Aaron Wolf Vows to Purge the House of Torture from NJPW

By Noah Leatherland

At NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka, Ren Narita and the House of Torture snatched the NEVER Openweight Title from Aaron Wolf, using a plethora of dirty tricks from their playbook. Now, Wolf has vowed to purge the faction from NJPW, starting in the upcoming New Japan Cup.

Speaking to Tokyo Sports, Aaron Wolf reflected on his loss in Osaka, where the official match time clocked in at just over 2 minutes:

I suppose my lack of preparation and shortcomings meant I couldn’t have anticipated things going that far. Even if I’m attacked from the moment I enter the ring, I’ve realised I need the strength to repel everything.

Losing the title in such a controversial fashion meant that a lot of eyes were drawn to Wolf’s loss. Wolf was not thrilled with all the attention, stating:

Getting attention is great, but I’m not happy with this kind of attention. I don’t do pro-wrestling to have moments like that shown. Losing and walking away isn’t my way of life. I will definitely defeat them in the end.

Wolf has a chance to get some revenge on the House of Torture soon. In the first round of the New Japan Cup, Wolf will face Don Fale on March 4th. Wolf sees this as the first step in a bigger quest:

I’ll just have to take them down one by one, won’t I? They held “Night of Purge” last year, but I’ll be “purging” the H.O.T. wrestlers.

Taking out the House of Torture one at a time may prove difficult due to their pack-like tactics. Despite being outnumbered, Wolf has no intentions of recruiting any help:

If I did that, it would mean becoming like them – relying on someone else’s strength to win. In a singles match, even if my opponent interferes, I want to fight alone as a matter of principle.

While the New Japan Cup offers Wolf a chance to get into it with House of Torture members one-on-one, there is, of course, a grander prize on the line. The winner of the New Japan Cup will receive an opportunity to challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 4th. However, Wolf is not getting ahead of himself:

Honestly, I’m not thinking about that yet. I need to focus on each match, one step at a time, because you can’t see what lies ahead without taking care of the present.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

The New Japan Cup begins on March 4th, and culminates on March 21st. Should Wolf advance past Don Fale, fate may match him up with other House of Torture members in the tournament. Ren Narita, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi are also in the New Japan Cup field. Fans will just have to wait and see if Wolf gets a chance to exact his revenge.