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New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is one of the largest professional wrestling companies in the world and is looking to further its influence in the United States with its upcoming show this week.
The New Beginning takes place Friday in Trenton, New Jersey at the CURE Insurance Arena and fans eager to witness strong-style professional wrestling will be able to see a loaded card.
Rocky Romero, a longtime NJPW wrestler and ambassador who also performs for AEW, told PK Press Club Digital that having the show in central New Jersey was a perfect location because of its location between New York and Philadelphia.
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The New Beginning of New Japan Pro-Wrestling will take place on February 27, 2026. (New Japanese Pro-Wrestling)
“New Japan Pro-Wrestling, obviously, has been doing shows for seven years in the United States, everywhere. Usually we go to New York and Philadelphia – we found a place right in the middle in Trenton, New Jersey,” he said. “I think it’s a good place to appeal to both markets and I think overall the excitement of coming back to the East Coast, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, it’s really an event like no other. The hard-hitting style of Japanese professional wrestling here on American soil. There’s nothing like it.”
Several big names are expected to face off on the card.
David Finlay will face Fred Rosser in a singles match, Ricochet will defend the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) National Championship against Taiji Ishimori, NJPW Television World Champion El Phantasmo will defend his title against Kosuke Takeshita, International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) Women’s Champion Syuri will face Ring of Honor (ROH) Women’s World Champion Athena and AEW star Andrade El Idolo will challenge IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Yota. Tsuji for his title – just to name a few.
The set of matches in New Jersey is part of NJPW’s strategy to expand further into the United States. This is the first time since July that the promotion has had a show in the United States.
But growing interest in NJPW from American professional wrestling fans has been a goal of the company since the mid-2010s, Romero said.
“Since 2017-2018, New Japan has always aimed to expand internationally,” he explained. “They are the No. 1 wrestling promotion in Japan and all of Asia, so it makes sense to come to America and expand the product globally. A few years ago, maybe 10 years ago, there was no way to watch New Japan Wrestling, but now it’s so easy. NJPWworld.com, you can just log in and it’s like $9 a month and anyone can watch anywhere in the world.
“I think the mission now is to really take New Japan a little bit further globally. And not just the US, but you’re looking at other places like now China, Australia is still there, the UK, maybe Germany. So there are different markets all over the world that I would be very interested to see the New Japan product in.”
Rocky Romero enters the ring during New Japan Pro-Wrestling – Wrestle Kingdom 16 at Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
While Romero discussed streaming as a way to expand how wrestling fans can access NJPW product, he pointed out that partnerships with AEW and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) have also been valuable to New Japan.
Pro wrestling fans’ menu of options keeps growing every year. The average professional wrestling fan might watch a show at least six days a week. Romero said that while that is true, New Japan brings a different style of wrestling to the table.
“The new Japan brings something different,” he told PK Press Club Digital. “I think the presentation is like a big boxing match. When I was a kid, I would watch a (Mike) Tyson pay-per-view on HBO or something. It’s like that. I think bringing that flavor, and honestly, the athleticism of our talent is just not comparable to anyone. And also, the style is just more in-ring focused. We have great characters as well, but it’s just our guys taking it to the next level in terms of physicality and emotion.
“I think it’s just the way it’s presented that makes it feel like, wow, this is something really cool. A lot of fans I think are casual fans who are used to watching North American professional wrestling, the first time they watch New Japan, they’re just kind of hooked – the energy of the crowd.”
Romero knows New Japan well.
He debuted in New Japan in 2010 after making appearances in CMLL, Ring of Honor and Lucha Libre AAA World Wide. He recalled on PK Press Club Digital his early days in New Japan, moving from gyms to a packed arena at just 20 years old.
“My first and greatest memory was my first game at the Tokyo Dome in front of 50,000 people. And, you know, I’m just a kid. I’m a kid. And walking down the long ramp and seeing the sea of people, I remember someone saying to me, ‘When you go out there, don’t look up too quickly because you’re going to see a bunch of people and you’ll probably freak out.’
“And I couldn’t help but look up and there was a sea of people and I was freaked out. I was like, oh my God, this is really real and it’s really happening.”
Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero celebrate victory during New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Ota-City General Gymnasium on January 5, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Since then, Romero has built his relationship with New Japan and is now a “bridge builder” between the company and other wrestling cultures in North America. In AEW, he teams with Trent Beretta and they are aligned with the Don Callis Family faction.
He suggested to PK Press Club Digital that he enjoyed his roles with both professional wrestling companies.
“The cool thing is that AEW, especially Tony Khan, has so much respect and so much love for New Japan and New Japan has always supported AEW,” Romero said. “I think it’s a partnership that really works and it’s obviously a critical partnership when you’re going against someone who has such a huge market share in WWE. So, I think it’s very strategic and now that we’ve added CMLL into the mix, these three big promotions are really working together seamlessly and working on storylines that cross all three promotions and have talent from each company and each champion.
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“I think the people who come out on top are the fans because the fans get to see these dream matches and these dream situations. I think the fans gain the most from that.”
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