NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

What’s been going on lately?

  • November 5, 2025

Hi all,

Just wondering what's been going on over in New Japan the last few years? Watched pretty regularly on NJPWorld starting around the time the BC was huge with Kenny and the Bucks. Lost interest because nobody was really interesting to me anymore. SANADA being champ, House of Torture, the new factions, and War Dogs (just to name a few off the top of my head) just didn't keep me engaged anymore, and I decided I could save my money and canceled the subscription. I've been interested in getting back into it lately, and just wondering what I should know? I'm aware of Tana retiring and the new 3 musketeers are controversial depending on who you ask, but thats about it.

Thanks in advance!

by hoganlouser

6 comments

  1. Add Goto having a really great run this year, the elevation of ZSJ and renewed interest in letting wrestlers produce their own shows and that’s pretty much it.

  2. 2024 was kinda a lull, SANADA lost the belt to Naito who’s body was falling apart but due to the lack of star power they had he kinda had to hold the title. He lost the title to Sabre jr which bought out some good main events, but in general the stuff around that wasn’t too good

    2025 has been a good year though. Naito left, ending LIJ and meaning Tanahashi is the only big real name left which forced change. Goto won the title (About the happiest I can be in a post Naito world) and decided to finally end Chaos. Bullet Club followed, being split into Finlay’s War Dogs and EVIL’s House of torture

    SANADA, trying to recreate his instant success with Just 4/5 guys, has changed factions twice and has completely lost his identity. Goto and the Tanahashi retirement tour improved business and was fun time to watch. Since, Zack regained his title and injured Goto, but lost the title to Takeshita before he could win it back. Takeshita has beaten Goto, meaning he has beaten the companies last two champions already.

    This is where the young guy are stepping up and really finding their stride. On top of the new (new) 3 musketeers, there has been a bunch of new talent shining. Fujita looking like the new ace of the juniors, Yuto-Iceeeeee and Oskar are probs going to look down the tag division as well as Yuya and Oiwa helping inject some more life in the heavyweight division

    January 4th will have Tsuji attempt to become the first of the new generation to win the heavyweight title and bring it home from a Takeshita who refuses to call any company his true home. A promise has been made to Tanahashi that the company is safe with him and it will be a great crowning moment IF he pulls it off

    Also, the war dogs and the remaining LIJ are teamimg. Where will it go? Who knows

  4. 2025 was weird. As far as factions go:

    Chaos is now part of Hontai

    United Empire is looking like it’s going to be folded into other units

    War Dogs and House of Torture split, which culminated in a fantastic cage match at Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 that led to the House being excommunicated from Bullet Club

    TMDK’s been good but is a bit lacking in the heavyweight tag division.

    The LIJ remnants (Tsuji, Shingo, Hiromu) and a promising young lion, Daiki Nagai, have been calling themselves unaffiliated since Naito and Bushi’s departure. They recently joined up in some kind of partnership with the War Dogs.

    As far as titles go:

    Never 6 man titles are largely irrelevant, as usual.

    The junior division has largely been run by the House for the last half of the year. Prior to that, Despe had a hell of a run with the Jr Heavyweight Championship. This division is probably where the more promising young talent is at the moment (especially Kosei Fujita).

    The Never Championship has bounced around a lot, as usual. Currently it’s held by EVIL, who will facing the debuting Aaron Wolf at WK20 (possibly for the title, not officially for the title yet).

    Global Championship Scene (the closest successor to the IC title) has largely been between Tsuji (current champion), Finlay, and Kidd.

    The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has almost exclusively been focused around Goto, ZSJ, and Shingo. Recently Konosuke Takeshita won it and will be facing Tsuji at WK20 in a double title match where Tsuji has vowed to bring back the V4 IWGP title.

    The heavyweight tag division was a complete mess before the Knock Out Brothers (Yuto Ice and OSKAR) returned from excursion and took the titles off Ishii and Taichi. They should be the centerpiece of the division for years to come. Yuto Ice in particular looks like a megastar in the making.

    The IWGP and Strong Women’s Championships will be in a unification match at WK20 as Syuri (IWGP) and Saya Kamitani (Strong, and current World of Stardom Champion) hopefully get a good amount of time to put on a banger with the insane year Kamitani’s had in Stardom.

    The Strong titles in general seem to be on the way out.

    Other key points:

    Tanahashi’s retirement match is still a mystery

    None of the new gen heavyweights can manage to get a sustained push (hopefully Tsuji breaks this with a win at the Dome). A lot of promise with this group (particularly with Tsuji, Uemura, Kidd, and Umino) but there seems to be a reluctance by NJPW to let any of them sink or swim.

    The new gen juniors (Fujita, Wato, Robbie X, Akira) have generally looked great though haven’t fully had the rocket strapped to them.

    There’s been more crossover with their sister promotion, Stardom, this year than in years past, following a meteoric rise in that promotion’s quality (with Kamitani breaking through into the mainstream in Japan).

  5. Tanahashi is leaving, there’s a kid who dresses like a failed rapper and is 100% the most charismatic act going, and Chase Owens became a cowboy.

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