New Japan Pro-Wrestling

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has redefined professional wrestling as we know it. In 2022, their roster was finally back at full strength as foreign wrestlers such as Will Ospreay and Jay White were able to return to Japan. Additionally, NJPW reached new heights of U.S. popularity as its relationship with AEW created a revolutionary Pay-Per-View titled Forbidden Door, in which two of the biggest wrestling companies in the world produced a show together—an almost unheard of move on the mainstream level in this era.

To put it simply, New Japan Pro-Wrestling is unlike anything that the average fan of American professional wrestling is accustomed to seeing. While American promotions build their stories and character development with the use of speaking segments, what happens between the four ropes is what drives everything that transpires in New Japan. The intensity, physicality, technical prowess, and storytelling are second to none. The big matches feel likes events unto themselves, and the fighting spirit displayed becomes an infectious feeling shared among the fans who witness feats of unfathomable resiliency. With a roster that balances all-time greats such as Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and Tomohiro Ishii with faces of the current generation such as Hiromu Takahashi, Jay White, Shingo Takagi, and Will Ospreay, New Japan is essential viewing for anyone who wants to learn more about the beautifully artistic sport that professional wrestling can be.

In 2022, New Japan Pro-Wrestling celebrated its 50-year anniversary. New Japan also shared hosting duties of a show with the second-biggest professional wrestling company in 2022, Pro Wrestling NOAH, including a main event that saw Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada take on the team of Kaito Kiyomiya and the legendary Keiji Muto. It also launched a crossover Pay-Per-View event with All Elite Wrestling, titled Forbidden Door, which included incredible matches such as Orange Cassidy vs. Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. It will also be holding a historic show with ST★RDOM, the top women's wrestling promotion on the planet. It will be the first time the two promotions will have ever held a show together. Unfortunately, strategy also struck as Antonio Inoki, the legendary professional wrestler who founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling, passed away at the age of 79. New Japan has since honored Inoki with video packages and a 10-bell salute at its shows. While there have certainly been a wide array of emotions experienced by all involved with New Japan in 2022, the spirit of Inoki lives on and the hope for another 50 years of greatness persists.