Tag: new year dash 2026

Will Ospreay gives injury update during surprise NJPW appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AEW star Will Ospreay gave an update on his injury status while making a surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash 2026.

The 32-year-old Ospreay has been sidelined since August 2025 due to a neck injury. He’s undergone surgery and is working toward a return. Though it will be a while before that can happen, Ospreay is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and is looking forward to returning to both AEW and NJPW when he can.

“I can’t come back right now. I still need to recover. It’s going to take me a long time, but I’m getting closer and closer. I’m getting better and better — and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said at New Year Dash. “When I’m good to go, I’m going to handle some business in AEW. I’m going to come back to New Japan Pro Wrestling.”

Ospreay was part of an angle with his former United Empire stablemates at the New Year Dash event. He offered to help support Callum Newman and help get United Empire on the right track. Newman didn’t seem to have much interest in Ospreay’s offer. He initially hugged Ospreay but then went to hit him with a chair before the rest of United Empire intervened.

Speaking backstage after the angle, Ospreay called AEW his home base but said he would like to occasionally wrestle for NJPW as well.

“That’s my main stage, where I fight every week,” Ospreay said about AEW. “But I want to come back. Whether it’s two shows a year, three, or five. I’m determined to make it happen.”

Along with this New Year Dash appearance, Ospreay was in Japan for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony at Wrestle Kingdom 20.

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.

Top NJPW tag team addresses contract rumors

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The Knock Out Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) are still the IWGP Tag Team Champions — and they have no plans on leaving NJPW.

In the main event of New Year Dash 2026, OSKAR & Yuto-Ice retained their IWGP Tag Team titles over Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa. There had been rumors going into the show that WWE is interested in signing the Knock Out Brothers. Without directly mentioning WWE by name, the champs addressed those rumors after their victory.

“Whatever rumors you might hear, we are never going anywhere,” Yuto-Ice said in his backstage comments.

The Knock Out Brothers — who have held the IWGP Tag Team belts since September — were one of pro wrestling’s standout duos of 2025, winning Best Tag Team in the Tokyo Sports awards. They retained by pinning Oiwa at New Year Dash.

Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura and Tomohiro Ishii & Taichi each made their way out to challenge the Knockout Brothers at the end of New Year Dash. The champions suggested that Umino & Uemura face off with Ishii & Taichi to decide which team gets the next shot at their titles. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice already own victories over both of those teams, including defeating Ishii & Taichi to begin their title reign.

NJPW reveals talent list for New Year Dash 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While most of the matches will remain a mystery, NJPW has revealed the list of talent set for action at New Year Dash 2026.

The annual post-Wrestle Kingdom event is being held at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo on January 5. It’s already been announced that an IWGP Tag Team Championship match will headline the Dash lineup with Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa challenging OSKAR & Yuto-Ice. The rest of the card will be determined by the results of Wrestle Kingdom, but NJPW has confirmed that the following talent are scheduled to compete:

  • Aaron Wolf
  • Oleg Boltin
  • Shota Umino
  • Yuya Uemura
  • Hirooki Goto
  • YOSHI-HASHI
  • Toru Yano
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • Taichi
  • Satoshi Kojima
  • El Desperado
  • YOH
  • Master Wato
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Ryohei Oiwa
  • Kosei Fujita
  • David Finlay
  • Gabe Kidd
  • Drilla Moloney
  • OSKAR
  • Yuto-Ice
  • Clark Connors
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Yota Tsuji
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Callum Newman
  • Great-O-Khan
  • Andrade El Idolo
  • HENARE
  • EVIL
  • Ren Narita
  • SANADA
  • Yujiro Takahashi
  • DOUKI
  • SHO
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Konosuke Takeshita

This will be the first NJPW show to take place following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who is facing off against Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom.

Either Takeshita or Tsuji will be entering New Year Dash as a double champion. They’re set to clash at Wrestle Kingdom with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship both on the line.

Wolf, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, could also be a champion by the time New Year Dash begins. He is making his pro wrestling debut at Wrestle Kingdom, challenging EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Andrade, now free to wrestle elsewhere following a holdup with his WWE non-compete clause, has been announced for Wrestle Kingdom and New Year Dash. Both shows will air live on NJPW World.

Title match to headline NJPW New Year Dash 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Gold will be on the line at NJPW New Year Dash 2026 when Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa get their shot at the IWGP Tag Team titles.

The main event of the January 5 show will see Sabre & Oiwa challenge OSKAR & Yuto-Ice for the belts. It’s a title shot that Sabre & Oiwa earned through winning NJPW’s World Tag League tournament. Though the winners traditionally get their title shot at Wrestle Kingdom, that won’t be the case this time.

NJPW explained Sabre & Oiwa waiting to get their title shot by highlighting how important of a position the New Year Dash main event is this time around. It’s a chance to help kickstart a new era for NJPW following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi.

“Of course, I want to be in the Tokyo Dome match too,” Oiwa said in an interview. “But the main event of the next show after Mr. Tanahashi leaves is the one that will most impact New Japan’s future. I feel a sense of mission because I think it’s an absolutely crucial event we cannot fail.”

Tanahashi’s last match will headline the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome. He’s facing off against longtime Kazuchika Okada at the event.

Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo will then host New Year Dash. The show — which is traditionally a mystery card with little announced in advance — will air live on NJPW World.

During World Tag League, Sabre & Oiwa lost to OSKAR & Yuto-Ice in block action. But both teams were able to make it to the semifinals out of B Block. Sabre & Oiwa went on to win the tournament, while OSKAR & Yuto-Ice fell to Yota Tsuji & Gabe Kidd.