As 2026 winds down, all eyes will be towards the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21 event from the Tokyo Dome on January 4.
The show will feature stars from All Elite Wrestling in major matches on the card, which could open the door for NJPW talent to appear on AEW Dynamite, Collision and pay-per-view in the months ahead.
Considering the importance of their presence on Wrestle Kingdom, it would make sense that some top names from New Japan might appear on AEW programming to add further hype to the Tokyo Dome card.
Here are four NJPW stars to potentially appear in AEW soon.
Callum Newman
Back in April, Will Ospreay called upon his friends in United Empire to join him in his rivalry and fight with The Death Riders.
This led to then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Callum Newman making his AEW debut alongside Ospreay against The Death Riders in the Chaos In Canada Match.
Now months later, things have changed with Ospreay and Newman at each other’s throats over the leadership and direction of United Empire in Japan and United States.
With Callum set to face his mentor at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21, fans could see “The Prince” return to AEW in the near future.
Shingo Takagi
Over the past few years, Shingo Takagi has become no stranger to appearing on AEW television.
From battles with Bryan Danielson to his recent appearance on AEW Collision this past summer, “The Rampage Dragon” has been among the New Japan stars who has been featured in Tony Khan’s promotion the most.
In recent months, Takagi has rekindled his rivalry with Jon Moxley to set up a showdown at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21 on January 4.
With Mox’s presence as the AEW Continental Champion, Shingo might come over to AEW to scout “The Ace.”
Knockout Brothers (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR)
One of the few top talents on the NJPW roster that does not have a match scheduled against AEW talent at Wrestle Kingdom 21 right now is The Knockout Brothers.
The IWGP Tag Team Champions are set to compete in the World Tag League tournament.
However, Yuto-Ice and OSKAR have made it clear that they have their eyes on AEW talent as well.
With no confirmed challenger for Wrestle Kingdom, KOB could show up in AEW looking for that challenge.
Yota Tsuji
Yota Tsuji has been the most vocal NJPW star when it comes to the partnership with AEW.
Tsuji made the decision to become the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion to not appear at Forbidden Door.
Kenny Omega took exception to this and led to him challenging Tsuji for his title at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21.
While “The Cleaner” is not on AEW TV currently, Omega could open the door for Tsuji to finally appear on Dynamite and Collision sooner rather than later.
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