By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Sakura Genesis”
April 4, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Ryogoku Sumo Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This venue is a small arena. The lights were low, but the ring was well-lit. Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided English commentary. Late in the show, Charlton said there were “6,000 to 7,000” fans here, and that certainly fit with my estimate.
1. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Kosei Fujita vs. Togi Makabe and Master Wato. Tiger Mask and Wato have swapped spots on this show, as Tiger Mask is getting a title shot. Charlton said Hartley and Makabe have never touched before, and those two locked up. The juniors then faced each other and traded some quick reversals. Wato hit a headscissors takedown at 2:00, then some roundhouse kicks.
Hartley entered and hit a frying pan-style chop to the chest, then suplexed Wato at 3:30. Wato hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee on Fujita. Togi got a hot tag. He and Hartley traded clotheslines with neither man going down. Hartley set up for the Jagged Edge (DVD) but Wato made the save. Hartley and Makabe traded more clotheslines. Hartley hit the Jagged Edge for the pin. Solid action; it certainly didn’t drag.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Kosei Fujita defeated Togi Makabe and Master Wato at 7:02.
2) “The Unbound Co.” Taiji Ishimori, Shingo Takagi, and Robbie X vs. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, and Jake Lee. The UE attacked, and we’re underway! Young choked Robbie in the corner while the others were fighting on the floor. Robbie hit an assisted moonsault. Akira hit a snap suplex on Robbie X at 4:00. Lee entered, and he has white face paint on today, looking more like DC’s Joker than ever!
Shingo entered and clotheslined Lee in the corner. He hit a suplex for a nearfall at 5:30. Akira and Young hit stereo kicks to Shingo’s head. Ishimori hit his handspring-back-spin kick on Lee at 7:30. Robbie X hit a springboard corkscrew press to the floor! In the ring, Shingo hit a DVD on Young, then a Pumping Bomber clothesline, then a Made in Japan powerbomb on Young for the pin. Good action.
“The Unbound Co.” Taiji Ishimori, Shingo Takagi, and Robbie X defeated “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, and Jake Lee at 8:17.
3. “House of Torture” Don Fale, Sho, Douki, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Tiger Mask, Yoh, Aaron Wolf, and Toru Yano. Sho spoke on the mic, then the HoT attacked and we’re underway! Former teammates Yoh and Sho battled. Yano entered at 1:00, removed a corner pad, and tossed it at Sho. Fale entered and stood on Yano’s back. Tiger Mask entered at 3:30 to face champ Douki, and TM hit a backbreaker over his knee. Tiger Mask crotched Douki in the corner. He flipped Douki off the top rope to the mat.
From the apron, Kanemaru kicked Tiger Mask in the back, and the heels began working over TM in their corner. Wolf entered at 6:00, but the heels quickly began working him over, too. Fale hit a running splash on Aaron in the corner, with Kanemaru getting a nearfall. Wolf hit his DVD on Kanemaru and applied his leg lock around the neck, and Yoshinobu passed out. Decent considering those involved. Wolf and Fale continued to brawl after the bell, and Aaron hit an Angle Slam.
Tiger Mask, Yoh, Aaron Wolf, and Toru Yano defeated “House of Torture” Don Fale, Sho, Douki, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 7:23.
* A video aired that named the 20 men in this year’s Best of Super Junior’s Tournament. Douki, Yoh, Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Daisuke Sasaki, El Desperado, Kushida, Robbie Eagles, Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young, Robbie X, Nick Wayne, Taiji Ishimori, Hyo, Titan, Valiente Jr., Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Kosei Fujita, and Jun Kasai. Kasai and Wayne were the mystery names unveiled. The tournament begins May 14. DDT star Sasaki is on a North American tour and competed in GCW on Friday. He apparently was in this tournament several years ago, before I started watching NJPW.
4. “United Empire” Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, and Henare vs. Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and El Desperado. I turned up the volume to hear the crowd reaction for the return of Ospreay. Charlton said this venue was “the birthplace of the United Empire.” Walker added, “The prodigal son has returned home!” Yuya and Ospreay opened, and this crowd was HOT as they traded standing switches. Ospreay hit a monkey-flip, and he snapped off a huracanrana. Yuya fired back with a pair of armdrags.
Desperado tagged in at 2:00; Charlton said Despe has interacted with Ospreay fewer times than Yuya. Henare jumped in and knocked Desperado down with a shoulder tackle. Ospreay hit a plancha to the floor on Desperado at 3:30. In the ring, the UE began working over Despe in their corner. All three hit kicks on Despe for a nearfall at 5:00. Taichi jumped in, but Henare immediately tossed him to the floor. Yuya tagged in and hit some dropkicks on O-Khan. Yuya hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 7:30.
O-Khan sidestepped Yuya flying off the ropes, a la Samoa Joe. Taichi jumped in and battled Henare. Henare hit a senton on Yuya for a nearfall at 9:00. Yuya hit a second-rope crossbody block on Henare. Taichi and Ospreay both tagged in, and they immediately traded forearm strikes, and Taichi hit his spin kicks to the thighs. Ospreay hit a handspring-back-spin kick, then a springboard flying forearm for a nearfall at 10:30. He missed a Hidden Blade forearm.
Taichi got a rollup for a nearfall. Ospreay hit an enzuigiri, but Taichi hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a spin kick to the jaw. Taichi hit an enzuigiri and an Axe Bomber clothesline for a believable nearfall at 13:00. Taichi set up for the Black Mephisto (Air Raid Crash), but Ospreay escaped. O-Khan flipped Yuya to the floor. Despe and Ospreay traded kicks. Will hit the Oscutter on Taichi for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. He nailed the Hidden Blade, then a Stormbreaker for the pin on Taichi. That was awesome. Goosebumps awesome.
“United Empire” Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, and Henare defeated Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and El Desperado at 14:54.
* Henare and O-Khan continued to beat up Desperado. Will Ospreay looked perplexed, clearly wanting no part in a post-match attack. “You didn’t need to do that. There was no point in that,” he said to O-Khan.
5. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, and Boltin Oleg vs. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Chase Owens (w/Dick Togo) for the NEVER Six-Man Tag Titles. Ooof, these guys have a tough act to follow. The HoT attacked as the babyfaces entered the ring, and they all immediately brawled to the floor. Yoshi-Hashi and Yujiro got in the ring, and we got the bell at 00:34 to officially begin. Ren entered and hit a back elbow on Y-H and got a nearfall, as they kept Yoshi-Hashi in their corner.
Chase entered and snapped Yoshi-Hashi’s neck for a nearfall. Goto finally got a hot tag at 3:00 and hit a spinning kick to Chase’s jaw for a nearfall. Owens hit a C-Trigger jumping knee. Ren and Oleg tagged in, and Oleg flipped Narita around in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex. Boltin hit the Vader Bomb for the nearfall at 5:30. Boltin put him in a Torture Rack, and the bell rang, but it was just a trick by Dick Togo. Yujiro hit an inverted DDT on Goto. Togo jumped in and hit his knife-edge chop to Oleg’s groin, and Narita got a nearfall at 7:00.
Oleg hit a release F5 on Narita, and they were both down. Yoshi-Hashi entered and clotheslined Ren. Ren distracted the ref, allowing his teammates to beat up Yoshi-Hashi on the floor. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee. Yujiro hit a fisherman’s buster on Goto at 10:00. Yujiro hit his Pimp Juice implant DDT on Y-H for a nearfall. Oleg leveled Yujiro with a shoulder tackle. Oleg scooped up Yujiro and slammed him into the corner. Oleg put Ren in a Torture Rack. Meanwhile, Y-Ha and Goto hit the Shoto team slam on Yujiro for the pin. Decent.
Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, and Boltin Oleg defeated “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Chase Owens to retain the NEVER Six-Man Tag Titles at 12:44.
* Oleg got on the mic and demanded a title shot for Narita’s singles belt.
6. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shota Umino for the NJPW TV Title. A reminder, this one has a 15-minute time limit. We got the bell, and they immediately swung at each other, then traded shoulder blocks. Takeshita hit a Mafia Kick and a flying clothesline. They traded forearm strikes in the corner. Umino hit a dropkick at 1:30, and he slammed Takeshita’s knee into the mat and tied him in an STF. Takeshita rolled to the floor to regroup. Shota eventually followed, and they brawled at ringside. Takeshita slammed him back-first on the apron at 3:00.
In the ring, Takeshita hit a Divorce Court armbreaker and targeted the damaged right arm, applying a top hammerlock, then he stomped on the elbow at 5:00. Shota hit a tornado DDT. He backed Takeshita into the corner and hit some chops, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 6:30. Shota hit a DDT on the ring apron, and Takeshita was down on the floor. Takeshita whipped him into the guardrail and hit a Mafia Kick to the jaw at 8:30! Shota pushed Takeshita’s lower back into the guardrail, and he hit a tornado DDT onto the thin mat at ringside!
They got in the ring, and Shota hit a running knee to the back of the head, then another, and we got the 10:00 call. Takeshita snapped Shota’s arm across the top rope. Takeshita charged, but Umino nailed a pop-up powerbomb. Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb at 11:00. He went for a running knee, but Shota caught it, and he dropped Konosuke with a forearm strike. Takeshita hit a suplex for a nearfall. Shota hit a left-arm clothesline. Takehita hit a hard clothesline at 13:00, and they were both down.
Umino hit a half-nelson suplex, but Takeshita popped up and hit an Exploder Suplex. They traded loud forearm strikes as we got the one-minute warning! Takshitaa set up for Raging Fire, but Umino blocked it. Umino hit an awkward Poison Rana, and they were both down. They hit stereo clotheslines, and both collapsed. Shota crawled over to make a cover, but we got the bell. (I had it at 15:05, but that’s close enough.) Charlton said the “Vegas odds were on a time-limit draw,” but we need a winner between them eventually.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shota Umino went to a time-limit draw at 15:00; Takeshita retains the NJPW TV Title.
7. “The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa for the IWGP Tag Team Titles. Yuto and Oiwa opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. Zack entered and tied up Yuto-Ice, and they both stomped on him. Sabre kicked and snapped the left arm. Oskar got in and hit a double clothesline at 4:00. Oskar threw Sabre stomach-first to the mat and got a nearfall. Sabre applied an ankle lock, and Oskar eventually got to the ropes at 6:00.
Oiwa slammed Oskar’s knees into the mat as they kept the big man grounded. Oskar hit a backbreaker over his knee on Sabre. Zack went to a single-leg crab, and he leaned back and grabbed Oskar’s head, too. Oskar finally reached the ropes at 10:00. Sabre hit a basement dropkick. Oiwa tagged back in and hit a dropkick on Oskar’s knee. Yuto entered and hit his running knees to Oiwa’s jaw in the corner at 11:30. Ryohei hit a senton, and they were both down. Oiwa snapped Yuto-Ice’s elbow at 13:30, and he stomped on the elbow.
Yuto got up, and they traded forearm strikes. Ryohei tied Yuto-Ice’s damaged arm in the ropes and kept him grounded. Ryohei snapped the elbow again! Yuto-Ice spat on him. Oiwa hit a series of clotheslines in the corner at 17:30, then a frog splash for a nearfall. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee and went for a cover, but Sabre jumped in and hit his neck-snap between his ankles on Yuto! Sabre hit a Pele Kick on the shoulder. Oiwa hit a German Suplex on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall at 19:30.
Oskar bodyslammed Sabre. Oiwa clotheslined Oskar over the top rope to the floor, then he hit a left-arm clothesline on Yuto-Ice and a back suplex for a nearfall. Oskar set up for a Tombstone piledriver, but Sabre made the save. Zack nailed the Sabre Driver on Yuto, and Oiwa hit a German Suplex on Yuto for a believable nearfall at 21:30. Oiwa hit a head-capture suplex on Yuto-Ice. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee and pinned Oiwa. Another stellar match between these two teams.
“The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles at 22:31.
* Yuto-Ice got on the mic and called out Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.) However, O-Khan and Henare got in the ring; they were both wearing suits and ties now. Henare demanded they get the next title shot! Goto and Yoshi-Hashi came to the ring; they were in their street clothes. It appears Bishamon will face United Empire, with the winner getting the champs. No punches were thrown.
8. Yota Tsuji (w/Daiki Nagai) vs. Callum Newman (w/United Empire) for the IWGP World Title. There were SEVEN United Empire members, all wearing suits, leading Newman to the ring. NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi read a statement in the ring to sanction the match — this title match feels like an even bigger deal than normal. Newman’s regal jacket/robe looks like he stole it from the set of Game of Thrones. Walker said, “This is the biggest night of Callum Newman’s life.”
Callum hit a pump kick to the chest at the bell. Yota went for a superkick, but Callum fell to his butt to avoid it, and he rolled to the floor to regroup. Yota dove through the ropes onto him at 1:30. In the ring, Yota dropped him with a shoulder tackle, then a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 3:00. Charlton noted that the UE were all now seated in the front row. Callum applied a headlock on the mat and kept Yota grounded. He hit a stiff kick to the spine at 5:00 that sent Yota to the floor to regroup.
Ospreay was roaming at ringside now. (Why isn’t he seated with the rest?) In the ring, Yota hit a hip-toss, but he sold the pain in his lower back from that kick to the spine. Tsuji dropped him stomach-first to the mat, then hit a series of punches in the corner, then a suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Walker noted that Newman is 23 years, seven months old. Yota hit a loud chop in the corner, then a Frankensteiner for a nearfall at 8:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Callum hit a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall.
Yota hit a jumping knee to the chest; Callum hit a clothesline, and they were both down. The 10-minute call was rather late. Tsuji hit the Marlowe Crash (stomp to the head) from the apron to the thin mat at ringside at 12:00! Yikes, that one looked vicious! We had a replay of it, too. In the ring, Yota hit a powerbomb move for a nearfall, then a decapitating clothesline that flipped Callum at 13:30. Yota went for the Marlowe Crash, but he accidentally hit it on the ref! Newman immediately hit a running kick on Yota, and all three were down!
Zane Jay hopped over the apron and was about to hand a chair to Callum, but Ospreay blocked it! Will blocked Newman from taking the chair, and he shouted at Callum, “You can do this on your own, I’m begging you, mate!” Callum turned around and was clocked by a hard back elbow at 15:30 (we got the 15:00 call that late!) Yota hit the Gene Blaster (spear!), but we had no ref! A second ref ran in and made the two-count. Yota charged but Callum hit a Hidden Blade forearm, and they were both down. They got to their knees and traded forearm strikes, and more while standing. Callum hit a decapitating clothesline and a suplex for a nearfall at 19:00.
Yota hit a German Suplex and a Canadian Destroyer, then a Gene Blaster for a believable nearfall! Okay, the 20-minute call was now ten seconds early! Newman hit a double stomp on Yota’s back, and they were both down. Yota hit a tornado DDT, then the top-rope Marlowe Crash for a believable nearfall at 21:30. Yota hit a pumphandle sideslam; Charlton said he hadn’t seen Tsuji hit that before. Newman hit another clothesline, then a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 23:00. Yota hit a flipping faceplant. The ref got caught in the middle, and Callum hit a low blow and a swinging sideslam for the pin! New champion! I did NOT expect that!! Ospreay looked shocked, too!
Callum Newman defeated Yota Tsuji to win the IWGP World Title at 24:18.
* Ospreay got in the ring and stood across from Callum. Will took the belt and placed it around Callum’s waist, and they hugged. A masked man hit a piledriver on Yota! It was Gabe Kidd! He removed a jacket, and he wore a black AEW T-shirt, and the crowd loudly booed when they saw it. He continued to beat down on Yota. Kidd dragged Yota to the back.
Shingo Takagi got in the ring, selling a neck injury, and he confronted Newman! He got on the mic and challenged Callum. He noted, “Now I have a family to protect.” (I believe that is a reference to him getting married recently.) Callum told him he beat him once and will gladly do it again. Shingo left. Callum got on the mic and boasted that he’s now the youngest IWGP champion of all time. He called himself “the prince,” and “the kingslayer,” and “the reason the Bullet Club died.” The eight members of the United Empire all posed in the ring as they were covered in golden streamers. They all posed for a photo, with Callum in the middle.
Final Thoughts: It’s a good thing I’m not a betting man, because I would have lost a lot of money wagering on the main event. An absolutely great main event, but I most definitely did not expect that title change, and I’m glad I avoided all websites this morning where this news might have reached me. I had argued that Yota should have been champion all year.
The post-match stuff was interesting. I’m truly shocked that Callum did NOT attack Ospreay. I kept waiting for it to happen. The seeds were planted. But I have no idea how often Ospreay will be back here.
The tag title match was really, really good and would have been the best match on any other show, but it couldn’t top the excellent main event today. Takeshita-Umino was exactly what we expected — a hard-hitting match with no clear winner. The six-man title match was mediocre, but at least the House of Torture didn’t win the belts. It felt like everyone worked extra hard tonight in front of a big crowd.
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