NJPW Signs Aaron Wolf

While the announcement of an emergency New Japan Pro-Wrestling press conference briefly fuelled fear amongst the promotion's fanbase, the sudden press conference turned out to be for a more positive reason.

It was officially announced this morning by NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi and Bushiroad CEO Takaaki Kidani that Olympic gold medallist Aaron Wolf has signed with New Japan. Wolf won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the men's 100kg judo and announced his retirement from judo earlier this month.

The 29-year-old is working towards making his debut at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026. Wolf noted in the press conference that he is at the very beginning of his pro wrestling journey to the point he is still learning how to take back bumps.

"Rolling and side falls are very similar to judo, but bumping backwards isn't something we do in judo so that's taking some getting used to. I used to be pretty good at judo, so I'm not so used to being thrown around," Wolf said while laughing.

Judokas to transition to professional wrestling in the past include Gene LeBell, Ronda Rousey, and Bad News Brown. WWE announced the signing of two retired judokas in Shady Elnahas and Aaron Fara earlier this year.

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