2026 has already been a blockbuster year for Andrade El Idolo, and following his latest trip to NJPW, it could get a whole lot bigger for him as he will challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship later this month.
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New Japan Pro Wrestling held its annual “The New Beginning In Osaka” event on February 11, which featured a match to determine the number one contender for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship between Andrade and Gabe Kidd. The two men had bad blood following the Wrestle Kingdom 20 event on January 4, and after a hard-hitting bout in front of a sell out crowd, it was Andrade who walked away with the victory. Andrade won’t have to wait long for his match with Tsuji as they will main event “The New Beginning In USA” event on February 27 at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.
Tsuji also had a successful night in Osaka as he made his first defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event against Jake Lee. The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship wasn’t on the line as Tsuji declared shortly after Wrestle Kingdom 20 that only the IWGP Heavyweight Championship will be defended in Japan between contracted NJPW talent, while the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship will act as the top title internationally and the secondary title domestically.
As for Andrade, he is now only three wins away from becoming a double champion in AEW and NJPW. To go along with his IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match against Tsuji, Andrade will go one-on-one with Hangman Page at AEW Grand Slam Australia in Sydney this Saturday, with the winner of that match moving on to the Revolution pay-per-view on March 15 to face either MJF or Brody King, who also face off at Grand Slam Australia, for the AEW Men’s World Championship.
Opinion: Andrade El Idolo Beating Yota Tsuji Wouldn’t Be The Worst Idea
As previously mentioned, Andrade El Idolo is already having a great year in 2026, and being involved in the main event scene in AEW, as well as one of the title pictures in New Japan Pro Wrestling is a testament to the hard work he’s been putting in. To go along with his victory over Gabe Kidd, one of the biggest foreign names in NJPW, Andrade has already beaten two former AEW Men’s World Champions in the form of Swerve Strickland and Kenny Omega, which leads me to believe that having Andrade beat Yota Tsuji on February 27 wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
Tsuji has cleared up the confusion surrounding the title situation in NJPW following Wrestle Kingdom 20, bringing back the old V4 design of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and its lineage, merging it with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship he beat Konosuke Takeshita for, which itself was merged with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship back in 2021. However, the situation surrounding the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship makes me think that NJPW are actively going to try and re-establish its international appeal this year.
Obviously, the 2010s were a golden era for NJPW in terms of international expansion and popularity, but due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic butchering Japanese wrestling as a whole, and the stars from the 2010s either leaving, retiring, or simply not being able to walk properly, NJPW under Tsuji’s guidance is a company that wants to get back to its roots in Japan. Tsuji is obsessed with the idea of making the IWGP Heavyweight Championship the most prestigious prize in wrestling again, but having him walk around with a second belt that plays second fiddle seems a bit counterproductive. Sure, you can have Tsuji working double duty, but all that will do is wear him down and make him prone to more injuries, so I think the best move for NJPW to do right now is to give the Global title to Andrade.
By doing this, it takes one less title out of NJPW domestically, which in turn elevates Tsuji’s main title as the be all and end all in Japan. The Global title will still be seen regularly due to how important Andrade is to AEW right now, which helps NJPW from an international perspective, and having Tsuji lose a match so early gives all the Japanese talent who want the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a glimmer of hope, making the main event scene more competitive and exciting. Andrade deserves to hold gold at some point and, to be honest, I don’t think he’s winning the AEW Men’s World Championship despite how good he is. With that said, being the international face of the biggest wrestling company in Japan by holding their top international prize, and beating the actual world champion to win that prize, isn’t a bad backup plan.
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