Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson Set for Upcoming NJPW World Tag League, Jackson Comments

As previously noted, TMDK’s Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson were in action at today’s NJPW Power Struggle event, defeating The Swirl’s Lee Johnson and Blake Christian. After the match, Jackson approached his stablemate about entering this year’s World Tag League tournament.

Oiwa accepted the offer, making the tag team entrants official. The G1 Climax 36 winner won last year’s World Tag League tournament with Zack Sabre Jr.

Speaking on the announcement, Hartley Jackson commented on social media, “When I started wrestling, I was 19 years old. Little Jag. Looking back, I had no idea what this business was going to take from me, how much it would demand, or how much of my life I would give to it. Now I’m 46. I’ve got the pain, I’ve got the injuries, I’ve got the scars. I’ve got my body that reminds me every single day that I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”

He continued, “Maybe my body isn’t what it used to be… but that doesn’t mean the fire is gone. 27 years later, Big Jag, I still have something left to prove! It’s time for the WORLD TAG LEAGUE with ROY! Lets go 👊👊 #NJPW #TMDK #NJWTL”

The NJPW World Tag League 2026 tournament kicks off on November 25 at the INPEX Sakata Arena in Yamagata, Japan. It will conclude on December 13 at the Grand Messe Kumamoto in Kumamoto.

The winners of the tournament will receive a match for the IWGP World Tag Team Titles, currently held by the Knock Out Bros., at Wrestle Kingdom 21 at the Tokyo Dome in January 2027.

As noted, Oiwa is already scheduled for a match against AEW star MJF at Wrestle Kingdom. If he wins the tournament, he might be pulling double duty at Wrestle Kingdom.

ジャクソン「実は、ニュージャパンの『WORLD TAG LEAGUE』に出ることはずっと俺の夢だったんだ。お前と一緒に出場したい」

大岩「わかった。俺とハートリーでタッグリーグ出るぞ。去年は俺、ザックと優勝して、その前もNOAHのタッグチーム、清宮と優勝してんだ」

全文https://t.co/2Tu7AnZjjg pic.twitter.com/egNUhb4Md3

— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) November 3, 2026

When I started wrestling, I was 19 years old. Little Jag. Looking back, I had no idea what this business was going to take from me, how much it would demand, or how much of my life I would give to it.

Now I'm 46.

I've got the pain, Ive got the injuries, I've got the scars. I've… https://t.co/Q5xJkWIh3D pic.twitter.com/CLcInXLSnx

— Hartley Jackson / ハートリー・ジャクソン (@HartleyJackson_) November 3, 2026