RADICAN’S TAKE: NJPW has a chance to rebuild meaningfully at Wrestle Kingdom 19 and Wrestle Dynasty behind Umino, Tsuji, and Kidd

NJPW has a chance this weekend to begin to usher in a new era of top talent and begin to finally turn the page as the company has struggled to find footing with the departures of their top names in recent years. Now two of the three Reiwa Three Musketeers will get their opportunity to shine on NJPW’s biggest stage on back-to-back nights in The Tokyo Dome.

NJPW lost Jay White in 2023 and Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada in 2024. For various reasons, the company was unable to successfully use those names to establish new talent with them, most notably not expecting Okada to leave last year. NJPW wisely established Zack Sabre Jr. as a top act by having him beat Naito for the IWGP Global Hvt. Championship in October at the King of Pro Wrestling PPV. Now it’s a matter of which young talents will join him in carrying NJPW moving forward.

The first member of the Reiwa Three Muskaters at the forefront of NJPW’s new talent initiative is Shota Umino. He’s been pushed hard down the throats of NJPW as a babyface with his presentation featuring influences from Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi. The fans in Japan have clearly grown tired of his face act being pushed down their throats, but he is main eventing Wrestling Kingdom 19 against Zack Sabre Jr. with the IWGP. Umino beat Sabre during block action during G1 Climax 34 last summer. He went into that match selling a leg injury, but he should be fresh heading into this encounter.

It is time for NJPW to let the new talent get the chance to sink or swim and the cards for Wrestle Kingdom 19 and Wrestle Dynasty gives Gedo ample opportunity to establish new wrestlers in prominent positions pending the results of both cards. Umino, whether or not he’s ready, is expected to carry Japan into the future, as are several other talents.

Yota Tsuji, a member of the Reiwa Three Musketeers who has gotten the biggest push out of all of the young talent on the roster, is facing Bullet Club War Dogs leader David Finlay for the IWGP Global Hvt. Championship. Finlay just hasn’t clicked as the leader of Bullet Club and it feels like it is time for his character to go in a different direction.

Tsuji has beaten Finlay two times in a row. Once during G1 Climax 34 block action and again in the semi-final round of the G1 Climax 34 tournament. Tsuji won the NJPW Cup in 2024 and has received multiple opportunities at the IWGP World Hvt. Championship, but has fallen short each time. It seems like Finlay has to win here, as it is not often that someone in his position loses to the same wrestler three times in a row.

However, I would argue that a Tsuji win here to capture his first gold in Japan combined with an angle to push Finlay in a new direction would be best for both men. Finlay’s NJPW future seems to be up in the air, as Fightful Select recently reported that his contract is up soon. I would argue that no matter what direction NJPW thinks Finlay is leaning in terms of signing a new deal or pursuing other opportunities, it is important for them establish Tsuji as a big player and a win here would go a long way in doing that, especially since Tsuji has been pro NJPW and has been publicly critical of Kazuchika Okada leaving NJPW for AEW and coasting while making a lot of money.

Both men also have big opportunities the next night at NJPWxAEW Wrestle Dynasty. Depending on the outcomes of their matches at Wrestle Kingdom 19, Tsuji and Umino could both be defending their titles on this show. Umino, who has been critical of his mentor Jon Moxley’s actions as the leader of the Death Riders in AEW, will face Claudio Castagnoli. Tsuji, who has been critical of Kazuchika Okada, faces his stablemate in The Elite, Jack Perry. Back to back

Finally, Bullet Club War Dogs member Gabe Kidd, who has been tremendous as a singles wrestler in NJPW and is the current NJPW Strong Openweight Champion, faces Kenny Omega, who is returning the ring for the first time in over a year in a non-title match.

Kidd, like fellow Bullet Club War Dogs stablemate Finlay, has a contract that is up soon according to Fightful Select. He’s done interviews in character running down Tony Khan and AEW, so I don’t see those comments as an indication that he won’t sign elsewhere.

Even if NJPW is unsure of whether or not Kidd is going to sign a new deal, a win over Omega would be huge as potentially establishing him as a top tier player in the company moving forward. The result of that match is going to be an interesting one to keep an eye on either way as even a great match in The Tokyo Dome would go a long way in establishing Kidd as a big deal going forward. NJPW has nothing to lose either way if Omega and AEW have no problems with Omega losing here.

This is a very intriguing weekend for NJPW, as the fallout from both of these events will likely chart the path of the promotion moving forward for many years. Umino, Tsuji, and Kidd all have opportunities to step up and establish themselves as cornerstones that the company can build upon moving forward. Despite the lack of excitement for both cards going into the weekend, this show might not have the usual Wrestling Kingdom pillars of outstanding matches up and down both cards, but several key matches on both shows that I’ve highlighted provide NJPW with a chance to finally rebuild in a meaningful way for the first time since losing most of their top talent.

Contact Sean with any comments or questions at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on Blue Sky @seanradican.