Published: 4 hours ago by SP3 | Last Updated: 11 hours ago by SP3
Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.@TruHeelSP3
NJPW
Ahead of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2026, Yota Tsuji stated that he was not coming to the United States for the co-promotional event.
“The Gene Blast” has been very critical of AEW’s treatment of NJPW stars and especially the IWGP Heavyweight Championship matches on the Forbidden Door cards.
However, Tsuji recently stated that he did not boycott the event and is willing to come to All Elite Wrestling to compete in a non-title match.
Here are five AEW stars to potentially face NJPW star and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji.
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli has been no stranger to leaving AEW to go to one of their partner promotions.
Over the past year, Castagnoli became a dual contracted star for AEW and CMLL. He also won the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship.
Most recently, Claudio went one-on-one with Shingo Takagi at NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2026.
Considering his size, strength and ability, Castagnoli would make for a logical opponent who can give Tsuji a tough test if he comes to AEW.
Andrade El Idolo
Another AEW star who has been a frequent visitor in New Japan Pro Wrestling is Andrade El Idolo.
In February, Yota Tsuji beat Andrade to retain the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.
However, El Idolo was able to avenge this loss with a win over Tsuji to win the Global Title at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2026.
Tsuji coming to All Elite Wrestling could set up a rubber match against “The Real Latino Man.”
Tommaso Ciampa
Ever since signing with All Elite Wrestling in January, Tommaso Ciampa has become one of the best in-ring performers in the company.
“The Psycho Killer” has delivered time in and time out when given the opportunity.
Knowing his knowledge of pro wrestling, Ciampa would be chomping at the bit to step in the ring with the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Ciampa challenging Yota Tsuji would be a smart way to set up the NJPW star making his way to the promotion.
Katsuyori Shibata
Yota Tsuji has showcased his love for the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling and past generations in his interviews.
Looking at the AEW roster, there aren’t a ton of stars who has as much history in NJPW as Katsuyori Shibata.
“The Wrestler” was one of the Three Musketeers with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura in the 2000s, which could put him high on Tsuji’s list of potential opponents.
Wanting to prove himself against the past generation, Tsuji could come to AEW just to step inside the squared circle with Shibata.
Kazuchika Okada
There is no one on the AEW roster that Yota Tsuji has wanted to compete against more than Kazuchika Okada.
“The Rainmaker” left New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2024 without ever having a significant singles match against the younger generation.
One of the NJPW stars that fans wanted to see him against the most was Tsuji.
Whether it be in New Japan or All Elite Wrestling, it feels inevitable for Tsuji to battle Okada sooner rather than later.
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