AEW Collision live tonight on TNT and HBO Max at 8/7C from the Bayou Music Center in Houston, TX.
The end of an era is officially upon us. New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match will be against none other than his greatest rival, Kazuchika Okada, at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026.
The announcement went down during NJPW’s Road in Anjo event, where Okada made a surprise return to the company for the first time since moving to AEW in early 2024. The Tokyo Dome crowd won’t just witness Tanahashi’s farewell—they’ll see one of the most iconic rivalries in wrestling come full circle.
In an emotional moment, Okada stepped into the ring and echoed the same words he said to Tanahashi over a decade ago, following their legendary 2012 encounter:
“Congratulations on your retirement, and thanks for all your hard work.”
Longtime NJPW booker Gedo joined Okada in the ring, emphasizing that there was no better way for Tanahashi to close his career. “Okada is on a whole other level,” Gedo said, promising a sendoff worthy of The Ace of New Japan.
Tanahashi and Okada’s feud helped define modern New Japan, producing classics that elevated both men to icon status and drew international attention to the promotion. From their epic Tokyo Dome clashes to their fierce battles over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, their rivalry has become the stuff of legend.
Now, after decades of carrying NJPW on his back, Tanahashi will have one final chance to go out on the biggest stage against the opponent who pushed him to his limits—and ultimately helped shape the legacy of both men.
The emotional showdown is set for January 4, 2026, live from the Tokyo Dome and streaming worldwide on NJPW World.
The Ace’s final match. The Rainmaker’s return. One more Tokyo Dome classic awaits.
ROH tonight on HonorClub at http://WatchROH.com 7/6c
AEW is adding some fresh gold to its lineup — and the first-ever AEW National Champion will be crowned later this month.
During this week’s AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan officially announced that a Casino Gauntlet Match will take place at Full Gear 2025 on November 22 to determine the inaugural champion. The new title pays tribute to the classic NWA National Championship, a belt that debuted in 1980 and was once held by legends like Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, and Tully Blanchard. The original NWA version was unified with the U.S. Title in 1986 before being reintroduced years later — but as Khan pointed out, a “National Championship” hasn’t been featured on TBS in nearly four decades.
Khan also revealed that the AEW National Championship won’t be limited to AEW rings. The new title is designed as a traveling championship, meaning it can be defended across promotions worldwide, including New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor, as well as on AEW programming.
So far, the lineup for the Casino Gauntlet is already shaping up with some big names. Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Ricochet were confirmed as the first three competitors, and more entrants are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
With AEW Full Gear 2025 just around the corner, fans can expect plenty of speculation — and surprises — as the company crowns its newest champion and adds another layer to its growing championship scene.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has confirmed on their website that Tomohiro Ishii will be out of action for the foreseeable future after suffering a dislocated shoulder during his recent AEW Collision bout with PAC.
Fans were quick to notice Ishii’s absence from the upcoming Blood & Guts lineup on AEW Dynamite, where the Conglomeration (Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong) are set to battle the Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, and Daniel Garcia). Many assumed Ishii had simply returned to Japan for NJPW duties—but it turns out the “Stone Pitbull” is on the shelf instead.
In a statement, NJPW expressed regret over the situation, apologizing to fans and wishing Ishii a quick recovery. No specific timetable has been announced for his return, with the company noting that his status will be evaluated later.
For a competitor as notoriously tough as Ishii, this injury comes as a rare setback. Over nearly three decades in the ring, the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion has built a reputation for his unbreakable spirit and punishing style, rarely missing time due to injury. In fact, outside of pandemic-related breaks, Ishii has competed almost continuously for 29 years.
Given that history, this shoulder dislocation could mark the longest layoff of Ishii’s storied career. Wrestling fans around the world will no doubt be hoping the “Stone Pitbull” bounces back soon and returns to delivering the hard-hitting battles he’s known for.
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight on TBS and HBO Max from the Bayou Music Center in Houston, Texas.
AEW’s first-ever Women’s Blood & Guts match is just days away, but it looks like the company’s historic bout is already being reshaped behind the scenes. During a Halloween night livestream on X (formerly Twitter), AEW President Tony Khan gave fans a major update on the women’s division — and confirmed that both the Blood & Guts lineup and the ongoing Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament are being adjusted due to injuries.
Despite some uncertainty, Khan reassured fans that the Women’s Blood & Guts match, set for November 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina, is still happening as planned. “It’s going to have to change,” Khan admitted, explaining that the match lineup will be slightly altered. He also promised that additional announcements would be made on tonight’s AEW Collision: Fright Night special.
One of the biggest shake-ups involves Penelope Ford, who’s now sidelined indefinitely with a torn UCL. Ford’s absence means her tag partner Megan Bayne is searching for a new teammate to continue in the tag title tournament. In an interesting twist, Marina Shafir has stepped up to fill that spot — and the newly-formed team will make their debut tonight against Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize.
The Women’s Blood & Guts match has been building since late September, when former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter threw down the challenge after a string of brutal attacks from the Triangle of Madness — the dark alliance of Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and Thekla. With Hayter’s team still taking shape and Khan hinting at more surprises, fans can expect major reveals heading into the event.
Meanwhile, the men’s side of AEW isn’t slowing down either — Dynamite saw Orange Cassidy challenge for the annual Men’s Blood & Guts showdown, potentially setting the stage for a clash between the Conglomeration and the Death Riders.
With AEW’s biggest double dose of chaos just around the corner, November is shaping up to be one of the most violent and unpredictable months in company history.
AEW taped this Saturday’s, November 1 episode of Collision on Wednesday night at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas after Dynamite went off the air.
AEW’s growing women’s tag team division got an unexpected boost this weekend as former WWE Superstar Nixon Newell, known to WWE fans as Tegan Nox, made a surprise appearance on the October 25 episode of AEW Collision.
The backstage segment featured Anna Jay and Tay Melo, better known as TayJay, discussing how they’ve been part of AEW’s women’s tag team scene since its earliest days and helped pave the way for the ongoing AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament. Their nostalgia trip was quickly interrupted by Nixon Newell and “The Lucha Baddie” Miranda Alize, who stepped in to make a statement of their own.
Newell and Alize declared that they’ve been proving themselves as two of the best wrestlers on the independent scene and decided it was time to show what they can do on wrestling’s biggest stage. Melo didn’t take too kindly to the interruption, calling the newcomers “rude,” but added that if they were looking for a fight, TayJay would be more than happy to meet them in the ring.
The segment marked Newell’s first AEW appearance and her first on major U.S. television since her WWE release in November 2024. That was actually her second departure from the company — the first coming in 2021 before a brief return to the NXT and main roster brands. Since leaving WWE, Newell has stayed active across the independent circuit, regaining her footing and teaming frequently with Alize.
As for Miranda Alize, the “Lucha Baddie” is no stranger to AEW fans. She wrestled several matches for the company between 2019 and 2021, including a memorable clash with Awesome Kong on AEW Dynamite. A veteran of the international scene since her 2014 debut, Alize has competed across Mexico, Japan, and the U.S., often facing — and sometimes teaming with — Newell.
With AEW’s women’s tag tournament heating up, it looks like Newell and Alize may be eyeing a spot in the division. If their Collision appearance is any indication, the duo could be the next major addition to AEW’s growing roster of women’s tag teams.
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