New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. NJPW personnel consists of professional wrestlers, commentators, color commentators, ring announcers, referees, trainers, producers, bookers, and various other positions. Executives and board members are also listed.
NJPW contracts typically range from developmental deals for dojo trainees to full-time contracts. Personnel appear on untelevised live events and on televised events which are aired on various broadcasters or on NJPW's own international streaming service, New Japan World.
Personnel is organized by their role in NJPW. The performer's ring name is listed on the left and their real name is on the right. This list also acknowledges which stable (referred to by NJPW as "units") a wrestler is a part of – this is listed as it is considered by NJPW to be a vital part of their product. "(L)" indicates the leader of the group.
As of 2024, there are six central units in NJPW:
In addition to the promotion's six central units, Chaos, G・B・H, and Seigigun are all listed and regarded by NJPW as units even though they have all been integrated into the Main Unit, G・B・H is now simply a tag team, and Yuji Nagata is Seigigun’s sole member. [1] NJPW produces a U.S.-based internet television program titled NJPW Strong Live ; Strong features its own distinct roster and units. Beginning in 2022, NJPW launched NJPW Tamashii, an Australasian-based subsidiary. Tamashii additionally features its own distinct roster and units. NJPW refers to their dojo trainees as "Young Lions".
As NJPW has working relationships with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Major League Wrestling (MLW), Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW), Ring of Honor (ROH) and numerous Japanese promotions, wrestlers from these promotions may appear on NJPW events and have their home promotions or stables from their home promotions listed as their affiliated unit.
Ring name | Real name | Unit [1] [2] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Alex Zayne [69] | Alex Brandenberg | ||
Bad Dude Tito [70] | Tito Escondido | TMDK NJPW USA | |
The DKC [71] | Dylan Barrales [72] | Main Unit NJPW USA [73] | Trainer |
Eddie Kingston [74] | Edward Moore | AEW | Inactive; torn ACL and Meniscus Signed to All Elite Wrestling |
Fred Rosser [75] [76] | Frederick Rosser III | Main Unit NJPW USA [66] | Trainer |
James Drake | James Dowell | Grizzled Young Veterans NJPW USA AEW | Signed to All Elite Wrestling |
Jorel Nelson [66] | Jorel Nelson | WCWC | Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion |
Lio Rush [77] | Lionel Green | Main Unit Signed to All Elite Wrestling | |
Matt Vandagriff | Matthew Vandagriff | – | |
Royce Isaacs [78] | Isaac Hull | WCWC | Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion |
Tom Lawlor [79] [80] | Thomas Lawlor | Main Unit NJPW USA | Signed to Major League Wrestling |
Zack Gibson | Jack Rea | Grizzled Young Veterans NJPW USA AEW | Signed to All Elite Wrestling |
Ring name | Real name | Unit [1] [2] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bad Luck Fale [81] | Simi Fale [82] | Bullet Club The Rogue Army (L) | Head trainer and co-owner of the Fale Dojo Head of Tamashii |
Jack Bonza [83] | Stephen Teulan | Bullet Club The Rogue Army | |
Mark Tui [84] | Mark Tui | Fale Dojo | Trainer and co-owner of the Fale Dojo [85] |
Richard Mulu [86] | Richard Mulu | Fale Dojo | |
Tony Kozina [87] | Anthony Kozina | Fale Dojo | Trainer [85] |
Ring name | Real name | Dojo/Unit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Daiki Nagai [88] | Daiki Nagai | NJPW Dojo | |
Katsuya Murashima [89] | Katsuya Murashima | NJPW Dojo | |
Masatora Yasuda [88] | Masatora Yasuda | NJPW Dojo | |
Oskar Leube [90] | Oskar Münchow | NJPW Dojo | On excursion |
Shoma Kato [89] | Shoma Kato | NJPW Dojo | |
Yuto Nakashima [91] | Yuto Nakashima | NJPW Dojo | On excursion |
Ring name | Real name | Unit [1] [2] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Mayu Iwatani [92] | Mayu Iwatani | Stardom Stars (L) | IWGP Women's Champion Signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom |
Mercedes Moné [93] | Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado | AEW | Strong Women's Champion Signed to All Elite Wrestling |
Willow Nightingale [94] | Danielle Paultre | AEW | Signed to All Elite Wrestling [95] |
Ring name | Real name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Chad Rico | Chad Rico | Strong Live referee |
Jeremy Marcus | Jeremy Marcus | Strong Live referee Operations Leader of New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America |
Justin Borden | Justin Borden | Strong Live referee |
Kenta Sato | Kenta Sato | |
Marty Asami | Marty Asami | |
Red Shoes Unno | Hiroyuki Umino | Senior referee |
Taito Nakabayashi | Taito Nakabayashi | |
Yuya Sakamoto | Yuya Sakamoto |
Ring name | Real name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Daisuke Takahashi | Daisuke Takahashi | Commentator |
Haruo Murata | Haruo Murata | Commentator |
Jushin Thunder Liger | Keiichi Yamada | Color commentator Trainer [96] |
Katsuhiko Kanazawa | Katsuhiko Kanazawa | Color commentator |
Kazuo Yamazaki | Kazuo Yamazaki | Commentator Trainer |
Koki Yamazaki | Koki Yamazaki | Commentator |
Makoto Abe | Makoto Abe | Ring announcer |
Miki Motoi | Miki Motoi | Color commentator |
Milano Collection A.T. | Akihito Sawafuji | Color commentator IWGP Championship Committee member |
Shigeki Kiyono | Shigeki Kiyono | Commentator Host of NJPW's press conferences |
Shinji Yoshino | Shinji Yoshino | Commentator |
Shinpei Nogami | Shinpei Nogami | Commentator |
Souichi Shibata | Souichi Shibata | Commentator |
Taisei Watanabe | Taisei Watanabe | Ring announcer [97] |
Takuro Shibata | Takuro Shibata | Strong Live ring announcer |
Yuichi Tabata | Yuichi Tabata | Commentator |
Ring name | Real name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Walker Stewart | Walker Stewart | English-language play-by-play commentator [98] |
Chris Charlton | Chris Charlton | English-language color commentator Translator [99] Narrator of Finish Strong Inactive; suspended |
Emily Mae | Emily Mae Heller | English-language interviewer Host of Strong Live 's press conferences |
Gino Gambino | Adam Kostovski | English-language color commentator |
Ian Riccaboni | Ian Riccaboni | English-language play-by-play commentator for NJPW STRONG. Signed to All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor |
Veda Scott | Veda Scott | English-language color commentator for NJPW STRONG. |
Ring name | Real name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Masayuki Hayashi | Masayuki Hayashi | Doctor |
Takeshi Misawa | Takeshi Misawa | Medical trainer |
Ring name | Real name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hiro Saito | Hiroyuki Saito | Trainer |
Michael Craven | Michael Craven | General Manager [100] Writer for The Recount |
Manabu Nakanishi | Manabu Nakanishi [101] | |
Seiji Sakaguchi | Seiji Sakaguchi | Advisor |
Takashi Iizuka | Takayuki Iizuka | Trainer [102] [103] |
Wataru Inoue | Wataru Inoue | Ambassador |
Name | Notes |
---|---|
Julia Claris | Musician |
May's | Band |
[Q]Brick | Band |
No Name Tim | Music producer Audio engineer Audio mixer |
Yonosuke Kitamura | Composer of the RM Label [104] |
Name | Notes |
---|---|
Junya Iwasaki | Auditor |
Kaoru Mikumo | Director |
Keizo Kayama | Auditor |
Hitoshi Matsumoto | Director |
Taro Okada | Director President and CEO of World Wonder Ring Stardom |
Naoki Sugabayashi | Chairman of the Board |
Takaaki Kidani | Director of Bushiroad |
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of Bullet Club, and its sub-group House of Torture. He also works as a backstage producer. Kanemaru was a member of the Suzuki-gun stable from 2016 till the stable disbanded in 2022. Kanemaru joined the Just 5 Guys stable with former Suzuki-gun members before defecting to join House of Torture. Kanemaru is best known for his work in Pro Wrestling Noah, where he holds the record for the most reigns with the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Taichiro Maki is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Taichi, shortened from his previous ring name Taichi Ishikari. He is primarily working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Just 5 Guys stable.
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The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV). Since 2015, the event has aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, NJPW World. The event is held in February, the month following NJPW's biggest annual event, the January 4 Dome Show, usually the culmination point of major storylines. As the name of the event suggests, it marks the beginning of a new year for the promotion.
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Power Struggle (2016) was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on November 5, 2016, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. It was the sixth event under the Power Struggle name and featured ten matches, main evented by Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Jay Lethal.
Jamie White, better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. As of December 2024, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling, where he is the leader of the Bang Bang Gang. White is a former Unified World Trios Champion. Prior to signing with AEW, White had a decorated career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as the first ever NJPW Grand Slam Champion.
Lion's Gate is the developmental branch of professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which holds events under the banner of Lion's Gate Project. The branch was officially announced on July 18, 2015, and held its first show on February 25, 2016. In addition to NJPW wrestlers, the Lion's Gate Project shows also feature wrestlers from other promotions, resulting in unique cards.
Yota Tsuji is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Los Ingobernables de Japon stable and is the reigning IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. Tsuji is the winner of the 2024 New Japan Cup and is a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi. He has also made appearances for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW),Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), Over the Top Wrestling (OTT), Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Just 4 Guys (J4G) is a professional wrestling stable, consisting of Douki, Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and Yuya Uemura. They are all currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Gabriel Michael McMenamin, known by his ring name Gabe Kidd, is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its War Dogs sub-group, and is the reigning Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is also a former Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion, alongside former Bullet Club stablemate Alex Coughlin.
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