wrestling / News
SANADA Announces His Departure From NJPW
Image Credit: Impact Wrestling
Yesterday, rumors started spreading about the possibility of EVIL exploring his options outside of New Japan Pro Wrestling. While we’ve yet to hear anything more about EVIL’s future, a longtime tag team partner of his let us know that he would in fact be departing.
SANADA, who has been with NJPW since 2016, announced after his match New Year’s Dash that he would be departing the company to “go on a journey”. SANADA, along with his House of Torture teammates Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru lost their New Year’s Dash match to Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin.
SANADA「俺は今日をもってこのリングを去るよ。……旅に出るよ（※画面に『Good Bye』と表示されたギターを示して）」
1.5大田区大会のBSコメントを掲載中！https://t.co/uFo9GpwqKJ#njdash pic.twitter.com/Qqj8mbA4gt
— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) January 5, 2026
SANADA had a successful run in NJPW, holding the IWGP World & United States Heavyweight Championships, the IWGP Tag Team Championship on three occasions, and winning the New Japan Cup in 2023, among other accomplishments. He held the World Championship for 271 days before losing to Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 18.
With EVIL losing the NEVER Openweight Championship to Aaron Wolf at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and reportedly on his way out the door, it seems the House of Torture will be in for some drastic changes in 2026.
