Callum Newman Becomes Youngest New Japan Cup Winner At Age 23

The Prince has earned NJPW's most important crown of the spring.

Callum Newman is the 2026 New Japan Cup winner. | New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Make way for the 2026 New Japan Cup winner.

Callum Newman defeated Yuya Uemura in the New Japan Cup final. The match was a nail-biter down to the very end, but after delivering the Prince's Curse several times, Newman was able to put Uemura down for the count.

At the age of 23, the United Empire leader has become the youngest person to win the tournament in NJPW history, a record previously held by Kazuchika Okada. The victory also guarantees Newman a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Sakura Genesis versus the current champion, Yota Tsuji.

Youngest ever

Make way

Kiss the crown 👑 pic.twitter.com/5N7fGgne3a

— Callum newman カラム・ニューマン (@PrinceofpaceCN) March 21, 2026

In a recent interview with The Takedown On SI, Newman had been confident that 2026 was his year to win. He said, "Oh, I’m winning the whole thing. Yeah, it’s me. I’m the guy this year. I’m winning the whole thing...My confidence is through the roof. I know I’m the guy. No one’s stopping this momentum right now. I put a whole group on my back for a whole year. I’m more than happy to put a company on my back for the next three."

Other highlights from the New Japan Cup final

Konsouke Takeshita held an open challenge for the NJPW World Television Championship, which was answered by House of Torture's Yujiro Takahashi. After defeating Takahashi, Takeshita issued another challenge, this time to Shota Umino, who defeated him in last year's G1 Climax tournament. Their next encounter will likely take place at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 4.

Following his successful defense of the NJPW World Television Championship, Konosuke Takeshita identified Shota Umino as his next challenger. | New Japan Pro-Wrestling

New number one contenders for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have emerged after an eight-man undercard tag team match where TMDK defeated Unbound Company. The rivalry between Yuto-Ice and Ryohei Oiwa has been nearly impossible to contain. Oiwa defeated Yuto-Ice in a singles match in the first round of the New Japan Cup.

Oiwa and Sabre won 2025's World Tag League tournament but came up short at NJPW New Year Dash, losing to Yuto-Ice and OSKAR in the main event following a tag team match of the year contender for the gold. Hoping that a rematch will breed better results, Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. will again try to do what no other team has been able to do and dethrone the Knockout Brothers, arguably NJPW's most popular act.

Callum Newman's former mentor, Will Ospreay, offered his congratulations on social media. Ospreay made an appearance at NJPW New Year Dash on January 5 and said that when he got back to the ring, he'd like to wrestle in NJPW again, specifically to be there to support Callum Newman and the United Empire, the faction he helped begin. Newman, now a leader and a success story in his own right, didn't seem to be enthused by the prospect of Ospreay re-entering his orbit.

One more piece to the puzzle.

Congratulations to Callum Newman.
The youngest ever New Japan Cup Winner pic.twitter.com/67ds1cq6yS

— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) March 21, 2026

Full Results

Konosuke Takeshita def. Yujiro Takahashi to retain the NJPW World Television Championship

Taichi, El Desperado & Masatora Yasuda def. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tatsuya Matsumoto

DOUKI, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. YOH, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi

Great-O-Khan & HENARE def. Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma

Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young def. Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori

Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo def. Boltin Oleg, Aaron Wolf & Toru Yano

Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita def. Yota Tsuji, Yuto-Ice, OSKAR & Daiki Nagai

Callum Newman def. Yuya Uemura to win the 2026 New Japan Cup