NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

Factions shift I expect to happens for 2026

  • October 13, 2025

Since there a lot of talks about severals factions getting rework and shifts, there a list of somes I expect for now to the beggining of 2026.

  • The Elephant in the room : United Empire

Like every already said, United Empire feel like a dead faction today, even more than CHAOS after Okada's departure. Only Okhan features in recent tours shows (Callum and Akira needed times it's okay to me but relevant). OKhan called severals times that the Empire is dead and Callum pushed hard to be his own thing. Something will happens at least at New Year Dash to me. And if they still the same, at least bring the Velocities in the faction.

  • Aaron Wolf, future plain babyface or real character?

Aaron Wolf maybe be the biggest signin since a really long time, but his debuts could create a crisis in Hontai. To me, New Japan want Wolf to be a big babyface, and putting him in Hontai is a simple way. But it could hinder the growth of Shota, Yuya and Oleg. His arrival could lead to one of them leaving Hontai to create space.

  • The Snake between the Dogs

You know who will come here. Jake Lee missing more than an year is create a lot of expectations for his return and now War Dogs are facing a crisis like they never did before. A lot of posts on the sub already talks about it so I won't explore much of it (that newest one of u/EcstaticJicama3910 today is great tho)

  • The House is getting to big

The House of Torture is now at 10 members, I don't think it beat the record of the most populated faction at one time (maybe it's Bullet Club) but it's sure that it's quite big. Maybe to big. I'm pretty sure that Chase and Fale won't stay too long, but for exemple DOUKI was way more exciting when he was in J5G and having him as a cheating loser is really dumb.

  • Unaffiliated, the missing opportunity

With Naito and Bushi departure, New Japan gave 3 of their best wrestlers missing a real faction. Did could lead to something real new, when Shingo and Hiromu could really benefit of a character change and Tsuji lead his own faction. But all 3 stay the same, just adding Nagai as their personnal pin eater. I wish New Japan could work around outside event like Naito departure to create something exciting more often.

  • Takeshita, no more AEW outsider and real New Japan faction member?

I write this before the Takeshita IWGP World HW challenge, so I don't know if he is our top champion or not.

Since his arrival in G1 2024, Takeshita is showed as an outsider, something is obviously is. But since his contract signin, he still showed with AEW and DDT logo. When we wrestle in AEW, does he is presented as a DDT and New Japan member? They show the G1 Climax Winner achievement, but nothing that really exposed New Japan. The over problem to me is that he still showed with Rocky as a Don Callis Family member. I wish he finally align with a NJPW faction to show his investment in New Japan.

by Mandraker17

5 comments

  1. I think either Uemura or Umino should lead a new faction whilst the other leads Hontai. It could either be leading Empire, which Umino suits best or I think a faction/sub-faction of old Chaos/J5G + surplus to Hontai could work

    Ishii, Taichi, YOH, Wato then led by either Umino or Uemura. Could still sit in Hontai but a bit more distinct.

  2. I feel like Yuto and Oskar are currently outliers in the war dogs. they don’t bark, they don’t have BC T Shirts, they are pretty convincing heels where the others are all essentially face now and at the show today>!when the War Dogs and Unaffiliated were all shaking hands they really hung back and only did so at the end and reluctantly at that. !< Wouldn’t be surprised if they break off, maybe with a returning Jake Lee and feud with the Gaijin faces. Would potentially need a Jr or two to fill out the ranks and I have no idea who that could be. Dark Wato, anyone? Maybe they take Taiji?

    I think Takeshita will remain an outsider for now, but I *could* see him in Unaffiliated if he was fulltime at Nooj.

    I honestly forgot about the United Empire. Stick O-Kahn in TMDK, I don’t care about the other guys.

    Even though HOT has a million members, I honestly don’t feel like it’s bloated. Most of them are largely just run-in goons and the core of EVIL, SHO and Narita as the members who need to be taken seriously is a decent unit. I expect to see a very slow burn Narita face turn over the next year, probably not going the whole hog till well after Dominion at the earliest.

    Douki in HoT is a tragedy that I have to assume is due to him not being the same after his injury – if he is actually completely fine, please get him out of there and teaming with Despe or joining unaffiliated.

    Speaking of Despe, he is not right for Hontai and could honestly be leading his own faction or just continuing as an outsider. He’s too cool to be in the generic unit. He’s another that *could* work in Unaffiliated I guess, but maybe he could do something with some of the other, cooler, Hontai dudes – Boltin, Phantasmo… maybe Yuya or Shota if either one develops a bit more of a bad-boy edge.

    I’m expecting Wolf to run a similar trajectory as Oleg – big deal debut, then put him with some reliable veterans in Hontai to work undercards for a while. But who knows, maybe he’s fucking incredible already and he’s gonna reveal himself to be a whole ass complete wrestler at the Dome.

  3. It’s gotta be common knowledge now that Jake Lee was supposed to turn on the War Dogs and join House of Torture, but with his injury they pivoted and used SANADA in that role instead, right?

  4. Being an Australian I actually hate that TMDK is so far away from what it began as and is meant to be

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