Backstage Note on NJPW Contracts Reportedly Expiring Soon

With Wrestle Kingdom 20 right around the corner, it’s said that multiple contracts of wrestlers signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) are due to expire soon, per WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select.

According to the report, multiple NJPW contracts are up soon, but not all the end dates are the same, as many likely suspect. More details on whose NJPW contracts are up will reportedly be revealed soon.

The news comes right before New Japan holds its big annual Tokyo Dome event, Wrestle Kingdom 20, which is scheduled for Sunday, January 4, 2026. The Wrestle Kingdom 20 event takes place in Tokyo, Japan, and it will stream live on NJPW World. Here’s the current lineup:

* NJPW World TV Title Match: El Phantasmo (c) vs. Chris Brookes
* NEVER Openweight 6 Man Championship Tornado Ranbo: YOH, Master Wato & Toru Yano (c) vs. Kaisei Takechi, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura vs. Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Oleg Boltin, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs. T.M.D.K. (Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe & Tiger Mask vs. Yuto-Ice, OSKAR & Clark Connors vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
* IWGP Women’s & NJPW STRONG Women’s Double Title Match: Syuri (c) vs. Saya Kamitani (c)
* David Finlay, Shingo Takagi, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney & Hiromu Takahashi vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, Two Mystery Partners)
* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender Four Way Match: SHO vs. El Desperado vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Kosei Fujita
* NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Aaron Wolf vs. EVIL
* IWGP Global & IWGP World Heavyweight Double Title Match Yota Tsuji (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (c)
* Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi