By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to King of Pro Wrestling”
October 6, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided commentary.
* The good news is that both Yuya Uemura (illness) and Kosei Fujita (injury) are both back in action after missing shows last week.
1. “House of Torture” Sanada, Sho, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taisei Nakahara, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, El Desperado, and Boltin Oleg. As usual, Sho spoke on the mic, then the HoT attacked, and we’re underway. Sho hit some blows to Oleg’s sternum, but Boltin no-sold it and swatted Sho to the mat. Sho tried a spear but just bounced off Boltin. Oleg flipped Sho around in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex at 1:30. Yuya tagged in, and he twisted Sho’s left arm. Desperado and Yuya hit a team shoulder tackle on Douki. Despe twisted Douki’s wrist, but Douki whipped Desperado into an exposed corner at 4:00.
Suddenly everyone was brawling on the floor. Ooof, it’s clear this is nowhere close to a sellout. (The long seating area on one side of Korakuen Hall has a LOT of empty orange seats.) In the ring, Kanemaru got a nearfall on Desperado at 5:30. The HoT took turns working over Desperado. Yujiro put him in a Camel Clutch at 7:00. Taichi entered and hit some Kawada Kicks on his former “Just Five Guys” teammate Sanada. Taichi hit a double clothesline on Sho and Douki at 8:30. Sanada hit a basement dropkick on Taichi’s knee.
Kanemaru entered and stomped on Taichi’s knee. Taichi hit a Pump Kick at 9:30, and they were both down. Nakahara tagged in for the first time! The babyfaces took turns hitting splashes in the corner on Kanemaru. Nakahara hit a dropkick on Kanemaru for a nearfall, and he was fired up! He applied a Boston Crab, but Douki made the save. Kanemaru grabbed his whiskey bottle, and he struck Nakahara in the back of the knee! He locked in a Figure Four, and Nakahara tapped out.
“House of Torture” Sanada, Sho, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taisei Nakahara, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, El Desperado, and Boltin Oleg at 11:58.
* Taichi got on the mic and confronted Kanemaru. “Are you satisfied with that? How long are you going to be with these House of Torture losers?” Taichi said (according to Charlton’s translation, obviously). He challenged Kanemaru to a match when they go to Taichi’s hometown on Oct. 17.
2. “The Unbound Co.” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoh and Tatsuya Matsumoto. Yoh and Robbie opened. Ishimori and Matsumoto entered at 1:00. On the floor, Robbie dropped Tatsuya with a hard chop. Ishimori rolled Tatsuya into the ring, and the Unbound Co. worked over the Young Lion. Robbie hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 2:30. Robbie and Yoh traded a cool series of moves, with Robbie hitting a Pele Kick. Matsumoto got back in and hit a dropkick on Ishimori, then a flying kick for a nearfall at 5:00. Ishimori spun him to the mat, applied the Bone Lock, and Matsumoto immediately tapped out. That wrapped up suddenly!
“The Unbound Co.” Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori defeated Yoh and Tatsuya Matsumoto at 6:15.
3. “House of Torture” Shun Skywalker, Dick Togo, and Ren Narita vs. Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Shota Umino. Shun entered the ring last, immediately kicked Yano in the gut, and we’re underway! Yano and Shun fought on the floor, and Shun tossed him back into the ring. Togo hit some knee drops on Yano’s left elbow. The HoT kept Yano in their corner. On the floor, Shun ‘Pillmanized’ Yano’s damaged wrist in a chair. Shota entered at 4:30 and hit a flying forearm. Shun hit hard slaps to the top of Umino’s head. Shota hit a series of forearm strikes in the corner on Narita.
Shota hit a fisherman’s suplex on Narita for a nearfall at 6:00. Narita hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Umino for a nearfall. Shota hit a tornado DDT, and they were both down. Wato got a hot tag, and he battled Shun. Wato hit a bulldog for a nearfall at 7:30. Yano pushed two heels together. Wato applied his Vendeval submission hold on Shun. Togo snuck in and put his wire around Wato’s neck at 9:00. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Wato’s groin! Shun hit his swinging faceplant and pinned Wato!
“House of Torture” Shun Skywalker, Dick Togo, and Ren Narita defeated Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Shota Umino at 9:30.
4. “United Empire” Zane Jay and Callum Newman vs. “Unbound Co.” Jeff Cobb and Daiki Nagai. Daiki has grown a mustache and a bit of fuzz on his chin, too. (It’s not enough to call it a beard yet!) Nagai and Zane opened. On the floor, Zane whipped Nagai into the guardrails. Stewart noted that Wednesday will mark Zane’s third anniversary in pro wrestling. Callum entered and hit a snap suplex, then a stiff Penalty Kick at 3:00.
Nagai hit a spinebuster on Jay. Jeff entered for the first time, and he hit a shoulder tackle that sent Callum flying. Cobb hit a twisting uranage on Zane, then a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 5:00. Zane hit a fallaway slam on Cobb. Jeff hit a superkick, and he tossed Jay face-first to the mat. Jeff hit the Tour of the Islands swinging powerslam on Zane for the pin.
“Unbound Co.” Jeff Cobb and Daiki Nagai defeated “United Empire” Zane Jay and Callum Newman at 6:39.
* Toru Yano has joined Japanese commentary.
5. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie Eagles, and Kosei Fujita vs. Hechicero, Aaron Wolf, and Masatora Yasuda. Hechicero and Sabre have now fought in at least four different countries! Wolf and Fujita opened; they’ve developed a nice rivalry over the past month. Wolf avoided some roundhouse kicks. They traded forearm strikes, and Wolf dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Eagles and Yasuda got in at 2:30, and Robbie fired up the crowd before they eventually locked up. Yasuda hit a scoop bodyslam. Robbie hit a back suplex, then a stiff kick to the spine!
Fujita and Robbie ‘wish-boned’ Yasuda’s legs at 4:30. Fujita hit some loud chops. Sabre entered for the first time, and he tied Yasuda in a pretzel on the mat, but Masatora reached the ropes at 6:00. Sabre hit some European Uppercuts. Yasuda caught Zack with a dropkick. Hechicero entered, and he hit a backbreaker over his knee on Sabre. He tied up Eagles on the mat and rolled him around the canvas. Sabre jumped back in and kicked Hechicero to break that up. Sabre and Hechicero traded rollups, and Hechicero hit a springboard elbow drop for a nearfall at 8:00. “Look at the magic,” Walker said, referring to watching the exchanges between these two.
Sabre got a creative rollup for a nearfall! Zack executed his neck-snap between his ankles. Robbie got back in at 9:00 and hit some stiff kicks to Hechicero’s spine, but Hechicero hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he tied up Robbie’s left leg. Yasuda hit a vertical suplex on Eagles for a nearfall. Sabre and Hechicero again locked up and traded forearm strikes. Eagles hit an implant DDT on Yasuda, then a flying kick across the jaw for the pin. Good action. Wolf and Fujita continued to fight on the floor!
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie Eagles, and Kosei Fujita defeated Hechicero, Aaron Wolf, and Masatora Yasuda at 12:01.
6. “The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson. Oiwa and Tsuji opened, and Tsuji immediately hit some chops. Ryohei hit a shoulder tackle. Oiwa twisted Yota’s knee. Hartley entered at 2:00 and hit an elbow drop on the damaged knee. Shingo entered and hit some jab punches on Hartley. Oiwa hit a splash to the mat on Tsuji at 5:00. Yota hit a Roderick-style double knees across Ryohei’s knees. Yota hit a superkick on Oiwa, but Oiwa hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 7:00.
Oiwa applied a Figure Four, and Hartley hit a massive senton onto Yota’s chest! Nice! Shingo finally made the save. Shingo entered and hit a senton on Oiwa for a nearfall. Hartley hit a flying crossbody block. Shingo and Hartley brawled on the ropes in the corner, and Shingo hit a second-rope superplex, then a sliding clothesline for a nearfall at 12:00. Shingo clotheslined Oiwa to the floor, and Yota dove through the ropes onto Oiwa. Shingo hit a decapitating clothesline on Hartley. Yota got back in, hit a Gene Blaster on Hartley, and Shingo covered Hartley for the pin. A really strong undercard match.
“The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson at 13:14.
7. “United Empire” Henare and Great-O-Khan vs. “The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar for the IWGP Tag Team Titles. All four brawled at the bell and immediately went to the floor. They fought into the crowd. O-Khan struck Oskar’s left knee with a chair. Henare and Yuto-Ice got back into the ring at 2:30 and brawled. Henare hit a series of sentons on Yuto-Ice and got a nearfall at 5:30. On the floor, O-Khan whipped Yuto-Ice into the guardrail. Oskar finally got a hot tag at 8:00 and beat up both heels, but he sold the knee injury. O-Khan tied up Oskar’s legs and kept him grounded.
Oskar hit a back suplex on O-Khan at 13:00, and they were both down. Henare and Yuto-Ice got back in and traded forearm strikes. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee in the corner and got a nearfall at 15:00. Henare hit a spinning heel kick to Yuto-Ice’s jaw, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 17:00. Yuto-Ice hit a spin kick to the head for a nearfall. Henare hit the Rampage football tackle on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall at 19:00. Oskar got back in and slammed O-Khan and got a nearfall at 21:00.
O-Khan hit a chop block on Oskar’s damaged knee. O-Khan untied Edwards’ boot and removed his knee brace. He got a chair and was going to strike the leg, but Yuto-Ice threw his body over Oskar’s leg! O-Khan struck Yuto-Ice repeatedly across the back with the chair. O-Khan grapevined Oskar’s leg on the mat. Yuto-Ice got back in and stomped on O-Khan in an attempt to break that up at 26:30. Henare put Yuto-Ice in a full nelson. Yuto-Ice was finally able to break the hold before Oskar could tap out.
Henare hit a suplex on Oskar, and everyone was down at 29:30. Yuto-Ice and Henare traded forearm strikes. Oskar nailed a Choke Bomb on Henare at 33:30. Yuto-Ice and O-Khan fought in the corner, where Yuto-Ice hit a straight punch to the jaw. They hit the spin kick-and-Tombstone Piledriver combo, and Oskar pinned O-Khan. New champions! Fine match, but unnecessarily long.
“The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar defeated “United Empire” Henare and Great-O-Khan to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles at 34:24.
* Yuto-Ice spoke on the mic. Jeff Cobb came out! Yuto-Ice told Cobb he wants Jeff to be their teammate in an upcoming six-man tag against the United Empire.
Final Thoughts: Some matches, you are surprised when a match goes 30+ minutes because the competitors set a frenetic pace early on. That’s not the case here — both teams set a slower pace, and it became instantly clear to me that they were going 20 minutes or longer. I liked the match alright, but I wouldn’t want to rewatch it, either. They could have told the same story in a tighter 20- to 25-minute match. In retrospect, the Knockout Brothers shouldn’t have lost the belts in the first place — they’ve been the top team in NJPW pretty much since the day they returned from excursion.
A good undercard, though. The Yota-Oiwa match should be really good, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Oiwa wins the title. And you can never complain when Sabre and Hechicero lock up. As I noted above, it’s also good to see Yuya and Fujita healthy. Kosei vs. Aaron Wolf will easily be the best match of Wolf’s career; it should be a fun match. Kosei has done a great job of being a pest and getting under Wolf’s skin, but not really turning heel in the process, either.
NJPW will be right back here on Wednesday. Even during the brawl in the main event, they didn’t go up the stairs — I think they didn’t want to call attention to the empty seats.
