New Japan Pro Wrestling Articles - Page 2

When news broke that Kazuchika Okada, the ace and biggest star of New Japan Pro Wrestling, was signing with AEW after almost two decades in the King of Sports, it left fans wondering what to expect from the “Rainmaker.” Would he enter the promotion as a singles star, immediately taking a shot at one of […]

If there’s any WWE outsider who knows the innerworkings of the mind of Cody Rhodes, it’s Arn Anderson. One of the most prestigious performers in professional wrestling history, with a spot in the Four Horsemen alongside Ric Flair highlighting his in-ring career and even more experience backstage as a producer on his resume, Anderson had […]

After shooting his shot at Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Year Dash!! and following it up with a tag team match alongside The Chosen Bros tag team partner Jeff Cobb at Battle in the Valley in San Jose, Matt Riddle made his much-anticipated debut at The New Beginning in Sapporo to challenge NJPW company president Hiroshi […]

Outside of an occasional spot here or there, Nic Nemeth‘s final half-decade as a member of the WWE Universe was largely spent on the back burner. Sure, he defeated Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship, even if that reign only lasted a few weeks, and had a minor program with Austin Theory that didn’t really […]

After getting into a heated argument over who would challenge Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin next for the NXT Tag Team Championships, Chase U and the duo of Axium and Nathan Frazier were afforded a solution by the youngest GM in WWE, Ava: duke it out on NXT to become the new number one contender. […]

When WWE announced that they were releasing Nic Nemeth, aka the Superstar formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, it came as a major surprise. Now granted, it’s not like Nemeth was being used on television regularly, as he’d only worked nine matches on television in 2023 for WWE, but still, with his 20th anniversary with the […]

Professional wrestling was poised to have one of its biggest contract years in history with the number of big name free agents that could potentially become available, and no where was this felt harder than New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The reality set in following the promotion’s most recent show as it bid farewell to one of […]

One of the names that has been synonymous with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in recent years has been Will Ospreay, who has gone from being one of the promotions top junior heavyweights to, arguably, one of the best professional wrestlers in the world today. However, his eight-year journey in New Japan is coming to an end, […]

For the first time in 19 years, Nic Nemeth wrestled a match under his given name instead of the moniker given to him by WWE’s creative department, Dolph Ziggler. For Nemeth, this must have been an interesting moment, as he made a name for himself as a collegiate wrestler under his given name at Kent […]

The last few years have been some of the most eventful in the history of professional wrestling, from CM Punk’s time at AEW to the unprecedented merger between WWE and UFC into TKO Holdings Group. However, the first month of 2024 already seemingly pales in comparison to everything that occurred beforehand. As of this writing, […]

When news broke that Kazuchika Okada was leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling to pursue a free agent contract in America for AEW, WWE, or maybe even TNA – though realistically AEW or WWE – it took plenty of fans by surprise. A homegrown talent who has spent over a decade as one of the true […]

If there’s one thing the unofficial ace of AEW, Jon Moxley, isn’t a fan of, its… calendars? Sitting down for an interview with Comicbook.com, Moxley opened up about just that, noting that, in his opinion, there’s nothing gained by measuring one’s accomplishments in terms of individual years, as it can produce misleading results. “Maybe that […]

When news broke that Kazuchika Okada was going to leave New Japan at the end of the month following the completion of his current contract, some fans immediately fantasy booked “The Rainmaker” to the biggest professional wrestling company in the world, WWE. On paper, it makes sense, right? As Bryan Alvarez noted on his radio […]

Since being released from WWE in September of 2023, Matt Riddle has been going a little bit of everything the wider professional wrestling world has to offer. From making an appearance at NJPW Strong’s Battle in the Valley, to reuniting his feud with the Fatu family by wrestling Jimmy and Jey Uso’s cousin Jacob Fatu […]

After spending his entire professional wrestling career as a member of WWE, Nic Nemeth, the wrestler formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, is ready to spread his wings and really see where he fits into the professional wrestling landscape. Step one in that process? Wrestle a ton of matches all over the professional wrestling world for […]

After running out to the ring in Inglewood, California, to announce himself as the latest member of AEW at Full Gear, Will Ospreay‘s deal with Tony Khan’s company came with a pretty big caveat: he still had New Japan Pro Wrestling obligations left on his contract. On paper, it made sense, right? In November, AEW […]

Since officially leaving his time as Dolph Ziggler in the past, Nic Nemeth has been all over the professional wrestling world. From appearing at Wrestle Kingdom 18 to enter a feud with the New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay, to booking a match with long-time fellow WWE castoff Matt Cardona, the […]

When news broke that Giulia was being strongly considered for a spot in WWE moving forward, likely making her way to Orlando, Florida, for an NXT assignment following the end of her Stardom contract, it led fans to believe that she would soon be finishing up her commitments as the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship. On […]

After opening up New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Battle in the Valley with the incredible reveal of a seemingly free agent “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry, who attacked Shota Umino before tearing up his AEW contract in the center of the ring, fans in San Jose and watching along on the former Fite TV were treated to […]

After taking care of business against Team Filthy in the opening match of New Japan Pro Wrestling Battle in the Valley, “Shooter” Shota Umino was ready to go to the back to celebrate alongside his teammates Jacob Fatu and Fred Rosser but was cruelly interrupted when out of nowhere, the man formerly known as Jungle […]

When Nic Nemeth, aka former WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, made a surprise appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 18 that ended in multiple physical altercations with IWGP Global Champion David Finlay, it marked a very interesting step forward in the 43-year-old’s professional wrestling career. After beginning his run in WWE all the way back in 2004, with […]

When Dolph Ziggler was released from the WWE Universe back in September, it drew a variety of different reactions from across the WWE Universe. To some, the move was genuinely surprising, as Ziggler was rapidly approaching 20 years with the promotion, and there’s nothing WWE likes to do more than celebrate a milestone of such […]

From his scooter, to his bongos, his flip-flops, his pot jokes, and his, shall we say, unique entrance graphic with a collection of rainbow animals charging the screen, if there’s one word to describe Matt Riddle‘s time in WWE, it would be goofy. Granted, Riddle did earn some serious accolades during his time in The […]

Heading into New Japan Pro Wrestling’s premier show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 18, one match rose above the rest as the bout to watch for fans in America, Japan, and everywhere else, really: Bryan Danielson versus Kazuchika Okada II. A match with nothing at stake but some serious bragging rights, Danielson, who won the […]

Heading into Wrestle Kingdom 18, Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley made a pact: David Finlay can’t become the new IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. The new leader of the OG iteration of Bullet Club, who now goes by the Bullet Club War Dogs, Finlay is not a particularly popular performer in America, Japan, or otherwise, and […]

When news broke that Nic Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler, was being released from WWE after almost 20 years with the promotion back in September, it felt like one destination made more sense than all others for the former “Showoff:” AEW. On paper, it made sense, right? Nemeth’s brother Ryan also worked for the promotion, wrestling […]

When it comes to professional wrestling, Bryan Danielson has pretty much done it all. He wrestled all over the world, put Ring Of Honor on the map, and went on to have an all-time great run in WWE largely fueled by the passion of the fans, headlining WrestleMania twice, earning a custom hemp championship belt, […]

When news broke that WWE had agreed to a deal with All Japan Pro Wrestling to send over one young, ascending member of the NXT roster to the promotion to compete for the Triple Crown Championship, it got fans thinking about all the different performers it could be. Would Shawn Michaels send one of his […]

When Hulk Hogan made the jump from WWE to WCW in 1994, it felt like a whole new world opened up for the “Hulkamaniac.” Suddenly Hogan could do more outside activities, from appearing in more movies and television like Thunder in Paradise to opening his own Italian quick service restaurant at the Mall of America, […]

When Bronson Reed was released from WWE during the Covid-19 pandemic, he had a decision to make about his future. Would he sign a long-term deal with a domestic promotion like AEW or Impact in order to rebuild his stock and establish his abilities in long-term storylines? Or would he embrace becoming an independent mercenary […]

After making his semi-surprising debut at AEW Full Gear as Tony Khan’s game-changing big signing, Will Ospreay stopped by the media scrum to discuss leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, coming to America to become a fixture of weekly television, and who he would like to wrestle when he becomes a full-time member of the promotion […]

When Will Ospreay exploded onto the entrance ramp to the thundering tune of “Elevated” at Full Gear, it got AEW fans hyped. Sure, technically Ospreay remains a member of New Japan Pro Wrestling, at least for now, but Tony Khan won out one of the hottest free agents in the game today, secured the rights […]

After much anticipation, rumors galore, and a nasty Goldberg rumor, Tony Khan made it official at AEW Full Gear: Will Ospreay is All Elite. But who, you may ask, is Will Ospreay? Well he just so happens to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world today, with more five star matches from […]

As WWE and AEW gear up for a full-on arms race to snatch up the best possible talent free agency has to offer, Jordan Oliver, one of the top indie stars in professional wrestling today, recently stopped by Fightful for an interview with Iridian Fierro to talk about his future in the game and recent […]

In the lead-up to WrestleMania 39, WWE found itself in an interesting spot from a talent acquisition standpoint. While the promotion was clearly still down to add a few key additions wherever possible, with its NIL program going strong, the promotion had something of a soft hiring freeze, even if the exact mandate from up […]

When news trickled around the online professional wrestling community that not only was WWE interested in signing Stardom/NJPW star Giulia to a contract but was actually planning on hosting her at the Performance Center for one reason or another, it turned heads. Sure, Giulia isn’t what you would call a household by pretty much any […]

With Will Ospreay‘s time in New Japan Pro Wrestling seemingly coming to an end, as his contract will expire in February of 2024, fans the world over have wondered where “Billy Goat” will wrestle next. Now sure, on paper, the answer feels incredibly obvious, as Ospreay does have a tattoo of All In‘s attendance on […]

When news broke that Adam Copeland‘s contract with WWE was coming to an end, fans from around the world started to imagine all sorts of different matches for the man formerly known as Edge, with the 31-time champion already having a list of his own with 14 wrestlers he’d like to throw down with in […]

After turning in what will ultimately go down as the signature match of his professional wrestling career, defeating Claudio Castagnoli in the opening match of Grand Slam to become the new Ring of Honor World Champion, Eddie Kingston surprised the professional wrestling world by announcing that he recently signed a four-year extension with AEW to […]