Written by Brandon Hoffman
At this past Sakura Genesis, Callum Newman made history and became the youngest ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion. This ended the reign of Yota Tsuji and shocked the wrestling world alike with the golden spot now belonging to the United Empire’s Prince.
This decision to strap the rocket to Newman is the boldest one NJPW has done in a hot minute, and it will lead to a huge gamble with some good odds in terms of the company’s directions. By this I mean, in a roster filled with Shota Umino, Ryohei Oiwa, and Yuya Uemura — and they are running with Callum Newman instead. Is this truly the correct direction to commit to?
Begrudgingly, yes. Even if it’s a short-term prospect, everyone should win in the end with the correct future plans.
The Build to Sakura Genesis
Callum Newman’s main event story started after Wrestle Kingdom 20 and involved lots of Ospreay-related lore. Will Ospreay promised to return to in-ring action in New Japan after his neck healed, while Newman contemplated attacking Ospreay to turn United Empire on its head. HENARE and O-Khan stood in Newman’s way to stop Newman from going rogue, but it only managed to light a fire under Newman all the more.
Newman then defeated David Finlay at the New Beginning in Osaka and suddenly we all needed to “make way for The Prince.” After this massive match set the precedent for Newman’s position in the company, he became a heavy favorite to win the New Japan Cup. To be honest with you, I only predicted Callum Newman to win the whole Cup because he was a good heel to rival Yota Tsuji’s babyface fire. But Newman won the Cup, and here we are after he subsequently won the Heavyweight Title.
Normally I would state more backstory to Newman’s rise to a main eventer, but that’s truly all there is to it. Newman did wrestle in the 2025 World Tag League 2025 along with Great-O-Khan to a losing effort, but his tag success in lieu of HENARE’s absence was his only previous exposure to a prominent spotlight prior to this year.
Admittedly, Newman’s New Japan Cup run was a great way to introduce this revamped character change. His in-ring work improved amazingly and he proved he could work a great singles showdown with opponents of any size and style. Even if he’s not the greatest on the roster, he can work the hyperactive main event pacing well.
Calm Despite the Storm
The main criticism I can find for Newman as Heavyweight Champion being a bad decision is the United Empire implications from it all. With Newman v. Ospreay ultimately being the end goal, there will need to be a lot of story building leading up to such a tantalizing match. That could very well mean that other peeps take a seat back from the main event in order to make way (pun intended) for The Prince’s momentum.
This focus on UE really helps out the faction, but it doesn’t help out anyone else. Whatever babyface goes up against Callum Newman would have to likely lose, and the importance of The Prince would have to protect his win/loss record. I’ve thought a lot about Newman’s presentation before 2026, and he never reached the top of the leaderboards for tournaments like the G1 Climax and New Japan Cup previously. Therefore, now is the limited time to rebuild his stock.
If NJPW can bravely ignore the people crying out for someone like Yuya Uemura to be the next ace of the company, then they can make Callum Newman the top gaijin heel with this title run. If Callum loses this title at Dominion, he’ll have Ospreay and the rest of the Empire to work with. While it’s a bad mindset to dampen Newman’s reign by keeping it short, it IS the correct decision to move forward with.
Too Soon for a Reason
Callum Newman should be playing the ultimate transitional champion here. This eventual United Empire civil war doesn’t need to involve the Heavyweight Title to drive the motivation of everyone. And with Ospreay getting married on the same day as Dominion this year, his student Newman losing the title would be an intriguing honeymoon present for Ospreay to return to.
Who exactly Newman should drop the title to is a whole different discussion, but it’s important to note that there should be a big star made of whoever beats Newman. This title reign of Newman’s should be purposefully short because of his inability to make a convincing and dominant Champion as of right now. He’s a great wrestler and finally starting to step out of Ospreay’s shadow, but he shouldn’t have had a Heavyweight Title hotshot to make that statement a reality.
We really couldn’t test Newman’s championship presentation with a NEVER Openweight or IWGP Global Title reign before the big one? He only just became a heavyweight about a year ago after returning from his knee injury, after all. This meteoric rise just seems too good to be true for all the Callum fans. Newman can hold the title up until Dominion in my eyes, but the day he’ll get a proper run with the Heavyweight Title won’t be until years later.
For now, he’s a four-star wrestler in a five-star roster, and there are many names who can benefit from taking that title off of him after a few months of defenses. Callum’s already set to defend the Heavyweight Title against Shingo Takagi at Wrestling Dontaku, so it’s not like his work will go to waste during this short reign. We just need Callum to look strong for both Will Ospreay, United Empire as a whole, and whoever he loses the title to.
Making Way in the Moment
The idea of Callum Newman as World Champion of any company sounds like a dream booking on paper. In execution though, his ceiling is not quite as high as everyone else’s around him. Give him a few years and everyone will celebrate his Heavyweight Title win compared to the “half hooray, half boo” mentality of today.
Again I must reiterate because I’m excited for him, this is a huge step towards making Callum Newman a mainstay in the top talent scene for NJPW. His matches in the New Japan Cup were fantastic and his title match against Tsuji was solid. Him being the big boy Champion works right now, so let’s enjoy this 23-year-old anomaly while we can.
Unfortunately, he’s not quite ready to lead the company confidently as a long-reigning champion yet. Sooner rather than later he will, but only after equally or more deserving people become Heavyweight Champion too. Fingers crossed for a Taichi run!
