WWE Friday Night SmackDown and New Japan Pro Wrestling's The New Beginning USA pay-per-view ran opposite each other tonight (February 27, 2026) and both shows happened to feature some titles changing hands.
Which new champions were crowned? Here is your full rundown of all the title bouts that took place!
Champions Who Retained Their Titles:
SMACKDOWN — Carmelo Hayes retained the WWE Men's United States Championship over Matt Cardona, who answered the weekly open challenge. Ilja Dragunov once again refused to have that match, and Hayes told him that he'd better take advantage of it while it's still around, as someone else is going to keep taking the opportunities that Dragunov is letting pass him by.
NEW JAPAN — It was a mixed night for The Demand as Ricochet retained the AEW National Championship over Taiji Ishimori, while GOA (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona) failed to dethrone, The Knock Out Brothers (Oksar and Yuto-Ice) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
Syuri also retained the IWGP Women's Championship over Athena, and Yota Tsuji held onto the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship by defeating Andrade El Idolo in the main event.
New Champions Crowned:
SMACKDOWN — Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship titles to The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) after Legend hit her finisher, The Lash Extension, on Ripley to pick up the pinfall. This is Legend's first title within WWE (having not captured any during her time in NXT), but it is the third tag team title reign in particular for Jax, who previously held the titles alongside Shayna Baszler in 2020 and 2021.
NEW JAPAN — Boltin Oleg defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the STRONG Openweight Championship in the second match of the night.
Later, El Phantasmo and Konosuke Takeshita fought to a time limit draw over the NJPW World Television Championship. However, Phantasmo requested they be given five more minutes to settle a true victor, which would ultimately be a mistake as Takeshita managed to snatch the title away from him, ending El Phantasmo's reign at a whopping 304 days—two months shy of the record 365 set by the inaugural champion Zack Sabre Jr., but the second longest reign with the belt by a considerable margin as next up would be Jeff Cobb's 164 days.
Tell us what you think about these title changes by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!