By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “The New Beginning in Osaka”
February 11, 2026, in Osaka, Japan, at Edion Arena
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is a small arena with a crowd of maybe 3,000 to 5,000. Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary, and they said it’s a sellout.
* This is a notable show as it’s the NJPW farewell for Hiromu Takahashi, and a rumored farewell for David Finlay.
1. Toru Yano and Togi Makabe vs. Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato. Murashima is leaving on excursion, but I don’t think they’ve announced where he’s headed. He opened against Makabe and knocked Togi down with a shoulder tackle. Yano got in and traded offense with Shoma. Kato hit a dropkick at 3:30. Murashima got back in and unloaded some forearm strikes on Yano and some somersault sentons for a nearfall.
Murashima hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Togi at 5:30, then a running Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall, then he put Makabe in a Boston Crab, but Togi reached the ropes. Togi nailed a hard clothesline. Togi hit an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall, then the top-rope flying knee drop across the forehead for the pin. Passable. Murashima bowed on the mat to say goodbye to the fans.
Togi Makabe and Toru Yano defeated Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato at 8:15.
2. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira vs. “The Unbound Co.” Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori. Young has been morphing into a younger LA Knight; I can’t be the only one who sees that, right? Charlton and Stewart discussed Hiromu’s departure. Hiromu opened against Young, but Akira attacked Takahashi from behind. Ishimori jumped in and hit a huracanrana. Akira stomped on Ishimori in the corner. Hiromu got a hot tag at 4:30 and hit some flying crossbody blocks.
In a fun spot, Hiromu picked up the ref and had him hit a huracanrana, too. Hiromu chopped Akira, but Akira bit his wrist, then hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall at 6:30. Hiromu hit a pop-up powerbomb, and they were both down. Ishimori and Young tagged in, and they traded forearm strikes. Akira hit a half-nelson suplex, and Young hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, but Hiromu made the save. Hiromu hit a “Dynamite Plunger” (a modified Jackhammer). Ishimori spun Young to the mat and applied a Bone Lock (crossface), and Young tapped out. Good action.
Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori defeated Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira at 9:40.
* Hiromu was waving goodbye to the fans when Akira attacked him from behind. He slid some chairs into the ring and jabbed Hiromu in the gut. The bell frantically rang as Akira put a chair over Hiromu’s head. Robbie X ran in and made the save. Hiromu hit one more clothesline to drop Akira.
3. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan and Henare vs. “Unbound Co. Drilla Moloney and Shingo Takagi. Shingo has been inactive for a few weeks with a reported rib injury. The UE attacked; we had a bell five seconds later. Shingo bodyslammed O-Khan. Shingo and Drilla hit a team shoulder tackle on Henare. Drilla hit a double stomp-and-senton combo on Henare, and those two traded chops at 1:30. Henare hit a Samoan Drop and a senton and was fired up, and the UE kept Drilla in their corner. Drilla hit a dropkick at 4:00, and they were both down.
Shingo got the hot tag, and he hit a series of jab punches and chops on O-Khan in a corner. O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops. Shingo and Drilla hit stereo top-rope elbow drops at 6:00. O-Khan hit a pump kick and a Superman Punch. Henare hit a sit-out powerbomb on Drilla for a nearfall, but Shingo made the save. Shingo and Henare hit stereo clotheslines at 8:30. Drilla hit a Gore on Henare! Moloney nailed a Drilla Killa on O-Khan, and Shingo nailed a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Henare. They hit their double team flipping powerbomb on Henare for the decisive win.
Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney defeated Henare and Great-O-Khan at 9:29.
* Drilla got on the mic and teased he had some bad news to share, but then he shouted he had re-signed with NJPW, and the crowd went nuts. I had no idea his Japanese was so good!
4. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirook Goto, and Boltin Oleg vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson (w/Kosei Fujita) for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles. Oleg and Jackson traded massive shoulder blocks at the bell, with neither bull going down. Oleg finally dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Hartley hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall. Sabre entered at 2:00 and tied up Oleg’s wrist and stomped on the left elbow. Oiwa hit a dropkick for a nearfall on Oleg. Goto got in and battled Oiwa, and those two traded forearm strikes.
Oleg and Hartley hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 5:30. Oiwa hit a German Suplex with a high bridge on Goto. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee, and they were both down. Yoshi-Hashi hit a running powerbomb on Sabre for a nearfall. Sabre tied both of Yoshi-Hashi’s arms behind his back. Sabre hit a Pele Kick on Yoshi-Hashi’s arm; Y-H hit a clothesline, and they were both down at 9:00. This has been predictably really good. Hartley hit a senton on Yoshi-Hashi for a nearfall, then a German Suplex on Oleg. Oiwa clotheslined Oleg to the floor.
Hartley splashed Yoshi-Hashi in the corner, then he nailed his Jagged Edge (DVD) for a nearfall at 10:30. Yoshi-Hashi tried a clothesline that Hartley no-sold. Oleg dropped Hartley with a harder clothesline. Oleg hit an F-5 slam. He hit a Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) on Sabre. Yoshi-Hashi hit a superkick on Hartley. The champs hit their team Shoto slam and pinned Hartley. That was really an all-out sprint — we didn’t have an extended period where one guy was worked over.
Yoshi-Hashi, Hirook Goto, and Boltin Oleg defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles at 12:21.
5. Gabe Kidd vs. Andrade El Idolo. An intense lockup and standing switches to open. Kidd hit a sit-out powerbomb at 1:30. They brawled on the floor. In the ring, Andrade hit a double stomp as Kidd was in the Tree of Woe at 4:30. Andrade hit a corkscrew senton to the floor at 6:00. Andrade hit a split-legged moonsault and a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 7:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes, then open-hand slaps to the face.
Kidd hit a Saito Suplex for a nearfall, and they were both down at 9:30. Andrade hit the Three Amigos rolling suplexes (hey, he actually hit all three!) for a nearfall. Andrade did his top-rope moonsault and standing moonsault move on Kidd for a nearfall at 11:00. Kidd nailed a Rebound Lariat for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops. Andrade nailed a dropkick, and they were both down at 13:00. Kidd hit a jumping piledriver for a nearfall. Andrade hit his hard back elbow, then his double-arm swinging neckbreaker for the pin. That was really good.
Andrade El Idolo defeated Gabe Kidd at 14:19.
6. David Finlay vs. Callum Newman (w/Zane Jay). They charged at each other at the bell and immediately traded forearm strikes; no feeling-out process here! They brawled to the floor, and Finlay whipped him into the guardrails. They went into the crowd and brawled along the far wall before returning to the ring. Finlay hit a flying back elbow, but Callum hit a suplex into the turnbuckles at 2:00. Newman hit a stiff kick to the spine and kept Finlay grounded.
Finlay nailed the Northern Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee at 4:30. Finlay hit a release suplex, and he clotheslined them both to the floor, then he suplexed Callum onto the ring apron. He hit a shoulder tackle to send Zane flying, too. Finlay picked up Newman and powerbombed Callum’s spine against a ring post at 6:30. Finlay hit a Dominator swinging faceplant in the ring for a nearfall. Newman hit some Yes Kicks at 9:00. Finlay hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall, then a Buckle Bomb, but Callum hit a shotgun dropkick.
Finlay hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 11:00. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Callum hit a pop-up knee strike to the sternum and a doublestomp to the back at 12:30; he pulled Finlay up at a two-count! Callum hit a decapitating clothesline and a brainbuster for the clean pin. Wow, a big statement victory for Newman. Good match.
Callum Newman defeated David Finlay at 13:54.
* Finlay hugged Gedo and bowed to the crowd. He rolled to the floor and embraced Hiromu Takahashi, who was on commentary. Unless this is a heckuva swerve, this is a nice sendoff for Finlay, too. He went up the ramp and posed in front of the NJPW lion logo, and had visible tears forming. Quite a moment.
* Hiroshi Tanahashi, wearing a nice suit, came to the ring with a folder in his arms. He announced that the June 14 show from Osaka Jo Hall will be on network TV in Japan.
7. Aaron Wolf vs. Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo) for the NEVER Openweight Title. Ren came out first; as Wolf approached the ring, he was attacked by Sho and Douki on the entrance ramp! I started my stopwatch at first contact. They whipped him into the guardrails before throwing him into the ring, and we got a bell at 00:46 to officially begin. Wolf hit a Death Valley Driver.
Wolf was hitting an Angle Slam, but Narita kicked the ref mid-move. The House of Torture jumped in the ring and stomped on Wolf. Wolf hit a Judo Throw on each of the heels and was fired up. Ren hit a low blow uppercut and a Double Cross (X-Factor). Togo choked Wolf with his wire. Ren hit the Hell’s Guillotine (flying knee strike to the throat) for the pin! Shockingly short. I have more to say about that below. The House of Torture continued to beat on Wolf until Master Wato, Yoh, and others made the save.
Ren Narita defeated Aaron Wolf at 2:54/official time of 2:09 to win the NEVER Openweight Title.
8. “The Knockout Brothers” Oskar and Yuto-Ice vs. Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino for the IWGP Tag Team Titles. The challengers came out first; the KO Bros charged into the ring, and they all started brawling. We had a bell to officially begin at 00:14. The champs worked over Yuya in their corner early on. Oskar stomped on Shota. Umino hit a DDT on the ring apron at 3:30. He whipped Yuto-Ice into the guardrail, then hit a shotgun dropkick to send Oskar into a guardrail.
Shota hit a DDT from the guardrail, sending Oskar’s head onto the thin mat at ringside at 5:00. In the ring, Shota hit a clothesline that only staggered Oskar. Another clothesline dropped Oskar for a nearfall at 6:30. Oskar hit a leaping elbow drop for a nearfall. Shota hit a DDT at 9:00, and they were both down. Yuya Uemura and Yuto-Ice tagged in and immediately traded forearm strikes. Yuya hit a dropkick, and he locked in a cross-armbreaker, but Yuto-Ice quickly got his feet on the ropes at 10:30.
Yuya hit a crossbody block on Yuto-Ice, and they were both down. Yuya clocked him with a forearm strike. Yuto-Ice hit a short-arm clothesline. They got up and traded slaps to the face. Yuto-Ice hit a buzzsaw kick to the side of the head for a nearfall at 14:30, and he was fired up. Umino got back in and hit a running knee to the back of Oskar’s head. Shota nailed a top-rope superplex, and Yuya immediately hit a frog splash for a nearfall. Umino hit a dropkick on Yuto-Ice to send him to the floor.
Yuya hit a Dragon Suplex on Oskar. Oskar hit his leaping Tombstone Piledriver on Umino, who rolled to the side. Yuya hit a release Deadbolt Suplex on Yuto-Ice, but Oskar immediately applied a sleeper on Yuya. Yuya got a rollup for a nearfall. Yuya hit a German Suplex with a high bridge on Oskar for a nearfall at 19:00. This crowd was going NUTS. The champs hit their spin kick-and-Tombstone Piledriver combo, with Oskar pinning Yuya. That was incredible.
Oskar and Yuto-Ice defeated Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles at 19:49.
* The lights went out. On the video screen were Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona. Ricochet made a challenge for an upcoming NJPW show in the United States. (It’s worth pointing out that Kaun and Liona competed in World Tag League here a couple of years ago.) After the video ended, Yuto-Ice got on the mic and accepted the challenge. The show is on February 27 in Trenton, New Jersey, at Cure Insurance Arena.
9. Yota Tsuji vs. Jake Lee for the IWGP World Title. A feeling-out process to open. Yota hit a dive through the ropes at 2:00. In the ring, Lee hit a Helluva Kick at 4:00 that knocked Yota to the floor. Lee put on a glove and tried to shove it into Yota’s mouth. Yota hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 9:30, and he locked in a Boston Crab, but Yota quickly got to the ropes. Lee hit a DDT, and they were both down.
They brawled to the floor, where Yota hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 12:00, and they were both down on the floor. In the ring, Yota hit another Dragonscrew Legwhip. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Lee nailed a top-rope back suplex for a nearfall at 15:30. He hit a Helluva Kick, but Shota hit a standing powerbomb. Lee hit a running boot, and they were both down. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Lee hit a German Suplex and a running knee for a nearfall at 20:00.
Lee hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 21:30. Yota charged for a Gene Blaster, but Lee cut him off with a knee strike. Lee hit a chokeslam. Yota hit some headbutts, then a spear for a nearfall at 23:00. Yota hit a stomp to the back of the head, but Lee popped up and was fired up. Yota hit another jumping knee, then another Gene Blaster spear for the pin. After a slow start, it built nicely.
Yota Tsuji defeated Jake Lee to retain the IWGP World Title at 23:36.
* Yota got on the mic and talked about how wrestlers “put their lives on the line” in this ring. He vowed to protect this belt and protect this ring. He was then covered in gold streamers to conclude the show. Wait! Before we went off the air, Yota called the other members of the Unbound Co. to the ring. He wished Hiromu well in his future. Hiromu then got on the mic and thanked the fans. He said this isn’t goodbye, it’s “until I see you later.”
Final Thoughts: NJPW has given us at least three stellar tag matches in these first six weeks of 2026. The Knockout Brothers had a standout match against Sabre and Oiwa at New Year’s Dash, then Yuya and Shota had a stellar bout with Ishii and Taichi a few weeks ago. More of this, please! This match certainly belongs in the conversation with those two. Yes, the tag match was easily the best match here.
I’ll go with Finlay-Newman for second. It was hard-hitting, and Newman got a big, clean win, and it appears that Finlay’s time here also is over. The main event was fine. I’m a big fan of Tsuji, but I am generally disinterested in Lee’s work, and I never once thought Lee was credibly going to win the belt here.
In a recent NJPW review, I compared Aaron Wolf to a dud quarterback drafted second overall in the NFL draft, and the team that took him feels forced to stick with him. I think tonight shows that NJPW is wavering on him, because he just has not been good in the ring, and his physique is just shockingly bad, and he’s gotten easily winded.
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