Yota Tsuji Gives His Opinion On The NJPW Debut Of Aaron Wolf

By: Lewis Carlan

On Jan. 4th, New Japan Pro-Wrestling held it’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 event in front of 46.913 fans at a sold out Tokyo Dome.

The event proved to be a huge one for both Yota Tsuji and Aaron Wolf.

Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title and became a double champion as he went into the bout as the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. Tsuji later brought back the IWGP Heavyweight Title much to the approval of the majority of NJPW fans.

Photo Credit: NJPW

Wrestle Kingdom 20 also featured the debut of highly touted rookie Aaron Wolf. Wolf signed with NJPW back in June 2025 and had been greatly praised by President Hiroshi Tanahashi. In his very first match, Wolf became a champion as he defeated EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Title.

Photo Credit: NJPW

During a recent interview that is now available on the NJPW website, Tsuji was asked what he thought of Wolf’s performance in his debut bout at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and if he felt Wolf ranked number 3 behind him. Tsuji, who had his first match eight years ago and has risen to the top of NJPW, had positive words for Wolf.

From Yota Tsuji:

“He was great. I was in standby, watching on the monitor, but yeah, I thought, that’s an Olympian for you. When I saw him with the shaved head, that’s when I realised, OK, he gets it. And you know, that openweight label for the NEVER title really fits Wolf. With both of us being champions, we might not be opposite each other much right now, but I expect big things from him.

With Hiroshi Tanahashi retiring and the rumoured departures of EVIL and SANADA, the pressure could be on Wolf to fill the void that has been left in NJPW. It has to be gratifying to hear that the current top wrestler of NJPW believes that he could be that guy to step into that role.

At NJPW The NEW BEGINNING in OSAKA, both Tsuji and Wolf will make their first defenses of their newly won championships. Tsuji will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Title against Jake Lee while Aaron Wolf puts his NEVER Openweight belt on the line against Ren Narita.