Tag: njpw

New Japan News: Post-G1 News/Fallout (Updated)

With the G1 CLIMAX 36 now in the books and a 2-week break underway, New Japan held the traditional post-blowout event presser today in Tokyo featuring G1 winner Ryohei Oiwa. He will get the customary IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot for winning the G1 and will take it at KING OF PRO WRESTLING in October…but in a surprise development, he’s not the next challenger for Yota Tsuji. Hirooki Goto is. That match will happen at DESTRUCTION on 9/27 at Kobe World Hall in Kobe. Then whoever is champion after that defends on 10/12 vs. Oiwa. No guarantee that the 10/12 winner goes into Tokyo Dome on 1/4 as champion, they probably have to get through POWER STRUGGLE in November then the focus shifts to the World Tag League, typically held in November & December before the final week-long event stretch before 1/4.

Also announced for 9/27 were IWGP Global Champion Gabriel Kidd vs. Drilla Moloney for the title, NJPW WORLD TV Champion Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shun Skywalker for the title and Jeff Cobb vs. Callum Newman. Skywalker debuted in New Japan this past weekend after leaving Dragon Gate earlier this month while Cobb returned after being released by WWE earlier this year (and presumably sitting out a 90-day no compete clause).

Elsewhere, the result of a tag match yesterday, where Taiji Ishimori pinned Yoh, led to Ishinori making an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship challenge. That match will happen on 9/23 at Sapporo 46 in Hokkaido.

Speaking of Ishimori, he was also announced for a Sayaka Unagi Produced event on 9/2 at Tokyo Dome City Hall where he will tram with Rina Yamashita to face Unagi & Minoru Suzuki in the main event, which also may be a Unagi 40th Birthday match.

UPDATE: More news-a new Young Lion is about to join the promotion. Yushin Hatazawa will make his debut on 9/9 at Korakuen Hall against fellow Young Lion Tatsuya Matsumoto. Hatazawa, 20, is from Hakodate in Hokkaido Prefecture and entered the New Japan dojo in 2025 after passing the entrance exam in 2024. He is 6’1 and 95 kg/209 pounds and it’s suggested he may try to eventually move up to Heavyweight based on prior sumo training. He will then join the Road To DESTRUCTION Tour and will very quickly get a chance to compete in his hometown for the first time.

New Japan 8/16/2026 Results

New Japan wrapped up the G1 CLIMAX 36 Tournament today with the Finals.

Today’s event was held at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo 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. (On demand there will not be until the exclusive TV Asahi window ends, which I believe is 3 days after the event) You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 7260.

Match 1: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho, DOUKI & Yujiro Takahashi beat Masatora Yasuda, Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado & YOSHI-HASHI. DOUKI beat Yasuda with Italian Stretch 32.

Match 2: Toru Yano & Togi Makabe beat Zane Jay & Francesco Akira. Makabe pinned Jay after a King Kong kneedrop.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsumoto, Master Wato & Boltin Oleg by ref stoppage (technical submission). Fujita beat Matsumoto with a front neck lock.

Match 4: Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Daiki Nagai, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Newman pinned Nagai. Afterwards, another surprise return/appearance…Jeff Cobb is back! (He left the promotion last year for WWE, but was released earlier this year) And…apparently he’s turned on United Empire! Sounds like he’s defected to Unbound Co.

Match 5: Shingo Takagi & Drilla Moloney beat Wheeler Yuta (All Elite Wrestling) & Gabriel Kidd. Takagi pinned Yuta after Last Of The Dragon.

Match 6: Shun Skywalker, SANADA & Ren Narita beat Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Konosuke Takeshita. Skywalker pinned Kojima after a moonsault kneedrop. This was Skywalker’s first official New Japan match since joining the promotion and debuting yesterday after leaving Dragon Gate earlier this month.

Match 7: Taiji Ishimori & Yota Tsuji beat Yoh & Hirooki Goto. Ishimori pinned Yoh after Bloody Cross.

Main Event: G1 CLIMAX 36 Finals: Ryohei Oiwa beat Yuya Uemura to win the tournament. It’s the first G1 victory for Oiwa. They went over 35 minutes. After retiring yesterday, Hiroyoshi Tenzan was a special guest on commentary for the match. As a result, Oiwa gets a IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at…forget tradition, once again he is not waiting until Tokyo Dome. As has been the case the last couple years, he will take the shot in October and try to go into 1/4 as champion. Confirmation should come tomorrow or Tuesday but if true, that means 10/12 at KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2026. And finally, remember the pre-tournament poll where fans voted on who they would win? They were wrong! The majority picked Uemura to win. Close but not quite.

The next event is 8/30 at Kaikyo Messe Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi. There will be no live or on demand broadcast. The next broadcast will probably be 9/6 for the next Yuji Nagata Produced event in Chiba.

New Japan 8/15/2026 Results (Updated)

New Japan ran the penultimate day of the G1 CLIMAX 36 today with the Semifinals, and it also featured the Hiroyoshi Tenzan Retirement Match & ceremony as the “Violent Bull” called it a career after 35 years, forced to walk away in large part due to injury.

Today’s event was held at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo 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 first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 7777, a legit sellout. SUPER JACKPOT!!! (Also reduced capacity setup as that’s just over half the venue’s full capacity)

Match 1: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Taisei Nakahara, Masatora Yasuda, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Akira pinned Nakahara after Fireball.

Match 2: Sho, DOUKI, SANADA & Ren Narita beat Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado, Yoh & Konosuke Takeshita. Narita pinned Taguchi after DOuble Cross. Afterwards, a huge shocker as House Of Torture introduced a new member…Shun Skywalker! The former Dragon Gate wrestler apparently has jumped to New Japan!

Match 3: Wheeler Yuta (All Elite Wrestling) & Gabriel Kidd beat Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney. Yuta pinned Nagai.

Match 4: Master Wato, Yoh, Yuji Nagata, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, OSKAR (The Grouch), Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) & Shingo Takagi. Yano pinned OSKAR.

Match 5: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsumoto, Boltin Oleg & Aaron Wolf. Fujita pinned Matsumoto.

G1 CLIMAX Semifinals:
Match 6: Ryohei Oiwa beat Callum Newman.
Match 7: Yuya Uemura beat Yota Tsuji.
As a result, the Final is Oiwa vs. Uemura. The Final is tomorrow.

Main Event: Hiroyoshi Tenzan Retirement Match: Satoshi Kojima beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Originally scheduled to be a 5 minute match, it was changed to no time limit and went just over 9 minutes for one final TenKoji faceoff. Afterarwds, the retirement ceremony was held with a big surprise at first…CRAZY KOUZU!!! Takashi Iizuka is in the house! And…they made up and became friends! The legendary Masa Chono was a special guest at the ceremony along with fellow legend Keiji Muto and event he recently retired Tiger Mask 4 returned for an appearance. The 10 bell salute & final call followed to close the celebration and send Tenzan & the crowd home happy and the legend into retirement after 35 years.

The tournament ends tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY will begin TONIGHT at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET. This will be an exclusive TV Asahi live broadcast in Japan.

UPDATE: It’s now official. WRESTLE KINGDOM 21 on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome is on the calendar! The start of the year-long 55th Anniversary celebration of New Japan Pro Wrestling! More to come.
And, apparently also official, is Tokyo Dome 2028 on 1/4/28!

New Japan 8/13/2026 Results

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 today with the final day of Block B.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tolyo 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 1494, a legit sellout.

Match 1: Tatauya Matsumoto & Hirooki Goto beat Masarora Yasuda & Boltin Oleg. Goto pinned Yasuda.

Match 2: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho & SANADA beat Taisei Nakahara, Toru Yano & Konosuke Takeshita. Sho pinned Nakahara after a cross arm piledriver

Match 3: Taiji Ishimori, Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) & Shingo Takagi beat Zane Jay, Jacob Austin Young & Great-O-Khan. Ice pinned Jay acter a buzzsaw kick.

Match 4: Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa beat Diaki Nagai & Yota Tsuji. Jackson pinned Nagai after a jumping powerbomb.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 5: Zack Sabre Jr. beat Aaron Wolf.
Match 6: Gabriel Kidd beat Ren Narita.
Match 7: Yuya Uemura beat OSKAR (The Grouch).
Main Event: Callum Newman beat HENARE.
As a result, there was a 3-way tie for first and only 2 advance. Because if tiebreakers, Newman wins the block, Uemura finishes 2nd and Kidd is OUT. Kidd lost to both Newman and Uenura which was the tiebreaker.
The Semifinals will be Uemura vs. Tsuji and Newman vs. Oiwa.

The Semifinals are Saturday at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Safurday will also be the Hiroyoshi Tenzan retirement event. Live streaming on New Japan World OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY will begin Friday at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET. This will be a live & exclusive TV Asahi broadcast in Japan.

New Japan 8/12/2026 Results

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 today with the last day of Block A.

Today’s event was held at Act City Hanamatsu in Shizuoka and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 2075, a full house/near sellout.

Match 1: Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney beat Taisei Nakabara & Toru Yano. Nagai pinned Nakabara after Drilla Killer.

Match 2: Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jt. Bear Tatsuya Matsumoto & Aaron Wolf. Jackson pinned Matsumoto after a senton.

Match 3: Gedo & OSKAR (The Grouch) beat Masatora Yasuda & Yuya Uenura. OSKAR pinned Yasuda after a guillotine drop.

Match 4: Jacob Austin Young & HENARE beat Zane Jay & Callum Newman. HENARE beat Jay with Ultima.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: SANADA beat Shingo Takagi.
Match 6: Hirooki Goto beat Yuto Ice (Ice Baby).
Match 7: Yota Tsuji beat Jake Lee.
Match 8: Great-O-Khan beat Boltin Oleg by countout.
Main Event: Ryohei Oiwa beat Konosuke Takeshita.
As a result, there was a 3-way tie for first and only 2 advance. The odd man out on tiebreakers was Takeshita because he also lost to Tsuji. Tsuji wins the block and Oiwa finishes 2nd to advance to the Semifinals on Saturday.

The next event is tomorrow at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with the final day of Block B. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

New Japan 8/9/2026 Results

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 today with the penultimate day of Block A.

Today’s event was held at G Messe Gunma in Gunma 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 1615.

Match 1: Gedo & OSKAR (The Grouch0 beat Taisei Nakahara & Torau Yano. OSKAR beat Nakahara with a camel clutch.

Match 2; Zane Jay & Callum Newman beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Aaron Wolf. Newman pinned Matsumoto after Prince’s Curse.

Match 3: Dick Togo & Ren Narita beat Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney. Narita pinned Nagai with a blizzard suplex hold.

Match 4: Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Jacob Austin Young & HENARE. Jackson pinned Young after a jumping powerbomb,

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: Ryohei Oiwa beat Jake Lee.
Match 6: Konosuke Takeshita beat SANADA.
Match 7: Yota Tsuji beat Great-O-Khan.
Match 8: Hirooki Goto beat Boltin Oleg.
Main Event: Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Shingo Takagi.

Standings:
1-Takeshita, 6-2, 12 pts
2-Tsuji, 5-3, 10 pts
3-Oiwa, 5-3, 10 pts
4-Oleg, 5-3, 10 pts
5-Ice, 4-4, 8 pts
6-Takagi, 4-4, 8 pts
7-Goto, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
8-SANADA, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
9-Lee, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
10-Khan, 2-6, 4 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. While 6 still have a chance, realistically it’s down to 4. Ice & Takagi would need nearly impossible tiebreaker scenarios to have any chance, and they both would need Oiwa to lose and to win their last respective matches, so let’s focus on the top 4. It’s not as clear as it seems. First, if Takeshita beats Oiwa or draws, he advances. If Oiwa beats Takeshita, he needs Tsuji to lose or draw (Lee). Tsuji advances if he beats Lee as he has tiebreakers over Takeshita & Oiwa, but not Oleg. Oleg has a chance-he must beat Khan, but his problem is he loses the tiebreakers to Takeshita and Oiwa even though he beat Tsuji. It will all be settled on Wednesday.

The next event is Tuesday at Nihon Haiway Arena in Mie with Block B. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET.

New Japan 8/8/2026 Results

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 today in Yokohama with Block B.

Today’s event was held at Yohokama Budokan in Yokohama and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 2742, a full house/near sellout.

Match 1: Tatsuya Matsumoto & Hirooki Goto beat Masatora Yasuda 7 Boltin Oleg. Goto pinned Yasuda.

Match 2: Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa beat Zane Jay & Jake Lee. Jackson pinned Jay after Death Valley Bomb.

Match 3: Toru Yano & Konosuke Takeshita beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA. Takeshita pinned Kanemaru.

Match 4: Jacob Austin Young & Great-O-Khan beat Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji. Young pinned Nagai after Bites The Dust.

Match 5: Taiji Ishimori & Shingo Takagi beat Gedo & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Ishimori beat Gedo with Bone Lock.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 6: Zack Sabre Jr. beat Drilla Moloney.
Match 7: Yuya Uemura beat HENARE.
Match 8: Ren Narita beat Aaron Wolf by submission.
Main Event: Callum Newman beat OSKAR (The Grouch).

Standings (Block B):
1-Newman, 5-2, 10 pts
2-Narita, 5-2, 10 pts
3-Gabriel Kidd, 5-2, 10 pts
4-Uemura, 4-3, 8 pts
5-HENARE, 4-3, 8 pts
6-Moloney, 4-4, 8 pts
7-OSKAR, 4-4, 8 pts
8-Wolf, 3-4, 6 pts
9-Sabre, 3-4, 6 pts
10-Shota Umino, 0-9, 0 pts (OUT-injured)
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. It’s complicated with everyone except Umino of course still in it, but it’s probably going to come down to tiebreakers. If the top 3 stayed the same at the end with these same totals, it currently would favor Narita because he beat Newman but hasn’t faced Kidd yet. Kidd lost to Moloney and Newman and has yet to face Narita. Moloney actually has the advantage having beaten all of the top 3, but he has only one match left. OSKAR has tiebreakers over Moloney & Narita but also has only one match left. Sabre has only beaten Moloney and same for Wolf, but the latter still has Newman left.

The next event is tomorrow at G Messe Gunma in Gunma with Block A. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin TONIGHT at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET.

New Japan News: New TAMASHII Title Introduced

In addition to today’s event in Japan, New Japan made another big announcement pertaining to its TAMASHII sub-brand: The promotion is getting its second title, the TAMASHII Openweight Championship. The promotion’s first singles title, it will first be awarded to the winner of a tournament starting on 8/29 in Otahutu, New Zealand and ending on 10/4. Participants & format TBA but they may reveal more at Saturday’s event at the Lions’ Den aka the New Zealand Dojo.

In the meantime, here is a likely picture of the title belt:

New Japan 8/6/2026 Results (Updated)

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 today in Tokyo with Block A.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was also a live Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 1494, a legit sellout.

Before the event began, a memorial ceremony for Dory Funk Jr. was held. Funk died Tuesday at 85.

Match 1: Jacob Austin Young & HENARE beat Masatora Yasuda & Yuya Uemura. Young pinned Yasuda after Jacobs Ladder.

Match 2: Dick Togo & Ren Narota beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Aaron Wolf. Narita beat Matsumoto with a kneebar.

Match 3: Zane Jay & Callum Newman beat Gedo & OSKAR (The Grouch) by countout. OSKAR counted out.

Match 4: Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney. Jackson pinned Nagai after a jumping powerbomb

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: SANADA beat Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) by KO. House Of Torture interference for a guitar shot. Iced Iced Baby.
Match 6: Jake Lee beat Great-O-Khan by DQ in 107 seconds. Chair use fake out.
Match 7: Ryohei Oiwa beat Hirooki Goto.
Match 8: Shingo Takagi beat Konosuke Takeshita.
Main Event: Boltin Oleg beat Yota Tsuji.

Standings (Block A):
1-Takeshita, 5-2, 10 pts
2-Oleg, 5-2, 10 pts
3-Takagi, 4-3, 8 pts
4-Oiwa, 4-3, 8 pts
5-Tsuji, 4-3, 8 pts
6-SANADA, 3-4, 6 pts
7-Lee, 3-4, 6 pts
8-Ice, 3-4, 6 pts
9-Goto, 2-5, 4 pts (OUT)
10-Khan, 2-5, 4 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. As a result of today, Goto & Khan have been eliminated while SANADA, Lee & Ice can only make it on tiebreakers. If it comes down to Takeshita & Oleg, the tiebreaker goes to Takeshita. Oleg also loses tiebreaker to Oiwa. Takeshita still has to face Oiwa & SANADA, beating either means he advances. Oleg still has Goto & Khan.

The next event is Saturday at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama with Block B. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

UPDATE: You can now watch Takeshita-Takagi FOR FREE on New Japan World until 8/17.

New Japan 8/1/2026 & 8/2/2026 Results

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 36 this weekend with two events. (I missed posting yesterday’s results until just now)

Yesterday’s event was held at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima 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 2255.

Match 1: Zane Jay & Callum Newman beat Tetsuya Matsumoto & Toru Yano. Newman pinned Matsumoto after Prince’s Curse.

Match 2: Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney beat Taisei Nakahara & Aaron Wolf. Moloney pinned Nakahara after a diving headbutt.

Match 3: Dick Togo & Ren Narita beat Masatora Yasuda & Yuya Uemura. Narita beat Yasuda with a kneebar.

Match 4: Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Gedo & OSKAR (The Grouch). Jackson pinned Gedo after a senton.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: Boltin Oleg beat SANADA in 90 seconds.
Match 6: Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Jake Lee.
Match 7: Shingo Takagi beat Great-O-Khan.
Match 8: Yota Tsuji beat Ryohei Oiwa.
Main Event: Konosuke Takeshita beat Hirooki Goto.

Standings (Block A):
1-Takeshita, 5-1, 10 pts
2-Tsuji, 4-2, 8 pts
3-Oleg, 4-2, 8 pts
4-Takagi, 3-3, 6 pts
5-Ice, 3-3, 6 pts
6-Oiwa, 3-3, 6 pts
7-Goto, 2-4, 4 pts
8-SANADA, 2-4, 4 pts
9-Khan, 2-4, 4 pts
10-Lee, 2-4, 4 pts
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. Although nobody is mathematically out yet, Goto now cannot win the block due to tiebreakers. SANADA, Khan & Lee must beat Takeshita to have any hope of advancing due to tiebreakers.

Today’s event was held at Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka 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 2306.

Match 1: Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Hirooki Goto. Jackson pinned Matsumoto after a senton.

Match 2: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA beat Gedo & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Kanemary beat Gedo with a figure 4.

Match 3: Jacob Austin Young & Great-O-Khan beat Zane Jay & Jake Lee. Khan pinned Jay after Collapse.

Match 4: Toru Yano, Konosuke Takeshita & Boltin Oleg beat Daiki Nagai, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji. Yano pinned Nagai.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 5: Aaron Wolf beat Drilla Moloney.
Match 6: Zack Sabre Jr. beat OSKAR (The Grouch).
Match 7: Ren Narita beat Yuya Uemura.
Main Event: Gabriel Kidd beat HENARE.

Standings (Block B):
1-Kidd, 5-2, 10 pts
2-Narita, 4-2, 8 pts
3-HENARE, 4-2, 8 pts
4-Newman, 4-2, 8 pts
5-Moloney, 4-3, 8 pts
6-OSKAR, 4-3, 8 pts
7-Wolf, 3-3, 6 pts
8-Uemura, 3-3, 6 pts
9-Sabre, 2-4, 4 pts
10-Shota Umino. 0-9, 0 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. At this point Sabre cannot win the block outright because he loses the tiebreaker to Kidd and currently only has tiebreaker against OSKAR. He must win his last 3 just to have a chance to advance.

The next event is Thursday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with Block A. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. This will also be a live Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.