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Hello r/NJPW
Welcome to my coverage of Super Junior Tag League 2026. As we approach Power Struggle, New Japan's yearly Junior Heavyweight Tag Team showcase has kicked off. Two blocks of six teams are competing to prove their skills. Only one team can emerge victorious from each block, and only one team can claim the Super Junior Tag League trophy for 2026.
The field is quite curious this year. A lot of wrestlers are not teaming withe their typical tag partners, though a few experienced teams are participating. Will the shake-up prove fruitful, or will the experimentation blow up in their face? We'll have to find out.
In this post, I'll be covering everyone's chances at making the finals: who has the best chance, who is out of the running, what does each team have going for themselves, etc. Percent odds are based purely on the number of combinations that each team has to make the finals. For this post, draw results are taken into account, though they are weighted for lower than outcomes that rely on no draws.
This year, I'm starting my coverage with two days left for both blocks. As with the past few years, there are only 6 teams per block, so we're going through things quite quickly. In this post, I'll be covering both blocks. All the tournament days so far have featured both blocks, and the blocks are small enough that I can cover both in one go.
As usual, you may also view my Super Jr. Tag League 2026 results summary page here. I've been manually updating the file while the tournament is ongoing. It contains the schedule of the matches (whenever possible), results, and a summary of the top 20 best matches of the tournament (based on CageMatch Ratings).
With the preamble done, let's dive into A Block!
A Block
| Team |
Faction |
Score |
Record |
Status |
| Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X |
Unbound Co. |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Timesplitters V2 (Kushida & Nick Wayne) |
Hontai / AEW |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Douki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru |
House of Torture |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Master Wato & Kuukai |
Hontai / Freelancer |
2 |
1-2 |
In |
| Sumi 55 (Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuma Sumi) |
Hontai / DDT |
2 |
1-2 |
In |
| Mistico & Masatora Yasuda |
Hontai / CMLL |
2 |
1-2 |
In |
There's a stark divide in A Block. Half the teams are on 4, and the other half are on 2. However, with only 2 points separating the block and 2shows still to go, it's still anyone's game. Let's see everyone's chances, starting at the top ...
#1: Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 37.3% to go to the finals
- 30.7% as sole #1
- 6.5% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: Douki & Kanemaru [4], Sumi 55 [2]
- Worst loss: Mistico & Yasuda [2]
- Open matches: Timesplitters V2 [4], Wato & Kuukai [2]
One half of last year's SJTL finals are in an excellent position to repeat their performance, and possibly even surpass it, as Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X are looking to win the tournament for the first time in either man's careers.
A Block's Unbound Co. team are unique in A Block, in that they are the only team without a loss to a current 4-pointer. As such, they are the only team in the block who can claim a finals spot using only their own remaining matches. Two wins will seal the deal for them.
That being said, they're gonna want two wins anyway, given how the blocks are laid out. With a 6 man block and NJPW's standard tournament rules, 8 is the most common winning score anyway. Since everyone has at least one loss, getting 10 points is impossible, and assuming we get only win/loss results, the only other possible qualifying score is 6. 8 is a much more comfortable score to qualify with than 6, because qualifying at 6 is a nightmare. At worst, they risk getting overtaken by one of the other 4-point teams, and at best, qualifying at 6 means having to win a score tie with at least two other teams (again, assuming only win/loss results in the block phase). At 6 points, a score that EVERYONE in A Block can currently achieve, it's a toss-up as to which team takes the one finals spot for an A Block.
So who do Ishimori & X have to beat to secure those last 2 wins? First will be the new pairing of Master Wato & Kuukai. A seemingly easy win on paper, but losing here would allow Wato & Kuukai to overtake the Unbound duo. Their final match will be against Timesplitters V2, a team that is very likely to still be in contention on the final day, and a match-up that may very well decide who goes to the finals.
#2: Timesplitters V2 (Kushida & Nick Wayne)
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 33.4% to go to the finals
- 25.6% as sole #1
- 7.8% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: Wato & Kuukai [2], Mistico & Yasuda [2]
- Worst loss: Douki & Kanemaru [4]
- Open matches: Ishimori & X [4], Sumi 55 [2]
Kushida has revived the wildly successful Timesplitters team, this time with a new partner in Nick Wayne (did you hear he beat Chris Jericho twice?). This new iteration is proving to be fairly successful in its own right, as they are the #2 team in the A Block of this year's SJTL.
A lot of what I said about Ishimori & X applies to Timesplitters here with one caveat, because Timesplitters V2 do have a loss to another 4-point team: House of Torture's Douki & Kanemaru. This loss means that even if Kushida & Wayne make 8, they're still at risk of getting overtaken by Douki & Kanemaru if their team also makes 8 points. As such, it's not enough for them to win both of their matches. They also need the House of Torture team to lose at least one more match to ensure a playoffs spot.
Otherwise, everything else is the same. 8 is still a better score to qualify on than 6. They also have a 2 point team to face (Sumi 55) before their final block match against Ishimori & X.
#3: Douki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 26.9% to go to the finals
- 22.8% as sole #1
- 4.1% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: Timesplitters V2 [4], Sumi 55 [2]
- Worst loss: Ishimori & X [4]
- Open matches: Wato & Kuukai [2], Mistico & Yasuda [2]
The last 4-point team in A Block is the House of Torture team of Douki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Douki won last year's SJTL, though with a different partner in Sho. If he does manage to win the tournament with a different House of Torture partner, maybe it'll lend more credence to his claim of being God of the Junior Heavyweights
Before that, though, he'll have to actually win the tournament. Like Timesplitters, they have a loss to a current 4-point team (Ishimori & X), so that's the team they have to worry about even on 8 points. However, like Ishimori & X, they have a win over a current 4-point team (Timesplitters V2). Thus, they've settled all their match-ups with current 4-pointers, so all the teams they have left to fight are two-point teams, making their road to the finals easier than that of the other two 4-point teams (at least, theoretically). It'll be Mistico & Yasuda next, followed by Wato & Kuukai.
#4: Master Wato & Kuukai
- Score: 2 points; 1 win, 2 losses
- 11.4% to go to the finals
- 7.1% as sole #1
- 4.2% in a tie for #1
- Best win: Mistico & Yasuda [2]
- Worst losses: Timesplitters V2 [4], Sumi 55 [2]
- Open matches: Ishimori & X [4], Douki & Kanemaru [4]
The bottom half of A Block hosts our 2-pointers, at the top of which stands Master Wato & Kuukai. Like quite a few teams in this tournament, they have little to no experience teaming with each other, and it has resulted in them getting a losing record in this year's tournament.
With only 2 points at this stage, the best score Wato & Kuukai can get is 6 points, and, as I mentioned above, 6 points is a rough score to make the playoffs. It entails getting favorable tie-breaking match-ups at a score that needs a lot of strong teams to lose. However, it's the only thing they can rely on, as anything less than perfection from here on means elimination.
Fortunately for Wato & Kuukai, they have the right set of opponents to help them get those match-ups, as their final two opponents are two of the three current 4-point teams: Ishimori & X and Douki & Kanemaru. Beating both teams ensures neither can score more than 6 points, and gives them more teams to help them break ties. Having two current 4-point teams does give them the hardest final stretch in A Block, it also gives them a ray of hope in an otherwise dim standpoint.
Beyond that, they just have to hope that Douki & Kanemaru lose, ideally twice, and that Sumi 55 don't hit 6 and mess up their ties.
#5: Sumi 55 (Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuma Sumi)
- Score: 2 points; 1 win, 2 losses
- 4.5% to go to the finals
- 1.7% as sole #1
- 2.8% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: Wato & Kuukai [2]
- Worst loss: Ishimori & X [4], Douki & Kanemaru [4]
- Open matches: Timesplitters V2 [4], Mistico & Yasuda [2]
Another makeshift team sees relatively low success in A Block, as DDT Universal Champion Ryusuke Taguchi and former DDT Universal Champion Kazuma Sumi find themselves with only two points so far.
Two losses to current 4-point teams certainly hurt Sumi 55's chances to make the playoffs. Those two are likely to either mess up the team's tie-break hopes or just outscore them outright. It's a rough spot, and Taguchi & Sumi are really just hoping that the two strong teams lose twice.
Their biggest source of hope is their next match against Timesplitters V2. That'll give the duo a much needed valuable win. Apart from that and beating Mistico & Kuukai on the last day, Sumi 55 is gonna need a lot of luck if they hope to replicate the success of the team to whom their name is paying homage.
#6: Mistico & Masatora Yasuda
- Score: 2 points; 1 win, 2 losses
- 4.1% to go to the finals
- 2.7% as sole #1
- 1.4% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: Ishimori & X [4]
- Worst loss: Timesplitters V2 [4], Wato & Kuukai [2]
- Open matches: Douki & Kanemaru [4], Sumi 55 [2]
Last in A Block is one half of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Mistico, and his impromptu tag team partner Young Lion Masatora Yasuda.
It's rough enough to have to change your tag team partner with little notice, but having to do so with your current championship partner (get well soon Despe) to such an inexperienced partner in a Young Lion is truly an unenviable position. Still, The two have managed to not get completely shut out, even cobbling together a win against the current block leaders. Still they'll need more than that if they wanna salvage a block win.
The next challenge will be Douki & Kanemaru, and Mistico should be more than familiar with House of Torture shenanigans by now, especially after his last title defense. Surviving that, they'll need to beat Sumi 55 to have a shot at the finals.
That does it for A Block. Now, onto B Block.
B Block
| Team |
Faction |
Score |
Record |
Status |
| Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) |
TMDK |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Yoh & Hyo |
Hontai / Dragongate |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson) |
AEW |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young |
United Empire |
4 |
2-1 |
In |
| Sho & Dick Togo |
House of Torture |
2 |
1-2 |
In |
| Titan & Daiki Nagai |
Unbound Co. |
0 |
0-3 |
Out |
Things are a bit tighter in B Block compared to A Block. There are more teams with 4 points, and a team has already been eliminated from contention. It's a smaller field, but a closer race should make it a bit more intense in the final stretch.
#1: Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita)
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 31.6% to go to the finals
- 24.9% as sole #1
- 6.7% in a tie for #1
- Best win: The Swirl [4]
- Worst loss: Sho & Togo [2]
- Open matches: Yoh & Hyo [4], United Empire [4]
At the top of B Block are the former IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and former Super Junior Tag League winners Ichiban Sweet Boys. Hoping to reclaim the titles they lost earlier this year, and repeat their tournament success from two years ago, the reps from TMDK are well on their way to doing just that.
As I mentioned in the A Block section, 8 points is the ideal score to qualify on. That's especially true in B Block, where more teams currently sit on 4 points. An 8-point finish is even more likely than in A Block, so there's even more pressure to get that score.
Like Unbound Co. in A Block, Eagles & Fujita are in the great position of being able to make the finals simply by doing just that and making 8 points. Part of that is that their only loss is a team that's still below them in score, but it is also partly because their last two opponents are also currently on 4 points, ensuring that making 8 points will mean clearing out potential contenders. The only other team that can make 8 points with Ichiban Sweet Boys is The Swirl, and having beaten them, ISB will be well on their way to the playoffs.
#2: Yoh & Hyo
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 28.1% to go to the finals
- 24.7% as sole #1
- 3.5% in a tie for #1
- Best wins: United Empire [4], Sho & Togo [2]
- Worst loss: The Swirl [4]
- Open matches: Ichiban Sweet Boys [4], Titan & Nagai [0]
Not too far behind the block leaders are IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Yoh and his ... partner ... Dragongate's Hyo.
Yoh & Hyo are also in a great position. Their last win over United Empire is a valuable one with the current standings, and having an open match against the block leaders is a prospect that'll keep them alive in the tournament. However, their loss to The Swirl should keep them on their toes, as they are one bad night away from getting overtaken.
#3: The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson)
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 26.6% to go to the finals
- 21.7% as sole #1
- 4.9% in a tie for #1
- Best win: Yoh & Hyo [4]
- Worst loss: Ichiban Sweet Boys [4]
- Open matches: United Empire [4], Sho & Togo [2]
AEW's full guest team in this year's junior heavyweight tag tournament are doing pretty well for themselves. Of course, Blake Christian is no stranger to New Japan, having previously participated in the BOSJ, though Lee Jordan is brand new to the promotion. Despite that, they're seeing a bit of success, and have been able to show off what they can do.
The team is pretty much neck-and-neck with Yoh & Hyo, with The Swirl having beaten them already, but having a significant loss as well to Ichiban Sweet Boys. They have another big challenge in the future against United Empire, but first they'll have to survive the tricksy House of Torture duo Sho & Dick Togo.
#4: Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young
- Score: 4 points; 2 wins, 1 loss
- 26.0% to go to the finals
- 20.0% as sole #1
- 6.0% in a tie for #1
- Best win: Sho & Togo [2]
- Worst loss: Yoh & Hyo [4]
- Open matches: Ichiban Sweet Boys [4], The Swirl [4]
The final 4-point team in B Block is United Empire's rep, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young, who, despite their relative success, are going through a patch of rough water at the moment. Hopefully, they can keep things together long enough to win an SJTL Trophy.
Among all the 4-pointers, United Empire are in the roughest position. Their two wins come from the two teams without 4 points, they have a loss to Yoh & Hyo, and their remaining matches are the other two 4-pointers. Their score helps keep them afloat, but their results leave something to be desired.
Hopefully, they can close out their tournament on a higher note. Beating both Ichiban Sweet Boys and The Swirl would really prove their worthiness to be in the finals, but it won't be easy.
#5: Sho & Dick Togo
- Score: 2 points; 1 win, 2 losses
- 1.3% to go to the finals
- 0.08% as sole #1
- 1.2% in a tie for #1
- Best win: Ichiban Sweet Boys [4]
- Worst losses: Yoh & Hyo [4], United Empire [4]
- Open matches: The Swirl [4], Titan & Nagai [0]
The last team in contention in B Block are the House of Torture reps in B Block: Sho & Dick Togo.
That being said, to say they're still in contention is rather generous. The only way they make the top of the block with only win/loss results is in a 5-way tie with the other teams that currently have 4 points. It's not a very good spot, and their resulting chances of making the finals are very low.
The duo have been spending the whole tournament running the House of Torture playbook to it's limit, and it hasn't quite paid off for them. Still, maybe they can trip up another team like they did Ichiban Sweet Boys. Their next opponents will be The Swirl, another strong team still in contention. After that though, their last opponent will be Titan & Daiki Nagai, who are already out of contention.
#6: Titan & Daiki Nagai
- Out of Contention for the finals
Lastly, we have the other Unbound Co. team in this tournament, Titan and Daiki Nagai, who are unfortunately still winless. They have one more chance at a big win in their next match against the team of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Yoh and Hyo. Even if the tournament is a wash, it's a chance for Titan or even Nagai to get a pin over a huge name.
After that, it's Sho & Dick Togo, who will most likely be out by the final day.
What's Next?
This next A Block has an interesting set-up. All the 4-point teams are each facing a 2-point team, with Ishimori & X vs Wato & Kuukai, Timesplitters V2 vs Sumi 55, and Douki & Kanemaru vs Mistico & Despe. The 2-point teams are all on the bubble, so it's do or die for them. On the other hand, if any of the 4-pointers pull ahead of the others, they'll have a much better shot at making the playoffs.
Everyone is still in contention, but we're very likely to see some eliminations on this next show, and if we don't it'll result in everyone in A Block getting 4 points as we head into the final day of block phase action.
Meanwhile, the next B Block show is set to play out a bit differently. The main event will see two 4-point teams facing off in Ichiban Sweet Boys vs United Empire, so there is a guarantee that the ceiling will be lifted. Elsewhere, The Swirl will face Sho & Dick Togo, while Yoh & Hyo will face Titan & Daiki Nagai. With a guarantee of a higher block leader score, the pressure is on Yoh & Hyo and The Swirl to try and keep up. Can they do it, or will they find themselves getting spoiled?
That does it for me today. The next Super Junior Tag League show will be tomorrow, and will only feature A Block, so expect my next post to come after that. We'll only have one day remaining for the block, so I'll talk about all the different ways the block can turn out. After that, B Block's next show is on Friday, so the final summary should come then.
Until then, thanks for reading! See you next time.
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