Olympic Gold Medallist Signs With NJPW

NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi has unveiled a major new signing.

In an official NJPW press conference, the company announced the signing of 29-year-old judoka, Aaron Wolf.

At the press conference, Wolf revealed that he’d just come from his last judo tournament, officially confirming his retirement. The star is best known for winning gold in the 100kg category at the 2020 Olympic Games.

Company President Hiroshi Tanahashi announced that Wolf will make his debut at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026. He’s due to start training in the coming days at the NJPW dojo, although he won’t be living with the rest of the Young Lions.

Wolf said that he’d been a fan of New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the past and felt that pro wrestling could be a new outlet for him to express himself.

As One Career Begins, The Career Of An NJPW Legend Will End

Back in October, Hiroshi Tanahashi announced that he’ll officially retire from in-ring action following Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, 2026.

The Ace trained at the famous NJPW dojo before making his debut in October 1999. Tanahashi headed up a new era for the company alongside fellow rookies Shinsuke Nakamura and Katsuyori Shibata, and the trio quickly impressed.

Tanahashi went on to enjoy a glittering career that saw him become an eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, as well as a three-time winner of the prestigious G1 Climax tournament, and a two-time New Japan Cup winner. That’s without mentioning multiple tag team title reigns and several other singles titles.