Backstage Details on Sale Process of NJPW

A new report has shed light on the process behind Bushiroad’s sale of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

As reported previously, NJPW announced on May 27, 2026, that its parent company, Bushiroad, had transferred all its shares to TV Asahi and CyberAgent. While both companies will hold an equal stake in NJPW, i.e., 46.3 percent, the Japan-based promotion will essentially operate as a “consolidated subsidiary” of TV Asahi with support from CyberAgent.

According to a new report published by Japanese publication Weekly Gendai, Bushiroad had been considering selling NJPW since 2025, as it felt that it had reached the limit of the profit it could generate from the wrestling promotion.

In February 2026, Bushiroad approached NJPW’s longtime broadcasting partners, TV Asahi, who already owned a 22.7 percent stake in the company. Weekly Gendai cited a TV Asahi source as claiming that while the company reacted positively to the proposal, it felt limited in what it could do on its own, and this roped in CyberAgent.

“Bushiroad felt they had reached the limits of how much profit they could make from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so they had been considering selling it since around last year. That’s when, around February, they approached the upper management of TV Asahi, which has been broadcasting New Japan matches for many years,” the report stated.

CyberAgent notably owns Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT Pro Wrestling, and Tokyo Joshi Pro via its subsidiary CyberFight, and according to the Japanese publication, it considers wrestling to have the biggest potential for an overseas expansion.

Following the ownership change, NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi addressed the company’s longtime fans via a statement. You can check that out RIGHT HERE.