Imagine this: Your debut as a professional wrestler is highly anticipated by the public for months, pushed significantly by your company, and attracts national media attention. It comes inside the prolific Tokyo Dome, with a stunning 46,000+ in attendance to see it.
Oh, and it sees you attempt to be a shining example of “the future” for a company that has seen the departure of a dozen stars in recent years.
No pressure, right?
NJPW was certainly taking a risk by putting Aaron Wolf’s first-ever professional wrestling performance on one of the industry’s biggest events of the year. Not because of who he is specifically, but because anyone in his position has pretty solid odds of coming up short.
It doesn’t matter who you are: Decorated actor or artist, ex-MMA fighter, or, in Wolf’s case, Olympic Judo gold medalist. Living up to the high expectations that came with his position on Sunday night would be tough for anyone.
In many cases, debuting in such a position is setting someone up for failure, sealing the fate that their first impression with the public will be a negative one that they’ll have to later dig their way out of, not for Wolf.
Wolf’s wrestling match last weekend against EVIL as part of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 card couldn’t have gone any better. It showed not only that he can transfer his physical gifts into a professional wrestling atmosphere, but also that he has the charisma to make it.
The tone was set early on with a statement from Wolf, who shed his judo gi on the stage, revealing a new look of black tights and a shaved head. Wolf communicated to fans in that moment that he is no longer a judo wrestler who was just dipping his toes in the industry. He was all in.
There were some understandable nerves when Wolf walked to the ring – I don’t think you can rehearse looking into a sea of nearly 50,000 and not feeling at least a little queasy. But once the bell went and the match was underway, Wolf’s energetic grunts and shouts made his charisma inseparable from many of the promotion’s top stars. His expressions and mannerisms made him look at home.
NJPW was doing Wolf a favor by pairing him up with EVIL, a heel’s heel who is known for winning via dastardly tactics. The promotion could convince anybody to cheer for a wrestler, as long as they were going up against EVIL and his style of fighting.
EVIL’s House of Torture faction interfering frequently in the match made Wolf even more of an underdog than before, essentially trying to prevail in a one-on-four match. Wolf was hit with a chair, had chalk thrown in his eyes, and was frogsplashed through a table by the massive Don Fale. These moments added significant drama to the contest: Was Wolf actually going to lose his debut? They also helped cover for Wolf’s skill set, which, after just a few months of training, is most likely still in development.
Wolf’s moveset included a great mix of the expected artillery, along with more unpredictable moments. It’s not surprising that he could perform beautiful judo throws, something he has practiced for the better part of 29 years. But who knew that he would land a textbook Olympic Slam, or go flying with a top-rope frogsplash?
Earning the submission win in 13 minutes, Wolf went a decent distance in his first bout but didn’t overstay his welcome either. While a stellar retirement performance from NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi against fellow legend Kazuchika Okada won the night, Wolf’s debut ended as one of the biggest positive takeaways from a night at the Tokyo Dome.
Figuring out how to make Wolf’s first match work was a puzzle that NJPW cracked. However, even bigger challenges are on the way next. The top Japanese promotion now finds itself in a dilemma: How can it channel Wolf’s current momentum without overexposing him so early in his career? On the flipside, how do they keep things simple enough for him without making fans lose interest? 2026 will provide the answer to these wonders.
One single performance was never going to make the Wolf project a success. After all, many are hoping Sunday was the start of a new storied career in wrestling where the Japanese Olympian can make a full career off being a mainstream in-ring star – the jury will be out on that possibility for a long, long time. But nobody could’ve imagined the first appearance going any better than it did on Sunday, and because of that, everyone will be watching what’s next for him.
