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NJPW BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS 33 NIGHT 3 REPORT
MAY 17, 2026
YOYOGI NATIONAL STADIUM
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Once again both blocks were in action on the night, but this time all twenty competitors had matches. Yes, a ten-match card was in the offing. It would not be unreasonable to expect some of those matches to be on the shorter side. Chris Charlton had the solo commentary duties.
(1) TITAN (4 pts) vs. DAIKI NAGAI (0 pts) – A Block match
A rare (in New Japan) battle of stablemates started the night. Three Nagai matches, three quick starts with a tope con giro to the outside. Naturally it was also three Nagai losses, as he quickly succumbed to the bridging scorpion deathlock. Titan went to six points as the early pacesetter in A Block. Nagai looked much more comfortable here than he did against Valiente on Night Two. Perhaps there were issues with communication in that match, or Valiente was still acclimatizing. Nothing of note to see here, just the expected result.
(2) JAKOB AUSTIN YOUNG (0) vs. YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (0) – B Block match
Two undercard guys from two heel factions, each without a win, facing off on a ten-match card. This was never going to be long, and the smart money would have been against it being any good. As you might expect, the winner was the person who cheated the best and well…one of these two gentlemen is known as the Heel Master. After foiling Zane Jay’s plans to spit whisky in his face, Kanemaru hit a low blow and a British headscissor pin to secure his first two points. Sadly this was the best Young has looked in the tournament so far, and it came in a three-minute match.
(3) VALIENTE JR (2) vs. RYUSUKE TAGUCHI (4) – A Block match
A very unfortunate turn of events here as the match was called off about a minute in due to an apparent calf or knee injury to Valiente. He went for a back handspring which Taguchi was supposed to counter with an atomic drop, but it seems like either Valiente’s right knee twisted on landing or he caught Taguchi’s kneepad with the inside of his knee. Not the way Taguchi would want to tie Jyushin Thunder Liger for the most BOSJ victories, and certainly not how Valiente wanted his BOSJ to go. It remains to be seen if he will be able to continue in the tournament when we resume on May 20.
(4) KUSHIDA (2) vs. SHO (4) – B Block match
Sho has shown some really good ring work in his matches so far, despite all the usual House of Torture nonsense. Sho got on the mic before the match as usual, challenging Kushida to a shoes-off grappling match. Kushida did this in his first match, and tried to repeat it in his second only to be jumped by Sasaki. Shocking absolutely nobody (except apparently half the fans in attendance…), Sho fell into the latter camp. We did get an actual match after the opening trickery, but as per usual it was marred by a ref bump, a wrench, and a piece of sheet metal. We surprisingly got another appearance of Socko-San, who figured in the finish as well. She walloped Kushida with his sheet metal and clamped on the Snakebite submission, stuffing Socko-san in Kushida’s mouth to add insult to injury. If you have already seen a Kushida match in the tournament this year, you can easily miss this one.
(5) FRANCESCO AKIRA (0) vs. NICK WAYNE (2) – A Block Match
If you had told me before the tournament that I would be looking at Akira’s 0-2 record and wondering where his first win would come from, I would have been highly skeptical to say the least. And yet I found myself doing just that. Akira has been in New Japan for several years and it’s easy to forget that he’s only 26, but given how popular and successful he has been and how hard he has worked I would have expected him to have a run at the top by now. Both men have had good matches so far, and this was no different. Akira’s desperation to get some points on the board was the story of the match, as he tried a variety of heel tactics to get the win. Unlike a House of Torture-style match, the cheating was intermittent and surrounded by good action. A handful of tights on a very high-stacked schoolboy did get that first win for Akira, leaving both men on two points from three matches.
(6) DAISUKE SASAKI (4) vs. HYO (2) – B Block match
It might only have been my second Hyo match, but I am already an unabashed fan. The match gave me flashbacks to Taz facing Mike Awesome for the ECW title when neither man was employed by ECW, as Sasaki is contracted to DDT and Hyo is with Dragon Gate. When the match started a little awkwardly I was worried we might be in for a clash of incompatible styles, but they settled into a good rhythm once they kept the match in the ring and abandoned the chair shots and the spots with Hyo’s leopard. I think at this point I just have to say that Sasaki is really good when he wants to be. Hyo looked good again here and is someone I would be keeping an eye on if he decides to leave Dragon Gate. Sasaki kept up his perfect start, countering a second-rope flying nothing into a crossface, then transitioning into a modified Rings of Saturn to get the tapoiut. A very good match but it fell short of a must-watch for me.
(7) ROBBIE X (2) vs. MASTER WATO (2) – A Block match
Neither man would have been on many people’s betting slips coming into the tournament, and nothing we have seen so far has changed that. Wato is the wrestling equivalent of a side salad; nobody is going to a restaurant to order the side salad alone, but nobody is walking out because there was a side salad either. Robbie’s black eye was noticeably better for this match, and he was more willing to go for his normal acrobatics as a result. They put on a solid if unspectacular match, with Wato hitting a rare crisp Recientemente for the win. I can’t really fault the match except to say that neither man really seemed all that engaged in it, and I think the audience could tell.
(8) TAIJI ISHIMORI (2) vs. YOH (2)
These two are old rivals, with an all-time record of 2-2 against each other. Both have made the BOSJ finals and come up short, and both were sitting on two points. I was happy to see Ishimori selling the effects of his match with Desperado, selling the knee after hitting a shoulderbreaker. That sort of story thread that weaves through a tournament is one of my favourite things about the way New Japan structures these annual events. Ishimori spent the majority of the match attacking Yoh’s shoulder and trying to apply the Bone Lock, while Yoh fought from underneath and went after Ishimori’s knee. You would expect these two experienced campaigners to put on a quality match and they did exactly that, with Yoh pulling off the comeback win after a Direct Drive. So far this is the only match from the night that I would recommend watching, but even that is not a strong recommendation.
(9) JUN KASAI (0) vs. KOSEI FUJITA (4) – A Block match
Well, this match was not on my 2026 bingo card. Fujita started to make his entrance, turned around, and came back out with two chairs. He slid one to Kasai as the poor referee told them they absolutely could not do this thing. Together they shoved him down and had a chair duel, ultimately won by Kasai. With the help of a hidden foreign object Kasai cut open Fujita’s forehead, and that set the tone for the match. The item would later be revealed to be a fork, which Kasai would use again with the referee ostensibly out of it…despite being two feet away and holding his knee. Knees of course are famously integral to good eyesight. Kasai splashed Fujita through a table on the outside and then unrolled three syringes…which he proceeded to stick into his own forehead. Exactly what my highly needlephobic eyes needed to see. He wrestled the next couple of minutes with one syringe still sticking out of his head, and I had to look away to avoid a full panic attack. From what I can tell from the commentary, Kasai broke Fujita’s perfect record with a tight inside cradle. I really hope we never see that spot again. Death matches are very much not my thing, but needles are literally a trigger for me. I can’t in good conscience tell you to watch the match, but if you enjoy that style then by all means give it a watch.
(10) ROBBIE EAGLES (0) vs. EL DESPERADO (2) – B Block Match
The junior heavyweight division has seen a lot of upheaval in the last year or so, but these two have been mainstays. Eagles has largely focused on the tag division of course, but he’s one of those guys who can be microwaved into a title feud as and when needed. The match definitely had the hallmarks of two guys who know each other well, and it delivered in spades. Both men tend to focus on the leg, which can be awkward if both men are selling properly, but it played out well here. Hopefully the damage they each sustained will be evident on Night Four as well. Despite both men favouring submissions, Eagles got the win with a shining wizard to get his first points of the tournament. Easily the match of the night, and one you should probably check out.
Final thoughts: After two very strong nights to start the tournament, this felt flat. Only the main event really stood out, and even then it would barely be in the top five matches so far. With most people having had a third of their matches, the blocks look like this:
A Block
6 points: Titan, Taguchi
4 points: Fujita
2 points: Wato, Valiente, Robbie X, Akira, Wayne, Kasai
0 points: Nagai
The big caveat here of course is the status of Valiente moving forward. As he has only had two matches they might replace him if he is unable to continue, but as the most likely replacement is Tiger Mask I have my doubts. Hopefully he just tweaked it and will be good to go for Night Four. Taguchi at the top is obviously a surprise, but I get the feeling it also was not intended and that Valiente was meant to win their match. The other surprise in the group is Akira, though I expect a winning streak from him now. Kasai beating Fujita was a mild upset, but makes sense when you look at the larger picture of needing to create some drama for the later rounds.
B Block
6 points: Sho, Sasaki
4 points: Yoh
2 points: Desperado, Kushida, Ishimori, Eagles, Kanemaru, Hyo
0 points: Young
Sho was always likely to be at or near the top of the block, because we always have to have House of Torture in contention. Sasaki is a surprise, but otherwise the standings here are pretty much what you might expect. Some of the results are not, however. Desperado losing to Sasaki was a big shocker, and I was personally surprised that Young failed to beat Kanemaru.
It’s still early of course, and we will do our best to keep you updated as the tournament continues.
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