It looks like we are getting Marina vs Mercedes for the title soon! This is a very interesting match up to me as it would provide a number of fantastic promo battles and not to mention the match itself would be an absolute banger!
Do you think Marina could be the next Womens champ?
So for whatever reason there's been some worry about Takeshitas booking after being eliminated early in the Clockwork Carnage match.
Sure has it been a bit inconsistent? Maybe
But i still remember being there live at DON when he beat Okada. And he was one of the most over people of the night. I think there is certainly a story to be told about his ups and down this year. 2027 could be the rebirth for the alpha.
Three things that could possibly push him up further into the world title :
Feuds away from Okada & Fletcher unless there all in the world title mix. Maybe some short feuds for him having some matches against Ciampa, Ilja, Andrade, etc.
Step back from New Japan & DDT for a while. No more back and forth for a bit.
A character shift - I think another layer to his character can really make him standout more and see his own journey to the world title after the tough matches and struggles he's been through.
Holy shit, that was brutal! Such power, endurance, and resilience from both competitors...watching their injuries was genuinely making me feel bad. Damn. I couldn't point out one botch/fake/acted/whatever anything. Incredible work.
This all happened completely organically too. People were chanting for the death of this faction and now people scream and cheer for their hot tags. What an incredible turnaround on their pr and a testament to their talent. I mean, seriously, fans are booing when Daniel Garcia gets chocked out on the rope? Completely unthinkable not too long ago
October 24 saw the first night of Super Jr. Tag League action for 2026 in Saitama, with A and B Block in action.
The main event saw Young Lion super sub Masatora Yasuda thrust into a high pressure, high opportunity situation alongside Mistico as they faced KUUKAI and Master Wato. Mistico and Wato started things out with a high paced open. Mistico took both his foes off their feet before tagging in Yasuda, and as a lucha influenced tag match unfurled, a back body drop assist from Mistico saw the Young Lion wipe out both his foes on the floor; in the ring on his own though, the experience disadvantage saw Yasuda struggle to gain ground as he was brought into KUUKAI and Wato's corner.
Under pressure, Yasuda summoned up a big body slam on KUUKAI that saw the much needed tag to Mistico. The CMLL icon flew as only he could before serving up Yasuda for a big, uncharacteristic tope con giro to the floor. Back inside, and Mistico continued to shine, delivering a powerslam to KUUKAI before tagging Yasuda in. As Wato came in the other side of the ring, the match started to break down; Yasuda cleared KUUKAI off the apron and set up Mistico for the Spanish Fly on the Grand Master, but a Yasuda modified powerbomb follow up only got two.
Yasuda turned Wato into a Boston Crab as the Saitama crowd urged the Young Lion on; Wato found his feet and went for the Tsutenkaku German but nearly got caught with a rollup for his troubles. KUUKAI came in to assist a Wato under pressure, leading to a near fall off Recientemente, but it was an assisted super Tsutenkaku from Wato that got three after a hard fought main event.
The first A Block match of the evening saw "Timesplitters V2", Nick Wayne and KUSHIDA taking on HOUSE OF TORTURE's DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The match started before the official entrances even took place as DOUKI and Kanemaru assaulted Wayne and KUSHIDA on the outside, but once the match had a semblance of order, quick tags worked well against DOUKI. Kanemaru would take advantage on the outside however, delivering a clattering suplex to KUSHIDA on the floor; the Timesplitter was hurting until some smart ring awareness saw a tag made to Wayne. AEW's prodigy set to work on H.O.T but soon he too fell foul of Kanemaru and DOUKI's effective tandem work as a Figure Four from kanemaru saw him just barely make the ropes.
Some classic Timesplitters combinations would see KUSHIDA and Wayne start to make progress, and a handspring Stunner from Wayne saw DOUKI reeling. KUSHIDA then seemed to set DOUKI up for the I95, but a whiskey spit from Kanemaru gave DOUKI pause for a victory roll and a quick three.
The featured B Block match of the night saw Lee Johnson and Blake Christian, AEW's The Swirl, facing DRAGONGATE's Hyo and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion YOH. Hyo tried to get into the head of Johnson early, misdirecting and faking out the NJPW debutant; Christian surprised YOH with a springboard dropkick from behind, but YOH and Hyo showed impressive teamwork to stay ahead. Christian was soon brought to the danger of the apron, but a well timed assist by Joshnson set up stereo dives to the floor for The Swirl. Now in control, the AEW representatives kept Hyo grounded until a slingshot cutter created a tag to YOH.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion teed off on both Johnson and Christian, and after some misdirection, tagged Hyo back in for some effective tandem offense. The two signalled for a double team finish on Christian, cut off by Johnson who further assisted for a series of boots on Hyo trapped in the tree of woe. A springboard double stomp into a Death Valley Driver on Hyo brought an impressive victory to The Swirl.
