By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors, Night 13”
June 5, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at G Messe Gunma
Streamed live on New Japan World
* We are down to our final four! It will be Yoh vs. Master Wato and Kosei Fujita vs. Robbie Eagles, with the winners advancing to the BoSJ finals!
1. Valiente Jr. and Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Tiger Mask and Taisei Nakahara. I skipped this one. Valiente won with an Achilles hold on Matsumoto.
Valiente Jr. and Tatsuya Matsumoto defeated Tiger Mask and Taisei Nakahara at 7:27.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson vs. Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda. Yuya and Oiwa opened. Yuya hit some armdrags. Oiwa hit a back suplex, and they were both down at 4:00. Yasuda entered, but he couldn’t pick up the massive Hartley, so he hit a dropkick instead. Hartley dropped Masatora with a shoulder block. Yasuda hit a bodyslam on Hartley for a nearfall at 6:00, and he switched to a Boston Crab. Hartley hit a massive senton to pin Yasuda.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson defeated Yuya Uemura and Masatora Yasuda at 7:31.
3. Nick Wayne and Jun Kasai vs. “The Unbound Co.” Gedo and Titan. They all grabbed chairs and clanged them together; we are not officially underway. Jun and Gedo went to the floor, where Kasai struck him across the back. We got a bell at 00:28 as Titan and Wayne traded quick reversals. Jun and Gedo entered at 2:00, and Kasai hit an enzuigiri and a clothesline for a nearfall. Wayne hit a plancha to the floor on Gedo. Gedo stabbed Jun in the forehead with a fork, but Jun shoved cooking skewers into the top of Gedo’s head, rolled him up, and got the pin. Blessedly short. Wayne kissed Jun for no apparent reason.
Nick Wayne and Jun Kasai defeated “The Unbound Co.” Gedo and Titan at 4:25/official time of 3:57.
4. El Desperado and Hyo vs. Daisuke Sasaki and Dick Togo. Desperado and Sasaki started. Walker talked about Hyo’s stupid stuffed animal. The heels worked over Desperado’s left arm. Hyo entered at 2:30 to battle Daisuke. Hyo hit a bulldog on Togo. Desperado tagged back in at 4:00, but Hyo wanted to retrieve his stuffy. Sasake tied Hyo in a crossface. Desperado tied Togo in a Stretch Muffler, and Dick tapped out. Blah. Hyo retrieved his stuffed leopard! I can’t get into the comedy around a stuffed animal that was the sole focus of this match.
El Desperado and Hyo defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Dick Togo at 6:26.
5. Kushida, Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Aaron Wolf vs. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Sho spoke on the mic. Pretty much all my least favorite NJPW wrestlers in one match! I skipped to the end of this one. Taguchi was hitting his buttbumps on Takahashi. Yujiro struck Taguchi with his cane and hit the Pimp Juice leaping DDT for the pin. I saw 30 or so seconds of that, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
“House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Kushida, Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Aaron Wolf at 8:50.
6. “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, Robbie X, and Taiji Ishimori vs. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Callum Newman, and Zane Jay. Our first time seeing Callum on this tour; Walker said he returned to the UK for some time off. He and Yota glared at each other before the bell. They locked up, and they traded shoulder tackles. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. Callum hit an enzuigiri and a running kick at 2:00, and they were both down.
Akira and Robbie X traded quick reversals. Young jumped in and helped work over Robbie X. Robbie hit some chops on Akira. On the floor, Callum whipped Yota into the ring post. The UE kept working over Robbie in their corner. Robbie finally hit a Pele Kick on Zane. Daiki got a hot tag at 7:00 and hit a plancha to the floor. In the ring, he hit a spinebuster on Callum for a nearfall. Robbie hit his slingshot senton on Akira.
Young hit the Jakob’s Ladder (Sliced Bread from the corner.) Zane Jay hit a fallaway slam. Daiki hit a DDT on Callum for a nearfall at 9:00, then a bodyslam, and he was fired up! However, he missed his top-rope flying headbutt. Callum hit a double stomp on Nagai’s head and a short-arm clothesline for a believable nearfall, but Yota made the save. Newman hit a suplex to pin Nagai. Decent match.
“United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Callum Newman, and Zane Jay defeated “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, Robbie X, and Taiji Ishimori at 10:18.
7. Kosei Fujita vs. Robbie Eagles in a BoSJ semi-final match. The “Ichiban Sweet Boys” collide in a first-time-ever meeting. A clean lockup, and they tied up each other’s left arm. They sped it up, and Kosei hit a shotgun dropkick at 3:30. Eagles worked the arm, and Kosei was holding his right shoulder. Eagles hit some roundhouse Yes Kicks to the chest at 7:00. Fujita hit an enzuigiri, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Eagles hit a Poison Rana. He nailed a flip dive through the ropes and landed on his feet as the 10:00 call was spot-on.
In the ring, Robbie missed a 450 Splash. Kosei threw him to the mat and applied a Fujiwara Armbar, and he grabbed a leg, too, but Eagles reached the ropes at 12:30. Kosei hit a German Suplex, then another. Robbie tied up the legs and kept Kosei grounded. Robbie hit a 619 kick to the back of Kosei’s legs! Nice! Kosei hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 14:30. Eagles hit a buzzsaw kick and a running knee, and they were both down. Robbie hit a 450 Splash on the damaged leg. Eagles hit a “Tequila Shot” (modified Angle Slam) at 16:30.
Robbie went for the “Hyperion” running knee, but Kosei caught the leg and applied the Jungle Boy-style Snare Trap leg lock, and he cranked back on Robbie’s head. Eagles hit the Turbo Backpack (modified stunner), but Kosei kicked out. Kosei got Eagles across his shoulders and hit the “Thrill Ride” swinging faceplant for the pin! Good match, and Kosei is one win away from being a repeat champion.
Kosei Fujita defeated Robbie Eagles at 18:42 to advance to the BoSJ finals.
8. Master Wato vs. Yoh in a BoSJ semi-final match. Wato won this in 2023, and Yoh was runner-up last year. They are both babyfaces. Standing switches to open. They traded reversals on the mat and had a standoff at 2:00. Yoh hit some Great-O-Khan-style Mongolian Chops at 4:00. Wato applied an Anaconda Vice on the mat. Wato hit a backbreaker over his knee at 5:30. He nailed a flip dive over the ropes onto Yoh, and they were both down on the floor. In the ring, Wato hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 7:00.
Yoh countered with a Falcon Arrow. Wato locked in Vendeval (submission hold around the neck and shoulders), but Yoh rolled him over for a nearfall at 9:00. Wato got his Wheeler Yuta-style seatbelt cover for a nearfall. Yoh hit a superkick, and they were both down. Wato applied an Anaconda Vice on the mat at 12:00. He hit a Sling Blade clothesline and his scoop piledriver for a nearfall at 14:00. Yoh hit a Dragon Suplex. He set up for the Direct Drive (vertical DDT), but Wato blocked it. Yoh applied a standing Anaconda Vice, and they fell to the mat. Yoh hit a Flatliner and cranked back on Wato’s head and arms while in a top hammerlock hold, and Wato tapped out. Good action, and we have a rematch of last year’s finals!
Yoh defeated Master Wato at 16:43 to advance to the BoSJ finals.
* Kosei Fujita got into the ring and confronted Yoh. They spoke on the mic and pushed their foreheads together, with no punches thrown.
Final Thoughts: Two good semifinal matches. I preferred Fujita-Eagles, as Kosei is truly the future of the division (whether he wins the rematch or not!). I personally would prefer to see Kosei win the rematch to become a back-to-back winner, but I won’t be terribly upset if Yoh pulls it out.
The undercard was adequate, but none of the matches I watched were must-see. Good to see Yota and Newman back in action, though. We get a day off, and the finals are on Sunday! The rest of the card beyond Yoh vs. Fujita has not yet been announced.
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