NJPW Best of the Super Junior 33 Night 2 (May 16) Results & Review

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Best Of The Super Junior 33 – Night 2
May 16, 2026
Esforta Arena Hachioji
Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan

After a stellar night one, New Japan’s juniors managed to keep the positive momentum going in night two. It was another fun, breezy card with a couple of great matches to sweeten the deal.

Special mention must go to Chris Charlton. He has grown significantly as a commentator in recent years and his work here was great. He felt like a mature, reliable voice. I particularly enjoyed his little kayfabe twists. He pointed out that an eye injury may affect Robbie X’s equilibrium and balance, especially considering his fast paced style. He talked seriously about the “selection committee” and considered their reasoning for including Jun Kasai. It sounds silly, but it grounded what we were watching in a lovely reality. I’m hoping for more solo Charlton calls as the tournament progresses.

On to the action!

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block A Match
Valiente Jr. [2] def. Daiki Nagai [0]

This was a very speedy opener, clocking in under five minutes, but it was enjoyable. Nagai is showing great, youthful confidence. It’s the kind of confidence that is probably unearned, hoping his actions will live up to it. It’s very relatable and I’m all for it.

Valiente didn’t get much time to show us what he can do, but a great dive to the outside really jarred his back. Either he was really hurt or his selling was spectacular.

Nagai missed his top rope headbutt again. The roof will come off the building when he finally connects, and I can’t wait. **1/4

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block A Match
Ryusuke Taguchi [4] def. Master Wato [0]

This was another short, sharp outing. Taguchi seems to be wrestling a little more seriously in this tournament. Both of his matches have been built around him getting the ankle lock or scoring a quick pin. It’s a nice story that fits what our eyes are telling us. Taguchi is older and can’t move like he used to, so he’s using his veteran instincts and going for the quick wins.

Of course, it could all fall apart if he starts being his usually silly self. Until then, I’m enjoying his work. **

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block B Match
YOH [2] def. Jakob Austin Young [0]

I promise this isn’t a call for help – I thought YOH was pretty good here. He spent the vast majority of this match wrestling, and the work was solid. That’s not high praise, especially considering the match was incredibly short, but I must give credit where it is due.

Young is never going to be troubling the top stars, but he was also good here. He was very sudden, arriving with big dropkicks and slams into the corner from seemingly nowhere.

The match was structured simply, which helped. It was a Gentleman’s Three, and might end up being YOH’s best match of the year.

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block A Match
Robbie X [2] def. Francesco Akira [0]

It’s too early to call it, but Akira has already started making a case for being the wrestler of the tournament. He’s bringing an amazing intensity to his work and it’s elevated both of his matches. I just hope he’s getting his losses out of the way now so we can see him in the finals.

This launched into action, with Robbie being sent flying into the chairs. You’re never more than a few minutes away from a cool Robbie X spot though, and he made his comeback by running up the ring post and flipping over Akira.

Akira was a great heel. He was brutal, punching X in the throat and rubbing his knuckles into his injured eye. It was simple work elevated by Akira’s intensity.

In fact, everything they did had a little extra brutality sprinkled in. A back elbow was a whiplashing inducing thud, a backslide was leveraged with a handstand and pin escapes were desperate.

This was under ten minutes, and they squeezed a lot of match into the time they had. Great. ****

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block B Match
Daisuke Sasaki [4] def. KUSHIDA [2]

Sasaki removed his boots as KUSHIDA entered the ring, challenging him to a good old fashioned grapple like KUSHIDA versus Eagles. Of course, it was all a dastardly ruse, and Sasaki’s boots were launched at the honourable KUSHIDA.

Sasaki’s control period was less than impressive, but I found myself willing KUSHIDA on so it must have been effective.

They did some good mat based grappling in the mid-match, but it soon descended into a foot match. KUSHIDA stuffed his sock into Sasaki’s mouth and Sasaki bit KUSHIDA’s foot. I’m sure there’s an audience for that sort of thing, but it isn’t me. **3/4

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block A Match
Titan [4] def. Jun Kasai [0]

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Jun Kasai. I watch his bigger matches when they are recommended to me, but I can’t pretend I seek out much FREEDOMS.

He delivered a few deathmatch style spots here. He took skewers to the head and battled with a chair. His wild aura made it effective, and the match had an air of unpredictability that I enjoyed. It helps that he is a terrifying individual. His scars and intense eyes made me believe that anything could happen.

The work was good too, with lots of big bombs and kickouts. Titan fighting back with wide eyes and a ripped mask was a great sight.

I hope the HOT were watching this match. I’d respect them a lot more if they were willing to get skewered. ***1/4

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block B Match
SHO [4] def. Robbie Eagles [0]

SHO hid in the crowd, but Robbie Eagles walked right up to him, falling into his trap. It was so ridiculous, it practically exposed the business.

They ran around the ring. There were ref bumps. SHO used a wrench.

When they actually wrestled, it was good. SHO gave us a glimpse of the worker he used to be and it was functional. There was too much nonsense to save it though. *3/4

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block A Match
Kosei Fujita [4] def. Nick Wayne [2]

There was a lot to like about this match. It started off well, with both wrestlers being dumb jocks. It soon moved into an extended period of bullying from Fujita. It was great, especially when he wrenched a Boston crab.

There were a couple of very good sequences. A particularly good moment involved no-selling suplexes before collapsing to the mat. Unfortunately, this is the kind of match where I saw the moves but didn’t feel them.

There were too many plodding moments to push this beyond “very good.” Nick Wayne is continually eluded by any kind of subtlety, overselling at almost every opportunity. He needs to calm down a little, and let the audience feel what he is doing. ***

Best Of The Super Junior 33 Block B Match
El Desperado [2] def. Taiji Ishimori [2]

El Desperado went straight for the knee in preparation for the Numero Dos. Working a body part can be dull, but they absolutely pulled it off here. El Desperado exudes so much star power and the arrogance he brought to the beating made it something special.

Ishimori fought back, but sold the knee well. It was a constant bugbear for him throughout the match, but never descended into overselling. It was a consistent reminder that the Numero Dos was still on the cards, and it would be devastating.

They battered each other into exhaustion, and I felt it with them. Ishimori would grab submissions out of nowhere, bringing the energy sky high before collapsing with fatigue. The crowd was red hot and the wrestling was desperate. Excellent. ****

Final Thoughts

Both Best of the Super Junior shows have been very good, and I’m becoming more and more enthused about the tournament. We’ve got the smaller shows to come, of course, but they’re building plenty of momentum to keep us going.

We’re starting to see a few interesting threads start to appear. Will Akira’s anger continue to be his downfall? Will Taguchi sneak any more quick wins before his body gives up? Will Nagai ever land his headbutt?

I can’t wait to find out!