By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Best of Super Juniors, Night 9”
May 29, 2026, in Niigata, Japan, at Tsubame Civic Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided English commentary. The venue is a large room, and the lights were on. The crowd was almost entirely on the floor (there is a small balcony with one row of seating), and a crowd of maybe 700. We saw Hirooki Goto has joined the Japanese commentary team today.
* 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 show has the A Block in tournament action.
* As is tradition, there are no guardrails for the BoSJ.
No real interest in any of the first three matches, so I’m skipping them today. (45 minutes well saved! I haven’t watched ROH yet!) Results of those three matches courtesy of Njpw1972.com.
1. Tiger Mask defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto at 7:11. He hit the Tiger Driver for the pin.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa, and Robbie Eagles defeated Masatora Yasuda, Toru Yano, and Daisuke Sasaki at 6:51. Hartley pinned Yasuda after a senton.
3. “House of Torture” Dick Togo and Sho. defeated “The Unbound Co.” Gedo and Taiji Ishimori at 4:47. Sho pinned Gedo with an inside cradle. At least they kept it short!
Okay, onto the matches I DID watch!
4. Yoh and Kushida and El Desperado vs. “United Empire” Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young and Zane Jay. Desperado and Young opened. Yoh entered at 2:00 to fight Young. Yoh was tossed to the floor, where Akira and Zane stomped on him. In the ring, Zane got a nearfall at 4:00. Kushida got the hot tag, and he battled Akira. Zane hit a fallaway slam on Kushida for a nearfall at 7:00. Kushida hit a handspring-back-double elbow. Yoh hit a superkick on Zane. Kushida applied a Hoverboard Lock, and Zane immediately tapped out. Good preview tag.
Yoh, Kushida, and El Desperado defeated “United Empire” Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young, and Zane Jay at 8:44.
5. Hyo (4) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) in a B Block tournament match. Because Hyo was unavailable earlier in the tournament, this is the sixth tournament match for each of them, serving as a ‘bonus’ B Block match. Hyo doesn’t have his stupid stuffed leopard today, but he does have his sex toy whip tucked in his pants. Kanemaru attacked him as Hyo was about to enter the ring. They got into the ring, and we got a bell at 00:16. Hyo hit a basement dropkick. Kanemaru stalled on the floor, so they brawled at ringside.
In the ring, Kanemaru hit a basement dropkick at 2:30 and applied a Figure Four leg lock, and he switched to a half-crab. He hit a Dragonscrew legwhip and got a nearfall at 4:30. He repeatedly slammed Hyo’s knee into the mat and again applied a Figure Four leg lock, but Hyo reached the ropes at 7:30. Hyo hit a leaping DDT and was fired up! Sho ran to ringside, holding the cage with the stupid leopard in it! Kanemaru pushed Hyo into the ref. Dick Togo was out there, too, so it was a three-on-one beatdown. Hyo sprayed red mist in Kanemaru’s eyes! He hit an Athena-style flying stunner off the ropes for the pin. Both men are now 3-3.
Hyo (6) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) at 10:27/official time of 10:11.
6. Master Wato (8) vs. Daiki Nagai (0) in an A Block tournament match. Nagai hit a running kick at the bell. Wato hit a deep armdrag and kept the Young Lion tied up on the mat. Wato hit a series of chops and kept Nagai tied up on the mat. Nagai hit a Pounce at 4:30! He hit a huracanrana and a dive through the ropes. In the ring, he hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall at 6:00 and a Spinebuster for a nearfall. Wato nailed his double-armbar mousetrap cover for a nearfall at 7:30. Wato finally hit the German Suplex with the high bridge for the pin. At 5-2, Wato is in line for a playoff spot. Good action with some fun, believable nearfalls for Nagai.
Master Wato (10) defeated Daiki Nagai (0) at 7:49.
7. Ryusuke Taguchi (6) vs. Robbie X (6) in an A Block tournament match. Robbie wore a wig, and that confused Taguchi. Walker said, “This feels like pictures of Ricochet in the early 2000s when he had hair.” Funny because Ricochet was 18 or so with a full head of hair when I first saw him wrestle live, circa 2005. Some standing switches, and Robbie played with the hair. They did some comedy with Robbie running the ropes. The wig fell off, and they traded rollups. Taguchi hit his mid-ring buttbump at 2:00, and he made fun of the bald Robbie.
Robbie fired up and hit some chops, then an enzuigiri. We could hear a loud “Let’s go, Robbie!” from this Japanese crowd. Robbie went for a plancha, but Taguchi got his feet up to block it. In the ring, Taguchi tied him in an ankle lock. Robbie went for a Pele Kick, but Taguchi caught the leg and reapplied an ankle lock. Robbie finally hit the Pele Kick. Taguchi hit a mid-ring buttbump for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Taguchi hit an enzuigiri at 7:30. Robbie nailed a Lethal Injection, then the “X Express” (top-rope Phoenix Splash) for the pin. After starting 3-0, Taguchi has dropped four straight.
Robbie X (8) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (6) at 8:04.
8. Nick Wayne (6) vs. Titan (10) in an A Block tournament match. Titan’s mask is a glittery black today. Some quick reversals to open, and Titan dove through the ropes onto Nick. In the ring, Titan hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall, and he tied Wayne in a Trailer Hitch leg lock. Wayne has a black eye; I’m unclear if that just happened or if it’s from earlier. He hit a flying European Uppercut at 3:00. Nick hit a Lethal Injection and a mid-ring Sliced Bread, but Titan hit a Pele Kick, and they were both down. Nice!
They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron, and they traded superkicks. Wayne hit a Sliced Bread on the apron at 6:00, and they both rolled to the floor. Titan dove back in at the 19-count, but Wayne immediately hit a frog splash on him! However, Titan immediately went back to the Trailer Hitch leg lock. He turned it into a Muta Lock, but Wayne reached the ropes at 8:00. This has been so much better than every other match today. Wayne hit a Dragon Suplex, and they were both down.
Nick went for Wayne’s World, but Titan blocked it and hit a tornado DDT and a superkick, then a top-rope double stomp to the chest for a believable nearfall at 10:00. Wayne hit a roundhouse kick to the ear. Titan hit a clothesline in the corner. He went to the top rope, but Wayne caught him with a European Uppercut and a stunner off the ropes for a nearfall. Nick nailed the Wayne’s World (corner fadeaway stunner) for the pin. Probably the biggest win of Wayne’s two years in this tournament. Very good action.
Nick Wayne (8) defeated Titan (10) at 12:02.
9. Kosei Fujita (6) vs. Valiente Jr. (4) in an A Block tournament match. Really a must-win for each man. They traded shoulder blocks. Fujita cranked back on the left arm, and he captured the left leg too, bending Valiente in half. Walker said this is a first-time-ever singles match. Kosei applied a half-crab; Valiente tapped the mat but made clear he wasn’t submitting. (An odd moment.) Valiente hit a pop-up knee strike to the jaw at 4:00. Valiente hit a flip dive to the floor on Kosei, and he got a nearfall in the ring.
Valiente tied a leg across his shoulder (a bit like a Stretch Muffler, but not quite.) They got up and traded forearm strikes. Kosei nailed a Poison Rana at 7:30, and they were both down. Kosei hit a springboard dropkick for a nearfall, and he applied the Jungle Boy-style Snare Trap leg lock. Valiente hit a running knee and a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 9:30. He hit some spin kicks to Kosei’s head. Kosei hit a Burning Hammer for the pin! Good match, but a bit shorter than I expected, especially considering this was the main event. Valiente Jr. is eliminated from the playoffs.
Kosei Fujita (8) defeated Valiente Jr. (4) at 10:58.
Final Thoughts: Nick Wayne-Titan stole the show and was easily the best match. Fujita-Valiente was pretty good for second. Nothing else really worth pointing out, but Nagai’s matches have all been highly watchable, even though it’s clear he’s losing. So, with seven matches for everyone in the A Block, Titan and Wato sit on top at 5-2 (10 points). Robbie X, Nick Wayne, Kosei Fujita, Jun Kaisei, and Francesco Akira are all 4-3 (8 points). Taguchi at 3-4 (6 points) is all but officially out. Valiente Jr. (4) and Nagai (0) are eliminated.
No rest for the wicked, as the B Block is back in action Saturday, headlined by Taiji Ishimori vs. Sho, plus Kushida vs. El Desperado.
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