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NJPW The New Beginning Preview: Date, Start Time, Match Card, How To Watch & Live Stream

With Wrestle Kingdom 19 & Wrestle Dynasty in the rearview, NJPW is set for The New Beginning in Osaka.
Sid Pullar III|
NJPW1972.com

Coming off the heels a pair of Tokyo Dome shows with Wrestle Kingdom 19 and the co-promotional Wrestle Dynasty with AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling presents their latest major event with The New Beginning in Osaka 2025 from EDION Arena on February 11.

After back-to-back main event victories in the Dome, Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW's sentimental favorite, Hirooki Goto in the headliner.

Meanwhile, the semi-main event will see red-hot rising stars doing battle over the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship as Yota Tsuji defends against NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd.

Both of these headline bouts have created a lot buzz around this event due to the outcome being unpredictable and having big ramifications for the months and years to come for the promotion.

There are three other title bouts, including AEW's Konosuke Takeshita and The Young Bucks defending the gold they captured in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th respectively, adding to the international appeal for the show.

With three other grudge matches and Hiroshi Tanahashi's Final Road "Kinship" edition on the lineup, this card may prove to be the best of 2025. Here's everything you need to know about NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2025

Watch The Full Gabe Kidd NEW New Japan interview

Hiroshi Tanahashi's Final Road "Kinship": Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe

The latest stop on Hiroshi Tanahashi's Final Road ahead of his retirement at next year's Wrestle Kingdom 20 will be a full circle moment when "The Ace" faces his first-ever opponent in former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe. These two legends do battle for the first time since 2018 G1 Climax tournament in what may be the final time ever.

Drilla Moloney vs. Shingo Takagi

After failing to recapture the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles alongside Clark Connors at Wrestle Kingdom 19, Drilla Moloney set his sights on new goals. Following a tag team match against Los Ingobernables de Japon at New Year's Dash, the Bullet Club War Dogs member issued a challenge to one of NJPW's best and toughest, Shingo Takagi. This will be a huge test for Drilla's future as a heavyweight.

Shota Umino vs. Great-O-Khan

After a heartbreaking main event loss to Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Kingdom, Shota Umino bounced back with a win over AEW's Claudio Castagnoli at Wrestle Dynasty, but then was embarrassed by Great-O-Khan when he tore up a fan-made IWGP Title belt at New Year's Dash. Despite both being New Japan dojo alum, this will only be their third singles meeting, splitting the first two. Both Umino and O-Khan will be looking to regain momentum after title match failures in the Tokyo Dome.

MORE: NJPW Reveal Major Event Dates For 2025

Taichi vs. SANADA

At NJPW Power Struggle in November 2024, SANADA betrayed his friend and Just 5 Guys stablemate Taichi by costing him his IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match against David Finlay and joining the Bullet Club War Dogs. Three months later, Taichi and SANADA will finally go one-on-one at The New Beginning in Osaka. This will be their first encounter since their New Japan Cup 2023 bout that was the catalyst for Taichi convincing SANADA to join Just 4 Guys.

Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) vs. Roppongi ReVICE (Rocky Romero & YOH) for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships

TMDK's Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita, better known to New Japan fans as The Ichiban Sweet Boys, will make their first title defense as IWGP Junior Heavyeight Tag Team Champions against Rocky Romero and YOH, Roppongi ReVICE. After a grueling four-way ladder match victory at the Tokyo Dome, Fujita and Eagles will look to start their legacy as champions here.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight Championship

Konosuke Takeshita made his last year's G1 Climax tournament. Despite a spectacular performance by the AEW star, one of the few to score a win over Takeshita was Boltin Oleg. Now after winning the NEVER Openweight Championship from Shingo Takagi on January 4th and becoming an officially contracted NJPW talent, "The Alpha" will defend a motivated Oleg, who is looking to win his first singles gold.

The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) for the IWGP Tag Team Championships

After capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championships in a chaotic three-way at Wrestle Dynasty,, The Young Bucks will return to New Japan Pro Wrestling to defend against the team they did not pin at the event, Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi of Los Ingobernables de Japon.

LIJ have scored a series of impressive wins on the "Road To" shows to pick up momentum and prove their teamwork is on the level of Matthew and Nicolas Jackson. Naito and Hiromu may have what it takes to dethrone the AEW EVPs and bring the IWGP titles back to NJPW.

Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Every pro wrestling or professional sports company has their battle for the future face of the promotion. If you're an NFL fan, it's Patrick Mahomes vs. Jalen Hurts. If you're an NBA fan, some fans believe it's Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Edwards. For WWE, it could be Bron Breakker vs. Jacob Fatu. For AEW, how about Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin?

There is no question for NJPW the rivalry between Yota Tsuji and Gabe Kidd has all the makings of defining the company for the next decade. They are two men who went through the New Japan Dojo system, forever bonded by going through the experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the first empty arena match for NJPW post-pandemic to breakout performances in the Tokyo Dome, Tsuji captured the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship from David Finlay at Wrestle Kingdom 19, while Kidd stole the show in a bloody Match of the Year candidate against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Dynasty.

Following their heated exchange at New Year's Dash, things have only gotten more intense between the two in the leadup. With both Tsuji and Kidd driven to make NJPW the world's absolute best, this could prove to be a future Wrestle Kingdom main event preview.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

"Always the bridesmaid and never the bride" is a term NJPW commentators have used in reference to Hirooki Goto throughout his career. Since first challenging for the gold at Destruction in 2007, "The Fierce Warrior" has set an inglorious record of 0-8 in his bids to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

After scoring a victory in the New Japan Ranbo, Goto will challenge Zack Sabre Jr. for the most prestigious prize in NJPW on February 11 in the same building he last challenged for the title against Kazuchika Okada in 2016. Coming in as an underdog due to his record, Goto also faces a reigning champion with a ton of momentum.

Becoming the first foreigner to win back-to-back IWGP World Heavyweight Title matches, Sabre Jr. has cemented himself as the best wrestler in the company after defeating Shota Umino and Ricochet at Wrestle Kingdom 19 and Wrestle Dynasty. To add to the odds against Goto, ZSJ has scored five straight wins over his challenger ahead of the event.

However, Goto picked up a pinfall victory over the champion in a Korakuen Hall tag team bout to prove he can beat Sabre Jr. in Osaka. Dubbing this the "Goto Revolution" and dedicating a title win to his late father, the sympathetic fan-favorite looks to overcome the technical wizardry of ZSJ to capture the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2025 start date & time

Date: February 11

Time: 1 a.m. EST (12 a.m. CST)

Where is the The New Beginning in Osaka 2025?

Location: EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan

How To Watch the The New Beginning in Osaka

Streaming: Exclusively in the United States and internationally on NJPW World

Match Card (Announced)

Hiroshi Tanahashi's Final Road "Kinship": Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe

Drilla Moloney vs. Shingo Takagi

Shota Umino vs. Great-O-Khan

Taichi vs. SANADA

Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) vs. Roppongi ReVICE (Rocky Romero & YOH) for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight Championship

The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) for the IWGP Tag Team Championships

Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Published | Modified
Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who has been covering the business for the past eight years. Starting off as a podcaster and creator of the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling YouTube channel, he made the transition to news and feature writing with Sportskeeda and WrestleTalk in 2020. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as Fightful, WrestleTalk, The Takedown and more. Follow him on X @TruHeelSP3

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