An Olympic gold medalist with previous WWE interest won a championship in his pro-wrestling debut match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20.
NJPW announced in June 2025 that former Olympic judoka Aaron Wolf had signed with the company, and would be making his in-ring debut at Wrestle Kingdom 20.
Come January 4, 2026, Wolf did indeed make his pro-wrestling debut, walking out of the Tokyo Dome with singles gold.
Aaron Wolf faced off against NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL in his first-ever match, ultimately defeating the NJPW veteran to win the gold.
Despite interference from House of Torture, Wolf was able to make EVIL pass out in his triangle choke to become NEVER Openweight Champion.
Aaron Wolf notably competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, taking gold in men’s 100 kg judo. Wolf had won gold in the same weight division at the 2017 World Judo Championships.
Following Wolf signing with NJPW, reports indicated that WWE had shown interest in him.
Also during Wrestle Kingdom 20, Konosuke Takeshita and Yota Tsuji faced off with both the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship on the line, with Tsuji ultimately victorious.
A number of AEW stars who have been absent from TV also appeared at Wrestle Kingdom 20, click here to read more.
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