 | |
 NJPW headquarters inTokyo | |
| New Japan-Pro Wrestling | |
Native name | 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 |
Romanized name | Shin Nihon Puroresuringu Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Streaming media |
| Predecessor | Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance |
| Founded | January 13, 1972; 53 years ago (1972-01-13) |
| Founder | Antonio Inoki |
| Headquarters | Sumitomo Nakanosakaue Bldg 1-38-1 Chuo,Nakano, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Naoki Sugabayashi (Chairman) Hiroshi Tanahashi (President &Representative Director) |
| Products | |
| Services | Licensing |
| Revenue |  ¥5.4 billion (2019[2]) |
| Owners | Bushiroad[3][2] (majority owner – 85%) TV Asahi[2] (minority owner – 10%) Amuse Inc.[2] (minority owner – 5%) |
Number of employees | 78 (2020[2]) |
| Divisions | NJPW Dojo NJPW World Team NJPW Tokon Shop |
| Subsidiaries | New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America[4] World Wonder Ring Stardom[5] |
| Website |
|
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (新日本プロレスリング株式会社,Shin Nihon Puroresuringu Kabushiki-gaisha) (NJPW)[2] is aJapanese professional-wrestlingpromotion founded on January 13, 1972, byAntonio Inoki, and based inNakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game companyBushiroad, withTV Asahi andAmuse Inc. owning minority shares of the promotion.[2] Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the promotion's Chairman since September 2013,[6] whileHiroshi Tanahashi has served as the president of the promotion since December 2023.
Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, NJPW is the largest and longest-running professional wrestling promotion in Japan.[7] Their biggest event is theJanuary 4 Tokyo Dome Show (currently promoted under theWrestle Kingdom banner) held each year since 1992. In addition to promoting professional wrestling matches, NJPW has also showcasedmixed martial arts fights on some of its live events.
The promotion was owned byYuke's from 2005 until 2012.[8][9][10] It was then sold to Bushiroad in 2012, which parlayed its entry to the world of professional wrestling into a best-selling trading card game,King of Pro Wrestling, and appearances from NJPW stars in its various franchises.
NJPW was affiliated with theNational Wrestling Alliance at various points in its history. NJPW also has and has had agreements with variousMMA andprofessional wrestling promotions around the world; includingWWE,World Championship Wrestling,American Wrestling Association,World Class Championship Wrestling,Total Nonstop Action Wrestling,WAR,Jersey All Pro Wrestling,UWFi,Ring of Honor,Pride Fighting Championships, andAll Elite Wrestling.[11]
The promotion was founded byAntonio Inoki on January 13, 1972[12] after his departure from theJapan Pro Wrestling Alliance promotion.[13] The first NJPW event, titledOpening Series, took place on March 6, 1972, in the Ota Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo, to a crowd of 5,000.[14][15] The following year, NJPW signed a television deal with NET TV, now known asTV Asahi.[12] The company launched its own governing body, theInternational Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP); and in 1983,Hulk Hogan became the first everIWGP Heavyweight Champion by defeating Inoki.[16] However, this championship was later abandoned and the current version of thechampionship was established in 1987. Inoki would serve as the president of the promotion until 1989, when he was succeeded bySeiji Sakaguchi.[12]
On April 24, 1989, NJPW hostedBattle Satellite, its first show in theTokyo Dome.[17] The promotion was a member of theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1975 to 1985 and once more from 1992 to 1993. NJPW was briefly reaffiliated with the NWA in the late 2000s to the early 2010s as well. On January 4, 1992, NJPW partnered withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) to produceSuper Warriors, the first everJanuary 4 Tokyo Dome Show,[18] an event that would become an annual tradition for NJPW and is considered their biggest event of the year and comparable toWWE'sWrestleMania event. In April 1995, NJPW and WCW held the two-dayCollision in Korea event at theRungrado 1st of May Stadium inPyongyang,North Korea. The event was the first professional wrestling event held in North Korea and holds the record for most attended wrestling event of all time, with 355,000 people packing the stadium over the two days.[19][20][21]
In the early 2000s, the burgeoning popularity ofmixed martial arts (MMA) in Japan was noticed by Inoki, who wanted to integrate elements ofshoot wrestling to make the company appear more realistic. The company would partner with martial arts organizationK-1 and begin to insert wrestlers into MMA fights, with the goal of pushing NJPW in a more realistic direction and to make it appear as an actual sport.[22] The company's new management was criticized by critics and fans.[23] Inoki later departed NJPW in 2005 after selling his share of the company toYuke's,[24][25] and began his own promotion, theInoki Genome Federation (IGF), in 2007. After his departure, Inoki's son-in-law Simon took over the company, before Naoki Sugabayashi was appointed president in 2007 after Simon also left NJPW to join Antonio in IGF.[12] After the departure of the Inoki family, the company began to reintegrate its priorpuroresu style of wrestling.[26]
Also in 2007, NJPW hosted its first everpay-per-view (PPV) eventWrestle Kingdom I.[27]
The promotion debuted a new series calledNEVER in August 2010, designed to be a series of events spotlighting younger up-and-coming New Japan talent and feature more outsider participation in the promotion. On January 4, 2011, New Japan officially announced theNJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast, the promotion's first tour of the United States to be held in May 2011. The tour featured shows inRahway, New Jersey on May 13,New York City on May 14 andPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania on May 15, as well as cross-promotion with American independent groupJersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW). As part of the tour, NJPW introduced a new title, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[28]
On January 31, 2012,Yuke's announced that it had sold all shares of New Japan Pro-Wrestling to card game company Bushiroad for¥500 million ($6.5 million).[29]
New Japan aired its first internetpay-per-view, the fourth day of the2012 G1 Climax, on August 5, 2012.[30] The October 8, 2012,King of Pro-Wrestling pay-per-view marked the first time viewers outside Japan were able to order a pay-per-view by the promotion throughUstream.[31][32] On October 5, 2012, New Japan announced the creation of the NEVER Openweight Championship, which would be contested for on the NEVER series. A two-day tournament to determine the inaugural champion was held between November 15 and 19, 2012.[33] The final NEVER event was held in November 2012.
In February 2014, New Japan announced a partnership withRing of Honor (ROH), which saw the promotion return to North America the following May to present two supershows;Global Wars inToronto andWar of the Worlds in New York City.[34][35] During the tour, New Japan wrestlers also took part in an event held byCanadian promotionBorder City Wrestling (BCW).[36] A year later, NJPW and ROH announced another tour together to produce four more supershows;War of the Worlds '15 on May 12 and 13 in Philadelphia andGlobal Wars '15 on May 15 and 16 in Toronto.[37]
In June 2014, New Japan announced a partnership with the new AmericanGlobal Force Wrestling (GFW) organization helmed byJeff Jarrett.[38] In November 2014, GFW announced that it would be broadcasting NJPW'sWrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome on pay-per-view in the United States as a four-hour event.[39] Also in November 2014, the AmericanAXS TV network announced it had acquired rights to rebroadcast a series of thirteen episodes of NJPW matches fromTV Asahi. The series premiered on January 16, 2015, airing weekly on Fridays.[40] Averaging 200,000 viewers per episode, the show was considered a success, leading to AXS TV and TV Asahi signing a multi-year deal to continue airing the show.[41] In June 2016, the show was also acquired by the CanadianFight Network.[42] On December 1, 2014, NJPW and TV Asahi announcedNJPW World, a new worldwide streaming site for the promotion's events.[43]
On July 18, 2015, NJPW announced the "New IWGP Conception", a global expansion strategy centered on their international partnerships withConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), GFW, ROH,Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW),Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), and theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as well as holding more shows inThailand,Singapore, andTaiwan. Also announced was theLion's Gate Project, which would feature NJPW rookies as well as up-and-coming outsiders working trial matches in an effort to earn a spot in the promotion. Finally, it was announced that there were plans to take the company public with a listing on the stock market within three to five years.[44][45][46]
On December 21, 2015, NJPW announced the creation of its seventh active title and the first six-man tag team championship in the promotion's history, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[47] On January 5, 2016, NJPW announced a partnership with theAmuse talent agency with the goal of making the promotion's wrestlers internationally recognized stars in the vein ofDwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[48]
In March 2017, NJPW partnered with theNew Zealand-basedFale Dojo, a pro wrestling training facility run by NJPW performerBad Luck Fale.[49] NJPW will utilize the partnership as an opportunity to scout talent fromOceania.[49] The following month on April 24, 2017, it was announced that NJPW would co-present the Japanese qualifiers for the Pro Wrestling World Cup tournament hosted by the BritishWhat Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) promotion.[50]
On May 12, 2017, NJPW announced the creation of a new title: the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, with the inaugural champion to be crowned during the promotion'sG1 Special in USA shows inLong Beach, California on July 1 and 2.[51][52] Four days later, NJPW held a press conference to announce plans to establish a subsidiary company, including a dojo, in the United States.[53] ALos Angeles office was scheduled to be opened before the end of 2017, with a dojo scheduled to be opened at the start of 2018.[54] NJPW's second American event,Strong Style Evolved, took place on March 25, 2018, also in Long Beach.[55] In November 2017, NJPW signed a television deal withDiscovery Communications, which would see the company's programming brought to 70 millionIndian homes throughDSport.[56]
In January 2018, NJPW announced the four-show Fallout Down Under tour, the promotion's inaugural tour ofAustralia spanning from February 16–19.[57] In March 2018, New Japan opened the NJPW LA Dojo withKatsuyori Shibata serving as head trainer and ROH wrestlerScorpio Sky serving as assistant trainer.[58] On May 13, 2018, New Japan hired its first foreign president, Dutch businessmanHarold Meij.[59]
In February 2019, NJPW re-established their partnership with the NWA and entered into a new partnership withThe Crash Lucha Libre; both partnerships ended later in 2019.[60][61] On October 21, 2019, NJPW announced the formation of a new American subsidiary of the company, namedNew Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA).[4] In 2019, they had run a record 13 shows in the United States, with plans to run double that in 2020. It was reported at the same time that NJPW and ROH had no joint shows planned for the future.[62]
On October 31, 2019, Super7 announced the first line of NJPWaction figures.[63][64]
Amidst from theJapanese onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with recommendations from the Japanese Ministry of Health, NJPW decided to cancel all scheduled shows from March 1 through March 15.[65] On March 10, NJPW announced that they were cancelling all shows through March 22, which meant that they cancelled the2020 New Japan Cup as well.[66]World Wonder Ring Stardom is owned byBushiroad, also made adjustments to their schedule, cancelling shows from February 18 to March 14. Their March 8 show inKorakuen Hall was held without any spectators in attendance, instead streaming live on theirYouTube channel.[67] On March 23, NJPW would later cancel the 2020Sakura Genesis event that was originally scheduled to take place in on March 31.[68][69]
On April 8, NJPW would cancel more events from April 11 through May 4, which mean both nights of 2020Wrestling Dontaku were cancelled as well.[70] On May 6, NJPW cancelled their annualBest of the Super Juniors tournament.[71] The next day, NJPW postponed their Wrestle Dynasty event to 2021, which was to take place inMadison Square Garden in New York.[72] On June 9, NJPW announced their return with special show with mystery match card calledTogether Special on June 15 and the return of the New Japan Cup would now be held from June 16 until July 11, with the final being held atOsaka-jō Hall inOsaka alongsideDominion in Osaka-jo Hall being rescheduled to July 12.[73][74]
On September 29, NJPW announced that Meij would no longer be appointed president of the promotion and was replaced by Takami Ohbari on October 23, who is the current CEO of New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.[75]
In 2020, NJPW partnered withGame Changer Wrestling (GCW) andMajor League Wrestling (MLW), with both promotions sending wrestlers to theSuper J-Cup tournament.[76] On July 31, NJPW announced a new weekly series titledNJPW Strong, with its initial episodes to feature matches from the inauguralNew Japan Cup USA tournament. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJoA.[77]In February 2021, it was reported that NJPW had entered into partnerships withAll Elite Wrestling (AEW)[78] andImpact Wrestling.[79] On November 19, 2021, NJPW would re-establish a relationship withPro Wrestling Noah with Noah wrestlers being involved at the third night of NJPW'sWrestle Kingdom 16 event.[80]
DuringWrestle Kingdom 16 in January 2022, it was announced that NJPW programming, including new programs and reruns of past English broadcasts, would return toAXS TV andFight Network in the United States and Canada. Reruns will begin airing on AXS starting January 20, with all new content to premiere on March 3.[81] On the April 20, 2022 episode ofAEW Dynamite, it was announced that New Japan and AEW would co-promote a supershow calledAEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. The event would take place on June 26, 2022, at theUnited Center inChicago, Illinois.[82]
During September 2022, NJPW announcedNJPW Tamashii, an Oceania-based brand that would stage events throughout the region.[83]
On October 1, 2022, NJPW's founderAntonio Inoki died fromsystemic transthyretin amyloidosis at age 79.[84][85][86] On January 4, 2023, NJPW held theirWrestle Kingdom 17 event in Inoki's honor.[87]
In October 2023, NJPW and sister promotionWorld Wonder Ring Stardom established the Asia Pacific Pro-Wrestling Alliance, an interpromotional governing body that seeks to connect wrestling promotions across Asia.[88] On January 5, 2024, the alliance was renamed theAsia-Pacific Federation of Wrestling (APFW).[89] The inaugural event sanctioned by APFW, NJPW's Wrestling World in Taiwan, took place on April 14 inTaipei.[89]
In early December 2023, NJPW was announced as a founding member of theUnited Japan Pro-Wrestling (UJPW) alliance.[90] The inaugural UJPWevent took place on May 6, 2024, in theNippon Budokan arena.[90] On December 23, NJPW announced that Takami Ohbari had stepped down as the promotion's president, withHiroshi Tanahashi replacing him as NJPW president and representative director.[91]
On April 23, 2024, NJPW announced that it would fully acquire sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom on June 28.[5] The acquisition was completed on June 28, with Stardom Co., Ltd. becoming a subsidiary of NJPW.
Up until the 1980s, NJPW signed its workers to multi-year contracts,[92] before changing to a system where the promotion signed its wrestlers to one-year deals that expired at the end of every January.[93] Following the departures ofA.J. Styles andShinsuke Nakamura, NJPW chairmanTakaaki Kidani announced in February 2016 that the promotion was returning to the multi-year contract system.[92] The contracts forbid negotiations with other promotions.[94] AfterAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) was launched by wrestlers working for NJPW, they started signing foreigners to guaranteed deals as well.[95] Any side contracts or agreements offered to wrestlers under NJPW contracts, need the promotion's approval before being signed.[96] NJPW currently has partnerships with several promotions across the world, for which NJPW wrestlers can also perform for.
| Promotion | Country |
|---|---|
| All Elite Wrestling (AEW)[78] | United States |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)[97] | Japan |
| Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW)[90] | Japan |
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL)[98][99] | Mexico |
| Costa Rica Wrestling Embassy (CWE)[100] | Costa Rica |
| DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT)[90] | Japan |
| Dragongate Japan Pro-Wrestling (Dragongate)[90] | Japan |
| Dragon Fighting Wrestling (DFW)[88] | China |
| Ganbare☆Pro-Wrestling (GanPro)[90] | Japan |
| Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Studios (Grapplemax)[88] | Singapore |
| Kyushu Pro-Wrestling (KPW) | Japan |
| Major League Wrestling (MLW)[101] | United States |
| Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah)[102] | Japan |
| Puzzle[88] | Taiwan |
| Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW)[103] | United Kingdom |
| Ring of Honor (ROH)[104] | United States |
| Setup Thailand Pro Wrestling (Setup)[88] | Thailand |
| Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW)[90] | Japan |
| World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana (Diana) | Japan |
| World Wonder Ring Stardom (Stardom)[105] | Japan |
The promotion has its own fictional governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix, shortened as IWGP.
At the top of NJPW's championship hierarchy for male wrestlers is theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Secondary titles include theIWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, theNEVER Openweight Championship, theNJPW World Television Championship, and for wrestlers in New Japan'sUnited States basedNJPW Strong brand, there is theStrong Openweight Championship
For tag teams, there are two traditional championship for two-man teams (theIWGP Tag Team Championship and - for wrestlers in NJPW Strong - theStrong Openweight Tag Team Championship ), and one for three-man teams (theNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship).
There are two championships in NJPW forjunior heavyweight wrestlers - a singles title (theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship) and one for tag teams (theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship).
There are two championships for female wrestlers in NJPW, theIWGP Women's Championship and theStrong Women's Championship (the latter for wrestlers in NJPW strong).
As of May 17, 2025.
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Successful defenses | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP World Heavyweight Championship |  | Hirooki Goto | 1 | February 11, 2025 | 95 | 6 | Osaka, Japan | DefeatedZack Sabre Jr. atThe New Beginning in Osaka. | [106] |
| IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship |  | Yota Tsuji | 1 | January 4, 2025 | 133 | 4 | Tokyo, Japan | DefeatedDavid Finlay atWrestle Kingdom 19. | [107] |
| IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship |  | El Desperado | 5 | January 4, 2025 | 133 | 5 | Tokyo, Japan | DefeatedDouki atWrestle Kingdom 19. | [107] |
| NEVER Openweight Championship | .jpg) | Konosuke Takeshita | 1 | January 4, 2025 | 133 | 6 | Tokyo, Japan | DefeatedShingo Takagi in aWinner Takes All match, also for Takeshita'sAEW International Championship atWrestle Kingdom 19. | [107] |
| Strong Openweight Championship |  | Tomohiro Ishii | 1 | April 11, 2025 | 36 | 1 | Chicago, Illinois | DefeatedGabe Kidd in a 30-minuteiron man match, which Ishii won 2–1 in sudden death overtime atWindy City Riot. | [108] |
| NJPW World Television Championship |  | El Phantasmo | 2 | April 29, 2025 | 18 | 1 | Saga, Japan | DefeatedGreat-O-Khan at Wrestling Hizen no Kuni. | [109] |
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Successful defenses | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP Women's Championship |  | Syuri | 1 | April 27, 2025 | 20 | 0 | Yokohama, Japan | DefeatedMayu Iwatani atAll Star Grand Queendom. | [113] |
| Strong Women's Championship |  | AZM | 1 | May 9, 2025 | 8 | 0 | Ontario, California | Defeated previous championMercedes Moné andMina Shirakawa in athree-way match atResurgence. | [111] |
| Championship | Last champion(s) | Reign | Date retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP Heavyweight Championship | Kota Ibushi | 1 | March 4, 2021 | Unified with theIWGP Intercontinental Championship to create theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship. |
| IWGP Intercontinental Championship | Kota Ibushi | 2 | March 4, 2021 | Unified with theIWGP Heavyweight Championship to create theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship. |
| IWGP Third Belt Championship | Shinsuke Nakamura | 1 | February 17, 2008 | Unified with theIWGP Heavyweight Championship after Nakamura defeated the previous championKurt Angle. |
| IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 | June 7, 2006 | The championship could only be won by wrestlers under the age of 30. Vacated by Tanahashi at the age of 29 and soon after deactivated. |
| IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship | Will Ospreay | 2 | December 11, 2023 | The championship was deactivated and replaced byIWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. |
| KOPW | Great-O-Khan | 1 | December 22, 2024 | The championship was retired and deactivated by official 2024 championGreat-O-Khan. |
| NWF Heavyweight Championship | Shinsuke Nakamura | 1 | January 4, 2004 | Unified with theIWGP Heavyweight Championship after Nakamura defeated the previous championYoshihiro Takayama. |
| J-Crown Octuple Unified Championship | Shinjiro Otani | 1 | November 5, 1997 | The championship resulted from the unification of eight lower-weight class titles from several different wrestling promotions. The championship was retired at the request of theWWF, who was introducing their own version of theWWF Light Heavyweight Championship (which was one of the component championships of the J-Crown). |
| Greatest 18 Club Championship | The Great Muta | 1 | August 16, 1992 | Muta retired championship, in order to focus on his IWGP Heavyweight Championship title defenses. |
| WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship | Antonio Inoki | 2 | December 31, 1989 | The championship was contested in matches billed asshoot wrestling fights. Abandoned for undocumented reasons. |
| IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version) | Antonio Inoki | 2 | May 11, 1987 | The championship was deactivated and replaced by the newIWGP Heavyweight Championship, which was first awarded to the winner of the1987 IWGP League.[16] |
| WWF International Heavyweight Championship | Tatsumi Fujinami | 3 | October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and theWWF ended their working relationship. |
| WWF International Tag Team Championship | Kengo Kimura andTatsumi Fujinami | 1 (1, 1) | October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and theWWF ended their working relationship. |
| WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship | The Cobra | 2 | October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and theWWF ended their working relationship. |
| Asia Heavyweight Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| Asia Tag Team Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh andUmanosuke Ueda | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWF Heavyweight Championship (original version) | Antonio Inoki | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWF North American Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles/Japan version) | Riki Choshu andSeiji Sakaguchi | 1 (1, 5) | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| WWF North American Heavyweight Championship | Seiji Sakaguchi | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| Real World Championship | Karl Gotch | 2 | 1972 | Abandoned for undocumented reasons. |
| Tournament | Latest winner(s) | Date won | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 Climax | Zack Sabre Jr. | August 18, 2024 | Tokyo | DefeatedYota Tsuji in the tournament final. |
| World Tag League | Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito andHiromu Takahashi) | December 8, 2024 | Kumamoto | DefeatedBullet Club War Dogs (Sanada andGabe Kidd) in the tournament final. |
| New Japan Cup | David Finlay | March 20, 2025 | Nagaoka | DefeatedShota Umino in the tournament final. |
| Best of the Super Juniors | El Desperado | June 9, 2024 | Osaka | Defeated Taiji Ishimori in the tournament final. |
| Super Junior Tag League[Note 1] | The Mighty Don't Kneel (Robbie Eagles andKosei Fujita) | November 4, 2024 | Osaka | DefeatedCatch 2/2 (Francesco Akira andTJP) in the tournament final. |
| Oceania Cup | Jack Bonza | November 15, 2024 | Auckland | Defeated PunchDrunk Istria in the last block match. |
| NJPW Academy Cup | Allan Breeze | March 21, 2025 | Carson, California | Defeated Raymond Bright in the Finals match. |
| Tournament | Last winner(s) | Last held | Type | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Japan Cup USA | Tom Lawlor | 2021 | Openweight | 2020 | A spin-off of the New Japan Cup tournament, held in 2020 and 2021. |
| Super J-Cup | El Phantasmo | 2020 | Junior Heavyweight | 1994 | A tournament for junior heavyweight wrestlers. |
| Lion's Break Crown | Clark Connors | 2020 | Openweight | 2020 | A single-elimination singles tournament, held in 2020. |
| Young Lion Cup[Note 2] | Karl Fredericks | 2019 | Openweight | 1985 | A tournament for younger wrestlers. |
| J Sports Crown Openweight 6-Man Tag Tournament | Apollo 555 (Hirooki Goto,Prince Devitt andRyusuke Taguchi) | 2011 | Openweightsix-man tag team | 2010 | A single-elimination six-man tag team tournament, held in 2010 and 2011. |
| G2 U-30 Climax | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2005 | Openweight | 2003 | A tournament for wrestlers under the age of 30, held in 2003 and 2005. |
The Greatest 18 Club was New Japan's first hall of fame, being established in september 30th during Antonio Inoki's career 30th anniversary in 1990. Additionally, Lou Thesz also debuted a newGreatest 18 Club Championship, awarding it toRiki Choshu.
| Ring name (Birth name) | Accolades |
|---|---|
| Lou Thesz (Aloysius Thesz) | Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He was a three-timeNWA World Heavyweight Champion, three-timeNWA World Heavyweight Champion and a two-timeWorld Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. In Japan, he helped train young Japanese talents. |
| Karl Gotch (Charles Istaz) | Inaugural and two-timeReal World Champion. Wrestled Antonio Inoki in the main event of the very first show in NJPW. Helped training young Japanese talents. |
| André the Giant (André Roussimoff) | Winner of the 1981 MSG Tag League, 1982 MSG Series and 1985 IWGP League and the Sagawa Express Cup. |
| Dusty Rhodes[Note 3] (Virgil Runnels Jr.) | Three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and one-timeNWF World Tag Team Champion. Participated in several NJPW tournaments. |
| Stan Hansen (John Hansen) | One-timeNWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Wim Ruska (Willem Ruska) | Professional wrestler and a judoka, only athlete to win two gold medals in Judo in oneOlympics. |
| Billy Robinson (William Robinson) | Two-timeIWA World Heavyweight Champion, one-timeNWA United National Championship andPWF World Heavyweight Champion. Helped training young Japanese talents. |
| Hiro Matsuda (Yasuhiro Kojima) | Two-timeNWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and one-timeNWA North American Tag Team Champion. |
| Bob Backlund (Robert Blacklund) | Two-timeWWWF Heavyweight Champion, and one-timeWWF Tag Team Champion. |
| Verne Gagne (Laverne Gagne) | Ten-timeAWA World Heavyweight Champion, four-timeAWA World Tag Team Champion and one-timeIWA World Heavyweight Champion. |
| Strong Kobayashi (Shozo Kobayashi) | Two-timeNWA North American Tag Team Champion. |
| Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) | Firstoriginal IWGP Heavyweight Champion, winner of 1982 and 1983 MSG Tag Leagues and 1983 IWGP Leagues. In America he was also six-timeWWF Heavyweight/WWE Undisputed Champion and six-timeWCW World Heavyweight Champion. |
| Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) | Considered to be one of the greatestprofessional boxers of all time. Three-timeheavyweightlineal champion. Fought Antonio Inoki in awrestler vs. boxer match. |
| Seiji Sakaguchi | Four-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion, one-timeNWF North American Heavyweight Champion andWWF North American Heavyweight Champion. |
| Nick Bockwinkel (Nicholas Warren Francis Bockwinkel) | Four-timeAWA World Heavyweight Champion, three-timeAWA World Tag Team Champion and one-timeAWA Southern Heavyweight Champion. |
| Johnny Powers(Dennis Waters) | One-timeNWF Heavyweight Champion, one-timeNWF North American Heavyweight Champion and one-timeNWA North American Tag Team Champion (Los Angeles-Japan Version). |
| Johnny Valentine (John Theodore Wisniski) | Five-time WWWF United States Television Champion, four-timeWWWF United States Tag Team Champion, one-timeNWA United States Heavyweight Champion, three-timeNWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, one-timeNWA World Tag Team Champion (Minneapolis Version), one timeNWA International Tag Team Champion and one-timeNWA United National Champion. |
| Antonio Inoki (Kanji Inoki) | NJPW founder and firstIWGP Heavyweight Champion. Also won many top titles, including theWWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship,NWA United National Championship andNWF Heavyweight Championship. |
The Greatest Wrestlers is New Japan'shall of fame, established in 2007 to honor wrestlers who have wrestled for the promotion. From 2007 to 2011, the inductions begin on March 6, the anniversary of the promotion's founding.[114]
| Year | Ring name (Birth name) | Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Antonio Inoki (Kanji Inoki) | NJPW founder and firstIWGP Heavyweight Champion. Also won many top titles, including theWWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship,NWA United National Championship andNWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Seiji Sakaguchi | Three-timeNWA North American Tag Team Champion and one-timeNWF North American Heavyweight andWWF North American Heavyweight Champion. | |
| Kantaro Hoshino (Tatsuo Hoshino) | One-timeIWA World Tag Team Champion with Kotetsu Yamamoto as the Yamaha Brothers. Also known as a promoter andmanager. | |
| Kotetsu Yamamoto (Masaru Yamamoto) | One-timeIWA World Tag Team Champion with Kantaro Hoshino as the Yamaha Brothers. | |
| Shoji Kai (Motoyuki Kitazawa) | Winner of the 1976 Karl Gotch Cup. Famous as the debut opponent of many legends, includingKotetsu Yamamoto,Rusher Kimura,Masa Saito,Tatsumi Fujinami,Osamu Kido,Mitsuo Momota,Satoru Sayama (the originalTiger Mask) andHiro Saito. | |
| 2009 | Kuniaki Kobayashi | One of NJPW's topjunior heavyweights of the 1980s and of a few to win the junior heavyweight titles in both New Japan andAll Japan Pro Wrestling. |
| Akira Maeda (Go Il-myeong) | Two-timeIWGP Tag Team Champion. Founder of theUniversal Wrestling Federation andFighting Network Rings. | |
| Black Cat (Víctor Manuel Mar) | One-time Mexican National Junior Heavyweight Champion and Naucalpan Tag Team Champion. | |
| 2010 | Animal Hamaguchi (Heigo Hamaguchi) | Trainer and two-timeAll Asia Tag Team Champion. Also four-time IWA World Tag Team Champion. |
| Shinya Hashimoto | One of theThree Musketeers. Three-timeIWGP Heavyweight andIWGP Tag Team Champion. Founder ofPro Wrestling Zero1. | |
| 2011 | Don Arakawa (Makoto Arakawa) | One-timeWWC Caribbean Tag Team Champion. Best known as an underdog and comedy wrestler. |
Domestic:
International (former):
International (current):
Worldwide:
The all-time pro wrestling attendance record would be for shows on April 28 and April 29, 1995 at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The announced crowds for those shows were 165,000 and 190,000, although the real numbers were about 150,000 and 165,000. The first show was headlined by Scott Norton vs. Shinya Hashimoto and the second by Antonio Inoki vs. Ric Flair. While there were tickets sold, most of the people attending got in free, and were pretty much ordered to attend, so it's not really a fair comparison.
The card will air live on Abema pay-per-view and have an English language option for the broadcast. The cost will be 3960 Yen. The show will be made available on NJPW World and NOAH's Wrestle Universe streaming service one week after the air date. A portion of proceeds from the event and PPV will be donated to Japanese Red Cross.
Sane — who we presumably should start getting used to calling Kairi Hojo, the name she wrestled under in Stardom for six years before signing with WWE in 2017 — is interested in returning to the ring. Bushiroad-owned Stardom was interested in having the Pirate Princess appear on their 10th anniversary show earlier this year, but WWE allegedly rebuffed their request. Dave Meltzer writes that New Japan's sister promotion is interested in bringing the former World of Stardom champion back, but nothing is in the works... yet.
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