Will 2026 mark NJPW’s return to glory? | Opinion
The following is a column and reflects the opinion of the author and not the website.
In a wintry Tokyo night within the Ota City General Gymnasium, two men stand tall, holding the IWGP Tag Team Championship belts. A towering German named OSKAR paces on a cerulean wrestling mat as he takes his partner’s belt.
This partner, a blonde and a Japanese charisma machine known as Yuto-Ice, addresses the New Japan Pro Wrestling crowd. The native NJPW faithful clamor and cheer. He emphatically preaches to them that NJPW is the best professional wrestling there is and that there’s no “professional wrestling high” like NJPW’s brand of pro wrestling.
The company, the wrestlers, and the fans needed this shot in the arm. Considering this promo came hot off the heels of Wrestle Kingdom 20 and concluded New Year Dash, it instilled hope for 2026. Following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi, this is the mentality that those under the lion’s crest should have: be unabashedly proud of this promotion and do everything in your power to keep it moving forward.
The wrestlers of NJPW are brimming with passion. With that, I’m confident they could steer the ship. But will the booking live up to the hype? I’m cautiously optimistic. I write this as I’m anxiously awaiting New Beginning in Osaka this year. Where will these threads unfurl? It’s exciting and different. Let’s dig into it, shall we?
Yota Tsuji
The newly crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion defeated then-champion Konosuke Takeshita in the penultimate match of Wrestle Kingdom 20 in a compelling bout. The next night at New Year Dash, he unveiled a different look for the belt, one he’d been keen to follow through with as he brought back the V4 World Heavyweight Championship design and its lineage. A return to normalcy, a symbol of what the company was and should be.
To that end, Tsuji has been militaristic in his vision as the champion and flag-bearer for the promotion as laid out in a January 6 press conference. There, he addressed the future of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and World Heavyweight Championship. Furthermore, he rejected Jake Lee’s challenge, initiated by his post-match beatdown at Wrestle Kingdom 20, that he’d have to earn a title opportunity.
Lastly, he provided details to his new faction, Unbound Co., and what it means for the Unaffiliated and Bullet Club War Dogs members. His vision is detailed and I recommend reading or listening to it in full.
Shouldering the responsibility of carrying NJPW, Tsuji’s goals for the company are admirable. He understands the weight of what he must do to restore NJPW to relevance, improve its business, and adhere to what made the promotion entertaining in the 2010s. His refreshing perspective highlights the care he has. While not everyone will agree with some of his ideas, he’s prepared to drive NJPW in a reliable direction as champ.
As a fan, I’m curious about what his leadership as the face of the brand will entail.
United Empire
With the image of the Bullet Club being changed in 2025 and dissolved following Tsuji’s press conference, another heel faction needs to step up. With the vitriolic nature of Callum Newman rising in the latter half of ‘25, that may just well happen. His role in the group has already shown signs of evolution. Following United Empire’s match against Bullet Club War Dogs and Unaffiliated at New Year Dash, Newman and stablemates Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, Jake Lee, and HENARE were approached by former leader Will Ospreay.
Ospreay, now wrestling for AEW, apologized for his disappearance and wanted to set things right. Fully believing in Newman’s place in the group, Ospreay stated he would return after finishing business in AEW. Newman, visibly holding contempt, almost struck him with a chair behind his back when HENARE and Khan assuaged his ire.
Factoring in that the United Empire hemorrhaged members in previous years, such as Jeff Cobb (aka WWE’s JC Mateo), TJP, Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis), and Ospreay himself, Newman’s wrath is understandable.
The inevitable turn against Ospreay is coming. It makes sense with how Newman had to deal with living in the Aerial Assassin’s shadow, how he, Khan, and Young held down the fort, and his frustrations in pursuit of gold. Additionally, the alignment of Jake Lee and Andrade El Idolo bolsters the heelish dynamic, coupled with the nature of the team’s latest performances. I wonder why the longer tenured Khan and HENARE are allowing Newman to step in, but I’m sure that’ll be answered in time.
Furthermore, what will CMLL’s Templario’s place in the group be? Regardless, United Empire is positioned to be the new dominant heel faction. Well, the cool one. I see you, House of Torture.
Aaron Wolf
Speaking of House of Torture and to leader EVIL’s credit, he and Wolf tore it up in the Tokyo Dome. Two matches away from the main event, Wolf’s debut left Tokyo in an uproar. Wearing black trunks and a shaved head, he dominated House of Torture and departed with EVIL’s NEVER Openweight Championship.
Wolf’s judoka and Olympic backgrounds lend much to NJPW’s credibility. To this point, I’m confident his career will start akin to how Jun Akiyama and Kurt Angle had: a new prospect with an established background in combat sports making a damn good first impression. I’ll even go so far as to say that I believe Wolf’s first televised match in the squared circle was better than Ronda Rousey’s at WrestleMania 33, someone who also had a hot start.
Given NJPW’s reputation for training wrestlers, I imagine they tested Wolf so he could run with the best of the roster.
Granted, he is just starting. It’s possible he had a great first night with an EVIL who put on his working boots to deliver a spectacle. They delivered one of the best matches of the event, certainly one of my favorite matches I’ve covered of NJPW. The only and ultimate determinant of this is time itself. Luckily, NJPW is fully behind him, and fans are invested. Will his upcoming match with Ren Narita at New Beginning in Osaka continue his Wrestle Kingdom momentum? Let’s hope so.
Knockout Brothers
I’ve already mentioned that promo from Yuto-Ice. Not only was it what NJPW needed at that exact moment, but it’s also the mentality that any promotion should have. Combined with Tsuji’s press conference, the message is clear: NJPW is de-Westernizing its product. Or, at least, its top stars are attempting to. The Knockout Brothers are the biggest example.
Furthermore, Yuto-Ice confirmed that the Knockout Brothers are staying in NJPW after a report by Self-Made in December that they were offered WWE contracts. Ultimately, sticking to NJPW was their preferred option. In that, Ice and OSKAR share Tsuji’s philosophy of prioritizing NJPW and Japanese pro wrestling fans.
At this point in Japanese history and culture, Japan has been placing more restrictions on Westerners. Whether it’s overtourism or bad tourist behavior, Japan has been combating the influence of toxic Westernism. I can’t honestly say whether this ties into the Knockout Brothers and Tsuji’s approach for NJPW’s future, but I’m reminded of this trend as a result.
Japan is changing, and in this economy, NJPW should change with it.
The booking
As optimistic as I am for the year to come for the purveying brand of Strong Style, I have some doubts. In recent years, NJPW has made baffling decisions in its booking. Naturally, matches were often good to great, but the company struggled to move the needle forward in ways that would further the product or create new stars.
I spoke to Lyric Swinton of Pro Wrestling Illustrated who echoed this sentiment, specifically regarding Kosei Fujita not winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship following his victory in the Best of the Super Juniors finals. To her, this could have revamped the division and shown their faith in his skills—and I agree, he’s been the consistent standout performer of the division in my opinion.
Furthermore, as intense and exciting as the performers in the heavyweight division are, they weren’t represented as well during the G1 Climax 35. In the semifinals, I specifically recall the annoyance of the fandom seeing EVIL defeat Tsuji while appreciating Konosuke Takeshita’s victory over Zack Sabre Jr.
Yet, NJPW has had high moments in 2025. Swinton illustrated to me how the World Tag League featured much creativity in utilizing internal and external teams. She added that it provided a must-watch feel that furthered narratives throughout. We also agreed that Hirooki Goto’s ascent to IWGP World Heavyweight Champion was one of the year’s highest points. It represented the booking by following up on what fans were clamoring for, and that paid off in dividends. While he’s no spring chicken, Goto’s connection to the fans was essential to take advantage of.
My hopes for 2026
NJPW isn’t the same company it was when Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, AJ Styles, or Will Ospreay were in it. But it doesn’t have to be. I’m optimistic about that. So long as the booking considers its approach more carefully, it can ride this wave of Japan’s economic turmoil.
Something that the start of this year has told me thus far is that there are young members of the roster ready to take NJPW to new heights once more. Tsuji and the Knockout Brothers are prime examples. Now that Newman’s personality and commitment have been paying off, he may be the one to snatch the torch from Ospreay in the United Empire. As for Wolf, he’s off to a great start. It’s up to the booking to follow up on that. His match with EVIL is a way to display this strong prospect as a star.
Swinton concluded our talks about other stars, some I hadn’t considered, but make so much sense: Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita. I join her in that, with the addition of Yuya Uemura for a strong 2026. It’s time the youth movement in the company steps up.
Let this be the year of the lion.
Corey Michaels covers the play-by-play action of events hosted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Referenced by content creators and Wikipedia articles, he adds his prosaic voice with authority to the F4W/WON audience.
A content writer and wrestling fan, Corey has woven the stories of our great sport into literature. He cuts to the emotional core of characters, rivalries, and angles.