I came out of Wrestle Kingdom 20 with a mixed bag of feelings. What needed to be a show of new beginnings, fresh directions, and the launch of a new era instead went off the air feeling like we were still heading toward more of the same.
There were some notable highlights, enough to string me along and keep me hopeful, such as Aaron Wolf’s performance and an excellent IWGP Championship match. Still, a lot of the show left me wanting more.
Then came New Year Dash.
This show gave me everything I wanted. Every feeling I had hoped Wrestle Kingdom would deliver. New Year Dash 2026 was a fantastic show, and arguably New Japan’s best in years.
The last few New Year Dash events have been lacklustre at best. A parade of multi-person tag matches with no real progression or sense of direction. Last year’s show, in particular, felt bleak, save for a genuinely fun Josh Barnett vs. Oleg Boltin exhibition. This year, thankfully, was the complete opposite.
My prayers were answered. New Japan has caught the wave, we are moving into the next era.
From start to finish, this show had my full attention. Everything felt fresh and rejuvenated. Even long-standing stalwarts carried a new energy about them. I may be jumping the gun, but New Japan feels back, baby.
Straying from tradition, the card was announced ahead of time and consisted primarily of multi-man tag matches, a Junior Heavyweight Tornado Tag Championship four-way, and a World Tag Team Championship main event between the Knockout Brothers and the newly crowned six-man champions, TMDK.
Results
- Team 150 (Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima) defeated Katsuya Murashima and RoughStorm (Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura) by submission
- Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero defeated El Phantasmo and Shoma Kato by submission
- Boltin Oleg and Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) defeated House of Torture (SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
- United Empire (Andrade El Ídolo, Francesco Akira, and Jakob Austin Young) defeated Hiromu Takahashi and Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors)
- Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, and Spiritech (Master Wato and YOH) defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Don Fale, and Dick Togo)
- United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Jake Lee) defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay and Drilla Moloney) and Unaffiliated (Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji)
- Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita) defeated La Oscuridad (DOUKI and SHO) (c), El Desperado and Kuukai, and Super Extremes (Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X)
- Knockout Brothers (Oskar and Yuto-Ice) (c) defeated TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa)
Every match on the card set something in motion. Each felt purposeful, energetic, and urgent. Wrestlers I wasn’t particularly excited about going in now feel revitalised and interesting. New Year Dash gave me exactly what I needed from New Japan in 2026.
I’m back in.
The opening match saw Uemura and Umino take a surprising loss, though both showed a noticeable edge. Uemura once again made it clear that it’s time for the new generation to take over.
Young Lion Katsuya Murashima delivered another standout performance, never looking out of place alongside his seniors. This current class of Young Lions feels close to excursion-ready, they’re wrestling at a high level and clearly prepared for the next step.
I’ve long been a defender of Shota Umino, holding on longer than most. He always seems to show something in every match, even if it’s hard to define. I can’t decide whether this show helped or hurt him.
After losing the opener, RoughStorm appeared post-main event to challenge the Knockout Brothers, only to be quickly interrupted, and completely upstaged by Ishii and Taichi. Yuto-Ice outright ignored Umino to confront the new challengers, making RoughStorm (and Umino in particular) look like afterthoughts. Even worse, when RoughStorm issued their challenge, the crowd chanted for Oiwa, who had just delivered a standout losing performance in the main event.
So why even entertain the idea that this might help Umino? He needs something, and perhaps this string of losses and insults leads to a more aggressive, or even heel, Shota Umino. That might be the missing piece that he needs to finally stick at the top of the card.
I don’t know if I even agree with myself at this point.
Here’s hoping he turns it around.
As for the main event itself, it was excellent. Oiwa once again stood out, combining a deceptively hoss-like build with fantastic wrestling. The crowd was fully behind him, and he worked with power and intensity throughout. The Knockout Brothers looked great as always, picking up the win before Yuto-Ice closed the show with an enigmatic promo, reminding everyone that his name belongs in any discussion about the next ace of the company.
The rest of the card was littered with angles worth sinking your teeth into. Gabe Kidd and Andrade continued their Wrestle Kingdom chemistry, brawling post-match to set up a Global Title contender’s bout. Jake Lee officially issued his challenge to Tsuji in peak Jake Lee fashion. I’m still firmly against him being in this position, but, as I’ve said, at least it’s something new.
Henare and Great-O-Khan picked up a win with strong tag team offence, hinting that the tag division may finally be receiving some real attention. Post-match, Callum Newman grabbed the microphone to air his frustrations over the last few years, leading to the surprise return of Will Ospreay. Ospreay stated he’d be back to set things right, leaning heavily into the real-life tension surrounding his NJPW departure.
Newman played this perfectly, looking genuinely ready to crack Ospreay with a chair if not for his teammates intervening.
This feels like it is going to be a slow-burn angle, but with all the dynamics at play, it’s very compelling and it’ll make everything Newman does until Ospreay’s return far more interesting.
One odd note, Aaron Wolf made almost no impression here. After his standout Wrestle Kingdom performance, I was eager to see him in a more traditional setting, but as I write this, I’m genuinely struggling to recall a single memorable moment from his match.
Coming out of this show, I’m invested in multiple wrestlers and directions:
- Andrade vs. Gabe Kidd — Andrade already feels revitalised in New Japan
- The Unbound Company and the return of the v4 IWGP title
- Tsuji as champion — can he solidify himself at this level?
- Henare and Great-O-Khan as a focused tag team
- United Empire’s evolution with Jake Lee and Andrade, plus Callum Newman’s rise and the Ospreay angle
- What’s next for Oiwa, Uemura, and Umino
- A renewed emphasis on the tag division
- And… dare I say it, Jake Lee. I still don’t get it. He still bothers me. But I’m interested.
It’s rare that I’ve had even one thing keeping me invested in New Japan since the fall of the golden era. Having all of the above feels genuinely special.
It’s only one show, and I’m absolutely jumping the gun, but I’ve been re-energised, smiling all day, and I choose to believe.
We’ve caught the wave.
The new generation is here.
Let’s ride it.
