By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to The New Beginning”
February 1, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
As usual, Korakuen Hall seemed full. Chris Charlton provided English commentary. Everyone seems to step up in Korakuen Hall. Admittedly, I didn’t know a single match on the show in advance.
1. Katsuya Murashima vs. Shoma Kato in a Young Lion Cup finals. Standing switches to open. Katsuya is the thickest (and most impressive) of the six students in this class. He knocked Shoma down with a shoulder tackle at 2:00. Shoma targeted Katsuya’s left arm and shoulder. Murashima hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 4:00, and he applied a half-crab, but Shoma reached the ropes. Shoma hit a running headscissors takedown. He hit a dropkick at 6:30 and a bodyslam for a nearfall.
Murashima hit a flying shoulder tackle at 8:00. He applied a Boston Crab and sat down on Shoma’s lower back, but Shoma again got to the ropes. Shoma applied a Fujiwara Armbar, but Murashima eventually reached the ropes at 10:30. This crowd was HOT! Kato hit some lebow strikes on the damaged shoulder. Murashima hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall, then a running Bulldog Powerslam. He reapplied the Boston Crab, dragged Kato to the center of the ring, jumped up and down, and Shoma tapped out. That was pretty good.
Katsuya Murashima defeated Shoma Kato at 12:14 to win the Young Lion Cup.
* Hiroshi Tanahashi, sporting his new shorter hairstyle, got in the ring and presented Murashima with a three-foot-tall trophy.
2. “The Unbound Company” Gedo, Oskar, and Yuto-Ice vs. Shota Umino, Tiger Mask, and Yuya Uemura. I’m still getting used to the new faction name for the former Bullet Club and LIJ. Oskar and Shota opened. Shoma and Yuya hit stereo dropkicks on Oskar at 2:00. Tiger Mask and Gedo locked up. Yuto-Ice entered at 4:30 and hit his series of roundhouse kicks to Yuya’s chest in the corner, then his running double knees.
Yuya fired back with an armdrag and a dropkick at 6:00. Shota hit a shotgun dropkick, and he clotheslined Oskar over the top rope to the floor. Yuya hit a crossbody block from the corner on Yuto-Ice at 7:30, and they were both down. Tiger Mask and Gedo tagged back in. Yuto and Oskar hit their spin kick-and-piledriver combo on Tiger Mask, and Yuto-Ice made the cover for the pin. Decent action.
Gedo, Oskar, and Yuto-Ice vs. Shota Umino, Tiger Mask, and Yuya Uemura at 9:03.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson, and Kosei Fujita vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Boltin Oleg. Taguchi and Kosei opened and traded standing switches and tied up each other’s left arms. They did some juvenile ‘butt-stuff’ comedy I won’t even bother explaining. TMDK kept Taguchi in their corner, with Sabre hitting some European Uppercuts. Goto flipped Yoshi-Hashi onto Sabre. Zack and Yoshi-Hashi traded chops at 4:30, and Sabre hit a Pele Kick on the shoulder and his neck-snap between his ankles. Hartley entered and hit a massive senton on Yoshi-Hashi for a nearfall.
Yoshi-Hashi fired back with a basement dropkick on Hartley’s knee. Oleg entered for the first time; he was only able to flip Hartley once in his arms. They traded shoulder blocks, then chops. Hartley hit a running crossbody block, but Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick at 7:00. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down. Goto and Oiwa entered, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. Oiwa hit a double shoulder tackle. Sabre dropped Yoshi-Hashi with a running European Uppercut. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Oiwa at 9:00, and they were both down. Taguchi tagged back in and hit a running buttbump on Oiwa for a nearfall. Oiwa put him in a standing half-crab move, and Taguchi tapped out. Fun for the most part.
Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson, & Kosei Fujita defeated Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Boltin Oleg at 9:41.
4. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Zane Jay vs. “The Unbound Company” Robbie X, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai. Zane, a really talented Young Lion, just joined the UE a couple of weeks ago. He opened against Nagai. Daiki hit a crossbody block. Zane has some green stripes in his black trunks, so perhaps he is now considered ‘graduated.’ He stomped on Nagai and kept him grounded. Henare entered and hit a senton on Nagai at 3:00. He made a cocky, one-footed cover. Robbie X entered, and he hit a moonsault to the floor on Zane at 5:30. He hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Henare for a nearfall.
Robbie X hit a Pele Kick on O-Khan. Drilla tagged in at 7:00 and immediately traded forearm strikes with O-Khan. Drilla hit a dropkick and was fired up. He hit a spear into the corner and a suplex on O-Khan for a nearfall. Robbie stood on Drilla’s shoulders and splashed onto O-Khan. Drilla then hit a top-rope elbow drop. Nagai hit a top-rope diving headbutt. Drilla and Henare traded chops at 9:30. Robbie hit a Lethal Injection. Zane hit an impressive dropkick on Robbie that sent him to the floor. Nagai and Henare traded forearm strikes. Henare hit a sit-out powerbomb for the pin on Nagai.
Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Zane Jay defeated Robbie X, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai at 11:27.
5. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Ren Narita, and Douki vs. Toru Yano, Master Wato, Yoh, and Aaron Wolf. This is the first televised NJPW show in the post-EVIL era. The HoT attacked, and they all fought to the floor. In the ring, Yoh hit a series of dropkicks. Togo crotched Yoh around the ring post at 2:00. The HoT rolled Yoh into the ring and worked him over. Togo hit a senton at 4:00. Wolf entered and hit some Judo Throws. He hit a clothesline on Narita, then a snap suplex at 6:00 and an elbow drop for a nearfall.
Narita grapevined Wolf’s leg and kept him grounded. Wato tagged in at 8:00 and hit a flying forearm on Douki. Each member of the HoT took turns hitting a blow in the corner on Yoh, and Togo hit his knife-edge chop to the groin. Togo got his wire and choked Wato with it. Wato got a walking staff and struck Douki in the head with it! Wato hit a German Suplex with a high bridge and pinned Douki!
Toru Yano, Master Wato, Yoh, and Aaron Wolf defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Ren Narita, and Douki at 10:28.
6. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Jakob Austin Young vs. “The Unbound Company” Hiromu Takahashi and David Finlay. The UE came out first. Finlay emerged through the curtain and immediately attacked Newman, and we’re underway! They brawled up the longer seating area and to the landing halfway up (and we can see it is indeed a sellout). They brawled back to ringside. They got in the ring and we had a bell at 1:51 to officially begin! Finlay and Newman traded punches in the ring. Finlay hit a senton at 3:30.
Finlay and Hiromu began working over Jakob. David hit some European Uppercuts at 5:30. Callum whipped Hiromu into the guardrails at ringside; Jacob got a nearfall on Hiromu at 7:00. The UE kept Hiromu grounded. Finlay got a hot tag at 10:30 and hit a shoulder tackle that sent Callum flying. David tossed Callum across the ring and some European Uppercuts. Callum hit a running knee for a nearfall at 12:30. Finlay hit the Northern Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee, and they were both down.
Jakob and Hiromu got back in, and Hiromu hit a huracanrana and a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 14:00. Jakob hit a suplex for a nearfall, then a running knee for a nearfall, but Finlay made the save. Hiromu hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. He hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Finlay got a hot tag at 17:00, and he threw Hiromu onto Young in a corner. Hiromu threw Finlay into a rolling cannonball on Young. Finlay slammed Hiromu onto Young for a nearfall. (I enjoy watching them use their unwilling partner as a weapon.)
Finlay clotheslined Callum to the floor. Finlay powerbombed Hiromu over the top rope onto the UE on the floor at 19:00. Finlay hit a top-rope dive onto all three. In the ring, David hit the Dominator swinging faceplant for a neafall on Young, but Newman made the save. Hiromu hit a DDT on Callum. Finlay dropped Young with a knee strike, then he hit the Overkill (pop-up knee strike to the sternum) for the pin. That was really good. Hiromu and David continued to argue after the bell; Hiromu doesn’t like being used as a weapon!
Hiromu Takahashi and David Finlay defeated Callum Newman and Jakob Austin Young at 20:42/official time of 18:51.
7. “The Unbound Company” Yota Tsuji and Taichi Ishimori vs. “United Empire” Jake Lee and Franesco Akira. A reminder that Shingo Takagi has a rib injury and is out of action. Jake and Yota opened, and Yota hit a running knee at 1:30. Ishimori and Akira entered, and they brawled to the floor, where Ishimori whipped him into the guardrails at 3:00. Lee and Yota also brawled into the crowd; those two also went up to the landing halfway up the seating area. In the ring, Akira hit a neckbreaker on Ishimori. He removed a corner pad, then he whipped Ishimori into the corner at 6:00.
Ishimori hit a basement dropkick on Lee’s knee. Tsuji tagged back in at 7:30 and continued to work over Jake’s left knee. Jake choked Tsuji in the ropes. Akira hit a superkick at 10:00, and he also choked Yota. Lee stomped on Tsuji and kept him grounded. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee on Akira at 12:30. Ishimori hit a neck-snap between his ankles on Akira and got a nearfall. Ishimori hit a decapitating clothesline at 14:30 and double knees to the chest for a nearfall. Akira hit a double stomp to the chest. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri on Lee at 16:00.
Ishimori whipped Akira shoulder-first into the corner, then he hit a shoulder-breaker over his knee. Akira hit a German Suplex on Ishimori for a nearfall, but Yota made the save. Yota hit a German Suplex on Lee! He hit a running knee on Lee in the corner, but he couldn’t hit the Marlowe Crash. Lee missed a Helluva Kick and fell to the floor. Tsuji immediately dove through the ropes onto him. In the ring, Ishimori spun Akira to the mat and applied a crossface at 18:00, but Akira escaped. Ishimori hit a moonsault double knee drop to the ribs for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Akira hit a Fireball (flying double knees to the back of the head), and a swinging sideslam for the pin! A big win for Akira.
Francesco Akira and Jake Lee defeated Yota Tsuji and Taiji Ishimori at 19:29.
Final Thoughts: First, the good news — that was a pretty good main event, and it was the best match of the show. The Finlay/Hiromu tag was good for second, and the TMDK eight-man tag was third. However, the NJPW roster has never felt thinner; the cupboard is bare. Like EVIL or not, he was in their top-tier. Sanada is on leave, and it’s unclear if he’ll be back. Shingo Takagi is out with an injury. We saw Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors were at AEW instead of here. It’s left them with Jake Lee in the title picture, and he’s just not all that interesting to watch. El Desperado, Taichi, and Tomohiro Ishii were sorely missing tonight.
If you haven’t seen Aaron Wolf yet… I cannot put into words how out of shape this Olympiad looks. It’s shocking. Wolf is like the dud quarterback taken second overall in the NFL draft. The team feels compelled to stick with him, even though he clearly isn’t as good as they hoped…. but what other options do they have? They invested time in him and tried to convince their fans they had landed a star. So, they just have to cross their fingers and hope it somehow works out.
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