By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Super Jr. Tag League”
October 31, 2026, in Gifu, Japan, at Nishiyama Park Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. This venue is a large gym, and nearly all the fans were seated on the floor. The crowd was maybe 800.
* This year’s field is comprised of 12 teams, divided into TWO six-team Blocks. This is a round-robin tournament, so every team has at least five matches. Today, JUST the A Block is in tournament action for their final round-robin matches. We have two teams at 3-1, two at 2-2, and two teams already eliminated at 1-3.
1. Blake Christian, Lee Johnson, and Yushin Hatazawa vs. “United Empire” Francesca Akira, Jakob Austin Young, and Zane Jay. Lee and Akira opened. Blake entered and put Akira in a Figure Four. Francesco hit a double stomp to Blake’s ribs at 3:30. Young entered, shoved Lee off the apron, then he mounted Blake and repeatedly punched him. Lee dropkicked Zane to the floor. Blake hit a moonsault to the floor on Zane at 5:30.
In the ring, Lee hit a running neckbreaker on Jakob for a nearfall. Jakob hit an enzuigiri and a standing neckbreaker on Lee, and they were both down. Zane tagged in; Matsumoto tagged in for the first time. Zane dropped him with a clothesline for a nearfall at 7:30. All six started fighting. Lee and Blake hit stereo planchas. Meanwhile, Hatazawa and Zane continued to brawl. Zane put Hatazawa in a Boston Crab, and Yushin tapped out.
“United Empire” Francesca Akira, Jakob Austin Young, and Zane Jay defeated Blake Christian, Lee Johnson, and Yushin Hatazawa at 9:24.
2. “The Unbound Co.” Titan, Daiki Nagai, and Gedo vs. “House of Torture” Sho, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi. Like Friday, I’m skipping this one to cut down my intake of HoT matches. I skipped to the end. Titan wore a black mask today; at first I thought that was Shun Skywalker. Yujiro hit a suplex on Gedo for a nearfall. Togo poked Gedo in the eyes, and Yujiro rolled Gedo up for the tainted pin. Glad I skipped all but 30 or so seconds of that.
“House of Torture” Sho, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated “The Unbound Co.” Titan, Daiki Nagai, and Gedo.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson vs. Yoh, Hyo, and Tatsuya Matsumoto. Matsumoto led Yoh to the ring on a dog collar, with Yoh on all fours, acting like a hyperactive puppy. (When did Yoh become so weird? I think Hyo brings it out of him!) Eagles and Yoh opened with some basic reversals. Hyo and Fujita tagged in at 2:30. Fujita slapped him hard across the face! They traded forearm strikes.
Fujita hit a huracanrana. They each missed an enzuigiri and had a standoff. Matsumoto tagged in at 4:30, so the massive Hartley also got in. Tatsuya unloaded a series of forearm strikes that Hartley no-sold. TMDK began working over Matsumoto in their corner. Eagles hit some Yes Kicks. Matsumoto hit a dropkick on Robbie at 8:00. Yoh tagged back in and hit dropkicks on Robbie and on Fujita. He suplexed Robbie for a nearfall. Hyo hit an enzuigiri on Robbie.
Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow on Kosei at 9:30, and suddenly everyone was down. Matsumoto hit some dropkicks on Hartley, which Hartley no-sold. Matsumoto couldn’t lift him. Hartley suplexed him, then splashed him in the corner, but he missed a senton. Fujita got some rollups. Hartley hit a hard clothesline, then the massive senton for the pin. Solid.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson defeated Yoh, Hyo, and Tatsuya Matsumoto at 11:31.
* Jakob Austin Young joined Walker Stewart on commentary.
4. Taichi, Yuya Uemura, Satoshi Kojima, and Taisei Nakahara vs. Aaron Wolf, Boltin Oleg, Shota Umino, and Toru Yano. Taichi and Shota opened, and they traded spin kicks to the thighs. Yano and Kojima locked up at 3:00, with Satoshi hitting some Mongolian Chops and his rapid-fire chops in the corner. He stacked up opponents in the corner to hit chops on all of them. Satoshi hit a Koji Cutter. Wolf and Yuya entered at 5:00, with Aaron dropping him with a shoulder tackle. He blocked Yuya’s armdrags.
Aaron lifted and slammed Uemura. Oleg entered for the first time at 7:00, and he flipped Yuya around in his arms and hit the gutwrench suplex. Nakahara tagged in at 8:30 and tried some chops and a flying forearm on the massive Oleg. He hit a dropkick, then a basement dropkick on the knee, then one more to the chest to finally drop Boltin, and he got a nearfall. Taichi and Yuya hit stereo Mafia Kicks on Oleg. Suddenly, all eight were brawling. Oleg nailed the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) and pinned Taisei.
Aaron Wolf, Boltin Oleg, Shota Umino, and Toru Yano defeated Taichi, Yuya Uemura, Satoshi Kojima, and Taisei Nakahara at 10:08.
5. Ryusuke Taguchi and Kazuma Sumi (4) vs. Mistico and Masatora Yasuda (2) in an A Block tournament match. We see Gedo has joined the Japanese commentary table. Mistico and Sumi shook hands before locking up. Mistico hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee, then another one. Sumi hit a dropkick on Yasuda. Taguchi hit a leg drop on Yasuda for a nearfall at 2:30. He hit a flying buttbump and got another nearfall and kept Yasuda grounded for several minutes. Mistico hit a top-rope crossbody block on Sumi at 6:00.
Mistico hit a springboard armdrag. They hit stereo spin kicks to the head and were both down. Yasuda and Taguchi got back in and traded forearm strikes. Taguchi hit another running buttbump for a nearfall. Yasuda applied a Boston Crab, but Sumi made the save. Sumi hit a Lungblower to Yasuda’s chest for a nearfall at 9:30. Sumi hit a moonsault to the floor on Mistico. Taguchi and Yasuda traded rollups. Taguchi applied an ankle lock, and Yasuda tapped out. (I had predicted Mistico’s team would win this, so they’d both finish 2-3).
Ryusuke Taguchi and Kazuma Sumi (6) defeated Mistico and Masatora Yasuda (2) at 10:59.
6. “House of Torture” Douki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6) vs. Master Wato and Kuukai (2) in an A Block tournament match. The HoT attacked from behind, and we’re underway! On the floor, Douki shoved Kuukai face-first into the ring post. Kanemaru and Wato also fought elsewhere on the floor. In the ring, Douki hit a standing neckbreaker on Kuukai. Kuukai hit a huracanrana on Kanemaru at 3:30. Wato was yanked off the apron so he wasn’t there for the hot tag.
The HoT beat down Kuukai and kept him in their corner. Douki hit a DDT, then another, for a nearfall at 5:30. Kuukai hit a running kick on Kanemaru. Wato finally got the hot tag and hit a dropkick on Kanemaru, then a bulldog for a nearfall at 7:00. He hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Kanemaru tied him in a Figure Four leg lock, but Wato reached the ropes at 9:00. Those two traded rollups.
Kuukai finally got the hot tag, and he dropkicked Douki. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT, and Douki applied the Darkness Stretch (Douki chokey!) on Kuukai at 11:00. Wato made the save. Wato hit a spinning leg lariat, then a springboard back elbow on Douki. Kuukai avoided a Darkness Stretch, and he rolled onto Douki for a nearfall. Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Kuukai’s eyes! Douki hit a Dragon Suplex with a high bridge for the tainted pin!
“House of Torture” Douki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (8) defeated Master Wato and Kuukai (2) at 14:24.
7. “The Unbound Co.” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori (6) vs. Kushida and Nick Wayne (4) in an A Block tournament match. Kushida and Ishimori opened and traded basic reversals. Robbie X and Nick Wayne entered at 1:30. Kushida and Wayne twisted Robbie’s left arm and kept him in their corner. Kushida snapped Robbie’s elbow between his ankles. Robbi hit an assisted mid-ring standing moonsault on Wayne for a nearfall. Ishimori tied him up on the mat, but Wayne got a foot on the ropes at 6:00.
Nick hit a second-rope missile dropkick on Robbie, and they were both down. Kushida got a hot tag at 7:30, and he hit a headscissors takedown on Ishimori. Kushida hit a Frankensteiner on Robbie X for a nearfall. Robbie hit a Pele Kick, and they were both down at 9:00. Nick hit a running Canadian Destroyer on Robbie X. He went for a Wayne’s World, but Ishimori caught him and hit a Lungblower to the back! Nice! Kushida hit a basement dropkick to Robbie’s face at 11:00.
Wayne bodyslammed Ishimori and hit a frog splash for a nearfall. Wayne hit a Lethal Injection on Robbie, and Kushida immediately applied a cross-armbreaker. However, Ishimori applied a Bone Lock on Kushida! Wayne made the save. Kushida hit some spin kicks on Ishimori. Robbie hit a Lethal Injection, then a top-rope Spiral Tap to the floor on Wayne! In the ring, Ishimori and Kushida traded rollups. Kushida applied the Hoverboard Lock, but Ishimori turned it into a Bloody Cross knee strike to the chest for the pin! A really strong match.
“The Unbound Co.” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori (8) defeated Kushida and Nick Wayne (4) at 13:39 to win the A Block.
* Ishimori spoke on the mic, but we don’t have anyone in the booth to translate.
Final Thoughts: A really strong main event to close out the A Block. Robbie X and Ishimori won their Block for the second straight year. Sure, they were the predictable choice to win this Block, but that doesn’t make it the wrong choice, either.
Taguchi’s juvenile humor was stifled this year, and the matches were better for it. I really assumed Mistico and Yasuda were winning their match, so they would finish at 2-3. I figured House of Torture were winning their tournament match, as it put pressure on Robbie X and Ishimori to win, too.
The B Block wraps up Sunday, and the tournament finals are Tuesday. I’ll make a similar prediction to what happened today. I figure Blake Christian and Lee Johnson win to go to 4-1. That puts pressure on Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles to win, too. Yes, I expect Ichiban Sweet Boys will face Ishimori and Robbie X in the tournament finale on Tuesday.
