By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors, Night 1”
May 14, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and Gino Gambino provided English commentary. It appears to be a sellout.
* 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. Because Jun Kasai is unavailable, we only have NINE tournament matches today and Saturday.
* As is tradition, there are no guardrails for the BoSJ.
1. Taiji Ishimori vs. Jakob Austin Young (w/Zane Jay) in a BoSJ Block B tournament match. This is Young’s first BoSJ. Ishimori hit a huracanrana and a dropkick that sent Young to the floor, so Ishimori hit a plancha at 1:30. In the ring, Ishimori hit a Sabre-style neck-snap between his ankles. Young hit a neckbreaker out of the ropes at 3:00. He hit a mid-ring neckbreaker for a nearfall. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-spin kick, then a Meteora in the corner and a rolling DVD for a nearfall at 5:00.
At Korakuen Hall, Ishimori’s all-time singles record is 38-29, while Young’s tally is just 2-0. Wow! Ishimori slammed Young face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Ishimori nailed his shoulder-breaker over his knee for a nearfall at 7:30. He hit a jumping knee to the chin. They traded rollups. Ishimori spun him to the mat and into the Bone Lock (crossface), and Young tapped out. A fine match; I was on ‘upset alert,’ as it’s common for a star to take a big first-night loss.
Taiji Ishimori (2) defeated Jakob Austin Young (0) at 8:26.
2. Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Sho in a BoSJ Block B tournament match. Well, if I’m forced to watch two guys from the House of Torture face each other, we might as well get it out of the way right away. Dick Togo was at ringside but not affiliated with either man specifically. Gino wondered if we would see a “Fingerpoke of Doom.” Sho got on the mic and said, “It’s a shame this incredible match is going on second.” He vowed they are “going to have the match of the tournament.” This should be saved for the Tokyo Dome. (The crowd was laughing at him.) We got the bell, and Kanemaru laid down on the mat. Of course, Kanemaru got a rollup for a believable nearfall! I seriously thought that was it!
Kanemaru planted a weapon on Sho, which the ref saw, and they traded rollups. All of these felt like possible wins! They went to the floor, where Kanemaru applied a Figure Four on the thin mat. Chris said Kanemaru is 3-0 all-time against Sho (before Sho joined the HoT). They both got back into the ring before a count-out at 2:30. (Again, the crowd was laughing at the shenanigans.) Kanemaru took a sip of whiskey, but he wound up spraying it on the ref! The ref disqualified Kanemaru! (For being sprayed by alcohol?) Lame finish; that went about as well as we could hope for, and at least it was short.
Sho (2) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (0) via DQ at 3:51.
3. Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Daiki Nagai in a BoSJ Block A tournament match. Nagai is replacing Douki, who is “boycotting” this year’s tournament. (I presume he is still recovering from some of his injuries.) This is Taguchi’s 22nd BoSJ, which is rather mind-blowing. Nagai struck him; we got a bell five seconds later. He dove through the ropes onto Taguchi. In the ring, Taguchi hit a dropkick for a nearfall, and he switched to an ankle lock, but Nagai quickly got to the ropes. Taguchi is 82-82-3 all-time in BoSJ! He went back to the ankle lock.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Nagai hit a basement dropkick in the corner for a nearfall at 4:00. Taguchi hit a sliding dropkick. Nagai kept getting rollups. Taguchi hit an enzuigiri and a dropkick for a nearfall, and he reapplied the ankle lock. He hit a faceplant for the pin. The right length, and I’m happy to report that Taguchi didn’t do any of his juvenile comedy. An ominous start for Nagai, who is likely to go 1-8 or 0-9.
Ryusuke Taguchi (2) defeated Daiki Nagai (0) at 6:14/official time of 6:09.
4. Yoh vs. Hyo in a BoSJ Block B tournament match. Hyo had a good showing in the Dragongate matches in Las Vegas; he wore a metallic silver jacket, and he’s a babyface. Yoh wore a ridiculous jacket and trunks that read “Playboy” in the style of the magazine logo. They charged at each other at the bell. Hyo hit a leg lariat. Yoh tied him in the Paradise Lock, trapping Hyo, and he mockingly lifted a leg to ‘pee on Hyo like a dog.’ Eye-roll. I guess he’s picking up the mantle for juvenile humor from Taguchi. They traded rollups. Hyo hit a stunner and scored the flash pin! Shockingly short! Hyo kissed him on the lips, and Yoh fainted.
Hyo (2) defeated Yoh (0) at 2:36.
5. Robbie X vs. Nick Wayne in a BoSJ Block A tournament match. It’s strange to see Nick Wayne without the ROH TV Title. This is a first-time matchup in Japan, but Chris said they’ve met in the UK, and Nick is 2-0. Quick reversals at the bell. Wayne hit a flying back elbow. They traded chops. Robbie hit a plancha to the floor at 2:30, then a slingshot senton back into the ring for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Robbie X avoided the “Wayne’s World” corner fadeaway stunner, and Robbie hit a Pele Kick at 4:30.
Nick nailed a Poison Rana! So, Robbie hit his own Poison Rana, then a springboard twisting dive to the floor. Back in the ring, Robbie hit a Lethal Injection for a nearfall, and they were both down at 6:00. Nick nailed a superkick; that had great sound! Robbie went for a Lionsault Press, but Nick nailed him with a superkick. Nick nailed the Wayne’s World for the pin. Sharp match; this one should have been longer.
Nick Wayne (2) defeated Robbie X (0) at 7:31.
6. Kushida vs. Robbie Eagles (w/Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr.) in a BoSJ Block B tournament match. Sabre is back in Japan! (I haven’t studied the lineups, but hopefully this means he’s in some non-tournament matches on the shows when only one Block is in tournament action.) To my great surprise, they’ve only shared the ring 11 times before, and Eagles is 2-0 in singles action. We got the bell, and they immediately tied up on the mat. Charlton said Eagles has now competed in more BoSJ than any other non-Japanese wrestler, passing Prince Devitt (Finn Balor!).
Kushida had a leg lock around the neck; Eagles reached the ropes at 2:30. Kushida tied him in a pretzel with Eagles’ arms behind his back. He hit a hard spin kick to the thigh at 5:00 and targeted the left leg. They traded shoulder blocks at 7:00 with neither going down. Eagles shook Kushida’s hand, but then stomped on his bare foot! They traded multiple, MULTIPLE rollups. Kushida hit the “Back to the Future” (small package driver) for the pin. That was pretty entertaining. “What a stunning display,” Charlton said.
Kushida (2) defeated Robbie Eagles (0) at 9:12.
7. Titan vs. Master Wato in a BoSJ Block A tournament match. This was the unlikely finals matchup in the 2023 BoSJ. (I’ll never forgive Gedo for robbing us of Mike Bailey vs. El Desperado, as those two lost in the playoff semifinals that year!) Titan hit a springboard crossbody block, then a dive through the ropes. Charlton noted that Wato is 2-0 against Titan. In the ring, Titan tied him in a Figure Four. Wato hit a stiff kick to the spine, and they were both down at 3:30. Wato hit a leg lariat, then a flip dive to the floor on Titan.
In the ring, Titan hit a DDT and a stunner for a nearfall. He tied up Wato’s legs and applied a Muta Lock at 6:00. Titan tied him in the Tree of Woe and hit a top-rope double stomp to his chest for a nearfall at 8:00. Wato mouse-trapped the arms and got a nearfall. Titan caught a leg on a kick attempt, hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and applied a Sharpshooter. He bridged all the way back, and Wato tapped out! Good match.
Titan (2) defeated Master Wato (0) at 9:39.
8. Daisuke Sasaki vs. El Desperado in a BoSJ Block B tournament match. Charlton said it’s been 14 years since Daisuke has been in a BoSJ, and that’s the longest gap in the tournament’s history. Basic reversals early on, and they rolled to the floor at 4:00. Sasaki shoved him into the ring post, and Despe was down on the floor. In the ring, Sasaki hit a twisting neckbreaker, and they traded punches. Sasaki tied him in an STF, but Despe eventually got to the ropes at 8:00.
Desperado hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. They fought on the ropes, and Despe nailed a superplex at 10:30, but Daisuke rolled to the floor to avoid a pin. Sasaki dove through the ropes, sending Despe crashing onto a chair in the front row. Sasaki leapt off the top rope and hit a flying elbow to Despe’s chest as Despe was seated in the front row at 12:00! In the ring, Sasaki hit a Pedigree for a nearfall, then a Buzzsaw Kick. Despe spun him face-first to the mat, and they were both down.
Desperado hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 14:00, and he applied a Stretch Muffler. Sasaki tied him in a crossface. The ref got bumped! Daisuke immediately hit a low-blow punt kick. He spun Desperado to the mat and applied a crossface, and Desperado tapped out. Good match, and there is a big early upset.
Daisuke Sasaki (2) defeated El Desperado (0) at 16:07.
9. Francesco Akira vs. Kosei Fujita in a BoSJ Block A tournament match. Fujita is the defending champion — although he went just 5-4 in round-robin play last year. (Gedo’s 50-50 booking got absolutely no one over last year!) Akira came out first, but Fujita attacked on the floor with a chair before Akira got into the ring. I started my stopwatch at first contact, as they brawled up the short set of bleachers. They got into the ring, and we got a bell at 00:45. Fujita got a rollup with a high bridge for a nearfall just seconds in. Fujita hit a moonsault from the apron to the floor. Akira was bleeding from that pre-match chair shot.
Akira whipped Kosei into the first row. In the ring, Akira hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 4:30. Kosei hit a flying spin kick to the jaw. He hit a top-rope missile dropkick, then a top-rope flip dive onto Akira and a security guard. Akira hit a moonsault for a nearfall at 8:00. He hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall. Akira hit a flying knee, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes at 11:30. They traded kicks, and Fujita hit a German Suplex for a nearfall.
They fought to the floor, where Fujita powerbombed him through a table at ringside at 14:00! In the ring, Fujita hit a German Suplex for a believable nearfall. Kosei hit a Poison Rana, but Akira hit a “Fireball” (running double knees to the back of the head) for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 17:00. This crowd was HOT! Kosei put Akira across his shoulders and flipped him face-first to the mat for the pin! “What a main event!” Gambino exclaimed.
Kosei Fujita (2) defeated Francesco Akira (0) at 17:42.
Final Thoughts: A good first night of the tournament with two strong matches to close out the show. I’ll narrowly go with the main event for best match, but Despe-Sasaki was really good, too. While it was short, I’ll go with Nick Wayne-Robbie X for third, ahead of the Titan-Wato match. Kushida-Eagles was satisfying, so there’s a lot to like here.
With nine tournament matches, I figured we’d have a few short matches, but I was really surprised at how short many of these matches were. I guess I don’t mind that — NJPW sometimes feels the need to have a match that should go no more than 11 minutes go nearly 20 in these tournaments. And the shorter Taguchi’s and Kanemaru’s matches are, the better off we all are.
The tournament has a day off on Friday and resumes on Saturday with nine more tournament matches, headlined by Ishimori vs. Desperado and Nick Wayne vs. Kosei Fujita.
Be the first to comment