With Tokyo Dome now behind us, the post-Hiroshi Tanahashi era* and the official start of New Japan 2026 came today with their traditional year-opening event, NEW YEAR DASH!!
Today’s event was held at Ota City General Gym in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.
The announced paid attendance was 3523, a full house/near sellout.
Match 1: Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii beat Katsuya Murashima, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino. Ishii pinned Murashima.
Match 2: Rocky Romero & Konosuke Takeshita beat Shoma Kato & El Phantasmo. Takeshita pinned Kato.
Match 3: Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & SANADA. Oleg pinned Takahashi.
Match 4: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akita & Andrade El Idolo beat Clark Connors, Hiromu Takahashi & Gabriel Kidd. Idolo pinned Connors after The Message. Afterwards, Kidd challenged Idolo to a match on 2/11.
Match 5: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, Don Fale, Ren Narita & EVIL. Yoh beat Togo with a Texas cloverleaf. Afterwards, Narita laid out Wolf and teased a NEVER Openweight Championship challenge.
Match 6: HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Jake Lee beat Drilla Moloney, Shingo Takagi, David Finlay & Yota Tsuju. HENARE pinned Momoney after a coalescing Eliminator. Afterwards, Will Ospreay appeared to shake hands with his United Empire factionmates, although Newman wasn’t thrilled. (Ospreay appeared today as a pre-match autograph signer for fans)
Match 7: Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles beat IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sho & DOUKI, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X and El Desperado & KUUKAI in a 4-way, when Fujita pinned X, to win the titles. Fujita & Eagles become the 80th IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Afterwards, Akira attacked Ishimori until Hiromu Takahashi made the save.
Main Event: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiea to retain the titles. Ice pinned Oiwa after KOB. V2 for the champs. Next up: The winner of an upcoming match between Uemura/Umino and Ishii/Taichi. UPDATE: That match will happen on 1/19.
The next event is BLUE JUSTICE 17, the next Yuji Nagata Produced hometown event, on 1/18 at Sakura Civic Gym in Chiba. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin on 1/17 at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET.
*-Tanahashi only retired as a wrestler. He will remain as President of the promotion, reporting to Chairman Naoki Sugabayasbi and Bushiroad President Takaaki Kitani (the owner of New Japan).
UPDATE: Ospreay also stated he intends to return to New Japan while still competing in All Elite Wrestling when he does cone back Emphasis on when as his future is uncertain while he recovers from a major neck injury. It may mot be anytime soon, I think we’re still looking at several more months.
There are also widespread rumors that, based on his outfits, guitars and comments after Tokyo Dome and today, SANADA is leaving the promotion. Nothing official yet.
UPDATE 2: Wolf-Narita for the NEVER title is now official. That match will happen on 2/11.
The promotion also announced SANADA is temporarily leaving the promotion. Return date TBA