YOTA TSUJI

One of NJPW's defining talents of the new generation, Tsuji won the 2024 New Japan Cup and reached the G1 Climax final before capturing the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 19 by beating David Finlay. At Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026, he defeated Konosuke Takeshita in a Winner Takes All match to simultaneously hold both the IWGP Global and IWGP World Heavyweight Championships. A cornerstone of the Reiwa Three Musketeers alongside Shota Umino and Ren Narita, his arsenal centers on the Gene Blaster spear, the Marlowe Crash, and a submission-heavy finishing game.

Tsuji started 2026 on top of the world, but back-to-back losses to Callum Newman and Andrade El Idolo left him heading into the summer with no gold to his name. He had held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for three months before dropping it to Newman at Sakura Genesis in April. On June 14 at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall, Tsuji challenged Newman in a hotly anticipated rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, having earned the shot by teaming with Shingo Takagi to pin Newman in a high-stakes tag match where a loss would have eliminated both men from future title contention.