Callum Newman wants to make history at Wrestling Dontaku.
The 22-year-old United Empire talent hopes he can parlay the sudden end of his tag team championship run into a campaign with NJPW’s top title, as he will face IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto on the second night of the May 3 and 4 event in Fukuoka, Japan.
Newman relinquished his IWGP Tag Team Championships during a press conference on Monday, losing the belts as partner Jeff Cobb is expected to leave the promotion later this month.
However, Newman tried to turn a negative into a positive by calling out world champ Goto for a singles bout as he gave up his tag belt. He noted in his comments that he hopes to become the youngest-ever IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by pulling off an upset win against Goto.
The upcoming bout is a huge test for Newman, headlining a two-night show from NJPW against the promotion’s hottest name at the moment. Goto will be looking to defend his title for the fifth time, adding another W to a streak which includes victories over Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino, and David Finlay.
Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura to meet in title bout
The match between the fast-rising Newman and current champ Goto was among a few major matchups added to Wrestling Dontaku this week.
It was also confirmed that Yota Tsuji will put his IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship on the line against Yuya Uemura on the second night of the event.
Tsuji has held the newer IWGP belt since January, when he dethroned David Finlay at Wrestle Kingdom 19. He has since defeated Jack Perry and EVIL at recent NJPW events, moving his reign past the 100-day mark.
He’ll now look to take down Uemura, whom he has quite the history with.
Coming up as Young Lions around the same time, Tsuji and Uemura faced off in more than 40 singles bouts from 2018 to 2021. Their rivalry has continued since they both returned and re-debuted for the promotion in 2023.
At last year’s Wrestle Kingdom card, Uemura scored a singles win over Tsuji in 10 minutes. A month later, Tsuji avenged that loss in a Hair vs. Hair match.
Their last singles meeting took place in last year’s G1 Climax, where Uemura won in the final night of Block B action.
Uemura’s only previous NJPW title run was with the now-defunct King of Pro Wrestling Championship, lasting 43 days in 2024. He hopes to add more gold to his collection soon.
5 vs. 5 cage mayhem set for Saturday
Before a Championship Sunday edition of Wrestling Dontaku, the Saturday card will involve a massive faction war.
Facing off in a “Dogpound Cage” match, the House of Torture team of EVIL, Ren Narita, SANADA, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru will fight the War Dogs squad of Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd, and Taiji Ishimori.
A Dogpound Cage match, per NJPW, is a bout one-fall bout, where entrants are brought out one by one in a staggered manner until all are in the cage.
It’s the same ruleset which was seen last year in Will Ospreay’s last NJPW match, when United Empire came up short in a bloody and violent hour-long contest against the War Dogs. If they’re utilizing the same cage as last time, but bout will take place inside an enclosure which allows for some room at ringside but is shorter and without a top – think Hell In A Cell but without a roof.
Full two-night lineup for Wrestling Dontaku
There are many other highlights of the announced fights: Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement tour continues against Zack Sabre Jr., Konosuke Takeshita teams up with a mystery opponent, STARDOM appears in a showcase bout, and much more.
Here’s an updated look at the two nights:
5/3/25 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Night 1
- Katsuya Murashima vs. Daiki Nagai
- Master Wato, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano & YOH vs. Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles & Ryohei Oiwa
- BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Yuya Uemura & Tomohiro Ishii
- Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
- El Phantasmo & Jado vs. Konosuke Takeshita & TBA
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino
- EVIL, Ren Narita, SANADA, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori (Dogpound Cage Match)
5/4/25 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Night 2
- Hitamaru Saksaki & Jet Wei vs. Katsuya Murashima & Ryusuke Taguchi (Opening Match)
- Batten Blabla & Mentai Kid vs. Gedo & Taiji Ishimori
- Master Wato & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
- El Phantasmo & Boltin Oleg vs. Konosuke Takeshita & TBA
- Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Ryota Chikuzen, TAJIRI & YOH vs. Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.
- BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii
- STARDOM Showcase Match
- Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura (IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship)
- Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
