After insisting on it for years New Japan Pro Wrestling is not a real company and a waste of space in the business, MJF finally puts his money on the line by calling out one of NJPW’s top stars for an upcoming match.
On the opening night of the Road to King of Pro Wrestling tour at Korakuen Hall, a video message sent by Maxwell Jacob Friedman calling out this year’s G1 Climax tournament winner Ryohei Oiwa played on the big screen.
By the time Ryohei Oiwa challenges for the IWGP title on Monday, his next challenger may have already stepped up.@njpw_ryoheioiwa vs @The_MJF:???#njpw: #njkopw pic.twitter.com/alnuuQaQ9U
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) October 7, 2026
“Let’s do King of the Hat!”
MJF ( @The_MJF: ) declares war on Oiva!! ️
Watch & Register ⏩ Search “NJPW WORLD”#njpwworld #njkopw pic.twitter.com/GbcmcpNxPQ
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) October 7, 2026
In his message, MJF called NJPW second-tier and mocked the company for losing all of its top stars in recent years. However, he noted that Oiwa is one of the best that NJPW currently has to offer, and by defeating him, he would be one step closer to locking the Forbidden Door for good and proving why he was right all along about NJPW as a company. MJF even sweetened the deal for Oiwa by announcing that he would put over his beloved Triple B, claiming that he is still the true AEW World Champion and the belt currently held by Will Osprey is a fake title. The Salt of the Earth ended by dropping the gauntlet and asking Oiwa who the real owner of the Headlock was because in MJF’s mind it was him, and he would prove it by hitting The Grip with a headlock.
This rivalry between MJF and Oiwa actually kicked off on social media following Oiwa’s win at the G1 Climax final in August. Oiwa’s win over Yuya Uemura was criticized by everyone except the “current” AEW World Champion, who baited “The Grip” in an exchange on X (formerly known as Twitter), which led to both men insisting that they would fight each other in whatever company would let them.
MJF won’t be at the forefront of Oiwa’s mind, at least not in the near future, as he will challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2026 on October 17th.