By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors, Night 12”
June 3, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided English commentary. The building is packed.
* 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. This is the FINAL night of round-robin action, with 12 wrestlers who are 5-3 (10 points) competing for those four playoff spots. The other eight wrestlers have been eliminated, as they all have six or fewer points. I feel like it’s wide open in terms of which wrestlers will make the playoffs, so there’s a lot of mystery entering this show!
* As is tradition, there are no guardrails for the BoSJ. We have the five B Block matches first, then the five A Block matches. Also, it sounds like you need a math degree to keep track of all the tie-breaker scenarios.
1. Jakob Austin Young (w/Zane Jay) (6) vs. Sho (w/Dick Togo) (10) in a B Block tournament match. The four of them brawled on the floor, then in the ring. No bell yet. They brawled up onto the landing halfway up the risers. Jake Lee, looking rather scary, emerged to terrorize Sho. They got into the ring and the bell rang at 2:20 to make this official. Young hit his Brain Rot twisting suplex for a nearfall. This is a first-time-ever singles match. Young applied a Boston Crab. The bell rang, but it was just a Dick Togo ruse. Sho got a rollup for a believable nearfall!
Sho applied a cross-armbreaker, and the bell rang again, but this time it was a Zane Jay ruse! Sho hit a spear on Young. Jakob hit an enzuigiri. Sho applied a Boston Crab. A masked man threw in a “United Empire” towel! The ref called for the bell. Sho won by DQ! Young was irate that this mystery man cost him the match. Lame, lame finish. At least it was short.
Sho (12) defeated Jakob Austin Young (6) via DQ at 5:40/official time of 3:20.
2. Kushida (6) vs. Taiji Ishimori (10) in a B Block tournament match. They immediately traded holds on the mat. Kushida is wrestling barefoot again, as he has for most of this tournament. Walker and Chris said these two are just 2-2 lifetime in singles action. Ishimori hit a basement dropkick on the knee at 3:30. Kushida slammed Ishimori face-first into the corner. He hit a flying knee strike on Ishimori’s elbow, and he began targeting it.
They traded rollups, with Kushida getting a believable nearfall at 5:30! Kushida hit the Back to the Future (small package driver), and they were both down. Ishimori hit a jumping knee. Kushida hit a straight punch to the jaw. Ishimori hit the Bloody Cross knee strike out of nowhere for the pin!
Taiji Ishimori (12) defeated Kushida (6) at 6:21.
3. El Desperado (10) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) in a B Block tournament match. Former Suzuki-Gun teammates collide! Basic reversals early on, and Desperado rolled to the floor to regroup. Kanemaru tied a leg lock around the neck. Desperado hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 3:00, and he tied Kanemaru in a Stretch Muffler, but Yoshinobu reached the ropes. Kanemaru hit a tornado DDT and hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 4:30!
Kanemaru hit a basement dropkick on the knee, and he grabbed his whiskey bottle. Desperado accidentally speared the ref! Desperado hit a punch, causing Kanemaru to spray whiskey straight up into the air. A second ref hit the ring. Kanemaru blocked a Pinche Loco (Angel’s Wings), and he got a backslide for a nearfall. Desperado hit the Pinche Loco for the pin. Good for the time given; that was probably Kanemaru’s best match of the tournament. Because of tie-breakers, Sho is eliminated.
El Desperado (12) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) at 7:01.
4. Yoh (10) vs. Daisuke Sasaki (6) in a B Block tournament match. Sasaki threw his jacket at Yoh and attacked; we got a bell at 00:07. Yoh tied Sasaki in a Paradise Lock, then hit a dropkick to Sasaki’s rear to break it. They brawled to the floor, and each grabbed a chair and had a standoff, but dove back in before being counted out. Sasaki targeted the left knee. Yoh hit a DDT at 4:30, then another one.
Sasaki hit a DDT and a basement dropkick. He hit a dive through the ropes at 6:00. Sasaki hit a Pedigree, but he missed a top-rope elbow drop. He tied Yoh in a Crossface on the mat at 8:30. They traded rollups. Yoh got a rollup, leaned backwards for added leverage, and scored the flash pin! (I have been fooled by Gedo’s booking today — we are having a huge tie at 12 points, so the tiebreakers really matter.)
Yoh (12) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (6) at 9:49/official time of 9:42.
5. Robbie Eagles (w/Hartley Jackson) (10) vs. Hyo (6) in a B Block tournament match. Eagles hit a huracanrana, but Hyo landed on his feet; Hyo did the same, but Eagles cartwheeled to his feet. They both tried dropkicks and had a standoff. Eagles locked in the Ron Miller Special (Trailer Hitch leg lock), but Hyo immediately got to the ropes. Eagles snapped Hyo’s suspenders — it made a great sound and Hyo sold the pain! Funny. Hyo hit a flip dive to the floor at 4:00. In the ring, Hyo hit a leg lariat and a senton for a nearfall.
Eagles hit a hard blow to the back of the neck and took control. He hit some roundhouse kicks. Hyo hit a DDT at 6:30 and was fired up. Eagles hit a second-rope Turbo Backpack for a nearfall, and he immediately locked in the Ron Miller Special! Hyo writhed in pain on the mat but eventually tapped out. SO, Eagles and Yoh advance to the playoffs from the B Block due to the complicated tie-breaker system.
Robbie Eagles (12) defeated Hyo (6) at 8:36.
* Sho came to the ring to protest the announcement that he had been eliminated. Sho noted that he beat Eagles. Eagles hit him over the head with the thin metal sheet.
* On to the A Block matches!
6. Kosei Fujita (10) vs. Daiki Nagai (0) in an A Block tournament match. Nagai came out first, and he dove onto Kosei as he approached the ring. They got into the ring and we got a bell at 00:21 to make this official. They brawled back to the floor. Fujita hit a running shotgun dropkick on Nagai, who was seated in a chair. They got back into the ring, and Fujita was in charge, and he hit a series of chops in the corner. Nagai hit a Pounce, and they were both down at 5:00. “Shout-out to Clark Connors!” Charlton said after that Pounce.
Nagai hit a basement dropkick into the corner for a nearfall. He put Fujita in a Boston Crab. Fujita tied up both arms on the mat, and he grabbed a leg, too. Nagai got a foot on the ropes at 7:30. This crowd was HOT for this one. Fujita applied a Walls of Jericho (vertical Boston Crab), and Nagai tapped out. Nagai won the number of matches we expected in this tournament, but his matches were always entertaining.
Kosei Fujita (12) defeated Daiki Nagai (0) at 8:46/official time of 8:25.
7. Robbie X (10) vs. Valiente Jr. (4) in an A Block tournament match. Quick reversals at the bell; Charlton said there is a good argument to be made that Robbie X is the MVP of the tournament. (I’d agree he’s in the running.) Valiente Jr. hit some quick kicks. Robbie nailed a top-rope twisting press to the floor at 1:30! Nice! They got back into the ring with Robbie in charge. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Valiente Jr. hit a Code Red for a nearfall at 4:00. They traded chops on the ring apron.
Robbie hit a Pele Kick on the apron! Valiente Jr. hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a nearfall at 6:00. Robbie hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall, then a leaping sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. He applied his modified Muta Lock. They traded rollups, and Valiente Jr. got a believable nearfall. Valiente hit a pop-up kick. He applied a half-crab move, and Robbie tapped out. Good match. Robbie had a really good tournament, even with this loss.
Valiente Jr. (6) defeated Robbie X (10) at 8:29.
8. Ryusuke Taguchi (6) vs. Jun Kasai (10) in an A Block tournament match. Another first-time-ever match. Charlton said this was one of the matches he was looking forward to the most. Jun dropkicked Taguchi into the ref at the bell! We already don’t have a ref! Taguchi hit a mid-ring buttbump and he stomped on Jun. Taguchi got a two-foot-tall ladder. He had the Young Lions hold it in place, and he dove off the top of the ladder but missed. Good humor. Jun struck Taguchi with the ladder.
Jun pulled out two syringes at 2:00, and he shoved them into Taguchi’s butt! He shoved cooking skewers into Taguchi’s skull! Taguchi hit a mid-ring buttbump and pulled the skewers out of the top of his head. They traded forearm strikes. Jun went for a pin at 3:30, but we still didn’t have a ref. Jun hit a faceplant for a nearfall. Taguchi got an inside cradle for the pin! Jun is eliminated!
Ryusuke Taguchi (8) defeated Jun Kasai (10) at 5:09.
9. Titan (10) vs. Francesco Akira (w/Zane Jay) (10) in an A Block tournament match. Standing switches as Charlton explained the complicated tiebreakers. Akira hit a slingshot stunner at 1:30. On the floor, he whipped Titan into rows of chairs. Back in the ring, Titan hit a dropkick at 5:00. He set up for a dive, but Zane pulled Akira to safety. Titan hit a Pele Kick on the apron, then a top-rope double stomp onto the apron, and they both tumbled to the floor.
In the ring, they traded overhand chops, and Akira dug his fingers into the mask and was booed. Akira hit a double stomp to the chest, and they were both down at 8:00. He hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. He missed the Fireball running knees to the back of the head. Titan immediately applied his version of a Trailer Hitch, and he leaned back into a Muta Lock! Akira nearly tapped out, but he raked the eyes to escape and was booed. Titan hit some kicks and his flying clothesline into the corner at 11:00, and they were both down.
Titan went to the top rope, but Zane distracted him. Titan and Akira traded blows on the ropes, and Akira hit a second-rope superplex, but Titan hit a faceplant. Titan superkicked Zane to the floor, then hit a spin kick to Akira’s jaw. Titan hit a top-rope dive to the floor on Zane, then a springboard dropkick on Akira! He dove through the ropes and barreled onto Akira at 13:00. Akira went for a Ground Tarantula, but Titan escaped. Akira hit a running knee and went back to the Ground Tarantula! Titan tapped out! A very good match. “What a wild ride that was,” Charlton said.
Francesco Akira (12) defeated Titan (10) at 13:53.
* Charlton said because of the tiebreakers, Nick Wayne is already eliminated — even if he wins the next match. (I hope the crowd doesn’t know this; that sure would bring down the stakes of the main event.)
10. Master Wato (10) vs. Nick Wayne (10) in an A Block tournament match. Standing switches to open. Wayne hit a flying back elbow at 2:00. He hit a Lethal Injection and a mid-ring Sliced Bread for a nearfall at 5:00. Wato hit a flip dive to the floor at 6:30 and a top-rope missile dropkick in the ring for a nearfall. They went to the floor, where Wayne hit a running Spanish Fly onto the thin mat, and they were both down. Both men dove back into the ring at the 19-count at 9:00.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Wayne hit a Dragon Suplex and a Code Red for a nearfall at 11:00. Wayne hit a frog splash and a “Prodigy Plex” (fisherman’s suplex) for a nearfall. Wato mousetrapped both arms and got the Wheeler Yuta-style seatbelt cover for a nearfall, and they were both down at 13:00. Wato hit a running Sling Blade clothesline, then a Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall. Wato nailed his German Suplex with a high bridge for the pin. That move looks devastating on Wayne’s neck.
Master Wato (12) defeated Nick Wayne (10) at 14:07.
* Via the tiebreakers, Wato and Kosei Fujita advance. Akira is out, even with 12 points.
Final Thoughts: How the heck did Gedo screw up this so badly that one of the guys in the main event was eliminated via tiebreaker before the match even began? Seriously, how do you screw up this badly? It completely deflated what had otherwise been a really good show. There had to be a way to get to the same result with a different match order, right?
This was an improvement on last year, where one of the blocks had five guys at 5-4 and five guys at 4-5 — no one truly got over with that 50-50 booking. That said, the ideal situation is that ONLY two wrestlers are 6-3 (or 7-2!), so tiebreakers don’t determine who moves forward and who does not. I get it — Desperado, Akira, and Ishimori wind up with great win-loss records this year, even though they don’t move to the playoffs.
Akira-Titan winds up being match of the night. I will go with Wayne-Wato for second, even though I dislike how Wayne was already out before the match started. Eagles-Hyo takes third. That said, Kushida-Ishimori and Desperado-Kanemaru were really good for how short they were. The playoffs begin Friday, with Yoh facing Master Wato, and TMDK teammates Robbie Eagles facing Kosei Fujita!
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