nagai, Gedo, and Titan at 9:50.
4. Daisuke Sasaki (w/Illusion) (6) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4) in a B Block tournament match. As the most boring wrestler in the tournament, Kanemaru’s matches have wisely been kept short thus far. They immediately traded punches. Walker said this is a first-ever singles match, which is a bit surprising considering these two are established vets. Sasaki kept him tied up on the floor in a crossface. They both jumped back in just before the 20-count. (I would not have been surprised if Kanemaru hadn’t gotten back in and was counted out.)
Walker said Kanemaru’s last BoSJ with a winning record was in 2017. They shoved the ref back and forth. Kanemaru took a swig of whiskey and sprayed it in Sasaki’s face, but he loved it! Daisuke hit a spear at 4:30. He took a drink of alcohol, and it fired him up. He hit a Pedigree for a believable nearfall. Daisuke again applied a crossface on the mat. Sasaki and Illusion collided! Kanemaru repeatedly slammed Sasaki’s knee on the mat, and he applied a Figure Four. Sasaki tapped out! The win moves Kanemaru to 3-3 and keeps him in the running for a playoff spot.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (6) at 6:53.
5. Hyo (4) vs. Sho (6) in a B Block tournament match. Hyo came out second, jumped in the ring, and hit a dropkick; we got the bell a few seconds later. Hyo hit a flip dive to the floor, and they fought at ringside. Hyo grabbed a whip (is that a sex toy whip? Maybe? Not my thing!) and he struck Sho with it. Hyo had his stuffed leopard inside a cage, but his arm got trapped inside the cage. Sho whipped the cage into the ring post. Walker insisted someone needed to go check on the stuffed leopard. Sho stomped on it. (Again, I don’t have this funnybone in me to sell the horror of a non-living toy getting stomped on.) They got back into the ring at 4:30.
Sho snapped Hyo’s arm over the top rope, and he was in charge. He hit a running knee on the damaged arm in the corner. Hyo tied him in a Tarantula at 6:30. Sho hit a jumping knee to the jaw. Hyo hit a leaping DDT, and he was fired up. Sho hit a spear at 9:30 but was selling a neck injury. He grabbed two wrenches. The ref confiscated one. Sho hit a low-blow kick, and he pushed Hyo into the ref. Sho applied a cross-armbreaker and hit Hyo’s arm with the wrench! Hyo eventually tapped out. I can do without the comedy, but it was good overall. Sho took the cage and ran to the back with the stuffed animal!
Sho (8) defeated Hyo (4) at 11:20.
6. El Desperado (6) vs. Jakob Austin Young (w/Zane Jay) (4) in a B Block tournament match. Walker said this is another first-time-ever singles match. Young attacked Desperado as he tried to enter the ring. They fought on the floor. We did NOT get a bell yet. Jakob whipped Desperado into the rows of chairs. These are hard, plastic bucket chairs, and Zane threw several chairs on Desperado. They finally got in the ring, and the ref checked on Desperado. We finally got the bell at 1:48 to officially begin. Young hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall.
They again fought to the floor, and Jakob again whipped him into rows of chairs at 4:00. Zane also whipped Desperado into the chairs. Desperado got back in at the 19-count, but Young hit a spinning suplex for a nearfall. Desperado hit a spear and a back suplex at 6:00. Young hit a Russian Leg Sweep, and he tied up Desperado on the mat, but Desperado reached the ropes at 8:00. Desperado nailed the Pinche Loco (Angel’s Wings). Rather than immediately going for a cover, he hit a second Pinche Loco and scored the pin. One of Young’s better performances.
El Desperado (8) defeated Jakob Austin Young (4) at 9:26/official time of 7:38.
7. Yoh (6) vs. Kushida (2) in a B Block tournament match. Walker said Kushida is 1-0 against Yoh, and that was 11 years ago! (Again, I’m surprised they’ve met so infrequently, as Kushida only missed a few years here while he was in the WWE system.) Standing switches to open, and they tied up on the mat. A loss will mathematically eliminate Kushida, who was wrestling barefoot tonight. He hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 2:30, and he tied up Yoh’s left arm.
Walker just said Kushida is 43 and has competed in 13 BoSJ tournaments. Kushida locked in a cross-armbreaker. Yoh escaped, rolled to the floor, and sat in the front row while he rubbed feeling back into his arm. He took his time, finally re-entering the ring at the 17 count at 5:00. Yoh hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. He hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 6:30. Kushida hit a running kick on Yoh’s elbow. Yoh put Kushida’s sock on his hand and tried to shove it in Kushida’s mouth.
Yoh applied a headlock on the mat and shoved the sock into Kushida’s mouth, but Kushida fought free. Yoh hit a superkick, and he was fired up! Kushida blocked Direct Drive. He shoved the shock into Yoh’s mouth and hit a Shellshock swinging faceplant, then hit the Back To The Future (small package driver) for the pin! Kushida got the win he needed to stay mathematically alive.
Kushida (4) defeated Yoh (6) at 9:56.
8. Taiji Ishimori (6) vs. Robbie Eagles (4) in a B Block tournament match. These two have been carrying the junior tag division this year in their matches involving Fujita and Robbie X. Walker said Ishimori has a 4-1 record in singles action. Taiji tied up Eagles on the mat. Eagles nailed a flip dive through the ropes and barreled onto Ishimori at 2:30. He hit a clothesline in the ring for a nearfall. Eagles repeatedly slammed Ishimori’s knee into the mat, then he hit some Yes Kicks. Eagles hit a Meteora running knees in the corner for a nearfall at 5:00. Ishimori hit a buzzsaw kick to the jaw for a nearfall, then a shoulder-breaker.
Eagles applied the Ron Miller Special (Trailer Hitch leg lock) at 7:30, but Ishimori crawled to the ropes. Eagles hit a knee drop on the damaged leg and kept Ishimori grounded. Eagles hit a spin kick to the head. Ishimori fired back with a jumping knee and a Lumbar Check-style double knees across the chest at 9:30. Eagles hit a springboard basement dropkick on the knee, but Ishimori applied the Bone Lock (crossface). Eagles hit a 450 Splash across the knee, and he went back to the Ron Miller Special, and Ishimori tapped out!
Robbie Eagles (6) defeated Taiji Ishimori (6) at 12:07.
9. Jun Kasai (8) vs. Francesco Akira (w/Zane Jay) (6) in an A Block tournament match. I think Kasai is unavailable on an upcoming date, which is why we have this A Block match on a night filled with B Block matches. Jun charged into the ring with a fork in his hand, and he tried to stab Akira. They brawled to the floor, and Kasai whipped him into rows of these hard chairs. Akira hit a back-body drop on the thin mat at ringside at 2:00. Jun threw a chair at Akira’s head; there is just no need for that.
They got in the ring, and we had a bell at 2:56! I didn’t realize we didn’t get a bell when Akira initially charged into the ring! Zane hit Jun on the floor. Akira whipped Jun into the ring post at 4:00. In the ring, Akira hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall, then he applied a Camel Clutch. They traded punches. Jun was bleeding from his forehead. He hit a second-rope missile dropkick. Jun hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. They again fought to the floor, and Jun slammed Akira’s head on a table.
They got back into the ring at 9:00. Jun had a fork, but the ref confiscated it. Akira charged but accidentally hit the ref! Jun jabbed the fork into Akira’s forehead! Akira sat up, and he was now bleeding. Akira hit a low-blow uppercut. He hit a running Fireball double knees to the face for a nearfall at 10:30. Akira put on Jun’s goggles! He went to the top rope, but Jun shook the ropes. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Jun hit a superplex at 12:00! Jun put on the goggles and hit a frog splash for a believable nearfall.
Akira pushed the ref into Jun! Akira pulled out a bundle of cooking skewers from his pants. (How did the ref miss those when he checked Jun?) He jabbed the skewers into the top of Francesco’s head and hit a clothesline! Zane tried to get into the ring, but Jun jabbed the skewers into Zane’s head, too. Jun hit an Angel’s Wings faceplant on Akira. Jun kissed Akira, but Akira planted the fork in the top of Jun’s head. Akira hit a chairshot to the back and hit the Fireball running knee to the back of the head for a believable nearfall. Akira hit a swinging side slam for the pin!
Francesco Akira (8) defeated Jun Kasai (8) at 15:56/official time of 13:00 even.
Final Thoughts: An enjoyable night of action. Again, deathmatches aren’t my thing, but Jun’s run has been really fun as he just is doing his style of matches and ignoring the rules. Again, that was the seventh match for both Akira and Jun, so they are both 4-3. I’ll go with Eagles-Ishimori for second and Desperado-Young for third.
Again, Gedo’s even 50/50 booking means everyone is still alive in the B Block. Desperado and Sho are 4-2 (8 points), but six others are 3-3, and just two are at 2-4. The tournament has another day off on Thursday, and the A Block returns to action on Friday, headlined with Fujita vs. Valiente Jr. and Nick Wayne vs. Titan.
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