It’s that time of the year for New Japan as another contract is coming up.
The latest name is TJP, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion. According to Sean Ross Sapp, the 40-year-old’s contract expires in January; Just like IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Kevin Knight. New Japan officials are interested in keeping TJP, but a new contract has yet to be signed. There’s no word on whether the former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion is interested in re-signing.
Though TJP wasn’t used much beyond the cruiserweight division, the former WWE star did state in the ALL Real Wrestling Podcast that he was interested in returning to the company if the opportunity came up, “I feel like WWE is a family and it is a place that instantly became a home for me and probably will always be a home for me in some regards. I'll always feel like if I go back, it would feel like I was going home," he said.
TJP has been wrestling for New Japan since his WWE release in February 2019. He originally went back to TNA/Impact Wrestling and became the X-Division Champion. He held the belt for 92 days before dropping it to Ace Austin. Once he lost the X-Division title, his main focus became NJPW and his first notable thing was joining Will Ospreay in the United Empire.
He became the leader of the United Empire once Ospreay left for AEW in 2024. TJP held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles on three separate occasions. He’s come close to winning the Strong Openweight Championship several times, but he’s yet to capture a singles title in New Japan.
There’s no telling where TJP would go if he doesn’t re-sign with New Japan. There’s also the option to return to TNA, but there’s not much else he can do there. He could go to WWE, but there’s no word on whether Triple H is interested in bringing him back. There’s also AEW, but with a stacked roster and little T.V. time, he may end up in the same position as he was during the final months of his WWE career.
TJP is apart of Wrestle Kingdom 19 as he’ll team with Francesco Akira in the Tokyo Terror Ladder match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles. The match also features Intergalactic Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight), Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita), Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney). This could be his final match in New Japan for the foreseeable future.