If you thought your spring travel plans were ambitious, try flying halfway across the world to get kicked in the face 12 times a night for three weeks. That’s exactly what Nick Wayne and Kevin Knight—two of AEW’s brightest, bounciest, and soon-to-be-jet-lagged junior heavyweights—are about to do as they officially enter NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 32.
✈️ Nick Wayne: First-Class Ticket to a First-Time Beatdown
At just old enough to legally rent a car in Japan (maybe), Nick Wayne will be entering his first Best of the Super Juniors. His only prior NJPW moment came at the 2023 All Star Junior Festival in Philadelphia—where he and Jordan Oliver lost a match and possibly some dental stability to El Desperado and MAO.
Now, Wayne gets to do it in Japan, in a tournament that’s less “spring vacation” and more “survival of the flippiest.”
🚀 Kevin Knight: Back Like He Never Left, Because Honestly, He Barely Did
Then there’s Kevin “The Jet” Knight, who went from NJPW prodigy to AEW signee in record time, only to turn around and go right back to NJPW for the Super Juniors. This man’s passport has more stamps than a disgruntled DMV desk.
Knight’s already made two appearances in BOSJ—scoring 6 and then 8 points respectively. And just to flex, he beat El Desperado, the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champ, in last year’s block stage. That’s the wrestling equivalent of doing the extra credit and correcting the teacher’s answer key.
🏆 Best of the Super Juniors 32: Same Chaos, New Kids
The tournament runs from May 10 to June 1, spanning a full anime arc. The winner gets a title shot at Dominion 6.15 in Osaka—where the prize is both the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the right to be thrown into a table by El Desperado in 4K.
Will AEW’s young guns survive the gauntlet of dragon screws, lightning-fast lariats, and questionable ramen choices? Tune in to find out.