Tag: NJPW news

New Japan Cup 2026 finals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Either Callum Newman or Yuya Uemura will be crowned the winner of New Japan Cup 2026.

The New Japan Cup finals are now set with Newman vs. Uemura scheduled to take place this Saturday (March 21). They each booked their place in the match with semifinal victories today. In the main event, Newman defeated Shota Umino to advance. Uemura had already defeated Oleg Boltin in the semi-main.

A confrontation between Newman and Uemura then took place at the end of today’s card.

“Your dreams finish tomorrow. I finished your best friend’s off tonight. You ain’t making it past me,” Newman told Uemura. “Do what you will Yuya, I’m going to f***ing murder you.”

Uemura responded by saying that he will not let Newman prevail in the tournament. No matter what heel tactics Newman tries to use, Uemura promised to stand tall.

An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake with the Newman vs. Uemura winner going on to challenge Yota Tsuji for the title at Sakura Genesis on April 4. If it ends up being Tsuji vs. Newman, that would continue the rivalry between Tsuji’s Unbound Company faction and Newman’s United Empire. A Tsuji vs. Uemura match would pit two of NJPW’s most important building blocks for the present and future against each other.

Will Ospreay — who had a tense interaction with his former protege Newman back in January — was watching today’s show and reacted to Newman advancing to the New Japan Cup finals.

For both Newman and Uemura, this would be their first time ever winning the New Japan Cup. The finals are airing live on New Japan World on Saturday with a start time of 2 a.m. Eastern.

New Japan Cup 2026 semifinals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New Japan Cup 2026 is down to its final four competitors.

The semifinals are now fully set after the completion of Tuesday’s event in Fukushima. Shota Umino and Callum Newman earned their spots in the next round of the tournament, joining Yuya Uemura and Oleg Boltin. Both semifinal matches will take place this Friday.

Umino pinned Zack Sabre Jr. to advance to the semifinals, while Newman used a low blow to help advance over Hirooki Goto. Uemura and Boltin had already secured their semifinal spots with respective victories over Shingo Takagi and Ren Narita.

Of the four semifinalists, none have ever won the New Japan Cup before.

The final two nights are happening this Friday and Saturday with both shows being held at Aore Nagaoka in Niigata. An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake. The winner challenges Yota Tsuji for the belt in the main event of Sakura Genesis on April 4.

New Japan Cup 2026 schedule —

Semifinals:

Friday, March 20

  • Shota Umino vs. Callum Newman
  • Yuya Uemura vs. Oleg Boltin

Finals:

Saturday, March 21

  • TBD

Another quarterfinal matchup set for New Japan Cup 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Hirooki Goto and Callum Newman are headed to the New Japan Cup 2026 quarterfinals.

The tournament continued on Friday with Goto and Newman winning their second-round matches. With respective wins over Jake Lee and Hartley Jackson, they’ve advanced to face each other in the next round. The Goto vs. Newman match will take place on March 17.

Goto, a mainstay of the NJPW roster, is looking to win his fourth New Japan Cup. He previously won the tournament in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Newman has never won the tournament before. As one of the top young foreign wrestlers in the promotion, he’s become the leader of NJPW’s United Empire faction.

The quarterfinals are now almost fully set with Yuya Uemura vs. Shingo Takagi, Oleg Boltin vs. Ren Narita, and Goto vs. Newman confirmed. We’ll find out the last remaining matchup this Saturday when Yujiro Takahashi takes on Shota Umino and Zack Sabre Jr. battles Ryohei Oiwa in the second round.

New Japan Cup 2026 runs through March 21, with the winner receiving an IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis on April 4. Here is the updated schedule for the remainder of the tournament:

Second round —

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:

  • Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman
  • TBD

Semifinals —

Friday, March 20:

  • TBD
  • TBD

Finals —

Saturday, March 21:

  • TBD

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

NJPW legend to make Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An NJPW legend is set to make his Bloodsport debut during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas.

Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata will be competing at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV on Friday, April 17. His addition to the lineup was announced by Josh Barnett today, though an opponent was not named.

The 57-year-old Nagata was one of NJPW’s top stars of the 2000s and still competes to this day, including challenging for the IWGP title in 2025 during Hirooki Goto’s reign with the belt. Nagata and Barnett have a history that includes main eventing the Tokyo Dome against each other in 2003.

Bloodsport XV is being held at Horshoe Las Vegas as part of Game Changer Wrestling’s slate of events during Mania week. While no matchups are officially on the books yet, there are now more than a dozen names confirmed. The show will air live on Triller TV+ with a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific.

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV participants —

  • Yuji Nagata
  • Ulka Sasaki
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Pete Dunne
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Erick Stevens
  • Fuminori Abe
  • Ray Jaz
  • Angel Verduzco
  • Joe Dashou
  • Masashi Takeda
  • Matt Mako
  • Royce Isaacs
  • Miyu Yamashita

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.

First New Japan Cup 2026 quarterfinal matchup set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The second round of New Japan Cup 2026 began on Tuesday with Yuya Uemura and Shingo Takagi booking their spots in the quarterfinals.

Uemura and Takagi advanced with respective victories over Drilla Moloney and Don Fale. The first quarterfinal matchup of the tournament is now set, with Uemura and Takagi scheduled to face off against each other on March 15. The winner of that then advances to the March 20 semifinals.

So far in the tournament, Uemura has notched victories over Great-O-Khan and Moloney. Takagi’s win against Fale was his first of the tournament due to receiving a first-round bye.

New Japan Cup 2026 runs through March 21. An IWGP Heavyweight Championship opportunity is at stake with the winner earning a title shot against Yota Tsuji in the main event of Sakura Genesis on April 4.

Here is the updated schedule for the remainder of the tournament:

Second round —

Thursday, March 12:

  • Ren Narita vs. Satoshi Kojima
  • Oleg Boltin vs. HENARE

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
  • TBD

Tuesday, March 17:

  • TBD
  • TBD

Semifinals —

Friday, March 20:

  • TBD
  • TBD

Finals —

Saturday, March 21:

  • TBD

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

Next two wrestlers advance in New Japan Cup 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Callum Newman and Jake Lee are the latest names to earn their spots in the next round of New Japan Cup 2026.

NJPW celebrated its 54th birthday with an Anniversary event at Ota City Gym in Tokyo on Friday. The card included two New Japan Cup tournament matches, with Newman defeating OSKAR and Lee defeating YOSHI-HASHI to advance. The first round is now nearly over with only two matchups left.

It will be Newman vs. Hartley Jackson and Lee vs. Hirooki Goto in the second round on March 13. Jackson and Goto were two of the wrestlers who randomly received a first-round bye in the tournament.

So far, Yuya Uemura, Don Fale, Ren Narita, Oleg Boltin, Newman, and Lee have advanced out of the opening round. The last two matchups are Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens and Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa. Both of those are happening this Sunday.

The tournament runs through March 21 with the winner receiving an IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at April’s Sakura Genesis event.

Here is the updated schedule for the remainder of the tournament:

First round —

Sunday, March 8:

  • Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens
  • Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa

Second round —

Tuesday, March 10:

  • Yuya Uemura vs. Drilla Moloney
  • Don Fale vs. Shingo Takagi

Thursday, March 12:

  • Ren Narita vs. Satoshi Kojima
  • Oleg Boltin vs. HENARE

Friday, March 13:

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

Saturday, March 14:

  • Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino or Chase Owens
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuto-Ice or Ryohei Oiwa

Quarterfinals —

Sunday, March 15 and Tuesday, March 17

  • Matches TBD

Semifinals —

Friday, March 20:

  • TBD

Finals —

Saturday, March 21:

  • TBD

Two more wrestlers advance in New Japan Cup 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ren Narita and Oleg Boltin have earned their spots in the next round of New Japan Cup 2026.

The second night of the tournament took place at Korakuen Hall on Thursday with Narita defeating Taichi and Oleg defeating El Phantasmo. Their second-round matchups are now set with Narita vs. Satoshi Kojima and Oleg vs. HENARE scheduled for March 12.

Kojima and HENARE are among the wrestlers who randomly received a first-round bye in the tournament. The 55-year-old Kojima was a late replacement to the New Japan Cup field after replacing the injured Tomohiro Ishii.

New Japan Cup 2026 began yesterday with Yuya Uemura and Don Fale advancing to the second round. The tournament runs through March 21, with the winner receiving an IWGP World Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis in April.

This Friday, two New Japan Cup first-round matches will be part of the card for NJPW’s 54th Anniversary show. Here is the remaining schedule for the opening round:

Friday, March 6 —

  • YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jake Lee (winner faces Hirooki Goto next round)
  • OSKAR vs. Callum Newman (winner faces Hartley Jackson)

Sunday, March 8 —

  • Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens (winner faces Yujiro Takahashi)
  • Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa (winner faces Zack Sabre Jr.)

Daily Update: Mercedes Mone, Rocky Romero, BOSJ schedule

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania updates. Update on ticket sales to both shows as well as AEW Revolution and explanations of why and current interest level in tickets.
  • Notes on the giant gates WWE drew for WrestleMania last year and John Cena’s retirement.
  • How much Mania tickets have increased in recent years
  • Odds on this week shows
  • Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey and a history of how women’s MMA overcame so many obstacles due to those two. We look at what each did, their background, the story behind the 2014 fight that never happened and why this fight is happening, as well as addressing very serious questions regarding the fight.
  • A look at nostalgia fights and different ways to do them and how they work or don’t work
  • A look at the life and career of the Great Mephisto, one of the most creative minds in wrestling as a wrestler and booker of the 60s and 70s, including his heyday in San Francisco and Australia and stories about his confrontations with Roy Shire, copying from and teaming with The Sheik, Booking WCW in Australia, and a life that start as a street hustler in the depression to facing Hulk Hogan in his first match ever in Northern California.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings over the past week, with comparisons, Nielsen and Netflix flaws, Olympics and more.
  • Major change in CMLL rules and thoughts about it
  • This past week in CMLL including a hot Friday night sold out show with Mistico vs. Templario
  • Mistico talks Observer awards
  • Saya Kamitani update
  • FantasticaMania first night
  • Cain Velasquez update
  • Notes on the death of Brett Wolverton and Kerwin Silfies
  • Mick Foley television series
  • Longest lasting pro wrestling ring announcer
  • Eve sets UK record
  • Tag team holds titles in Europe & Japan at the same time
  • TNA No Surrender notes
  • More on mainstream coverage of Brody King
  • More on WBD sale
  • Report that Trump will kill current deal
  • AEW in Australia notes
  • Sean Strickland is an idiot
  • Dana White talks boxing
  • Gable Steveson fights again and update
  • Janel Grant lawsuit update
  • Another WWE European tour and PLE show
  • Bad Bunny wrestling update

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Thursday Update

WWE

  • Now that he’s retired and getting to spend more time at home, AJ Styles shared a photo on Instagram of his daughter doing his hair: “What are you doing now that you’re retired? Well, I’m currently getting my hair done by my daughter.”
  • D-Von Dudley hopes that Spike Dudley will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:
    • If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if the Dudleys would have gotten as far as we did. It was because of Spike and the crazy bumps that he took for us, and what he allowed us to do to him was why the Dudley Boyz really became the Dudley Boyz. If it’s anybody that belongs into the Hall of Fame, it’s Spike Dudley. So Triple H, I hope you’re listening. Please get my little brother in that Hall of Fame. He deserves every bit of it.
  • Mick Foley made an Instagram story post agreeing with The Undertaker about Chelsea Green being underutilized in WWE: “In total agreement with @undertaker on this. @chelseagreen is a star.”
  • Alexa Bliss tweeted out a message to NXT’s Tatum Paxley after Paxley revealed that watching Bliss is what inspired her to become a wrestler: “Thank you for the kindest words – can’t wait til we meet again in the ring @TatumPaxley”
  • ESPN continued the promotional push toward Elimination Chamber with Randy Orton, CM Punk, Je’Von Evans, Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, and Joe Tessitore making appearances.
  • Big E, Peter Rosenberg, and ESPN’s Joe Fortenbaugh hosted an Elimination Chamber preview show.
  • In an interview with The Takedown on SI, Trish Stratus shared what advice she would give AJ Lee ahead of Elimination Chamber. Lee is facing Becky Lynch at the PLE in what is Lee’s first singles match in more than a decade.
  • Stratus said:
    • Get your reps in, get to the place where you’re comfortable. You’re gonna think you’re not comfortable, but rely on your body. There is this aspect of it’s like riding a bike. You literally get to the point where like your body goes, I got this, as long as you can support it. And recovery-wise, make sure that you take care of all the things. I do my yoga, I do all the things to make sure I can support [the performance]. She’s gonna be great.
  • Tiffany Stratton trained with Ivy Nile for a video on Nile’s YouTube channel.
  • New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson was the guest on the latest episode of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast.

Other Wrestling

  • Ric Flair remembered his late son Reid on what would have been Reid’s 38th birthday:
    • Not A Day Goes By Where We Don’t Think About You Big Man! We All Know You Are In A Better Place, But It Doesn’t Make The Pain Ever Go Away. Reid, We Are All Remembering You Today On Your Birthday! Love & Miss You!
  • Mercedes Mone is returning to Poland on March 29 to defend her Prime Time Wrestling Women’s Championship against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.
  • Rocky Romero spoke to Fox News Digital about the working relationship that exists between AEW, NJPW, and CMLL:
    • What’s cool about it is AEW, especially Tony Khan, has so much respect and so much love for New Japan and New Japan has always been supportive of AEW. I think it’s a partnership that really works and obviously it’s an essential partnership when you’re going against someone who has such a huge market share in WWE. So, I think it’s very strategic and now that we’ve thrown CMLL into the mix, these three big promotions really working fluidly together and working on storylines that cross all three promotions and having talent go from each company and champions.
  • Rush, who has been out of action since November due to a knee injury, tweeted today: “I feel better than ever.”
  • Shop AEW released a new “Big Hebrew” T-shirt for MJF after he applied to trademark that term this week.
  • Comic book writer Steve Orlando was the guest on AEW Unrestricted today, discussing the partnership between DC Comics and AEW.
  • NJPW announced that this year’s Best of the Super Junior tournament will take place across 14 nights from May 14 through June 7. The participants have not been revealed yet. Here is the schedule:
    • Night 1: Thursday May 14 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
    • Night 2: Saturday May 16 Tokyo Esforte Arena Hachioji 
    • Night 3: Sunday May 17 Tokyo Yoyogi National 2nd Gymnasium
    • Night 4: Wednesday May 20 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
    • Night 5: Friday May 22 Osaka Asue Arena
    • Night 6: Saturday May 23 Hyogo Acrie Himeji
    • Night 7: Sunday May 24 Kyoto KBS Hall
    • Night 8: Wednesday May 27 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu
    • Night 9: Friday May 29 Niigata Tsubame Citizens Gymnasium
    • Night 10: Saturday May 30 Toyama Takaoka Techno Dome
    • Night 11 & 12: Tuesday June 2 & Wednesday June 3 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 
    • Night 13: Friday June 5 Gunma G Messe
    • Night 14 (Final): Sunday June 7 Tokyo Ota City Gymnasium
  • Shayna Baszler will face off against Kristara in a Voyageur Cup quarterfinal match for Winnipeg Pro Wrestling next month. The winner of the tournament challenges Mercedes Mone for the Winnipeg Pro Women’s Championship.
  • Ronda Rousey shared new footage of her training for her upcoming MMA fight against Gina Carano.
  • Comedian Brad Williams appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
  • Jeremy Peeples, a long-time writer for our website, has started a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the family of his housemate Sherry who suddenly passed away this week.

NJPW wrestler set for European excursion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW wrestler Katsuya Murashima is heading to Europe as he gains more experience in his wrestling career.

Earlier this month, Murashima was crowned the winner of NJPW’s Young Lion Cup 2026 tournament. It was announced that he would be heading out on excursion, but the location was not revealed. Indie promotion wXw in Germany has now announced that Murashima will be joining their roster and will debut at an event in Essen on March 5.

Murashima will be moving to Germany in the next few weeks for this excursion. While there, he will receive additional training at the wXw Wrestling Academy. This follows OSKAR and Yuto-Ice — the current IWGP Tag Team Champions — having successfully completed their own excursions to wXw in the past.

“We would like to thank New Japan Pro Wrestling for the trust they have placed in us and hope that Katsuya Murashima will have a similarly successful journey in Germany as [OSKAR and Yuto-Ice] before he too returns to Japan as a star,” wXw wrote.

Murashima is a former amateur wrestler who debuted for NJPW in 2023. Shoma Kato, the opponent he defeated in the Young Lion Cup finals, is going on excursion as well, though Kato is moving to Mexico where NJPW has a relationship with CMLL.

At the New Beginning in Osaka this week, Murashima competed in his final match before excursion. He and Kato tagged together in a loss to Togi Makabe & Toru Yano.

Two title matches official for NJPW Anniversary event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has booked a couple of title bouts for its upcoming Anniversary event.

On March 6, NJPW will celebrate its 54th birthday with an Anniversary show at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo. It’s been confirmed that the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles will be on the line. DOUKI is defending his belt against Master Wato, while Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X are challenging Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita for their tag team gold.

This will be the second defense for both DOUKI and Eagles & Fujita during their respective reigns.

NJPW wrote:

  • The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Master Wato challenges DOUKI. Mere days after HOUSE OF TORTURE rallied around DOUKI to assist him to a first defence of the junior heavyweight title against El Desperado in Korakuen, Wato ensured the H.O.T victory lap was cut short, striking with the Tstenkaku German to pin Japones Del Mal and assert himself as the next number one contender. As the next chapter of HOUSE OF TORTURE with Ren Narita at its helm continues, will the self proclaimed ‘junior heavyweight god’ DOUKI retain by hook and crook again, or on the site of his Best of the Super Jr. tournament victory in 2023, can Wato finally complete his journey to Grand Master status?
  • Also official for Anniversary is a battle over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita defending against Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori. The last time NJPW was in Ota for New Year Dash, the Ichiban Sweet Boys Eagles and Fujita won the junior tag gold by defeating Robbie X in a four way bout. When Ishimori scored tag team victory for himself and Hiromu Takahashi at New Beginning in Osaka however, defeating United Empire’s Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira, the Unbound Co. name seemed to grow stonger in tag contention. Robbie would provide the assist to prevent a post match assault on Hiromu, and backstage, Ishimori would issue a challenge. These two teams tore the house down in a junior tag title clash in Korakuen last April as well as in the Super Junior Tag League in the autumn to bring them to a 1-1 record. This time, which team will not only bring down the house, but bring home the bacon? 

The Anniversary show will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available. Along with these title bouts, the card includes two opening-round matches in New Japan Cup 2026.

NJPW 54th Anniversary Show (Friday, March 6) —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Master Wato
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita defend against Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X
  • New Japan Cup first-round match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jake Lee
  • New Japan Cup first-round match: OSKAR vs. Callum Newman

NJPW reveals bracket for New Japan Cup 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has revealed the full list of participants for New Japan Cup 2026.

The tournament begins on March 4 and runs through March 21. An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake, with the winner set to challenge Yota Tsuji for the belt at Sakura Genesis this April.

In total, there are 24 participants in the tournament but only eight first-round matchups. Eight wrestlers — Drilla Moloney, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, HENARE, Hirooki Goto, Hartley Jackson, Yujiro Takahashi, and Zack Sabre Jr. — have randomly received first-round byes and have already secured their spot in the next round.

Here is the complete bracket and opening round schedule:

Left side —

  • March 4: Yuya Uemura vs. Great-O-Khan (winner faces Drilla Moloney on March 10)
  • March 4: Aaron Wolf vs. Don Fale (winner faces Shingo Takagi on March 10)
  • March 5: Taichi vs. Ren Narita (winner faces Tomohiro Ishii on March 12)
  • March 5: El Phantasmo vs. Oleg Boltin (winner faces HENARE on March 12)

Right side —

  • March 6: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jake Lee (winner faces Hirooki Goto on March 13)
  • March 6: OSKAR vs. Callum Newman (winner faces Hartley Jackson on March 13)
  • March 8: Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens (winner faces Yujiro Takahashi on March 14)
  • March 8: Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa (winner faces Zack Sabre Jr. on March 14)

The quarterfinals will then take place on March 15 and March 17, leading into the semifinals on March 20 and finals on March 21.

Tsuji won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 20 last month and has already successfully defended the title against Jake Lee. A double champion, Tsuji also holds the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship and is set to defend that title against Andrade El Idolo at NJPW New Beginning USA.

Shinsuke Nakamura, NJPW share tributes to Tadao Yasuda

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On social media this morning, WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura took a moment to remember Tadao Yasuda and reflect on the impact Yasuda had on his life.

News broke overnight that Yasuda, a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, has passed away at 62 years old. Yasuda played an important role in Nakamura’s development by serving as his first-ever opponent when Nakamura debuted for NJPW back in 2002. In a tweet today, Nakamura thanked Yasuda for how he looked out for him when he was starting out in wrestling.

“Tadao Yasuda has passed away,” Nakamura wrote. “He was my opponent in my debut match, and because he had experience juggling mixed martial arts and professional wrestling, I will never forget how he repeatedly showed concern for me as a young wrestler when I was taking on both challenges. I pray for his soul to rest in peace.”

NJPW has also issued a statement expressing sadness at Yasuda’s death:

  • New Japan Pro-Wrestling is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tadao Yasuda. He was 62.
  • Born October 9, 1963 in Tokyo, Yasuda went into sumo wrestling from junior high school, where he competed at a high level through a 13 year career, retiring in May of 1992. From there, Yasuda would join New Japan Pro-Wrestling and debuted on February 24 1994 against Hiroshi Hase. 
  • In the early 2000s, Yasuda would head to the original Inoki LA Dojo where he trained in MMA in addition to continuing in pro-wrestling. His efforts paid off with strong performances in 2001, and the biggest win of his fighting career on New Year’s Eve over Jerome Le Banner. The next April, Yasuda would win the vacant IWGP heavyweight Championship by defeating Yuji Nagata in a tournament final. 
  • Heading up the fearsome Makai Club stable, Yasuda continued to be a formidable force in NJPW until his departure in 2005. Yasuda eventually retired from professional wrestling in February 2011. 
  • The thoughts and deepest sympathies of all at New Japan Pro-Wrestling go to Yasuda’s family, friends and fans. 

Tokyo Sports reports that Yasuda was found dead at his home in Tokyo on February 10. A cause of death has not been announced. He had been working at a security company until shortly before his passing.