| United Empire | |
|---|---|
 The unit's logo | |
| Stable | |
| Leader | Callum Newman (third) |
| Members | See below |
| Names |
|
| Debut | October 16, 2020 |
| Years active | 2020–present |
United Empire (ユナイテッド・エンパイア,Yunaiteddo Enpaia; stylized as UNITED EMPIRE), originallyThe Empire (ジ・エンパイア,Ji Enpaia), is aprofessional wrestling faction predominately performing inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but also have members inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) andConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The stable is led byCallum Newman.
The group was formed in October 2020 byWill Ospreay andGreat-O-Khan, when Ospreay turned on hisChaos stablemateKazuchika Okada during theG1 Climax. Fellow NJPW wrestlersJeff Cobb andAaron Henare would join, as well as freelancersT. J. Perkins andFrancesco Akira, and the team ofKyle Fletcher &Mark Davis known asAussie Open, and "Lord" Gideon Grey fromRevPro.
The formation's concept is based on the multitude of its members whereabout countries and cultures. So far, the stable has had members from eight different countries.Kyle Fletcher andMark Davis from Australia,T. J. Perkins representing the Philippines[a], Jeff Cobb and Jakob Austin Young from the United States,Will Ospreay, Gideon Grey,Callum Newman,Dan Moloney andBea Priestley from England,Aaron Henare from New Zealand,Great-O-Khan from Japan,Templario from Mexico, and finallyFrancesco Akira from Italy.[1]
On Night 17 ofG1 Climax 30, during a match between Chaos members Kazuchika Okada andWill Ospreay,Bea Priestley, Ospreay's girlfriend, made her debut appearance in NJPW, at ringside. As Okada locked hisMoney Clip submission onto Ospreay, Priestley attempted to enter the ring, distracting the referee in the process.Tomoyuki Oka (now known as Great O-Khan) then made his surprise return from excursion and entered the ring behind the referee's back, attacking Okada with aniron claw slam, which allowed Ospreay to hit hisStorm Breakerfinisher, earning him the pinfall victory. After the match, Ospreayturned heel on Okada by attacking him with hisHidden Bladeelbow strike to the back of his head. Later, in a backstage interview, Ospreay announced that he would officially leave Chaos to start a newfaction with him, Priestley, and O-Khan called The Empire.[2][3][4] O-Kharn later changed the spelling of his name to Great O-Khan, in reference toGenghis Khan of theMongol Empire.[5] Jeff Cobb joined the stable on November 15 when he was revealed to be O-Khan's mystery tag team partner for the annualWorld Tag League tournament.[6] The duo would score 10 points (5 wins & 4 losses), not making the final, but getting a win over tournament finalists (and the previous year's winners),FinJuice (Juice Robinson &David Finlay).[7]
AtWrestle Kingdom 15, O-Khan, Cobb, and Ospreay lost their matches toHiroshi Tanahashi,Shingo Takagi (for theNEVER Openweight Championship), and Kazuchika Okada, respectively.[8] AtNew Year Dash!! on January 6, The Empire defeatedTencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan &Satoshi Kojima) &Yota Tsuji when O-Khan & Cobb held Tsuji up for a SuperOsCutter. After beating down O-Khan's trainer, Tenzan to the point where he had to be stretchered out, Ospreay declared that they would be renamed the United Empire.[9] This change was later reflected on New Japan's websites, along with the group's first logo.[10] After attempting to defend his tag partner from the Empire's attack, Kojima was scheduled to face Ospreay one-on-one atThe New Beginning in Nagoya on January 30. O-Khan was also scheduled to face Tenzan one-on-one.[11] All four men squared off a week beforehand in Tenzan's comeback from injury match inOta City General Gymnasium on January 23, a match won by Ospreay and O-Khan.[12][13] On January 26, new stipulations were added to the Ospreay vs. Kojima and O-Khan vs. Tenzan matches for The New Beginning in Nagoya. The loser of O-Khan vs. Tenzan is forced to retire theirMongolian Chop, while the Ospreay vs. Kojima match will be contested underno-disqualification rules.[14] O-Khan and Ospreay went on to win their respective matches.[15]
AtCastle Attack, United Empire beat the team of Hiroshi Tanahashi andTencozy on night one, but were unable to win their matches on night two. Ospreay and Cobb lost to Tencozy, while O-Khan failed to capture the NEVER Openweight Championship from Tanahashi.[16][17] In March, Ospreay won the2021 New Japan Cup after defeating Shingo Takagi. After the match, Ospreay hit aOs-Cutter on Bea Priestley, kicking her out of the United Empire and saying that he was "only looking out for number one" from now on.[18]Toa Henare, now going by the ring name Aaron Henare, would become the fourth man to join the faction atSakura Genesis 2021.[19] On the same show Ospreay would defeatKota Ibushi to win theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship. AtWrestling Dontaku, Ospreay made his first defense of the title when he defeatedShingo Takagi.[20] However, Ospreay would later vacate the title after sustaining a neck injury.[21] He would make his return atNJPW Resurgence, claiming to be the "real world champion", and announcing to not be returning to Japan for that yearsG1 Climax.[22] In September at theRevolution Pro Wrestling High Stakes event, Ospreay recruitedAussie Open (Mark Davis andKyle Fletcher) to the group.[23] The following month during NJPW Strong'sAutumn Attack, T. J. Perkins betrayed the LA Dojo and joined United Empire as their first Junior Heavyweight member.[24]
Despite Ospreay's absence, both O'Khan and Cobb would enter the tournament in the A and B block respectively. O'Khan would finish in the bottom half of his block, scoring just 8 points, however, Cobb would break records in his block, going undefeated for 8 straight wins, before losing on the final deciders to Kazuchika Okada on Day 18, whom he had traded back and forth wins with over the second half of the year.
AtWrestle Kingdom 16, Ospreay being the previous champion and not directly losing his title, would get a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the winner of Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada on night two, where he would lose to Okada. Both O-Khan and Cobb would also lose their respective matches toSanada andTetsuya Naito, respectively. United Empire would take part in theNew Japan Cup, where Ospreay, O-Khan, Cobb and Aaron Henare would proceed to the second round with wins overBushi, Kota Ibushi,Togi Makabe and Yuto Nakanishima, respectively. Ibushi was injured at the time and O-Khan would win by forfeit. Ospreay, O-Khan and Cobb would move to the third round with wins overEl Phantasmo,Taiji Ishimori and Kosei Fujita, respectively. Henare was eliminated after losing to Sanada. Ospreay and Cobb would qualify for the quarter finals with wins over Yoshi-Hashi and Sanada, respectively while O-Khan would lose to Zack Sabre Jr. Both Ospreay and Cobb were eliminated in the semi-final after losing to Tetsuya Naito and Zack Sabre Jr., respectively. After the New Japan Cup, Ospreay would start scouting the Junior Heavyweight division and atHyper Battle he would recruit Francesco Akira as the newest member.
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On the May 25th episode ofAEW Dynamite, Cobb and O'Khan interrupted theROH World Tag Team Championship match between,FTR andRoppongi Vice causing adisqualification by attacking both teams, with Cobb returning toAll Elite Wrestling for the first time since 2019 and O'Khan making his debut. They raised the titles, indicating the intention of challenging for the championships.[25] The stable returned two weeks later, on the June 8th episode of Dynamite, this time with Ospreay, Henare, Fletcher and Davis making their AEW debuts, attackingTrent Beretta and FTR.[26] Ospreay competed in his first singles match at the June 15thspecial episode ofDynamite,Road Rager, where he defeatedDax Harwood.[27] After the match Ospreay and United Empire stablemates attacked FTR and Roppongi Vice once more, only to be interrupted byOrange Cassidy, who stared down Ospreay. Soon after a singles match between both men was scheduled forAEW×NJPW: Forbidden Door, for Ospreay's newly wonIWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, along with a triple-threat tag-team match, between FTR, Roppongi Vice and O-Khan and Cobb, for the ROH World Tag Team Championships and O-Khan and Cobb's newly wonIWGP Tag Team Championships.[28][29] At the event, Cobb and O-Khan lost the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships to FTR, yet Will Ospreay retained his IWGP United States Championship against Orange Cassidy. After the match Aussie Open and Ospreay continued to attack Cassidy and Roppongi Vice, however were interrupted byKatsuyori Shibata, who saved Cassidy from the trio.[30][31]
On the June 19th edition ofNJPW Strong Ignition, Aussie Open competed in a tournament to crown the inauguralStrong Openweight Tag Team Championship. In the first round, they defeatedThe Dark Order'sEvil Uno andAlan Angels and they defeated the Stray Dog Army in the semi-finals.[32] In the finals atStrong: High Alert, Davis and Fletcher defeatedChristopher Daniels andYuya Uemura to become the inaugural champions.[33]
On July 27, theAEW World Trios Championship was revealed, with Ospreay and Aussie Open being named as participants in the inaugural tournament. On August 24, Ospreay and Aussie Open defeatedDeath Triangle to progress to the semifinals, where they were defeated byThe Elite on August 31.[34] After the match, United Empire attacked The Elite.[35]
United Empire made theirImpact Wrestling debut on the September 8th edition ofImpact!, when Aussie Open defeatedBullet Club'sChris Bey andAce Austin.[36]
On March 26, 2023, atRevolution Rumble, a show promoted byRevolution Pro Wrestling,Dan Moloney defeated United Empire's Akira in singles competition. Immediately following the match, an impressed Will Ospreay appeared and extended Moloney an invitation to join the faction, which was accepted.[37]
On May 24, 2023, AEW ownerTony Khan announced that both Fletcher and Davis had signed contracts joining AEW. This would officially bring the faction to AEW.[38] Ospreay would be announced to sign several months later.[39] During their tenure in AEW, Ospreay and Fletcher were also part ofThe Don Callis Family, but would still represent the United Empire in AEW.
Following Catch 2/2's claim of their secondIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on June 4 atDominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, the duo was confronted by Bullet Club'sClark Connors. This led to Dan Moloney attacking the duo from behind, betraying United Empire and joining Connors in Bullet Club.[40]
On March 12, 2024, following Ospreay completing his full-time NJPW duties and going to AEW, TJP claimed himself as leader the NJPW branch of United Empire, but would be pushed back by Great-O-Khan due to the stable losing.[41] On April 22 however, after defeatingJust 5 Guys in agauntlet match, the remaining members fully accepted TJP as the new leader of United Empire.[42]
On April 27, O-Khan lost theProvisional KOPW Championship toYuya Uemura.[43] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku: Night 1, Cobb defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win theNJPW World Television Championship.[44] On June 9 atDominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, O-Khan defeated Uemura in a Storm Catch Rules match to regain the provisional KOPW Championship.[45] On June 16, Henare defeated Shingo Takagi to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.
From July 20 and August 14, four members of United Empire took part in the 2024G1 Climax, with only O-Khan managing to advance from his group to the A block play-off match, where he was defeated by Shingo Takagi on August 15. Five days later, Jakob Austin Young was announced as the stable's newest member. On September 29 atDestruction in Kobe, Henare lost theNEVER Openweight Championship toShingo Takagi after initially winning it from him back in January.[46] On October 14 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Cobb lost the NJPW World Television Championship toRen Narita in a three-way match, also involvingYota Tsuji.[47]
From October 24 to November 2, Akira and TJP took part in the 2024 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record three wins and two losses, advancing to the finals. On November 4 atPower Struggle, Henare and O-Khan defeatedTMDK'sMikey Nicholls andShane Haste to win theIWGP Tag Team Championship. Later that night, Akira and TJP were defeated byKosei Fujita andRobbie Eagles also of TMDK, in the finals of the 2024Super Jr. Tag League. On December 6, it was announced that the IWGP Tag Team Championship would be vacated, due to Henare suffering a right knee injury.[48] On December 9, Templario was invited into the stable by TJP, which he accepted, becoming the stable's eight member.[49]
On April 5, 2025, atSakura Genesis, O-Khan defeatedEl Phantasmo to win theNJPW World Television Championship. At the event, Cobb and Newman defeatedTetsuya Naito andHiromu Takahashi to win theIWGP Tag Team Championship.[50] They vacated the titles on April 9, due to Cobb leaving NJPW.[51] In a press conference that same day, Newman challengedHirooki Goto to a title match for theIWGP World Heavyweight Championship atWrestling Dontaku.[52] Newman also announced in the same press conference that he would take over the leadership of United Empire as TJP had become a freelancer with NJPW after his contract expired, though TJP is still recognized as a member of United Empire. On April 26, at Wrestling Redzone in Hiroshima, Newman and O-Khan defeatedBishamon (Goto andYoshi-Hashi) to win the vacantIWGP Tag Team Championship.[53] At Wrestling Dontaku, Newman lost the title match to Goto.[54] AtResurgence, TJP and Templario defeatedWorld Class Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson andRoyce Isaacs) to win theStrong Openweight Tag Team Championship.[50] AtDominion 6.15 in Osaka-jo Hall on June 15, Newman and O-Khan lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship toTaichi andTomohiro Ishii.[55] Newman and O-Khan both participated in the2025 G1 Climax, with both men failing to advance out of their blocks (A and B respectively) and finishing with records of 4–5 respectively.[56][57] On September 13 atMLW Fightland, Templario defeatedIkuro Kwon to win theMLW World Middleweight Championship, marking his first major title outside ofMexico.[58] From October 23 till November 2, Templario and Jakob Austin Young participated in the2025 Super Junior Tag League, finishing with a record of 2–3 in Block A and failing to qualify for the finals.[59] AtHiroshi Tanahashi Final Homecoming on November 2, Newman, O-Khan, Jakob, and Templario defeatedShingo Takagi,Clark Connors,Oskar, andYuto-Ice in aneight-man tag team match.[60]
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| * | Founding members |
| I-III | Leader(s) |
| Member | Joined | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Callum Newman | III | July 9, 2023 |
 | Francesco Akira | April 9, 2022 | |
 | Great-O-Khan | * | October 16, 2020 |
 | Henare | April 4, 2021 | |
 | Jakob Austin Young | August 20, 2024 | |
 | Templario | December 9, 2024 | |
/ | TJP | II | September 26, 2021 |
| Will Ospreay | *I | October 16, 2020 |
| Member | Joined | Left | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bea Priestley | * | October 16, 2020 | March 21, 2021 |
| Gideon Grey | August 22, 2022 | November 20, 2022 | |
| Dan Moloney | March 26, 2023 | June 4, 2023 | |
 | Kyle Fletcher | September 19, 2021 | October 12, 2024 | |
| Mark Davis | September 19, 2021 | February 5, 2025 | |
| Jeff Cobb | November 15, 2020 | April 19, 2025 | |
| Affiliate | Members | Tenure | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aussie Open | Kyle Fletcher Mark Davis | 2021–2024 | Tag team |
| Catch 2/2 | TJP Francesco Akira | 2022–2025 | Tag team |
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