Rick Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

NJPW Signs Olympic Gold Medalist Judoka Aaron Wolf, Announces Debut Event

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Lyric Swinton | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 12:25 PM ET

The King of Sports has a golden new addition.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling held an emergency press conference on Monday, June 23, to announce the signing of Aaron Wolf , who won the gold medal in Judo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The press conference featured Wolf, New Japan president Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Bushiroad CEO Takaaki Kidani.

Also at the press conference was the announcement of Wolf's in-ring debut, with his first match set for Wrestle Kingdom 20 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2026, which is also the date of Tanahashi's retirement from in-ring competition. Wrestle Kingdom is typically available live on New Japan's NJPW World streaming service, but Japanese television station TV Asahi will broadcast the event live for the first time since 2004 due to the highly anticipated debut and retirement on the card.

Rick Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

In addition to his Olympic gold medal, Aaron Wolf also won the 2019 All-Japan Judo Championship and the gold medal for Judo at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest. He competed in his final judo tournament in early June, before announcing his intentions to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

According to Tokyo Sports, Wolf reached out to 7-time IWGP world champion and current AEW Continental champion Kazuchika Okada before making his decision to sign with NJPW. He said:

"If I'm going to do pro wrestling, where is the best place to do it?’ He [Okada] replied, ‘If you want to learn pro wrestling from scratch, New Japan Pro-Wrestling is the place to be.' Those words also helped me make this decision.”Aaron Wolf (H/T Fightful)

Upon his debut, Wolf is set to become the first Japanese gold medalist to pursue professional wrestling. He is expected to start training immediately at New Japan's Noge Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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