Tag: new japan news

Two more names advance to New Japan Cup 2026 quarterfinals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New Japan Cup 2026 continued to progress through the second round with two more tournament matches taking place on Thursday.

With respective victories over HENARE and Satoshi Kojima, Oleg Boltin and Ren Narita secured their spots in the quarterfinals. They will face off against each other next with Boltin vs. Narita taking place on March 15.

Boltin and Narita have now each picked up two victories in the tournament. Boltin has defeated El Phantasmo and HENARE, while Narita defeated Taichi in the first round before this win over Kojima. The 55-year-old Kojima initially wasn’t part of the New Japan Cup field but replaced the injured Tomohiro Ishii at the last minute and had a first-round bye.

There are still a few more second-round matchups left before the quarterfinals begin. Those will go down this Friday and Saturday before the quarterfinals kick off on Sunday with Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi and Boltin vs. Narita.

An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake with the New Japan Cup winner earning the right to challenge Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis on April 4.

Here is the updated tournament schedule:

Second round —

Friday, March 13:

  • Callum Newman vs. Hartley Jackson
  • Jake Lee vs. Hirooki Goto

Saturday, March 14:

  • Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ryohei Oiwa

Quarterfinals —

Sunday, March 15:

  • Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Oleg Boltin vs. Ren Narita

Tuesday, March 17:

  • TBD
  • TBD

Semifinals —

Friday, March 20:

  • TBD
  • TBD

Finals —

Saturday, March 21:

  • TBD

Konosuke Takeshita’s NJPW return date announced

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Konosuke Takeshita’s next NJPW appearance will be taking place later this month.

At New Beginning USA, Takeshita defeated El Phantasmo to become the new NJPW World Television Champion. The match initially went to a 15-minute time limit draw before ELP challenged Takeshita to go into overtime. A new champion was crowned, and now Takeshita is set to appear at the New Japan Cup finals on March 21. His match for the show has not been announced.

“March 21 will see Takeshita bring the title belt to Japan for the first time, as he will be in action at the New Japan Cup final!,” NJPW wrote. “What does Takeshita have planned for his first Japanese appearance in NJPW since New Year Dash?”

The New Japan Cup finals are being held in Niigata and will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available. The show will help set the stage for Sakura Genesis on April 4.

Fourteen wrestlers are still alive in New Japan Cup 2026 as the tournament continues deeper into the second round. The winner faces Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Sakura Genesis.

Takeshita is under contract with all three of AEW, NJPW, and DDT Pro Wrestling. This Sunday (March 15), he is challenging Jon Moxley for the Continental Championship at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view.

Title change takes place at NJPW Anniversary show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A title change took place on Friday as New Japan Pro Wrestling celebrated its 54th Anniversary.

The Anniversary event in Tokyo saw Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X defeat Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. At the conclusion of the 15-minute match, Robbie X pinned Fujita to win the belts.

Ishimori and Robbie X are members of the newly formed Unbound Company faction in NJPW. This is the first title Robbie X has held in the promotion, while Ishimori is a multi-time Junior Heavyweight champion as both a singles and tag team wrestler.

It didn’t take long for Ishimori & Robbie X’s first challengers to emerge. Immediately after their title win, they were attacked by Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young, furthering the feud between Unbound Company and United Empire.

A second title match headlined the Anniversary show card with DOUKI defeating Master Wato to remain IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. Here are the quick results from the event:

NJPW 54th Anniversary show —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defeated Master Wato to retain
  • Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X defeated Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
  • New Japan Cup first-round match: Callum Newman defeated OSKAR
  • New Japan Cup first-round match: Jake Lee defeated YOSHI-HASHI
  • Ren Narita, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo defeated Satoshi Kojima, Shota Umino, Aaron Wolf, Tatsumi Fujinami & LEONA
  • Yota Tsuji & Shingo Takagi defeated Don Fale & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa defeated Yuto-Ice & Gedo
  • HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young defeated Oleg Boltin, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano & Tatsuya Matsumoto
  • Drilla Moloney & Daiki Nagai defeated Yuya Uemura & Masatora Yasuda

NJPW star says new multi-year contract is ‘signed and sealed’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW star Callum Newman looks to have recently signed a new multi-year contract with the company.

In a backstage promo over the weekend, Newman — who is currently feuding with David Finlay — bragged about being the only foreigner who is under a multi-year deal with NJPW. He also sent out a tweet stating that the contract is “signed and sealed.”

“It’s all jealousy, that’s all it is. Everything’s based on jealousy in this f***ing company,” Newman said in his promo directed at Finlay. “I’m the only foreigner, as far as I’m aware, in this company who’s got a multi-year deal to one of the biggest f***ing companies in the world. And I’m only 23. Do you know what that means? I’m one of the f***ing best in the world. I’m better than Jay [White]. I’m better than Kenny [Omega]. I’m better than [Will] Ospreay.”

Newman is the leader of United Empire, an NJPW faction that Ospreay once led. Ospreay made a surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash earlier this month and offered to help Newman and United Empire get through the rough patch they’re going through. Newman didn’t seem too interested in his former mentor’s offer. He went to hit Ospreay with a steel chair before the rest of United Empire stopped him.

Ospreay and Newman are both from the United Kingdom, with Ospreay helping to bring Newman into NJPW in 2023. Ospreay is now contracted to AEW but has said he would like to occasionally compete for NJPW as well once he’s able to return from neck surgery.

As far as his feud with Finlay, Newman challenged Finlay to name a time and place for them to face each other.

NJPW Young Lion Cup tournament returning

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Six up-and-coming NJPW wrestlers are set to battle it out for Young Lion supremacy.

NJPW has announced that the Young Lion Cup — which was last held in 2019 — is returning on the upcoming Road to The New Beginning tour. It’s a single-elimination tournament that will be held over three shows. The winner earns bragging rights as the top Young Lion in NJPW.

Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato, Daiki Nagai, Zane Jay, Masatora Yasuda, and Tatsuya Matsumoto are the six participants in the tournament. Due to being the most senior of the Young Lions, Murashima and Kato have received first-round byes.

Here is the full schedule:

NJPW Young Lion Cup 2026 —

Monday, January 19:

  • First-round match: Daiki Nagai vs. Zane Jay
  • First-round match: Masatora Yasuda vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto

Tuesday, January 20:

  • Semifinals: Katsuya Murashima vs. either Daiki Nagai or Zane Jay
  • Semifinals: Shoma Kato vs. either Masatora Yasuda or Tatsuya Matsumoto

Sunday: February 1:

  • Finals: TBD vs. TBD

All three of these Road to The New Beginning events are being held in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.

Karl Fredericks, who went on to compete for WWE NXT as Eddy Thorpe, was the winner of the 2019 Young Lion Cup. Other participants included Yota Tsuji, Shota Umino, and Ren Narita.

NJPW rookie Aaron Wolf pays homage to Kurt Angle with move name

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW newcomer Aaron Wolf is paying homage to fellow Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle with one of his wrestling moves.

Wolf, a decorated judo champion, made his pro wrestling debut at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and used a triangle choke to defeat EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Wolf also performed an Olympic Slam during the match — and the move is set to be a regular part of Wolf’s arsenal. He is asking for the move to be called the Angle Slam as a nod to Kurt Angle and the Olympic heritage they share.

“Aaron Wolf wants his Olympic Slam referred to as the Angle Slam, in reverence to fellow Olympic gold medalist and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle,” NJPW English-language commentator Walker Stewart tweeted. “That’s badass!”

The move has been called both the Olympic Slam and Angle Slam in the past.

Along with his Olympic and WWE success, Angle did work some NJPW matches in the late 2000s and held a version of the IWGP Championship, though his reign is not officially recognized by NJPW. The 57-year-old Angle is currently a broadcaster and partner in Real American Freestyle.

NJPW is hoping that Wolf will become a significant star as the company enters a new era following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi. At New Year Dash, Wolf teamed with Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato in a victory over EVIL, Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo.

Wolf’s first NEVER title defense will take place at the New Beginning in Osaka on February 11 with him putting the championship on the line against Narita.

New faction introduced at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Double champion Yota Tsuji has introduced a new faction into the NJPW ranks.

At New Year Dash 2026 on Monday, Tsuji announced the formation of a new faction named “Unbound Company.” It will see former Los Ingobernables de Japon members Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi officially align with the Bullet Club War Dogs after the two sides had already been working together.

“There’s something I need to say here today. Until now, Bullet Club War Dogs and the Independents have been working together. But that ends today,” Tsuji announced. “From now on, we will fight as one unit. Our name is Unbound Co. An organization that is not bound by anyone.”

Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita at Wrestle Kingdom 20 to retain the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship and win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He is now locked into a feud against United Empire, with Tsuji, Takagi, David Finlay & Drilla Moloney losing to Jake Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE in an eight-man tag match at New Year Dash.

Jake Lee was added to United Empire at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and attacked Tsuji, likely putting himself in IWGP World Heavyweight Championship contention. It was revealed at New Year Dash that Gabe Kidd and Andrade El Idolo will soon face off to determine a challenger for Tsuji’s Global Heavyweight title.

At New Year Dash, Tsuji brought back the fan-favorite classic design of the IWGP Championship that had been retired in 2021.

Title change takes place at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A title change took place on Monday to help kick off a new era for NJPW.

Following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20, NJPW was immediately back in action with New Year Dash 2026 being held at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo. The card saw new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions crowned with the Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) prevailing in a four-way match.

Eagles & Fujita defeated DOUKI & SHO, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X, and El Desperado & Kuukai to win the belts. House of Torture tried to interfere to help DOUKI & SHO keep their titles, but Eagles & Fujita were able to dispatch of Yoshibonu Kanemaru and pin Robbie X to become champions.

This marks the second time that Eagles & Fujita have been IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions together. Their first reign lasted for nearly four months from January-April 2025.

Eagles & Fujita are members of the NJPW faction TMDK. Their stablemates Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa had the chance to bring more gold to TMDK at New Year Dash but fell short in their attempt to win the IWGP Tag Team titles. In the main event of NJPW’s first show of the post-Tanahashi era, the Knock Out Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) defeated Sabre & Oiwa to remain the champions of the heavyweight tag team division.

Hiroshi Tanahashi doesn’t want to ‘look older or slower’ in NJPW retirement match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In his retirement match, Hiroshi Tanahashi is hoping to turn back the clock and deliver one last great performance.

NJPW held a public training session with Tanahashi and Aaron Wolf this week to promote their respective matches at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Tanahashi is ending his legendary career by facing Kazuchika Okada at the show, while Wolf will start his own pro wrestling journey by challenging EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Tanahashi was asked what he wants fans to see in his last match.

“I don’t want them to justify my retirement. I don’t want them to see me look older or slower, but to see a Tanahashi who can still go, and that everybody else is chasing right to the end,” he said.

The Tanahashi vs. Okada match is a renewal of one of pro wrestling’s greatest rivalries. Their matches were crucial to the new golden era that NJPW experienced, and Okada — now signed to AEW — is returning home for Wrestle Kingdom to help Tanahashi end his career in style.

Tanahashi is the real-life president of NJPW and will remain in that role after his in-ring retirement. Wolf, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, is a prospect that the company has high hopes for.

“Some wrestlers retire more than once (laughs). But there’s only one debut,” Tanahashi responded when asked if he has advice for Wolf’s first match. “It’s an important point. I want him to put in the absolute best he has.”

Tanahashi vs. Okada will be the main event of the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show. EVIL vs. Wolf is going on third-to-last.

Before Wrestle Kingdom, Tanahashi has matches coming up against Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado, and Kosei Fujita.

Kazuchika Okada: ‘Everything about the Rainmaker’ started with Hiroshi Tanahashi

Posted on by Joseph Currier

By serving as Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final opponent, Kazuchika Okada feels like he’s repaying his former NJPW rival for all the ways Tanahashi helped him over the years.

Tanahashi will close out his legendary in-ring career on January 4 when he faces off against Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20. Okada — who is now contracted to AEW — is returning home to Japan for this special moment at the Tokyo Dome.

In an interview posted to NJPW’s English-language website, Okada said it hasn’t fully set in for him that Tanahashi is retiring, but he’s happy that he gets to play a role in the end of Tanahashi’s career.

“It doesn’t quite feel like he’s retiring. I think I won’t know for sure until the day itself,” Okada said. “If I was in NJPW all this time, perhaps I might get a sense that retirement was looming, but I’ve been over in America; I never really gave it thought. I think it’ll be at the end of the year, when I’m finished with the AEW schedule, and next is the Tokyo Dome, that’s when I’ll be able to give it more thought.

“But everything about the Rainmaker started with Tanahashi, so it makes sense to end Tanahashi’s career.. Talking about it that way sounds a little self centered [laughs] but in the end, I feel this is a repayment in a way.”

Okada vs. Tanahashi is one of the most legendary wrestling rivalries of the past few decades. When Okada first won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2012, Tanahashi was the person he won the title from.

“If it wasn’t for that first Osaka match, or if it wasn’t Tanahashi in that match then the Rainmaker wouldn’t have become what the Rainmaker was,” Okada told NJPW. “Everybody would always say those matches were great. I do think in the end if you talk about the Rainmaker without mentioning Tanahashi, there would be a big hole there. He’s essential to everything about what the Rainmaker has been.”

Okada said Tanahashi has been a lot of things to him in life: a rival, a friend, and a mentor. Even after he retires from the ring, Tanahashi will remain a key figure in NJPW behind the scenes as the president of the company.

In AEW, Okada — the current Unified Champion — is competing in the Gold League of the Continental Classic tournament. He’s 1-1 so far with a win over PAC and a loss to Kyle Fletcher.