NJPW announces Aaron Wolf’s opponent for Wrestle Kingdom debut
Aaron Wolf’s first NJPW opponent has been announced.
Wolf vs. EVIL is now official for the January 4, 2026, show in the Tokyo Dome. The match was set up in an angle at King of Pro Wrestling on Monday after EVIL defeated Oleg Boltin to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.
When EVIL and his House of Torture teammates were continuing to attack Boltin after the bell, Wolf, who had been seated ringside, ran in and fought off SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Dick Togo before getting into a staredown with EVIL.
Wolf challenged EVIL to a match at Wrestle Kingdom after the show in his backstage comments. NJPW has since made the match official. However, EVIL’s NEVER Openweight Championship will not be on the line.
No other matches are confirmed for the show as of yet, but World of Stardom and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Saya Kamitani has confirmed she will wrestle on the show.
Wolf won a gold medal in judo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). He also won gold at the Asian Games in April 2021 and the World Championships in 2017. He officially retired from judo this summer.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 lineup:
- Aaron Wolf vs. EVIL
- World of Stardom and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Saya Kamitani vs. TBA