By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to King of Pro Wrestling”
October 7, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided commentary.
1. Yushin Hatazawa vs. Taisei Nakahara. Basic lockups from the Young Lions. Nakahara has a full head of hair, and he bodyslammed Yushin at 3:30, then he applied a half-crab. Yushin hit a shotgun dropkick and a big senton for a nearfall. He applied a Boston Crab, but Taisei reached the ropes. Nakahara applied a Boston Crab in the center of the ring, sat down deep, and Hatazawa tapped out.
Taisei Nakahara defeated Yushin Hatazawa at 7:07.
2. “House of Torture” Sanada, Sho, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. El Desperado and Yuya Uemura and Taichi and Masatora Yasuda. As usual, Sho got on the mic, ripped into the crowd, then the HoT attacked. They all immediately brawled to the floor. Douki fought Desperado in the ring, with Despe hitting a swinging back suplex. Yasuda entered and stomped on Douki. Douki hit some punches on Taichi, who no-sold a few, so Douki hit a harder blow. Sho and Yujiro crotched Taichi around the ring post at 2:30.
Yuya hit some dropkicks on Sanada, and he began hitting armdrags on everyone. He hit a snap suplex on Sanada at 7:30. Taichi flipped Yasuda onto an opponent for a nearfall. Yasuda applied a Boston Crab on Yujiro. Yujiro got up, and they traded blows, with Yujiro hitting a fisherman’s buster for a believable nearfall at 10:30. Yujiro nailed the Pimp Juice leaping DDT to pin Yasuda. Basic.
“House of Torture” Sanada, Sho, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated El Desperado, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and Masatora Yasuda at 10:57.
3. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Dick Togo, and Shun Skywalker vs. Toru Yano, Shota Umino, Master Wato, and Boltin Oleg. Two back-to-back House of Torture matches? All eight began brawling, and we got a bell at 00:14. Oleg hit a backbreaker over his knee. Oleg flipped Shun around in his arms and hit a gutwreench suplex. Everyone brawled to the floor. Shun whipped Wato into the ring post at 2:30.
In the ring, Shun tied up Wato’s legs in a modified Figure Four, and he made his weird noises! Togo tagged in, and the HoT kept Wato in their corner. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall at 5:00. Shota got a hot tag and hit a flying forearm. He pushed Shun into Kanemaru, then hit a dropkick on Shun at 6:30. Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex on Narita for a nearfall. Narita grapevined Shota’s leg on the mat.
Oleg jumped in and hit a double clothesline at 8:00. “Monstrous strength from Boltin Oleg!” Walker said. Yano entered and hit an Atomic Drop on Togo. Shun slapped Yano on the top of his head. The heels took turns splashing onto Yano in the corner. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Yano’s groin. Shun hit one, too! Yano hit double low-blows, rolled up Togo, and got the tainted pin!
Toru Yano, Shota Umino, Master Wato, and Boltin Oleg defeated “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Dick Togo, and Shun Skywalker at 10:17/official time 10:03.
4. “United Empire” Callum Newman, Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Zane Jay vs. “Unbound Co.” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, Shingo Takagi, and Jeff Cobb. Walker and Chris talked about the UE losing the tag titles a day ago. The UE attacked from behind, and we’re underway! Henare and Yuto-Ice immediately traded forearm strikes in the ring, while everyone else was fighting on the floor. Henare clotheslined Oskar over the ropes and to the floor. In the ring, Henare hit some spin kicks to Oskar’s knee and thigh. Zane jumped in and slammed Oskar’s damaged knee into the mat at 3:00.
Newman tied up Oskar on the mat and kept him grounded. Cobb and Callum entered. Jeff hit a dropkick and a standing moonsault at 6:00! Callum hit a short-arm clothesline. Shingo jumped in and battled Newman. Callum hit a buzzsaw kick to Shingo’s ear, and they were both down. Zane got back in at 7:30 and hit some jab punches on Shingo, then a fallaway slam for a nearfall. He came off the ropes, but Shingo punched him in the gut.
Oskar jumped back in and battled Henare. O-Khan again hit a kick to the back of Oscar’s left knee at 9:00. Callum hit a running knee on Yuto-Ice. Zane and Shingo hit stereo clotheslines. Shingo hit a headbutt and a Pumping Bomber clothesline, then a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Takagi hit a sliding forearm to the back of Zane’s head. He hit a Death Rider double-arm DDT for the pin, as Walker and Charlton talked about how that was a message to Jon Moxley!
“Unbound Co.” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, Shingo Takagi, and Jeff Cobb defeated “United Empire” Callum Newman, Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Zane Jay at 10:38.
5. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji and Ares. Ares is from Vietnam, and this is his debut here. Yota opened against Oiwa, and they traded standing switches. Oiwa targeted the left arm and splashed his weight onto it. The short Ares entered and hit some shoulder blocks on Sabre at 3:00, then a bodyslam for a nearfall. Sabre tied up Ares in a pretzel on the mat. Ares hit a German Suplex on Oiwa at 6:00. Yota got the hot tag, and he traded forearm strikes with Oiwa, and he hit a huracanrana, then a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall.
Oiwa threw Tsuji to the mat and stomped on him. He cranked on Yota’s left elbow and tied him in a top hammerlock, then a back suplex at 8:30, and they were both down. Sabre entered and hit his neck-snap between his ankles. Tsuji hit a running knee. Ares got back in and hit some clotheslines on Sabre. Zack applied a front guillotine choke. Ares hit a suplex for a nearfall at 10:30. Yota hit a running knee in the corner on Sabre. Ares hit an F5 Slam on Sabre for a nearfall! Sabre caught Ares charging in, and he again tied up Ares on the mat, and Ares submitted. A strong match; Ares held his own.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yota Tsuji and Ares at 11:51.
* The lights went out! On the screen was MJF! “NJPW isn’t a real company,” Maxwell Jacob Friedman said. “Every single top star you’ve ever had has left, because they know this place is second-rate.” He said he’s going to end NJPW. “Let’s face it, it’s a blight on society.” He challenged Oiwa to a match and said he’ll even put his “Triple-B” title on the line, saying he’s still the true AEW champion.
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, and Robbie Eagles vs. Aaron Wolf, Hechicero, and Tatsuya Matsumoto. Fujita and Wolf traded blows before the bell; they brawled to the floor and up the short bleachers. They went up the long seating area and fought on the landing halfway up the risers. (Like Tuesday, you can see a lot of empty seats.) We got a bell at 1:33! Hartley and Hechicero started in the ring, and Hechicero tied up Jackson’s left arm. Hechicero hit some chops. Jackson dropped him with a shoulder tackle; Hechicero hit a dropkick.
Matsumoto tagged in at 5:30, as did Eagles. Robbie slapped him in the face. Hartley hit a splash in the corner, and Eagles got a nearfall on Matsumoto at 7:30. Robbie tied up the Young Lion in a knot, but Tatsuya reached the ropes. Hartley got in; Matsumoto tried some forearm strikes, but Jackson no-sold them. Wolf and Kosei are back in their corners! Wolf tagged in at 9:30 and ran over and traded blows with Fujita. Wolf hit a powerslam on Hartley. He set up for an Angle Slam, but Hartley blocked it, and Jackson hit a swinging neckbreaker, and they were both down.
Hechicero re-entered, and he hit a Flatliner on Robbie at 11:00, and he got some nearfalls. Robbie hit a springboard dropkick on Hechicero’s knees, and he hit some Yes Kicks. Hechicero hit a backbreaker over his knee on Robbie at 12:30. Matsumoto tagged back in and battled Eagles, hitting a dropkick for a nearfall. He hit a flying back elbow and was fired up! Eagles applied the Ron Miller Special (Trailer Hitch leg lock), and Matsumoto tapped out.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, and Robbie Eagles defeated Aaron Wolf, Hechicero, and Tatsuya Matsumoto at 14:37/official time of 13:04.
7. Yoh vs. Robbie X for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Like other recent title matches, Hiroshi Tanahashi presented the belt before the bell; it just makes this title match feel like such a big deal. An intense lockup, and Robbie twisted the left arm. Yoh blocked a Lethal Injection, and they had a standoff at 2:00. Robbie hit a huracanrana, then a plancha to the floor. They fought to the floor at 3:30, where Robbie hit a running cannonball on Yoh, who was seated in a chair.
In the ring, Yoh hit a basement dropkick on the lower leg at 6:00, and he took control. Yoh hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall at 8:30. Robbie hit a top-rope corkscrew dive to the floor onto Yoh! Robbie hit a slingshot senton back into the ring, then a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 10:00. Yoh again blocked a Lethal Injection. Robbie went for a powerbomb out of the corner, but his knee buckled at 12:30. Robbie went for a Pele Kick, but Yoh avoided it. Seconds later, Yoh hit the Pele Kick, and they were both down.
Robbie hit a running, twisting neckbreaker, and he applied a modified Muta Lock, cranking back on Yoh’s head. Yoh got his feet on the ropes at 14:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow, and they were both down. Yoh locked in a Figure Four at 17:00. Yoh hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. Robbie nailed a Poison Rana, and they were both down. Yoh tried to flip Robbie off the top rope, but Robbie rotated and landed on his feet at 20:30 — but that further hurt his knee!
Robbie hit a forward Finlay Roll and a second-rope moonsault, then a powerbomb for a nearfall. Robbie finally hit the Lethal Injection for a nearfall! Robbie climbed, but he slipped and sold the pain in his knee. He missed the X Express twisting splash to the mat, and they were both down at 23:00. Robbie hit a superkick; Yoh hit a superkick for a nearfall, and he was fired up. Robbie hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Yoh hit a running knee. He nailed the Direct Drive double-arm brainbuster for the pin. Really good action.
Yoh defeated Robbie X to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title at 24:58.
Final Thoughts: The most noteworthy event here was the MJF video, with him challenging Oiwa to a match at a future date. The digs at NJPW and the exodus of top stars probably really stung Charlton, who wisely refrained from criticizing Tony Khan or AEW today. A really good main event. Robbie X is so talented, and they put together a compelling match, but I never believed that Robbie was on the verge of winning the title.
A solid undercard. I’m not missing Jake Lee, Ryusuke Taguchi, or Togi Makabe on this tour. The debut of Ares was fun, and he looked like he belonged. I said it a day ago, but I’m fully expecting Wolf-Fujita to be the best match of Aaron’s career thus far.
