Tag: New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan 2/11/2026 Results

THE NEW BEGINNING, New Japan’s first true blowout event of the year, and a very relevant and appropriately-titled one at that, is now in the books.

Today’s event was held at Osaka Prefectural Gym in Osaka and can be watched on demand OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY on New Japan World. This event aired as part of WORLD PRO WRESTLING LIVE 2026 exclusively on TV Asahi in Japan. You can also watch the pre-show match FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 5507, a legit advance sellout. Legit full capacity if not overflow.

Pre-show match: Katsuya Murashima Send-Pff Match: Toru Yano & Togo Makabe beat Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima. Makabe pinned Murashima after a King Kong kneedrop. Murashima will now be leaving for bis traditional Young Lion training excursion, possibly to Mexico. He will hopefully be back in 1-2 years.

A memorial ceremony for Tadao Yasuda, who died yesterday at 62, was held before the main caed began.

Match 1: Hiromu Takahashi New Japan Farewell Match: Taiji Ishimori & Hiromu Takahashi beat Jacob Austin Young & Francesco Akira. Ishinori beat Young with Bone Lock. Afterwards, Akira beat down Takahashi until Robbie X made the save.

Match 2: Drilla Moloney & Shingo Takagi beat Great-O-Khan & HENARE. Moloney pinned Henare after War Dragons. Afterwards, Moloney made a surprise announcement but it was a good one-he had re-signed with the promotion.

Match 3: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Hartley JacksonX Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. to retain the titles. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Jackson. V1 for the champs.

Match 4: Andrade El Idolo beat Gabriel Kidd. As a result, Andrade will face IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji for the title on 2:27 at the next US event.

Match 5: Callum Newman beat David Finlay. Afterwards, Finlay bowed to the fans like this was his final New Japan match, at least for now.

At this time, President Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared to announce DOMINION, the annual June Osaka blowout event, on 6/14 at Osaka-jo Hall, and that it will be a live TV broadcast nationwide in Japan. Presumably that means TV Asahi, and for those of us outside Japan it means New Japan World.

Match 6: Ren Naritta beat NEVER Openweight Champion Aaron Wolf to win the title. Narita becomes the 51st NEVER Openweight Champion. 128 seconds of glorified House Of Torture beatdown squash that began before Wolf even got to the ring. Honeymoon over already.

Match 7: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino to retain the titles. OSKAR pinned Uemura after KOB. V3 for the champs. Next up: Possibly All Elite Wrestling’s Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona, maybe on 2/27.

Main Event: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji beat Jake Lee to retain the title. V1 for Tsuji. Afterwards, Tsuji brought Takahashi out for one final farewell.

The next event is CMLL FANTASTICAMANIA 2026, the annual crossover tour with Mexico’s CMLL promotion, starting on 2/18 at Yoyogi National Stadium Gym 2 in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET. The current plans are for TV/streaming for 5 of the 7 events with one event scheduled to also be a Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

Obituary-Former Sumo, New Japan Wrestler Tadao Yasuda Dies

New Japan is reporting their learning of the recent death of Tadao Yasuda, although a cause is not known. He reportedly was found dead today (yesterday Japan time) at his home in Tokyo per unofficial internet reports. He was 62.

He first began his career as a sumo wrestler in 1979, using the shikona (ring name) Takanofuji he reached a career high rank of Komusubi, the 4th highest rank in pro sumo. After a 13-year career he retired in 1992 and joined New Japan shortly afterwards, debuting in 1994. In 2001 he entered MMA under the guidance of Antonio Inoki and shocked the world by defeating powerhouse fighter Jerome Le Banner at INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2001 at the Saitama Super Arena. He followed by returning to New Japan and winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2002. He continued in the promotion until 2005, when he left for other promotions, namely the defunct comedy promotion Hustle where he won multiple championships, and retired in 2011. In sumo he had a career record of 418-459-4 (win-loss-absent) as a member of Kokonoe Beya (stable/room) with one Special Prize and 2 Kinboshi (Gold Star Victory, when a Maegashira rank wrestler defeats a Yokozuna Grand Champion in a tournament). He would have qualified for elder stock, which would have allowed him to become a coach and possibly a stablemaster at some point. In MMA his official career record was 2-4 with one fight-his last-in the PRIDE promotion, the rest mostly were in Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye or other one-offs.

Yasuda is reportedly survived by a daughter. I join New Japan and others in sending my deepest condolences to Yasuda’s family, friends and fans.

Photo credit: New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan 2/8/2026 Results

New Japan wrapped up the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today with the escond of 3 straight events in Osaka.

Today’s event was held at Osaka Prefectural Gym 2 in Osaka and, although there was no live broadcast, can be watched on demand on New Japan World. That was an apparent last-second change of plans because there was to have been no on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 888.

Match 1: Hiromu Takahashi beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Katsuya Murashima & Tiger Mask beat Shoma Kato & Tomoaki Honma. TM 4 pinned Kato with an avalanche double arm suplex.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Jackso pinned Taguchi after Death Valley Bomb.

Match 4: Dick Togo, DOUKI, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita beat Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf. Narita pinned Yoh after Decapitation of Hell.

Match 5: El Desperado, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino beat Daiki Nagai, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Desperado pinned Nagai after Pinche Loco.

Match 6: Robbie X, Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi & Drilla Moloney beat Zane Jay, Jacob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan & HENARE. X pinned Jay after X Express.

Main Event: Francesco Akira, Callum Newman & Jake Lee beat Gedo, David Finlay & Yota Tsuji by ref stoppage. Lee beat Gedo with a front neck lock.

The next event is THE NEW BEGINNING Wednesday at Osaka Prefectural Gym. Live streaming OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY on New Japan World will begin Tuesday at 9:30 PM PT/12:30 AM ET. This is a live & exclusive TV Asahi broadcast in Japan. There is one pre-show match before the scheduled start time of 10 PM PT/1 AM ET which will be the Katsuya Murashima send-off match before the Young Lion goes on the traditional overseas training excursion.

New Japan 2/7/2026 Results

New Japan headed to Osaka today to begin the penultimate weekend of the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour.

Today’s event was held at Habikino City General Sports Center in Osaka. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 805.

President Hiroshi Tanahashi made an appearance before the event began. The mayor of Habikino City also appeared and they made it pretty much official that the promotion will be back next year.

Match 1: Katsuya Murashima beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Ryusuke Taguchi & El Desperado beat Shoma Kato & Tiger Mask. Desperado pinned Kato after Pinche Loco.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsomoto, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Fujita pinned Matsmoto with a variant German suplex hold.

Match 4: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, DOUKI, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita. Wato beat Togo with Vendeval.

Match 5: Robbie X, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Tomoaki Honma, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino by ref stoppage. OSKAR beat Honma.

Match 6: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, HENARE & Callum Newman beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi & David Finlay. Young pinned Gedo after BANGYOBU BEACH (Boston crab variation).

Main Event: Zane Jay, Great-O-Khan & Jake Lee beat Daiki Nagai, Drilla Moloney & Yota Tsuji. Lee pinned Nagai after D4C.

The tour-ender is tomorrow at Osaka Prefectural Gym 2. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

New Japan 2/4/2026 Results (Updated)

New Japan continued the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today in Fukushima.

Today’s event was held at Toyota Crown Arena in Fukushima. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 713.

Match 1: Shoma Kato beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Katsuya Murashima & Tiger Mask beat Tatsuya Matsunoto & Tomoaki Honma. Murashima pinned Matsunoto.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Boltin Oleg, Jackson pinned Taguchi after Death Valley Bomb.

Match 4: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, DOUKI, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita. Wato beat Togo with Vendeval.

Match 5: El Deaperado, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino beat Daiki Nagai, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Desperado pinned Nagai after Pinche Loco.

Match 6: Jacob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Callum Newman beat Gedo, Robbie X, Drilla Moloney & Yota Tsuji. Khan beat Gedo with Domination Claw.

Main Event: Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji beat Zane Jay, Francesco Akira & Jake Lee. Tsuji pinned Jay after Gene Blaster. This apparently was Takahashi’s final main event before leaving New Japan next week.

The next event is Saturday at Habikino City Sports Center in Osaka. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

In other news, after a couple days of teasing Syuri vs. Athena for the IWGP Women’s Championship…it’s now official. That match will happen on 2/27 at THE NEW BEGINNING USA.

UPDATE: Injury Report-the promotion now says Moloney was injured today or yesterday. Right triceps. For now he will finish the tour per his request and will be closely monitored by doctors so subject to change.

New Japan 2/3/2026 Results

New Japan finished another tumultuous day for the promotion with the next event on the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour and now impromptu farewell house show series for the departing Hiromu Takahashi. And in not-as-bad news, the announcement that two Young Lions will soon depart for their traditional overseas training excursions.

Today’s event was held at Iwaki City General Gym in Fukushima. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 742.

Match 1: Katsuya Murashima beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Ryusuke Taguchi & El Desperado beat Shona Kato & Tiger Mask. Desperado beat Kato with Nunero Dos.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsumoto, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Jackson pinned Matsumoto after Death Valley Bomb.

Match 4: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, DOUKI, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita. Wato beat Togo with Vendeval.

Match 5: Robbie X, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Tomoaki Honma, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino. OSKAR beat Honma with a nightmare hold.

Match 6: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi & David Finlay. Khan beat Gedo with Iron Claw.

Main Event: Daiki Nagai, Drilla Moloney & Yota Tsuji beat Zane Jay, HENARE & Jake Lee. Tsuji pinned Jay after Gene Blaster.

The next event is tomorrow at Toyota Crown Arena in Fukushima. There will be no live or on demand broadcast

New Japan News: Young Lions Headed Overseas (Updated)

It’s traditional for New Japan Young Lions (rookies and second-year wrestlers) to head overseas after their first or second year for more training, although that’s not always the case (Kosei Fujita didn’t). Two more are about to embark on that next step of their careers-Katsuya Murashima, who just won the Young Lions Cup, and Shoma Kato are about to leave for their traditional excursions. Murashima will have his pre-departure match at THE NEW BEGINNING on 2/11 in Osaka, which will be Murashima & Kato vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano. Murashima’s training destination is undecided. Kato will depart after the CMLL FANTASTICAMANIA 2026 finale on 2/27 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with a match TBA, then he will head to Mexico which probably means CMLL.

It’s not known how long they’ll be gone but these training excursions usually last anywhere from a few months to 1-2 years.

UPDATE: Kato has been confirmed as going to CMLL.

BREAKING: NJPW Time Bomb Detonated (Updated)

The stunning exodus from New Japan continues…word just broke within the past hour that Hiromu Takahashi will be the latest to unexpectedly depart the promotion. No specific reason given beyond “After careful consideration and discussions with NJPW management, Hiromu Takahashi, who has been a long standing member of the NJPW roster, has decided to leave the promotion”. His final event will be THE NEW BEGINNING on 2/11. No word yet on future plans although he did make several appearances in Pro Wrestling NOAH the last few months and obviously this could open the door to a now-Los Tranquilos De Japon reunion with Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI. We shall see but this is another huge blow to the early days of the new Hiroshi Tanahashi regime.

More as it becomes available.

UPDATE: Some more details are emerging from various social media outlets, some offering rumors & speculation as to why he’s leaving: First, the seemingly official reason-contract expiring and not being renewed. Takahashi reportedly says he is leaving on good terms and it’s not due to dissatisfaction with the promotion and even calls it a “super positive departure”. Also claims it has nothing to do with the departures of Tetsuya Naito & EVIL. The emergence of “a new dream” was a deciding factor, and speculation that, given his age (36) with 15 years in the promotion and also being active in TV and other media that it was time to make a move.

A translation of the below post is the primary source for a lot of this, however I do note this account does not appear to be affiliated with New Japan despite the handle suggesting it, so treat it as unofficial:

Additionally, Takahashi will remain part of/involved with independent promotion SUGAMO Pro Wrestling, which is a comedy-themed promotion based in Tokyo. The promotion confirmed this in their own statement. I was not aware of this until seeing a Twitter post just now.

New Japan 2/2/2026 Results

New Japan continued the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today with the second half of a Tokyo doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on TouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 1073.

Match 1: Masatora Yasuda, Yuya Uenura & Shota Umino beat Daiki Nagai, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Uemura pinned Nagai after a dragon lariat.

Match 2: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & Ren Narita. Wato beat Togo with Vendeval.

Match 3: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman beat Gedo, Hiromu Takahashi & David Finlay. Akira pinned Takahashi after Crown Fall.

Match 4: Robbie X, Taiji Ishmori, Drilla Moloney & Yota Tsuji beat Zane Jay, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jake Lee. Moloney pinned Jay after Drilla Killer.

Match 5: Boltin Oleg beat Hartley Jackson.

Match 6: Zack Sabre Jr. beat YOSHI-HASHI.

Main Event: Hirooki Goto beat Ryohei Oiwa.

The next event is tomorrow at Iwaki City General Gym in Fukushima. There will be no live or on demand broadcast. Unless plans change (maybe for Sunday at Osaka Prefectural Gym 2) the rest of the tour is non-televised events.

New Japan 2/1/2026 Results

New Japan continued the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today with the first half of a Tokyo doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall 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 1234.

Match 1: Young Lions Cup Final: Katsuya Murashima beat Shoma Kato to win the tournament. The trophy was presented by President Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Match 2: Gedo, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Tiger Mask, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino. Ice pinned TM 4 after KOB.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Oiwa beat Taguchi with TM Clutch.

Match 4: Zane Jay, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Daiki Nagai, Robbie X & Drilla Moloney. HENARE pinned Jay after a sitdown jumping powerbomb.

Match 5: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, DOUKI, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita. Wato pinned DOUKI with a Tsutentaku German suplex hold.

Match 6: Hiromu Takahashi & David Finlay beat Jacob Austin Young & Callum Newman. Finlay pinned Young after Overkill.

Main Event: Francesco Akira & Jake Lee beat Taiji Ishimori & Yota Tsuji. Akira pinned Ishimori after Crownfall.

The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET. This may be the last televised/streamed event of the tour.