Just When I Was Out NJPW Pulled Me Back In

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I’m a sucker for a big swing what can I say. 

I did envisage a longer break from NJPWWorld I really did, at least until the end of Best of the Super Juniors because of how disinterested I had become. Then Gedo remembered to take big swings with his booking specifically with Callum Newman. 


Over the past few months Callum Newman has been given more than a push but the shove. While it felt like the long term build is always to Newman vs. Ospreay January 4th 2027 and I did have Newman as a cup finalist (funnily enough I for once predicted the final correctly of Newman and Uemura with Newman winning) I did not expect what followed. Callum Newman became not only the youngest New Japan Cup winner but the youngest IWGP Heavyweight champion. This is shocking to me because that record was held by Shinsuke Nakamura a man woven into the history of the company so for that record to be taken by a non Japanese talent and at 23 years and 7 months it’s a real difficult record to break. 


With Dominion on TV in Japan I wouldn’t be shocked to see Tsuji win it back but still this represents a massive shift from playing it safe (and just House of Torture nonsense). I personally thought we’d see tension between Ospreay and Newman cost the later the match but this is a big swing and must be commended. I one swoop my interest is back. 


It does make me hopeful that New Japan will take more big swings in the future. Yes Dominion really feels like it will end up as a reset with Tsuji winning the Heavyweight title back (early WrestleKingdom prediction is Tsuji vs. G1 winner Uemura) and Aaron Wolf should (hopefully) win back the NEVER Openweight Title and end that horrid feud I wonder what other big swings New Japan will take. Maybe we will see more with the Best of the Super Juniors and the positioning of the new top Junior ending the reign of DOUKI and taking Hiromu’s role in the division. 

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