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NJPW

KUSHIDA has officially confirmed he is under exclusive contract with NJPW, clarifying his status amid recent appearances in MLW and past work in TNA.



Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown, KUSHIDA stated he holds only one contract with NJPW but competes globally through the promotion’s partnerships, including with MLW and CMLL. 



The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion noted that his tag partners often move on, referencing his stints alongside Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, and Kevin Knight, who have since landed in WWE and AEW, respectively.



Despite the changes, KUSHIDA expressed pride in their success and a future hope to reunite with Knight and Speedball Mike Bailey.

KUSHIDA Confirms Exclusive NJPW Deal, Open to Global Appearances

NJPW has stacked the final night of its Soul tour with major title bouts. On July 6 at Korakuen Hall, El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against BOSJ 32 winner Kosei Fujita. Fujita opted to wait for a focused champion, and now gets his shot following Desperado’s brutal title defense against Jun Kasai.



Also announced: SHO and DOUKI will defend the IWGP Junior Tag Titles against former champs YOH and Master Wato in a rematch. Additionally, Hiroshi Tanahashi continues his farewell tour with a special singles bout against Tiger Mask, marking the veteran’s 30-year anniversary.

Desperado vs. Fujita Headlines NJPW Soul With Two Title Matches Confirmed for July 6

Don Fale, formerly known as Bad Luck Fale, has pulled out of the NJPW G1 Climax play-in match and the remainder of the New Japan Soul tour following the death of a family member. 



NJPW confirmed that Fale will miss the final four shows of the tour, including his scheduled July 4 bout against Ryohei Oiwa at Tokyo Budokan. That match was set to determine the last entrant into G1 Climax 35’s A Block.



Oiwa will now face Satoshi Kojima instead. NJPW’s G1 Climax play-ins continue on July 4 with YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens for a B Block spot.

Don Fale Withdraws From NJPW G1 Climax Play-In After Family Tragedy

NJPW Dominion 2025 took place on June 15 at the Osaka-jō Hall in Osaka, Japan. It was the 17th event under the Dominion name and featured several high-profile matches and title changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">NJPW Dominion 2025 Results 6/15</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Katsuya Murashima &amp; Shoma Kato def. Daiki Nagai &amp; Masatora Yasuda</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>House of Torture (SANADA, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi &amp; Bad Luck Fale) def. Bullet Club War Dogs (Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens, Clark Connors &amp; Drilla Moloney). Owens turned on Bullet Club during the match.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa &amp; Zack Sabre Jr.) def. El Phantasmo &amp; Shota Umino</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Connection~: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Yuya Uemura</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: House of Torture (DOUKI &amp; SHO) def. Master Wato &amp; YOH (c) to win the titles. DOUKI made a surprise return to replace the injured Yoshinobe Kanemaru in the match.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>IWGP Tag Team Championship: Taichi &amp; Tomohiro Ishii def. United Empire (Callum Newman &amp; Great-O-Khan) (c) to win the titles.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>NEVER Openweight Championship: Boltin Oleg def. Konosuke Takeshita (c) to become the new champion.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Dog Collar Chain Deathmatch: EVIL def. David Finlay. Finlay was stretchered out after the match.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Gabe Kidd def. Yota Tsuji (c) to win the title. Kidd called out Tanahashi after the match.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) def. Shingo Takagi to retain the title.</li>
</ul>

NJPW Dominion 2025 Results (Jun 15): New Champions Crowned, Dog Collar Chain Deathmatch

El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Jun Kasai in their final singles clash at NJPW’s Death Pain Invitational on June 24 at Korakuen Hall.



 Desperado requested the title defense after Kasai pinned him twice this year in multi-man matches, reigniting a rivalry that began with a no contest in 2019 and a Desperado victory in 2022. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">It&#39;s official! El Desperado will put the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jun Kasai June 24 at Death Pain Invitacional!<a href="https://t.co/3RPXRyzEnz">https://t.co/3RPXRyzEnz</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/deathpaininvi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#deathpaininvi</a> <a href="https://t.co/N6pSFSok0p">pic.twitter.com/N6pSFSok0p</a>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1929735149618712930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Although Desperado hoped to nominate Kasai after winning BOSJ 32, Kasai appeared at the finals to challenge him regardless, declaring interest in the man, not the title. BOSJ winner Kosei Fujita declined a premature title shot, pushing Desperado to settle unfinished business.

El Desperado (c) vs. Jun Kasai:  IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match Set for Death Pain Invitational

Kosei Fujita captured the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 32 tournament crown on Sunday, June 1, by defeating YOH in the finals. 



At just 22, Fujita becomes the youngest winner in the tournament’s history. He sealed the win with his Thrill Ride finisher, earning a future shot at El Desperado’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/njpw_Fujita?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@njpw_Fujita</a> &quot;Zack Driver&quot; Sign up Now &amp; Stay tuned to <a href="https://t.co/CcdQ1X9P52">https://t.co/CcdQ1X9P52</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njpwworld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njpwworld</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOSJ32?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOSJ32</a> <a href="https://t.co/bkeptNPed3">pic.twitter.com/bkeptNPed3</a>&mdash; NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1929151288110973118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



While no date is confirmed for the title match, NJPW’s next major event, Dominion, is set for June 15, making it a likely stage for Fujita’s high-stakes title opportunity.

Kosei Fujita Wins NJPW Best of The Super Juniors 32, Makes History at 22

During NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 32 final on June 1, EVIL defeated Gedo in a quick singles bout, leading to a post-match assault by House of Torture. Though Bullet Club War Dogs tried to intervene, they were outnumbered.



In backstage comments, EVIL pointed out David Finlay’s absence during the chaos and revealed that House of Torture will introduce a new member soon. The tease adds intrigue ahead of EVIL&#8217;s Dog Collar Chain Deathmatch against Finlay at NJPW Dominion on June 15 in Osaka.



House of Torture is led by EVIL and also consists of Dick Togo, Ren Narita, Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi and Sanada.

House of Torture Teases New Member Ahead of NJPW Dominion

Hiroshi Tanahashi will wrestle in the United Kingdom for the final time at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on August 24 at London’s O2 Arena. NJPW confirmed the announcement Saturday, signaling a farewell to British fans as Tanahashi nears retirement.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🇬🇧 It&#39;s official- <a href="https://twitter.com/tanahashi1_100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tanahashi1_100</a>&#39;s final UK match will be August 24 in the O2 at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Forbiddendoor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Forbiddendoor</a>!<a href="https://t.co/QqZPMwwKxx">https://t.co/QqZPMwwKxx</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njpwxaew?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njpwxaew</a> <a href="https://t.co/L8hmixb0ow">pic.twitter.com/L8hmixb0ow</a>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1928994915855270158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



“The Ace” made a surprise appearance at AEW Double or Nothing on May 25, saving Paragon alongside Tomohiro Ishii and Brody King from a Don Callis Family beatdown. 



Tanahashi, who debuted in 1999, is set to retire on January 4, 2026, at Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome. The August event will serve as a key milestone in his farewell tour.

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Final UK Match Set for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

YOH has clinched the B Block and will face Kosei Fujita in the finals of NJPW&#8217;s Best of the Super Juniors 2025 tournament on June 1 at Ota City Gymnasium. YOH defeated Taiji Ishimori to finish with 12 points, tying with El Desperado and MAO but advancing via tiebreaker victories over both.



This marks YOH’s second BOSJ finals appearance—his first since losing to Hiromu Takahashi in 2021. 



Neither YOH nor Fujita has won the tournament before, and the victor will earn a shot at El Desperado’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The win would mark a first NJPW singles title for either competitor.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOSJ32?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOSJ32</a> final is set, as YOH will be taking on Kosei Fujita Sunday in Ota! B Block update: <a href="https://t.co/JfZebODpJu">https://t.co/JfZebODpJu</a> Watch the replay!<a href="https://t.co/aHJR5rX4yC">https://t.co/aHJR5rX4yC</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njpw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njpw</a> <a href="https://t.co/YnO8558aM5">pic.twitter.com/YnO8558aM5</a>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1928081391729668202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

YOH Advances to NJPW BOSJ 2025 Finals; Set to Face Kosei Fujita in Tokyo

NJPW’s Tamashii brand will crown its inaugural tag team champions in a one-night tournament on July 4 at Tamashii: Cold War in Auckland, New Zealand. The event will be held at the Mangere Arts Centre and marks a historic first for the Oceania-based offshoot of NJPW.



Teams in the hunt include fan favorites the Pretty Boys (Mark Tui &amp; Richard Mulu), the Ungrateful 1’s (Trent Hooper &amp; TJ Illes), Jungle Fury (Johnny Gunn &amp; Bruno Astro), and Youngblood (Oskar Leube &amp; Yuto Nakashima), who recently rejoined the brand amid their international excursions.



Tamashii launched in 2022 as a platform for talent from NJPW’s New Zealand Dojo, overseen by Bad Luck Fale. This will be its first title introduction following the 2024 Oceania Cup won by Jack Bonza.

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